Lip color can make your lips look sensous, provocating and appealing. It makes the mouth look more inviting and expressive.

Using Lip Color

Soft, supple and healthy lips are pre-requisite to enhance the magical effect of the lipcolor. So round the year you need to pay some attention to your lips. The use of moisturiser and lip balm in winters is suggested to keep the lips moist and lucious. In summer complement your lips with a lip salve containing a sunscreen.

A lip color can be in cream form for a matte lip covering or it may have shimmer. A matte lip color provides depth to color and has good staying power. Shimmers with pearl and frosted versions are light reflecting and often used for a glamorous look.

Choosing the right lip color is the key element for a perfect lip make up. The color must compliment your skin tone and to a lesser extent to the dress you are wearing. If you have large lips try out muted colors like bronze, purples and browns whereas for thinner lips light colors should be preffered. Light blondes must opt for colors such as wine, berry, cappuccino and mauve while for blondes with a golden hue shades of peach, apricot and coral are best. Olive skin toned blondes should go for warm peach, brown and terracota shade. Bronze, coral and plums suits redheads while brunettes look best in rosy pink, tercotta nad cinnamon colors.

Having possessed healthy lips and a suitable lip color is half job done.

Lip color may be assisted by a lip pencil to outline the boundaries of the lips. The color of the lip pencil should either be neutral or matching to the lip color. Using a pencil makes for more defination, helps in correcting lip line faults and also prevents lip color from sweeping and smudging at the lip edges.

APPLYING LIP COLOR

1. To start with, apply some foundation on your lips. This assures longer stay of the lip color. Also dust over with a colorless face powder so that the lips are completely blotted out.

2. Use a finely-tipped lip pencil to outline and define your lips. Start at the centre and work out towards the corner of the mouth for the upper lip. Then outline the lower lip starting from one side aheading towards the other.

3. Take an adequate amount of lipcolor in the brush and fill in the lips, blending into the inner edges of the pencil line. For upper lips, work out from the centre towards the ends and from one side to the other for the lower lip.

4. To cover up the corners, open your mouth wide and then fill in the color.

5. Use a clean tissue paper to wipe of the excess of color by placing it between the lips and pressing lightly.

6. Reapply the colour for a finished and subtle look.

7. Finally a gloss or simply vaseline may be used to lend lustre.

TIP: 1. Lip color should be in contrast to the eye make up. Soft lip color should be used to balance heavy eye make up. On the other hand, dark rich color should be used with light eye make up.

2. Older women should go for creamier matte lipsticks.