There's a trend from New York Fashion Week that I've been dying to try and have been recently sporting it on my cross country travels – the dark lip. No, it's not goth, it's sexy. But yes, it can look bad if you don't wear it right. I've been wearing a deep plum that compliments my skin tone (think OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark for your nails). Below are tips from DailyMakeover on how to make the dark lip work for you and stay put.
- Exfoliate your lips. It is important to remove any excess dead skin from your lips for a smooth surface. Try Smashbox Cosmetics Emulsion Lip Exfoliant.
- Prime lips. This step is very important, so please do not skip! You need to add a small amount of moisture to your lips before applying a dark lip color so the color does not look dry or cracked. The key is keeping the matte look without the greasy residue of some lip balms. A multi-purpose primer, like Natural Born Cosmetics Lip Fix Matte Neutralizer, does the trick! This product, primes, adds a bit of moisture, fills in little lines, and neutralizes lip color for a perfect canvas to apply a deep color...
- Choose a dark lip color. Try Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics--one drop of their Lip Tar goes a long, long way! For blue-red shades, try NSFW or Stalker. If you prefer warmer reds, try Harlot. For the perfect deep-burgundy shade, try Strumpet or Vintage. Another favorite of mine is Yves St. Laurent Rouge Volupté Perle in Mesmerizing Purple.
- Apply lip color with a lip brush. To apply gloss with a brush, squeeze a drop of product onto the brush and apply color starting from the outer corners of the lip inwards towards the bow of your lips and fill in. You can go slightly outside of your natural lip line but be careful not to go too high. A similar technique is used for applying lipstick from the tube. Instead of applying directly to lips, swipe your lip brush with the product and apply using the same technique.
Now that you have your lips in tact make sure you keep the rest of your face flawless! Remember the lip is the focal point.
When it comes to makeup I normally wear very little, but if it's a special occasion I may throw on some eye shadow. Turns out, I'm in luck because 70% of guys actually find the natural, fresh-faced makeup look sexier than the glammed-up femme fatale.
Fifty men were polled by DailyMakeover.com to find out what guys really think of your makeup. Each man was presented with two shots of celebrities -- Ashley Greene
