SPLIT LIP Painless, we promise
No need to book into a boxing class – these looks pack their own punch
1 OMBRE LOVE DIFFICULTY 1/3
This dual-toned lip isn’t quite as difficult to do as it looks, we promise. First, choose yourself two contrasting shades – one bright and one dark. “Start with the darker colour, and apply from the outside corners of the lips to around a quarter of the way across,” says Emma Tillman, Estée Lauder UK Pro Make-Up Artist. “Then, apply the brighter shade in the centre of your lips, making sure you define the Cupid’s bow.” Use a fluffy eyeshadow brush to carefully blend the two shades together, et voila! If you want to switch things up even more, try playing with textures: Tillman suggests a dark matte with a bright glossy or metallic shade. Talk about endless options.
2 BLANK SPACE DIFFICULTY 3/3
Not only do negative-space lips resemble sideways hearts (cute!), but Tillman says this’ll also help fake a fuller pout.“A good-quality, sharp lip brush is key,” she says. Pick a hot-pink, matte lipstick and, using said brush, trace a line from the outer edge of the top lip to the top of your Cupid’s bow. Continue the line down, leaving a small gap at the centre of your lips, ending up where you started. Colour it in and repeat on each side, top and bottom. Keep make-up remover and some cotton buds handy – this may take a few attempts.
3 BOLD MOVE DIFFICULTY 1/3
At L’Oréal Paris’s first catwalk show, models wore dramatic contrasting lip shades. Tillman says prep lips first to soften dry skin – use balm, then blot. Next, apply colour – matte liquid lipsticks are best as they bleed less – to the top lip. “Let that set before you move on to the bottom lip, so the two shades don’t transfer,” she says. Purple and blue not quite your bag? Try pink or red against orange. And if one of your lips is thinner than the other, just use the lightest shade on it to make them look more even. Who needs fillers?