Before you apply any lip color you should always moisturize your lips, but this is especially true of a standout lip color such as red or hot pink because a bolder color means more pigment and this can be more drying. Next, cancel out the natural color of your lips and the color around your lips too. A lot of us have a bit of a reddish-pink shading around the outside of our lip line. To cover this put your concealer (the same one that you use for your face) onto and then around your lips, and blend. Also, to help ensure that the color you put on stay's put, set all this with a touch of powder on a large blending brush.
Now it's time to line your lips. Lining the lips keeps color from feathering and gives the lipstick something to grip to. Choose a color that's close to your desired lip color and then create your lip line (make sure the pencil is nice and sharp). If you want to alter the shape and size of your lips this is the time. To make lips larger, apply the liner just outside of your natural lip line; thinner, apply slightly inside your lip line. You can reshape your cupids bow at this point too. If you really mean business and don't want that beautiful color to run then I suggest Benefit's She' Laq Makeup Sealer. A thin line applied on your lip line will insure your shade won't feather and a thin layer over your lip stick makes sure it won't fade.Time to do some coloring! When you want to achieve a precision color application a lip brush is the way to go. They come in various shapes and sizes, just choose the one that's right for you. Neatly lay down the first layer of lip color making sure to get the edges, corners of the mouth and the inside of the lip where bits of your natural lip color can peek out when talking and such. Then, blot with a piece of tissue. Repeat these two steps as needed until you get the color as sheer or as opaque as you'd like. If you mess up and go outside the lines then just take some of your concealer on a small, pointed brush or a clean lip brush and reverse line by covering the spot where the color bled out of your lip line.
Top with a sealer or use a fluffy blending brush to pat on a little powder to set it all. Last, if you choose, you can add a dot of gloss to the center of your pucker for shine. But beware, this can cause your color to wear off faster. If you are planning on a long day (or night!) then I recommend you bring your lip color and lip brush with you. A cutesy little pencil case (think girly flowers or Hello Kitty) works great and is easy to find in your purse! Just throw in your favorite shades and a lip brush and you'll always look fresh and flawless...
