As tough as it sounds, here’s a simple, yet foolproof process of investing in lipstick(s) for a super glamorous pout ;)
- Long-lasting - Formulas that last for long, are already promising to be with you through thick and thin!
- Doesn’t bleed - Nobody wants lipsticks that run anywhere outside of the lips - and definitely not the teeth!
- Opaque - Check if the lipstick is entirely covering your natural lip colour and any pigmentation.
- Creamy - Formulation that’s creamy will sit comfortably on the lips for longer, without irritating or stretching the skin.
- Hydrating - If there’s ingredients like squalane, macadamia oil, or marula oil like the LoveChild Mad-matte lipsticks do, the lipstick is going to make sure your lips remain soft in spite of 24x7 usage.
- Not too sticky - This will only make you uncomfortable and eventually stop wearing it.
- Touches up well - If it can be touched up with just a stroke (basically meaning high saturation) this is definitely a formula worth considering.
- Compliments your skin tone - You know your skin and you know what looks great on you; invest in lipsticks & shades that compliment your complexion.
To be able to master the last point, here’s how you can undermine your undertones:
Undertones fall into three basic categories: warm, cool, and neutral—and each of these has tones within it. If you have cool undertones, your tan will either be golden, deep cinnamon or reddish depending on the complexion. Neutral undertones don’t have any particular colour when tan, but the skin does burn. If you have warm undertones, the skin turns peach, golden or caramel depending on the complexion.
- If you have warm tones, you can totally go for orangey-reds, brick-reds, cinnamon, ox-blood.
- If you have cool tones, shades that are cherry red, berry shades like cranberry, deep plums and purple shades suit well.
- If you have neutral undertones, mauve, pink and berry shades are a 100% hit.
According to most makeup artists in the beauty industry, any dark lipstick looks best on women of color. Metallic and shimmer formulas are great ways to minimise the effect of wearing a dark shade. Even if you have thin or pouty lips, metallic and shimmer suits both.
This part is tricky because a nude lipstick can either liven up your original lip colour, or make you look ill. The point of a nude lipstick is mainly to amp up your lips with a shade that looks natural on your lips. This shade should ideally be the one that matches your lips or your inner lips.
The type of formula makes a HUGE difference when choosing bright lipsticks. While sheer formulas look young and fun, matte lipsticks look bold, and the creamy, satin finish is a classic! In case you choose a shade that’s too bright for a few occasions, you can always ‘sheer it out’ with a lip balm that has no tint.
An orange or red, high saturation (full coverage) lipstick formulation is perfect if you have dark shadows & large pores - for light and wheatish skin tones. A peachy lipstick works best to hide dark circles. Green shades (which we know, is a very rare buy) help hide the redness and blemishes, which can then be topped off with a warm shade as a concealer.
A satin-finish brown lipstick (a few shades darker than your skin tone) is best to contour your cheekbones, define your temples, and hide the pesky double chin. This formula is easy to blend and is great for beginners as well. For example, LoveChild Luxe-Matte lipsticks in the shade ‘Caramel’ and ‘Eye Candy’ are perfect formulations and shades for this purpose as they’re nude browns and peach nudes, respectively.
If you are a ‘contouring pro’, you can try using LoveChild Mad-Matte Lipsticks in the shade ‘Get Rollin.’
