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How to wear dark lipstick

How to wear dark lipstick 2

Dark lipstick looks absolutely amazing and makes a comeback every winter, yet loads of women still find it too intimidating to wear. Truth is, it can look great on all skin tones – you just need to find the right shade and texture. Follow our tips below to pull off the ultimate dark lip with confidence this winter.

Find your colour
Even seasoned dark-lipped girls know that colour is not a one-size-fits-all. Because the point of dark lips is to make a statement, pretty much anything goes and there are no hard and fast rules as to choosing a shade. Try out as many colours as you can to find the shades that work with your skin tone and hair colour. Need a starting point? Fair skins pull off deep reds and pinks very well, while medium and olive skin tones look great against deep chocolate tones. Dark skin tones are the perfect canvas for plums and purples.

Prep your lips
Lips are more likely to be rough or dry during winter. Before you apply your colour, gently exfoliate the lips with a lip scrub (we love Lush’s Chocolate Lip Scrub, R105.00) and follow with a hydrating lip balm. Wait 10 or 15 minutes for the moisture to be absorbed.

Conceal
If you have any redness around the lips (this is way more common than you may think!), apply a bit of concealer around the edges to mask it. A dark lipstick with red undertones will highlight any redness you may have in your skin, so as a general rule you may want to wear your lip colour with some foundation and concealer.

Invest in a matching lip liner
A sharp edge is tricky to achieve with lipstick alone. A lip liner helps define the shape of the lips and also makes lipstick application much easier.

Try a brush
Sometimes a lipstick’s bullet is the perfect shape and size for your lips and follows the curves with perfection, and other times it’s almost impossible to fill the lips’ shape. A lipstick brush could be the answer!  If you find it difficult to apply your colour perfectly from the bullet, use a brush to lift colour from your lipstick and apply to the lips in short strokes. Start with a bit of colour and build it up – if you apply too much from the start you may find it difficult to spread without messing.

Reapply
Even long-wear formulas tend to wear off in the centre of the lips if you’ve been eating or drinking and with a dark colour, this colour fade is more noticeable. There’s no need to wipe off and reapply from scratch, though. Simply pat a bit of colour to the centre of your bottom lip and purse your lips together to spread.

Keep the rest simple
Ever heard the saying “eyes or lips, never both?” As makeup junkies we can’t agree with that completely, but we echo the sentiment that when you’re rocking a dark lip, it should be the focal point, and it’s best complemented by simple, neutral eye makeup and subtle blush / bronzer.

Have fun with it
Makeup, after all, should be fun. Wear your dark lipstick with confidence and a little bit of attitude.

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Try one of these:

Avon Mark Liquid Lip Lacquer Matte in Passion It, R199.90 │ Palladio Velvet Matte Cream Lip Color in Tapestry, R109.95 │ CATRICE Generation Matte Liquid Lipstick in 030 Exotic Rebel, R79.95 │ Yardley Bonnie Stayfast Liquid Matte Lip Vinyl in Tiara, R130.95 │ CATRICE Matte Lover Lipstick Pen in 080 Luca Loves Lavender, R99.95 │ Yardley Stayfast Lipsick in Raisin, R130.95 │ RVBLAB The Make Up Comfort Matt Lipstick in 25 Brick Red, R280.00 │ essence ultra last instant colour lipstick in 20 rich mahogany, R49.95 │ Yardley Bonnie Intense Matte 16HR Lipstick in Wild Berry, R109.95 │ Avon Color Trend Lipstick in Dark Brown, R79.90

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