10 Tips for Rocking Bright, Bold Lipstick, Even in Daylight
Want to know the secret to rocking bright, bold lip color? Photo by Alicia Michelle
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This post contains affliate links, where a portion of your purchase will go towards supporting Moon Emissary. Regarding recommendations, you're in good hands; all product suggestions are for items I currently use or have used in the past.
I’ll never forget my introduction to bright and bold lipstick.
It happened on the streets of Tbilisi, an emerging ex-Soviet destination known for its artsy vibes, where Georgian women rocked bold lip color so fearlessly, you could hear France quaking from the other end of the European continent.
What was their secret?
Read on to find out.
1. Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate
Ever tried to paint drywall with popcorn texture?
Terrible, right?
The exact same struggle happens when you try to apply bold lipstick to rough lips. Exfoliation, performed bi-weekly with a gentle edible lip scrub, helps provide a smooth surface for makeup, by sloughing away dead flaky skin. And when performed over time, exfoliation helps promote the cell-turnover required for a plump, healthy pout.
My Pick:
Tree Hut’s Sugarlips, an affordable, sugar-based physical exfoliant with a cooling peppermint tingle and sweet taste, was my first lip scrub. This lovely lady is only 0.34 ounces, but trust me when I say she lasts forever, at nearly a year for me (and my huge lips).
2. Condition and Moisturize
Though many lip exfoliators include nourishing ingredients, exfoliation alone isn’t enough to moisturize your lips because you rinse the product off after a few seconds.
Lip balm, generously applied before you add a primer and left to sit while you do the rest of your makeup, helps moisturize and condition your lips, and keeps them that way beneath your lipstick.
My Pick:
I’ve tried countless lip balms, and nothing beats Laneige’s Lip Sleeping Mask. Packed with vitamin C and hyaluronic acid, this lip mask contains a jelly-like texture, a glossy transparent finish, and a light, unobtrusive scent.
Though Laneige suggests using this product at night, I also like to use it during my makeup routine. Consistent use will brighten, smooth, and plump your lips, and the product itself will last you over a year before you’ll need to repurchase.
Grapefruit, vanilla, and the classic berry are my favorite flavors.
3. Balance the Rest of Your Makeup
Bold lipstick looks more put-together when paired with an even complexion and subdued makeup everywhere else.
Keep your lips in-focus with a pared-down wash of neutral eyeshadow, nude blush, or bronzer. For maximum chic, try wearing bold lipstick with nothing but a tinted moisturizer, dewy highlighter, and clear brow gel.
Blush Tip
Try saving blush for last, for after you apply your lipstick. Doing so helps maintain balance between your lipstick and blush.
4. Use Color Theory
A masterful blend of color, makeup, and fashion will make heads turn; keep the colors of your clothing and your natural coloring in mind when planning your makeup.
5. Prime Time
Once you’ve perfected your eyes and complexion, it’s time for the piece de resistance, your lips; finish prepping them for color by removing your lip balm and applying a primer.
Though this step looks inconsequential, I find that lip primer makes a huge difference, as it extends the wear time of your lipstick, intensifies its color, and keeps it comfortable for longer.
My Pick:
Nuxe’s Rêve de Miel (translation: Honey Dream), a legendary French lip balm frequently found in Parisian makeup bags, is my top pick for wearing beneath matte lip color. Seriously, no other lip primer compares; rich, emollient, and loaded with honey and plant oils, this lip balm moisturizes and protects your lips against matte lipstick’s drying effects. Just one application is enough to see why I’m a Nuxe customer for life.
6. Use Lip Liner Sparingly
This one’s less of a commandment and more of a suggestion, as I’ve noticed that more and more fashionistas are forgoing lip liner, especially as beauty trends shift towards no-makeup-makeup.
Hence why I believe lining your lips is subjective, best suited for darker, more unforgiving lipstick shades or for evening wear, when low lighting calls for stronger makeup definition.
7. Use Your Fingers
Want to know the secret to seamless, soft-focus lip color? Use your fingers!
I find that swiping straight from a lipstick bullet looks too heavy; depositing color on the center of your lips before diffusing with your finger, creates a more modern, effortless look.
Why fingers, you ask? Because the body heat from your digits helps bind the product to your lips and prevents cracking as the hours fly by.
My Pick:
Want to experiment with bold lip shades, but hate the price tag that comes with it? Play, buyers’ remorse-free, via Maybelline’s Color Sensational lipstick line. Available in a modern and jaw-dropping 40 shades, this line is creamy and pigmented enough to go toe-to-toe with upscale department store offerings. So much, that it’s making me reconsider my previous recommendation to always splurge on lipstick…
8. Blot and Layer
Want to know another bold lipstick secret?
The key to cake-free, full-volume color is to apply your lipstick in layers, while blotting with a tissue in-between.
9. Accept Imperfection
A blurred edge here. A stained wine glass there…
Easy, undone lip color means accepting and reveling in imperfection.
10. Be Confident
There’s a reason why I frequently end my blog posts on a psychological note; your headspace matters and absolutely does affect how you carry yourself, especially when wearing makeup that makes you stand out from the crowd.
So go ahead, keep your head high, even when wearing unconventional shades.
