Your lips may be changing with age. If you had full lips when you were younger, you may notice a loss of volume and collagen after age 50 — this is perfectly normal and doesn’t have to be a reason to run and get lip filler, unless this is something you’re interested in doing. Or maybe your lips have always been on the thinner side and you could make them appear poutier with certain lip-plumping glosses, but those aren’t having the same effect either.
The problem isn’t your lips — it’s that our makeup techniques to evolve with the passing time so that our makeup products and the tips we follow works for us, and not against us.
When it comes getting to fuller-looking lips with makeup, here are some tried-and-true do’s and don’ts you need to know.
Don’t Line Lips to the Corners
When you use a lipliner to line your entire lip area, including the corners, it can have the effect of dragging the mouth downward. With age, the corners of the mouth can take on a natural downward tilt. Combat this by not calling attention to it with your makeup.
Do Line the Bottom Lip and Cupid’s Bow
Use a nude-colored lip liner to line just the middle of the bottom lip and your Cupid’s bow.
Don’t Use Dark Lipsticks
If your goal is to make your lips look fuller, darker lipsticks will have the opposite effect: the darker the shade, the smaller the area will appear.
Do Try Pinks and Nudes
A pink, nude, or light peach lipstick creates the look of more volume in your lips. Choose undertones that complement your skin tone.
Don’t Use Matte Formulas
Similar to dark lipstick shades, matte shade remove depth from your lips, making them appear flatter and smaller.
Do Try Glosses
A lip gloss or lipstick with hydrating ingredients can help your lips look plumper and fuller. You can even try a tinted lip balm that contains nourishing ingredients.
Don’t Apply Lipstick to Unprepped Lips
Lips that aren’t prepped can be dry, chapped, and undernourished. Applying lipstick to them will only emphasize dryness and flakes and make them look thinner.
Do Exfoliate and Moisturize Lips
You can exfoliate lips with a gentle sugar-based scrub (or make your own scrub by blending brown sugar and olive oil). Always apply lip balm and allow it to absorb for a few minutes before lining your lips and filling them in with liner to help the color last longer and then following up with lipstick or gloss.
