From Cleopatra to Marilyn Monroe, the bold red lip has served queens for centuries. But there’s more to mastering this striking style than meets the eye. So we’ve put together a quick 5-step trick to conquering this iconic look (feat. our award-winning matte liquid lipstick, of course).
Step 1: Prepare your pout
Just like any good skincare or makeup routine, preparation is the most important factor in achieving and maintaining bold lip success. Start by gently exfoliating with a light lip scrub, buffing it off before the hydration-phase. We highly recommend using a proper lip scrub, with the right sized exfoliating particles, rather than DIY-ing this one.
Step 2: Hello, hydration
Here’s the thing, no one likes a cracked lip. And with the right amount of hydration, it’s totally preventable. Before you reach for the lipstick tube, replenish moisture by applying a thin layer of hydrating lip balm and allowing it to absorb completely. This step will help prevent chapping and creasing, plumping and hydrating your pout just in time for colour.
Step 3: Love your liner
How good are boundaries? Applying lip liner prevents your lipstick from bleeding or budging. Choose from an invisible liner or one that matches your lipstick, and gently line the edge of your lips. Our matte liquid lipstick is designed with a doe-foot applicator, which gives you a precise edge to line your lips and a flat-side to fill them in using one soft stroke. Smart.
SHOP LIPSTICKS
Step 4: Let’s get lippie
Taking your red lipstick of choice (may we suggest Lip Service?), gently paint inside the lines, filling the lip completely. If you’re using a traditional swivel-stick type lipstick, we recommend using an angled lip brush to apply colour. Our punchyLip Service makes for a smoldering smack of red in just the right doses. This formula is lush and long-lasting, matte but non-drying and we’ve used hydration-boosting ingredients like hyaluronic acid and vitamin E for anti-aging, skin-regenerating thrills. Lucky you.
Step 5: Conceal the deal
Ahhh concealer, the perfect potion for masking a multitude of evils. Give your lip a clean edge (and even more striking contrast) by taking an angled lip brush or concealer brush and applying concealer around the outside edges of your lip. Voila, a beautiful, budge-free bold lip.
Bonus tip:
Our lippie is long-lasting, which makes goodbyes hard. The remedy? Our Overachiever Balm Cleanser. This buttery cleansing balm gently melts away your makeup using jojoba and babassu oil, shea butter and mimosa flower wax.
Shop Overachiever Balm Cleanser
You’ve clocked the lip, now nail the manicure.
Rouge, Narcissist, or Cherry Pie? Looking for just the right red nail polish to match your lips? Check out our article on finding the perfect red for your skin tone, followed by a quick read of 5 Steps to the perfect at-home manicure.
Gone bold and want to tell the whole wide world about it? (It’s only natural, tbh.)
Pretty please tag us and tell us all about it @kesterblack using #kesterblack. Mwah.
