Lip Trip Workshop

This weeks workshop with Lara was all about lips!  The 'Lip Trip' workshop seminar focused on the fundamentals of lip design and exploring contemporary trends inspired by Elizabethan influences.  The first things we were taught, however, was how to prep the lips for colour application, and how you always have to remember the 3 C's...

The 3C's include:

• Curve:  This is all about knowing your models features, her lip shape and how you would use different techniques to achieve the perfect lipstick application tailored to them.
• Colour:  Knowing whether your model has a warm or cool skin tone and how you would use different colours to compliment this. 
• Control:  Always having control when applying your products, so you create the best shape and application of colour as you can.

How to Prep the Lips:

1. To achieve the perfect application of lipstick, it is all about preparing the lips for a soft, smooth, crack free base.  Before the day of application or on the day, you could ask your client to exfoliate their lips with a dry toothbrush, a muslin cloth or a lip scrub.  

2. Make sure the lips are dry, then before applying lipstick, apply a lip balm, Carmex is great, but Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream is also amazing for intensively moisturising the lips.

Lara then went on to teach us different lip design techniques, including how to create a fuller lip, ombre effects and even how to create a 3D looking lip. 

The Fuller Lip Effect:

Image Credit: The Beauty Department: Your Daily Dose of Pretty. - HOW TO MAKE YOUR LIPS LOOK BIGGER . 2013. (Online) Available at: http://thebeautydepartment.com/2013/04/how-to-make-your-lips-look-bigger/. Accessed 12 November 2013. 

1. After prepping the lips, take a lip liner that is 1-2 shades darker than your natural lip colour.  Using short sharp strokes, almost massage the liner into the lips, draw just outside the natural shape of the lips.  Ask your model to slightly open their mouth, so you can get the liner right into the corners and make sure you really define the Cupid's bow.  You can just line the outside, or fill the whole lips in with the liner as this will act as a colour primer.  

2. After you have lined the outside of the lips, take a lipstick that is roughly the same colour, it can also be slightly lighter and with a flat brush fill in the lips with your chosen colour. 

3. To make the lips look even fuller, you could take a gloss and apply this to the centre of the bottom lips and on the Cupid's bow of the upper lip. 

The 3D Lip Effect:

Image Credit: Beauty - Lips I Love. 2013. Beauty - Lips I Love. (Online) Available at: https://www.pinterest.com/hopet76/beauty-lips-i-love/.  Accessed 12 November 2013.

To create the 3D lip effect, you follow the same basic colour application as you would to create a fuller lip. However, after the colour, take a frosted powder and add this to the centre of the lips.

Ombre Lips:

There are several different ways of achieving an ombre lips, these range from the simple ombre using just two colours to the pinched ombre.

Simple ombre Lip work by Kira, taken from my design.

Simple Ombre:

1. Prep the lips as normal, choose your two lipsticks, they should be similar colours, one colour should be darker than the other.  You may also want to choose a lip liner that is closest to the colour of your darkest chosen lipstick. 

2. Line the lips with your lip liner, using short sharp strokes, getting right into the corners and defining the cupids bow well.  Then take your darkest lipstick and apply this to the outer corner of the lips with a flat brush, leaving a gap in the middle, this is where you will place your lighter colour.

3. Taking your lighter coloured lipstick, apply this to the centre also with a flat brush.  After you have applied both of your colours, take another brush, this time it can be a fluffier brush, and blend the two colours into each other so there are no harsh lines. 

4.  You can leave the lips they way they are, but you may also want to apply a gloss to the centre of the bottom lip, and to the cupids bow of the upper lip to give a fuller effect.

Pinched Ombre:

1. Again prep the lips as normal, however this time, make sure the area around the lips is moisturised.  Take a white foundation, and using a small duo fibre brush as you only want a light application, buff this over the lips to give a white base. 

2.  Taking your chosen colour, this can be in any form...thinking about using powder, cream eyeshadow or simply just a lipstick, lightly dust this right in the centre of the lips with a fluffy brush, making sure it is buffed out nicely and creates a faded effect. 

Image Credit: ulia Be Sharing | Spring Trend: Dolly Lips and Ombre Lips!. 2013.  (Online) Available at: http://juliabesharing.tumblr.com/post/46358338838/spring-trend-dolly-lips-and-ombre-lips.  Accessed 12 November 2013.