Primadonna Style: Is Lipstick Driving You Loopy?

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In an ideal world, lipstick should make you feel beautiful. It’s any girl’s best friend, and it’s a supposed staple for days when you don’t fancy a full face of makeup. The trouble is that you’ve been trying to make lipstick work for you for more years than you can remember, and you’re on the verge of giving up. Far from helping your whole face to pop, it makes your skin look blotchy, and your lips look horrid. For you, it’s a full face of makeup or nothing.

But, a life with lipstick is no way to live. They’re right when they say that this is the one makeup item every woman should own. Instead of giving up, then, you might want to work out what you’re doing wrong. The chances are that your lack of success so far in this area has some easy enough solutions. And, once you get to the bottom of them, you’ll be able to rock lipstick with the best of them.

Of course, working out where you’re going wrong with makeup isn’t always easy. Lucky for you, lipstick mistakes are often widespread and obvious. If lipstick doesn’t light up your days right now, then, keep on reading to find out why.

Your application is all wrong.

An incorrect application is, by far, the primary lipstick sin. It’s simple; lipstick is simply never going to look good if you put it on wrong. Which is why your application processes should be the first to come under fire here. First thing’s first; you need to understand the importance of a lip liner. For those of us just entering the lipstick world, this may seem like an unnecessary expense. But, trust us when we say that it could change your lipstick game for good. No one looks their best when their lipstick feathers or bleeds, after all. A lip liner can stop that from happening, and keep your color in those confines all night long. Bear in mind that incorrectly applied liner is almost worse than none at all. Hence why you should also do your research before getting started here. Watch YouTube videos, or look up what you should be doing. As a general rule, you want a liner which is one shade darker than your natural lip color. Whatever you do, avoid distinct colors which will show through your makeup. Make sure, too, that you’re only following the natural line of your lips. If you try puffing things up by drawing outside of those lines, there’s no way lipstick will ever look good on you. Do this, and even liner won’t be able to stop bleeding from happening. Not to mention that you’ll look more like a clown than the glam queen we know that you can be. Note, too, that liner isn’t the only application secret. Exfoliating before the application is also essential for decent application. And, of course, using a setting powder saves you from that horrible half-off look halfway through the night.

Your mouth doesn’t look the part

It’s also worth noting that lipstick highlights your mouth. Obviously. With a bright color on your lips, you can bet that all eyes will be drawn here. That can fast turn to bad news if your mouth or lips aren’t your best features. The last thing you’ll want in that case is all eyes on the area. Even worse, fixing this problem isn’t as easy as buying a liner to cover things up. Instead, you’ll need to consider how to make your whole mouth a little more flattering. Of course, flaking lips are never going to look the part with lipstick. If your lips are always dry, then, this should be your first port of call. As mentioned above, exfoliating before an application can work wonders for clearing dead skin. Given that lip balm will be off your cards, you may also want to reach for moisturizing lipsticks. There are plenty on the market, and they could be the ideal compromise for keeping dryness at bay while providing that pop of color. Lips aside, your teeth may be the problem. The moment you smile with lipstick on, after all, these are sure to be on display for all to see. If they’re wonky or stained, the best lipstick going won’t look any good. In this instance, you may need to take much more drastic action. A trip to the hygienist could see your teeth sparkling white and ready to offset any color of your choice. Equally, heading to an orthodontist could be the thing to see those teeth straight once and for all. Of course, lipstick and braces are about the worst paring you could hope for. That’s why you should seek orthodontists who use services from a company like Ortho Select to guarantee fast treatment times. Before you knew it, this would see you with straight gnashers and an ability to wear lipstick like never before.

You’re choosing the wrong colors

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Like foundation, lipstick colors are unique to each of us. An option which looks red on one person can look orange on someone with a different skin tone. Even worse, choosing the wrong color for you could reflect in your whole face. Orange shades, for example, often make those with warmer skin tones look a little orange all over. Get this wrong, then, and there’s no way that your lipstick will ever look luscious. Forget about picking any old lipstick on the shelf and hoping for the best. Instead, you need to get organized here. As with foundation matching, it’s essential that you know which colors work for you. Once you’re aware of that, you can pretty much guarantee success with every lipstick that you wear from now on. A good bet here would be to head to the beauticians in your local makeup section. As with foundation, they’ll be able to do some basic tests and point you in the right direction. Failing that, there are plenty of online guides which could serve the same purpose. For the most part, the secret is to find your skin overtone and work from there. Play around with the shades in store by using swatches on your arm. Believe it or not, even that simple guideline should be enough to show you whether a color is a match or a no-go. As simple as that, you could well find that you finally boss your lipstick game for good.

You’re pairing it with a heavy eye

They say that you should never wear bright lipstick with a heavy eye. And, while Madonna can pull that kind of thing off, you’re probably better steering clear. The fact is that bright lipsticks can look clownish if you pair them with eyeshadow and a thick liner. This is, of course, a trend which has come and gone a few times now, but it’s most definitely out at the moment. If you can never get lipstick to work, then, consider what you’re wearing on your eyes. If you have neutral eyeshadow and a light coverage a brighter lipstick can work well for adding some glamor. But, if you’re going heavy with the eyes, leave lipstick out, or opt for a fair tone which doesn’t distract too much. It’s a simple step, which can ensure that your lips never look alarming. And, it could make a huge difference in improving your lipstick look on the whole.

You never consider coordination

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Speaking of pairing your lipstick with other things, it’s also worth thinking about your outfits. Too often, we pick up any old lipstick without sparing a thought for what we’re wearing. But, pairing your color choices to your outfits could well be the secret to your lipstick success. Bold colored clothes often suit pastel or bright pink lipstick tones, for example. By comparison, earthy color palettes in your outfit are sure to suit an orange-toned lip. Equally, we all know that red lipstick looks best with a slinky black number. The best way to get on top here is to play around. There’s no hard and fast rule about which colors work with which outfits. But, as soon as you start to test things out, you should come to have a pretty good understanding of what works. As simple as that, you’ll be able to reach for the right lippy every time you leave the house. And, when that happens, you can finally get a grip on looking your best while wearing lipstick.

Conclusion

As you can see, lipstick isn’t all that difficult to get right. It isn’t like eyeliner, where years of practice go towards drawing a decent line. Lipstick is more about getting a grip on some basic concepts and running with them. Note, too, that bright lips can take some getting used to. Even if you take care of all the above, you may want to wear these around the house before heading out for the world to see. Confidence in your look can, after all, take you far.

Thanks for reading!