makeup

A QUICK LIP TIP

TUTORIAL + PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY NADINE, GRAPHIC DESIGN BY EUNICE CHUN

When it comes to bringing the Uptown Lip to life, you’ll want to focus on two key elements: a little lining exaggeration and a shiny gloss. If you follow your own lip’s perimeter, you’ll get a nice, natural result. But if you take the line from your cupid’s bow to the outer corner as a solid straight line instead, it will be slightly above the natural perimeter, creating a fuller effect. Combined with gloss that makes everything more three dimensional and even Kylie Jenner would be impressed! Here’s how:

TOOLS:

• Your Favorite Lip Pencil — Right now these are my favorite lip pencils for the perfect amount of pigment and slip. These are my favorite more budget-conscious options. I’ve chosen a nude shade but you can do this technique with any color that you love as long as the lip liner and the lip gloss are the same shade.
• Your Favorite Lip Gloss — These 3-D lip glosses are so advanced both visually and formulation-wise. They definitely weren’t around when I went to makeup school in 2003 and I’m so impressed with how far the cosmetics industry has come. If you’re looking to pay a little less, try these gorgeous ultra-shiny lip glosses.

STEPS:

1. Start by drawing an “M” shape along your cupid’s bow but don’t go all the way to the corners.
2. This is where we cheat the angles. Don’t follow your natural lip perimeter, especially if it slopes a little downward as it makes its way to the corner. Ignore the natural line and draw a straight line from the end of the “M” to the corner.
3. Stretch your smile to tighten the skin so your lines are smooth and not jagged. Feel free to make the line thicker as you do this. You can even fill in the entire upper lip as well like I did on Rachel above.
4. Don’t forget to line the lower lip as you usually would. Or you can cheat it slightly below the natural lip line but be careful not to draw it too exaggerated. Then you can fill in the entire lower lip as well.
5. Finish with a coat of lip gloss on both the top and bottom.