If
women were allowed to use only one item of make-up, most of us would choose
lipstick. As a result, it is slightly surprising that when it comes to
taking care of our kissers, most of us are guilty of neglect. Remember that
the lips do not have a strong lipid barrier, so they dry out quickly, and
the habit of constant licking makes this dehydration worse. The lips have no
sebaceous glands either, which makes them almost totally reliant on external
moisturizer to keep them in peak condition. The best thing you can do to
achieve a perfect pair of pouters is treat them to a daily ritual: first
exfoliate (brush them very gently with a toothbrush if you do not want to
splash out on a special cream), take regular care of your lips, so that they look fresh and healthy.
Luscious lips also provide you the opportunity to stand out in the crowd.
They bring you in the limelight.
Protect your lips from the harsh weather conditions. Eat plenty of green
veggies and fruits. Gorge on foods rich in Vitamins. Increase your intake of
water. Apply lip balm and keep your lips moisturized. Lips will look
beautiful and attractive only if they are healthy. Applying makeup on dry
chapped dark lips will not make them appear eye-catchy. It can only invite
unwanted attention that brings forth the fact that your lips are dry and
chapped. Refrain from licking your lips. then hydrate with a protective balm. Remember that smoking and exposure
to harmful ultraviolet rays cause ugly vertical lines to appear around the
mouth, so invest in a product with UV protection and never leave home
without it and, ideally, try to stop smoking.
After you have applied your foundation, your contour (if you choose to useit)
and/or your highlighter, and after you have done your eyes, it's time to
work on your lips
Lips Care Tips and Advice
How
much you do with your lips is completely up to you. There is no wrong or
right answer as to whether to wear lipstick-only wrong and right ways to
apply it. It's up to you how you want to treat your lips. But whatever you
decide, here are some tricks of the trade to show your lips to their best
advantage.
An important thing to think about concerning your lips is that thereare two
extremes, neither one of which, as is often the case, is terrific First of
all, everyone needs something that moisturizes the lips. Secondly, the extra
shine that lipstick (or gloss, or petroleum jelly, which, by the way, is a
terrific moisturizer-it gives your lips a wonderful glow) provides is a
touch thatyour face should not be without.
A face without something on the lips really looks undone, unfinished- as if
you forgot something. This is particularly so for women whose makeup routine
is the simplest one-a little mascara and blush on good clean skin-because
naked lips will make the whole face seem wan, while a little gloss can pick
up the entire look.
The other extreme is a lip that is overdone, that screams for attention and
gets it, at the expense of your face. You really don't want your lips to
precede you into a room, do you? Yet many women sooverline and overcolor
their lips that their mouth is the first (and sometimesthe only) thing you
notice about their whole appearance.
Another mistake some women make is to choose lipstick without any
consideration for their foundation and their blush. This is not a good idea
because the lipstick can then clash with the rest of your makeup. And even
if the difference is subtle, believe me, it will still be noticeable. So if
you use a tawny blush, choose a lipstick from tawny to bronze to beige to
compliment your makeup. If you usea a rose foundation and a rose blush, you
need to use a lipstick within the range of rose to pink that corresponds
with your foundation.
Yet another misconception about lipstick is that it should match the clothes
you wear. This is simply not true, and can in fact make you look rather
silly. First of all, the days of matching everything are gone. Fashion has
for many years advised that the natural, more casual look (rather than the
detailed, precise, everything-dyed-thesame- color look) is the right one for
everyone. You can choose to wear what you want to wear-you need not have to
make sure that everything you own, whether it be clothes or makeup, be the
same color. Shades and textures that compliment one another-yes. But gone
are the days when your shoes, gloves, hat, purse,dress, lipstick and nail
polish all had to match.
You don't have to-and shouldn't, really-change your lip color every time you
change your clothes. You don't do it with your hair or with your foundation,
so why with your lipstick? Unless it is a special occasion (usually an
evening gala where unusual shades of color might be appropriate), stick to
the lipstick that compliments your face. The lesson here is also this: If
you find a foundation and blush color that go with your complexion and hair,
and you find a lipstick that compliments these colors, chances are that all
these colors will go with almost everything you wear.
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