Goodbye Boring Lipsticks: Here's How To Pout It Out With An Ombré Lip!
“Lipstick can’t solve all problems but it’s a pretty great start”, right? You have to agree, a great lipstick can instantly turn your mood around. It’s the perfect swipe of happiness! And just like me, if you cannot stop lusting over every lipstick available on this planet, then you need no introduction to the ‘what’s hot’ trend which is – ombré lips.
Pick out any glossy fashion mag and you’ll see ombré lips gracing its flashy pages. It’s no hidden fact that we are more inclined towards ‘vintage’ trends than ever. A glossy pout, overlined lips, bouffant hairstyles, colourful hair accessories, the return of the neons – it’s the 90s all over again! We all can agree, we love using the term vintage. And vintage beauty trends? We cannot get enough of them, can we?
So, without further ado, let’s talk about the lip trend that’s back and here to stay for the longest time…
What are Ombré lips and why are they so popular?
If to be explained in ‘pretty’ simple words, ombre means shaded in French. It’s a trend that’s been taking over our Instagram feeds by storm for a while now. Ombré hair, ombré nails and now lips- it’s the latest trend to join the ombré epidemic!
Ombré lips involve mixing two (or more) lipstick shades that are monochromatic (preferably a bold shade and the other one with softer tones but of the same colour family) to create a shading effect using a brush. But trust us, it’s not as facile as it sounds. Usually, we use a dark shade that transitions into a light one, which creates an illusion of fuller lips (and saves you from getting those lip plumpers) and that’s why it has become so popular among millennials. From famous bloggers to celebrities, everyone is on-trend with ombré lips!
It’s all about playing and mixing preferred shades to create a new shade. Experiment with unconventional colours, use sequins, glitter or rhinestones to add an extra edge or use different shades on each lip (upper and lower) – it’s all about having fun and even on its own, it looks pretty dope.
The most popular colour combo and perhaps the easiest is by using a red lipstick with the darkest brown colour that’ll give you the luscious lips of your dreams. You can also try using a pink nude lipstick with a fiery orange for a summer-appropriate pout or bold shades like merlot and dark cocoa to slay during winters.
How to create an ombré effect on your lips?
By now, I’m pretty sure that you’re totally on-board with this trend and cannot wait to try it out for yourselves, right?
A fine lip brush and two (or more) lipsticks are the only things we need to get started.
Firstly, pick out the two shades that you think will work fantastically together. Preferably one bold and another with lighter tones (but with similar hues). Then decide how you wish to go about it. Do you want to create the usual- a dark shade transiting to a lighter one in the middle, or take a beauty risk by reversing it? We say go from dark to light as it gives a fuller look to your lips and we know you want that Bebo-approved pucker!
Choose the colors you wish to mix with and let’s undo the boring with an ombré lip!
To make the most of your time and effort, please ensure that your lips are exfoliated and super soft to begin with. Given below is the step by step guide to make an ombre effect on the lips.
Step 1- Use a lip scrub to scrape off dead skin from your lips or simply use a dry toothbrush instead. It will ensure that the lipstick glides on the lips beautifully and the dead skin doesn’t tamper with your ombre magic!
POPxo Recommends: ENN Kandy Floss Lip Scrub (Rs. 500)
Step 2- Apply a generous dose of lip mask or a lip collagen mask and keep on for ten minutes. It will soothe your freshly scrubbed lips and make ‘em soft and pink!
POPxo Recommends: Manish Malhotra Hydrating Golden Lip Mask
Step 3- Choose the lipsticks and shades you wish to work with- it can be a liquid lipstick, bullet lipstick, lip liners, and even eyeshadows! For best results, use a lip palette instead as it gives you the flexibility to play with shades and create newer ones, every time.
POPxo Recommends: E.L.F. Cosmetics Runway Ready Lip (Rs 789)
Step 4- Pick out a base colour- typically a darker shade and apply it around the edges of your lips using a fine-tip lip brush.
Step 5- Next, fill in your lips with a lighter lipstick and press your lips together to ‘mix’ it.
Step 6- Perhaps the most important step; The blending! Use a Q-tip or a lip brush to blend the different shades in an upwards motion.
POPxo Recommends: Vega 2 in 1 Mini Make up Brush, Lip Filler and Lip Liner (Rs 160)
Step 7- Yup, that’s about it! You can always add more shares or elements for an extra oomph factor. Or simply a layer of a glitter gloss as the final touch.
How to do ombré lip makeup in three unique ways…
Now that we’ve covered exactly what ombré lips are and how to do ombre lip makeup perfectly, do you know there are other ways you can add a gradient effect to your lips and rock that pout? Let’s find out!
1. Reverse Gold Ombré Lips
If you add the ‘aaaaa’ in EXTRAAAAA, then this should be on your to-do list.
Definitely not your everyday look, this style is gold- quite literally. You’ll require a liquid gold eyeliner or a pot of gold liner to achieve this ombré effect.
Do a quick ombré lip and using a gold liner, outline your lips! To be more experimental, smudge it a little using your fingers and make it a messy, gold ombré!
2. Creamy Horizontal Ombré Lips
As the name suggests, this style involves applying your lipstick horizontally on your lips and mixing them like you do for a regular ombré. It’s daring and looks really cool as you have a greater width in your lips vertically and can also play with shades and gradient. The colour fades as we move to the other part of the lip and the final result looks really stunning. You can also outline your lips using a lip liner ‘coz we love the extra drama!
3. Korean Ombré Lips
Trust the Koreans to always introduce us to trends we never knew we needed! Glass skin, glass nails, foot masks, sun sticks – we are obsessed.
Also known as gradient lips- this popular Korean ombré lips technique gives your lips the “just bitten” effect. Use a darker colour concentrated in the centre of your lips and a lighter colour along the edges of your lips, blend it nicely to create the fading effect.
This is a really popular lip trend in Korea as it’s said to give a more youthful appearance.
Why you should try ombré lips
Ombré lips are just awesome. They look trendy, edgy and help give your pout a fuller effect. Plus, they are totally celebrity-approved! See it for yourself…
1. Priyanka Chopra
Miss Chopra is giving us serious ombré lips fetish with her berry-hued pout. Just like her, if you want all the attention on your lips, use a darker berry shade infused with a lighter one and slay the day!
Keep your overall makeup to a minimum and let your lips do all the talking.
2. Aditi Rao Hydari
O.M.G – this is one of the best ombré lips we’ve seen in a while. Don’t you just love her dark wine lips? Just like Aditi, use a darker lip shade (like Merlot) and another dark shade (like a ruby shade) to create this stunning lip effect.
Add a strobe of a highlighter on your cheeks and blind ‘em all.
3. Malaika Arora
Keeping her slay quotient high as always, Malaika’s ombré lip is oh-so-gorgeous. Wear this combo in winters or with light coloured clothes and you’re good to go.
4. Blake Lively
Girl crush alert! Blake Lively is known for serving killer lewks and her dark ombré lip is makeup magic made in heaven. This compliments her shiny blonde hair perfectly and we love how she looks here!
Ombré lips are ALWAYS gonna make you stand out from the crowd. Period. BUT, if the shades are not mixed properly or do not go well together- well hello tackiness!
The secret is to practice, pout, slay, repeat!
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