I always mix up the clear Art Deco lip liner with my beige Kajal. |
I talked about how to apply lip liner in my last post, and today I want to cover shopping for liners: colours and types of liners.
Which colours to buy:
In your natural lip colour
A lip pencil that perfectly matches
your lips is the best secret weapon a girl can have. It can be worn on
its own for a perfectly no-makeup makeup, it looks like your own lips but better. It is especially useful if
your own lip line is fading, or if it is broken due to cold sores, or
the colour is uneven. It defines the shape of the lips and correct it.
Of course it can also be worn as a base for lipstick in any colour. Look for a pinkish-brown shade if you are Caucasian (Holly Rose Wood and Rosy Brown from
Catrice work for many girls). Finding
the perfect shade might take a while, but believe me -- it is worth it.
Coloured
Pairing a lipstick with a colour lip pencil in the same colour makes the shade of the lippie look intensive and helps it wear off evenly. You might
not want to own a lip liner that matches every lipstick you own, but
definitely get one that matches your favourite red! Red lipstick is much easier to wear with lip-liner. If you want to rock
lip liner solo, you might also want to check out the chubby lip
pencils that are quite popular now, they are softer and creamier than a lip-liner which makes them less precise but easier to swipe on.
Nude
A colour close to your skin tone is useful if you really want a blank
canvas for your lip colour to pop. This is especially useful if your
lips are naturally highly tinted or dark, but you want to rock lighter
shades of lip colour.
Clear
An invisible (clear) lip liner can be used on the outside of the lip contours
(as well as the regular way). Lining outside the lip line prevents the
lipstick from bleeding. The right shade should look clear on your skin
and not like whitish wax.
What kind of lip liner to buy?
Go for harder liners
rather than too soft ones, as they have more staying power. The
automatic ones have the disadvantage that they can't be sharpened, and
are usually very soft -- except the long stay ones which however have to
be applied quickly before they dry, otherwise they get a crumbly
texture.
What's your favourite lip-liner? Do you prefer pencil or automatic?