Tips & Tricks: Lip Contouring

Face contouring is all the rage, but did you know you can contour your lips too! I've been cutting my face contouring back to just some bronzer on my cheeks and making it darker at the hairline; lazy girl contour. But I have been contouring my lips every day to achieve the perfect pout. The UnitWise Heroes really enjoy trying out new makeup techniques and this one is a big hit here at headquarters. Lip contouring is actually super easy (probably why I do it so much) and it looks amazing is a simple eye look.

How To Contour Your Lips
Prep - It's always a good idea to exfoliate and moisturize your lips before doing this. It just makes the application so much smoother and you don't have any pulling of your lip liner causing it to break ( I hate when that happens).

Step 1 - Line your lips
If you are a fan of overdrawing your lips then you will need to apply a concealer first to cancel out any color in your lips. Choose a lip liner that is slightly darker than your natural lip color. I really like the MK lip liner in Spiced Tea or Neutral. Any nude liner will work. When lining your lips concentrate more on the outer corners and define your cupids bow. Fill in the corners too but make sure to leave the center blank. There are different ways to apply the liner to make your lips look fuller but this way is pretty fool-proof.

Step 2 - Apply your lipstick
I love to play with lip combos, so choose whatever color you want. Usually a nude, peach, or pink or some combination of those three work great. Apply the color to the center where you left it blank and then take your finger and blend it out onto the liner. It will create a nice ombre effect. You can even go a bit further by applying a nude lipstick and pop a really light shade just in the center and blend it out really well.

Step 3 - Refine
You can go back over the liner if you want your lips more defined. Grab your bronzer or a dark powder that you use for contouring and apply the color with fluffy eye brush just under your bottom lip. This will make them look extra pouty and so luscious. Then finish with your favorite gloss. You can leave it matte too; I'm just a gloss girl in the spring and summer.

This is only one way to contour your lips. If you want to get really into it, I highly recommend Pinterest as a research resource for this type of contouring. Let me know what tips and tricks you have for full lips in the comment box below!