Achieving a Plumper Pout: 4 Expert Lipstick Hacks for Women in their 40s
1. Prime Your Lips First and Foremost
Applying lipstick directly to your lips without any prior preparation is a recipe for disaster, Chang explains. "One of the most common ways women accidentally make themselves look older with lipstick is by not properly prepping the skin around their lips," she says. This, she adds, can cause the lipstick to bleed, smudge and settle into fine lines and wrinkles, making them more visible. "To avoid this, make sure to exfoliate your lips regularly and apply a lip primer before applying lipstick or lip liner," she stresses.
Sir John agrees, and adds that creating a foolproof barrier that surrounds your lips can keep your color lasting longer. "Avoid lipstick smudging or feathering by having a waxy border/barrier around the lips, such as a matte primer applied with a brush or your finger, followed by a lip liner," he advises.
2. Start With A Creamy Lip Liner
To keep your lip color lasting all day, Dennis recommends using a lip liner as your first step, and to choose a creamy one to avoid drying your skin out. "Line your lips in either a color a few shades darker than your natural lip color, or a few shades darker than the lip color you are using," she advises. Dennis says to always "line along the outside edge of your natural lip line." She stresses using "slightly creamy liners versus drier ones," so that when you rub your lips together, you can "easily blend your lipliner with your gloss, or balm, yet they won't bleed."
When applying lip liner, Brice says that a "less is more" approach is best to avoid inadvertently drawing attention to fine lines. "I am fond of using the minimum effective dose, or least amount of product possible," she says, adding, "this is because product buildup can exacerbate the appearance of texture or wrinkles."
3. Use Medium-Toned or Brighter Colors
Dennis notes that darker lip colors can often "draw attention to the lines around the mouth and on the lips," and that "a lip color that is too nude" can make you look "washed out," as we naturally lose color in our face and lips as we age. To avoid this, she suggests grabbing a lipstick with a "rose, peach, terracotta, soft red, watermelon, berry, or raspberry color," as these all can "convey a youthful pout."
Brice agrees, and adds that "using a stain in a flattering color, and then using a plumping gloss in a lighter color in the center of the lips" can help your pout look filler and plumper. This pairing "draws the eyes to the middle of the mouth, and will make lips appear larger because of the lighter color," she says.
4. Add A Glossy/ Moist Lip Product
After applying your lip liner and a creamy, bright lip color, Dennis says to use another finishing gloss that is "moist looking" to again prevent dryness.
"This conveys a healthy, youthful mouth," she says. If you're in a rush, she recommends colored lip balms and oils because they "aren't opaque products and they make the lips look so juicy."
The Bottom Line
One key thing, Brice concludes, is to "make sure you're taking great care of your lips." Keeping them hydrated and exfoliated makes them "plumper and more youthful-looking, and this helps when you add a glossy lip color."
With makeup in general, she reiterates, but "especially with skin with extra texture like wrinkles," using a little can go a long way, and you can always reapply rather than starting out with too much product. The more you know!