Beauty Buzz Article

BEAUTY BUZZ
by Karen Peery

Karen Peery has 20 years experience in the newspaper and retail industries. For the past 8 1/2 years she has been an AVON Independent Sales Representative, certified beauty advisor, and top recruiter in her district since 1999. She is a mother and grandmother and enjoys helping people discover their beauty and second income needs. Karen currently resides in Iowa.

Lipstick techniques

A new lipstick is like a new pair of shoes, it holds a promise of change and instant glamour. If you want to leave a lasting impression, find your special lipstick color.

If you can color in a coloring book, you can color in your lips as you have even seen women apply their lipstick without a mirror? And it always comes out perfect. Although it may take some practice.

There are two basic tools for creating any lip look. They are the lip pencil (also called liner) and lipstick. You can use them alone or together, depending on the look you want to achieve.

Using lip color is one the quickest and easiest ways to change the look of your face. You can make your lips look fuller, thinner, fatter lower lip or smaller lips.

Here are a few ideas if you need to alter your lip shape:

Thin lips: you can outline slightly just outside your natural lip with a special brush, keeping to the exact shape. Then fill in with a slightly deeper color tone.

Full lips: outline just inside your natural lip line. Then fill in with a matt color in the same shade. You should always avoid bright, shiny or heavy colors.

Fatter lower lip: you can use a slightly lighter shade of lipstick on the top lip with a darker tone on the lower lip. This change of color tone should be very subtle.

When you first apply any lip color it is best to learn to outline the lips with a pencil or brush. Even if you want a natural look, the lips need definition. You pencil needs to have a sharp point to get a clear-edged outline. Then fill in the lip with a matching color from a stick or compact. Next blot the lips with a tissue and reapply the lip color.

If you want a shine, apply a thin coat of lip gloss to the center of the upper and lower lips. A special cream can be applied around your mouth before using lipstick if you lips tend to “bleed.”

There are two ways to applying lip liner: the dot method and the dash method. The dash method is the most popular. Lip liner can be applied either before or after lip color. It will help your lipstick to adhere better and resist feathering if you apply lip liner first. And if you use a lip liner after your lip color it will help perfect your final lip shape.

If you use the dot method, draw a dot on each point of the upper lip’s bow and then draw two more dots right below them at the bottom of the lower lip. Then just connect the dots.

When using the dash method, you work your way around the edge of the lips by using a series of short, gentle lines that you connect as you go along.

Your lip liner pencil should be the same color as the lipstick or slightly darker. Apply the liner around the mouth, following the natural lip edge. This is the time to correct any faults in you lip shape. It is easiest to divide the mouth into sections and work on each part until the lines are corrected.

Begin applying the lip liner in the middle of the upper lip and move to the center; move to the center of your bottom lip and draw a short horizontal line; next line the corners of your mouth; and then connect the lines drawn in the center (top and bottom) to the corners.

You can apply your lipstick with a sable haired lipstick brush. If you apply lipstick straight from the tube you will not achieve a perfect edge and you will need to re-apply lipstick more frequently. The last step is blotting your lips with a tissue and apply a second coat of lipstick.

If you want your lipstick to last longer, you may want to use a matte lipstick and apply several layers of lipstick, blotting on a tissue before each new layer. Usually matt lipstick lasts longer than any other kind.

After you apply one layer of lipstick, blot it with a tissue, then you may apply a light dusting of loose powder through the tissue and then apply a final layer of lipstick. But do not apply any powder over the last application.

Begin applying your lipstick at the center of each lip and work your way out toward the corner’s of your mouth. For a smooth application, open your mouth slightly to stretch the lips taut. It is best to forget about puckering as it is useless for applying lipstick.

Here are a few lipstick tips:

Lipstick and perfume last longer if stored in the refrigerator.
You never want to use a lipstick tester on your lips. Test the lip color on your fingertips.
To help your lipstick last longer, you can use a pencil first as a base.
If your lipstick color turns out to be brighter than you wanted it to be, you can color in your lips with a pencil a few shades darker than you lipstick.
If you are in a pinch for blush, you can use your lipstick but never use your blush for lipstick.

Women have emphasized their lips for hundreds of years, having a small stash of lipsticks in their cosmetic bags for different occasions, moods, or for their different outfits. Your lip color can also compliment your skin, hair and eye color.

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Karen Peery, Independent Sales Representative

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