5 Makeup tricks that plump your lips

Q: What's the trick to plumping your lips naturally?

Expert Answer: To create the look of plumper lips with makeup, first block out lip color with a flesh-toned primer, says Senna Cosmetics owner and celebrity makeup artist, Eugenia Weston. Highlight above the Cupid's bow with a matte or pearlized pencil.

Next, draw slightly over your natural lip line with a deeper lip lining pencil and blend slightly inward. Dab a light- to medium-toned lipstick on entire lip. Now apply the lightest version of your lipstick shade or gloss directly in the center to create a pout. A light lipstick or gloss always makes lips appear fuller, so never go dark, as it makes lips look smaller. Also cosmetic' Lip Plumping' glosses really do work. So start with one first, wait, and then blot before proceeding to the steps above. Always apply a clear plumper before going to bed at night.

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Q: So lip liner is a good thing? Is there a special kind I should use?

Expert Answer: To make your lips looks plumper, use a lip liner that is just slightly darker than lipstick you are going to use, not black lip liner with nude lipstick -- that is not attractive, says hair and makeup artist Heather C. Adessa. The slightly darker liner will make the plumpest part of your lip (the center) look larger, creating a plumper looking lip. Also, lip gloss is definitely needed. So use something that has shimmer. It should match or be the same tone as the colors you're using for lipstick or lipliner, and place the gloss in center of bottom and top lips, which will add the shine to what needs to look plumper."

What if I have flaky raisin lips?

Expert Answer: Use a toothbrush to exfoliate the mouth area befo?r?e?h?a?n?d?,? ????s?a?y?s? Philidelphia-based makeup expert Carie Brescia. This will slough away an flakes.

Do lip plumping glosses work?

Expert Answer: There are a number of lip plumping products out there that work very well, like Lip Venom,?? says Jamie Bushman?, owner of The Circle Salon in Chicago. ??However, I like the good old?-fashioned, no?n??-?c?h?e?m?i?c?a?l? ?reaction that happens after simply biting and squeezing my lips. I don't wear a lot on my lips usually, so when I'd like a little plumping, I simply bite my lips a little bit and pucker them tightly until they tingle. It makes them more pink and has a natural plumping effect.

Any other tricks makeup artists use to plump lips?

Expert Answer: Everyone has a vermillion border (the ridge around the lips) and that border naturally has a "white roll" above the lip, says April Meese, owner of Customized Beauty Ltd. The easiest way to give the illusion of fuller lips is to use a soft white "eyeliner" pencil to trace/draw a line just above the Cupid's bow. Just as we all know putting a touch of concealer or any pale pink lipstick in the middle of the bottom lip makes the lips appear fuller, this puts the highlights above, making the top lip look fuller.