A diamond is a girl’s best friend. Oh, please! I am a girl and I think I speak for all girls everywhere, when I say that we can happily live without diamonds but not without our staple lipstick. Sorry, not sorry! From naively wearing our mom’s lipstick to hoarding an empire of our own, lipsticks have always had a special place in our heart (and our makeup drawer). If you are a beginner and are starting out on your journey into makeup, then you must be on the lookout for basic tutorials like how to apply lipstick, so it lasts longer while also looking darn good. That’s probably how you stumbled upon this article. Well, rest assured, you are going to learn something very valuable today and by the time you finish reading this, you will feel a lot more comfortable applying lipstick.

Working a lipstick isn’t rocket science, but it is really important to wear it the right way so that it enhances your pout and looks nothing but perfect on you. While flaky lips, smudges and faded lip colour are some of the common goof-ups, let’s make sure you don’t fall prey to these and nail the art of applying lipstick each time. Here is an easy step-by-step tutorial of how to apply lipstick like a pro. From prepping your lips to finishing the look with a gloss, here is everything you could ever want to know about applying lipstick. So read on and paint your pout like a diva.

 

1. Prep your lips

Prep your lips

The first step of applying lipstick is to clean and moisturise your lips. Before you reach out for your lipstick, you need to prep your lips. You don’t want your lips to be dry, chapped and flaky and your lip colour to be peeling, do you? Moisturising your lips before wearing the lip colour makes sure your lipstick doesn’t dry out your lips and glides on smoothly and flawlessly. Especially if you are working with a matte lipstick, you cannot skip this step. Firstly, cleanse and exfoliate your lips with a lip scrub to get the flaky and peeling skin off. Pat it dry with a towel and once your lips are smooth, clean and soft, take a clear lip balm and apply it on your lips. Next, take a tissue paper and dab it on your lips to take the excess balm off.

 

2. Apply some loose powder

Apply some loose powder

Often nude and pale lip colours make Indian skin tones look washed out. And, if you happen to have dark lips, it is even more frustrating. To make your lip colour stand out and come out pigmented and gorgeous, here is what you can do. Take some loose powder or translucent powder on a concealer brush and dust the product on your lips in a stippling motion. You can even take a very small amount of your compact powder in your skin tone. It neutralises the natural colour of your lips and gives you a blank canvas to work on. Apply any lip colour, light or dark, and it will come out really pigmented and beautiful in just one swipe. Also, a layer of loose powder makes for a gripping agent which makes the lip colour last longer.

 

3. Line your lips

Line your lips

This is one insider tip on how to apply lipstick that you can’t skip. Lining your lips before applying lipstick can give you a beautifully defined pout, prevent the lip colour from smudging and bleeding and make it stay put all day. Take a lip liner of a similar shade as your lipstick and start by marking an ‘X’ on your Cupid’s bow. Next, outline the corners of your lips and your lower lip. Join them all, tracing the natural lip line. Keep the outline as natural as possible and don’t go overboard. If you have thin lips and want to fake a fuller pout, blur the corners and overdraw on the cupid’s bow and the centre of your lower lip. Make sure the outline is precise and defined. If there are any wobbly lines or smudge, fix it before filling in for a perfect pout.

 

4. Fill in your pout

Fill in your pout

Once you are done lining the lips, fill in with the same lip liner. Lip liner has a waxier consistency than your lipstick and even if your lip colour fades away, the lip liner underneath will stay intact. So, fill in your lips with your lip liner and then apply your lipstick on top of it. Apply one swipe of your lipstick on the upper and lower lips, press your lips together a couple of times to evenly distribute the product and blot with a tissue paper. Then, apply one more coat of your lipstick and press your lips once again. Make sure you apply the lip colour on the corners and fill inside the outline of your lips.

 

5. Finish the look

Finish the look

Do the final touches once you’ve applied your lipstick. Wipe any smudges and smears with the help of a tissue or cotton swab. Pour some micellar water on a Q-tip and glide it on the lipstick smudges to clean it without messing up the lipstick. Next, take some concealer on an angled brush and outline your lip line and blend for a clean and polished look. You can also top off your lipstick with a clear lip gloss for a glamorous look. And, there, now you know how to apply lipstick like a pro.

 

6. How to avoid lipstick from smudging and bleeding?

How to avoid lipstick from smudging and bleeding?

Line your lips before applying your lipstick to keep it from bleeding or smudging. Also, after you are done applying your lipstick, remove the smudges and any smears with the help of a Q-tip and blend some concealer on the edges for a cleaner look.

Q. How to apply lipstick to make my lips appear fuller?

A. You can simply overline or try lip contouring to make your lips look fuller and plump. For this, slightly overline your lips with a lip liner that is one shade darker than the lip colour and after you apply your lipstick, dab some concealer on the centre of your lips. Also you can wear lip gloss for a plumper and picture-perfect pout.

Q. How to make my lipstick last longer?

A. Prep your lips and blot your lip colour with the help of a tissue paper in the end. Another hack to make the lipstick last longer is to cover your lips with a tissue paper and dab some loose powder or setting powder on top of it. It mattifies your lip colour and makes it stay put all day.

Q. How can I overline my lips for naturally fuller lips?

A. Use a pointed, sharpened lip liner to overline and don’t go beyond your natural lip line. Overline only the centre bottom and top (cupid’s bow) and outline the corner of your lips. Once you fill in with the lipstick, blur the edges for an illusion of naturally fuller lips.