Tips for Lips – How to Get Beautiful Lips

With such a range of colours and styles of lipstick, along with the various combinations you can use, this means there's a lot that can go wrong. Following these 'tricks of the trade' will help steer you clear and ensure your lipstick looks the best it can do:

Firstly when it comes to lip liner you should use this differently depending on the shape and look of your lips. If you have thin lips for example then you can use lip liner to make them look thicker by applying it along the outer edge of your lips (just on the outside). This works especially well if your lip liner closely matches your lipstick or lip colour. Of course you can also use this technique in reverse to thin your lips by taking the inside line.

Make sure that when you choose your lipstick colour you consider your other outfit as well as your outfit. Matching your lipstick with your outfit by wearing red lipstick with a red dress for example can be a very sexy and stylish look. Pink with a red dress on the other hand is likely to clash. Likewise you should consider your eye makeup – if your eye shadow is very bright for example then you shouldn't use lipstick that's too bright or you can end up looking like a clown. At the same time your features will be fighting for attention thereby minimising the impact of each. Choose either your eyes or your lips to emphasise for each occasion too then, and use minimal or subtle makeup for the other. Finally you may want to match your lipstick with your toe or nail varnish which can work much like matching jewellery and accessories.

If you have slightly yellow teeth then you need to be careful about which lipsticks you choose. Those with a red or orange undertone in particularly will emphasise the yellow hue in your teeth. Choose those with a blue undertone such as a pink or plum colour which will make your teeth look whiter.

Dabbing some lip balm onto your lips before you apply lipstick etc is a good way to protect your lips and keep them moisturised while you're wearing lipstick. You won't be able to add it after, so make sure you do it before.

Avoid getting lipstick on your teeth! No matter how good your lipstick colour this can completely ruin the overall effect and have people staring at your mouth for all the wrong reasons. One way to avoid this mistake is to suck on your finger after applying your lip products and then to pull your finger out of your mouth. This will catch any lipstick that would otherwise linger on your teeth.

Another important skill when using lipstick is to match it to your skin tone. With so many different colours of lipstick to choose from, it can sometimes be very difficult to pick the best option. Your choice of lipstick colour is important however as it will reflect your mood and drastically your overall look and ensemble. An outfit can be made or broken by your choice of lipstick which will even actually alter your mood. As well as matching your mood, outfit and other makeup however, your lipstick also needs to match your skin tone and certain colours will invariably look better on different people.

Here's some advice to help you choose a colour for you:

If you have fair skin, then you should avoid lipstick with an orange undertone. At the same very dark colours can make your skin look paler by comparison. A bright red with pale skin can be a very bold and sexy look that is seen by many cabaret performers but isn't suitable for every occasion and is hard to pull off. Instead then look for lipsticks with blue undertones such as pinks, plums and wine colours.

Gloss is a great addition and can be a sexy look. However very overt gloss is generally considered a 'younger' look. On a more mature individual it an sometimes look out of place and might be better replaced with a sophisticated dark red or other matte colour. For those with older skin then, shy away from pink or glittery lip gloss.

For those with a medium skin tone, deep colours will work particularly well. These include browns, reds, pinks and plum colours. As a general rule this will encompass most colours, however very pale colours such as light brown can look a little too washed out – you don't want your lips to look lighter than your skin tone.

For those with a yellowish skin tone then deep browns, reds, pinks and berry shades will work well. Light pinks and oranges however will not work as well and nor will purple colours.

For those with a dark skin tone then the lipstick has to become darker to match. This means darker reds, plums and browns and bold purples. Look for colours with a blue undertone particularly which will be particularly complementary. Remember that these are just general rules however and that exceptions apply to every rule.