Summer is the time of the year where I feel like I can be the most creative when it comes to my lips; picking bold pinks and oranges seem less of a daunting idea for some reason. I tend to lean towards neutral pink-toned lips and bolder eyes, which I still do most of the time. Lately however, I am loving doing the exact opposite; neutral eyes and a bold lip.
A lot of women avoid the bold lip trend in fear of looking like a “clown”–there is, however, a right way to approach a bold lip color. When choosing a bright lip color, try to pick one that has blue undertones. No, that does not mean blue lipstick, it means the shade has a blue base, even though it is pink. The blue undertone will make your teeth appear whiter, therefore making your lips stand out in a good way.
Another important tip for a perfect summer lip, is exfoliation. It is important to exfoliate your lips a few times a week as this will rid your lips of dead skin cells; in turn making your lips feel softer and make your lipstick go on smoother. You can by a lip exfoliant like Lush’s Mint Julips lip scrub (you can eat it, too), or make one for yourself with some olive oil, brown sugar and honey. After you exfoliate, make sure you use a moisturizing lip balm before you apply your lipstick. I like the EOS “egg-shaped” balm in “Lemon Drop”.
As for shades, my summer favorites vary between nudes, pinks, corals and reds. The following shades are listed in order according to the picture swatches. These nine shades are my top colors for summer: “Crème D’Nude” and “Angel” by Mac, Revlon Lip Butter in “Pink Truffle”, “Louisiana” by NYX, “Kiss Me Coral” by Revlon, Sephora Rouge in number “R05”, Bobbi Brown lip gloss in “Rosy 22”, Mac lip gloss in “Underage” and “Never Say Never” Matte Velvet Lip Pencil by Nars.
Bold lips are so much fun to play with. Don’t be timid when picking your next lipstick shade– I promise when you wear it, you’ll feel like a million bucks.
