Lessons in Lip Liner

Do you remember when you were about ten years old, begging your mum for one of those make up compilation boxes that you could get from places such as Argos?  You know the ones I mean; the box that had about 4 layers; one layer with lip gloss palettes in hideous shades of pinks and reds, another with blushers in a classic pink and peach colour, another with eye shadows in every single hideous colour imaginable and another layer with lip pencils and eye pencils that practically scratched your eyes out, a flakey mascara and other random make up tools.  And all that for around about £10.  Well I had one of those.

Similar to what I had when I was younger...

 

I can distinctly remember me and my friends putting on pretty much everything that there was in every single colour possible and looking…well horrendous to be honest!  Thinking about that cosmetic kit actually makes me shudder!  And although I have now ditched my Argos make-up compilation box and learnt that you don’t have to own let alone wear every single eye shadow colour, the thought of lip liner still brings back bad memories.  This is because me and my friend (not my fellow Beauty School Tryout I hasten to add!) thought that lip liner was actually supposed to be more of an outliner.  I’m sure you can imagine what we must have looked like with our rather badly outlined lips in some garish shade of pink.  Well to this day, I have not used lip liner since.

But with red lips being a big trend for Autumn Winter 2011, I decided to do some research into applying lip liner.  I found these tips from Woman & Home magazine who say that  if applied correctly, lip liners will add definition and a touch of sophistication to your lips (just don’t use an Argos lip liner!):

• Lip liners have moved on from the chalky offerings of old. Many supple formulas now contain sophisticated waxes that prevent lipstick from bleeding, yet feel like a lipstick.
  
• Avoid a dark ring: Instead of pencil that matches the lipstick, make-up artists prefer nude pencils. Pencils are waxy and lipsticks are creamy, so coloured pencils last longer than lipstick and leave a ring.
  
• Perfect your line: A thin layer of foundation over the lips can help to create a perfect lip shape by making the surrounding skin match the lips. It helps to fill in fine lines around the mouth, and lips will look bigger and more youthful.
  
• Staying power: After lining lips with a neutral pencil, fill them in with a pencil that matches your lipstick. Then apply lip colour with a brush to blend the pencil in

K x