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A Woman's Touch

Makeup Lesson #3: The Secret of Lips

By Jean Wendy Farrell

Lips are a very important part of our total image, probably equally as important as our eyes. If the eyes are the mirror to the soul, then our lips are the mirror of our emotions. They let people know what mood we are in, if we are happy or sad. Just look at the difference in the mirror when you smile next time! A lovely smile will transform anyone's face into a thing of beauty.

So, let's talk about how we can accentuate those lips!

Not everyone is blessed with full, rounded lips. So, if that's not the case for you and your lips tend to be on the thin side, what you want to do is get a lip pencil (preferably the softer crayon type) which is a shade darker than the lipstick you will be using. Take the pencil and create an outline of the lips, starting from the center of your lip and curving up and outward, just slighly above your natural lip line.

When creating the shape try to stay away from those old 1940's glamour girl looks. You know the ones with the kewpie doll lips. That style went out decades ago, girls! If you need an example, take a look at someone like Kim Bassinger, lips that curve and are soft, rounded and heart shaped on the upper. For a visual example click onto the images on my site: http://members.aol.com/womanstouc This should give you a good sampling of what I am talking about.

Once you have the outline you can even make it slightly larger, as long as you don't go overboard. The trick is realism here. You have to make it look like it is your natural lip. So, what you want to do now is apply the lipstick inside the outline and blend the edges so it looks like an extension of your natural lips. Again, the lipstick should be of a similar shade, just a bit lighter. Once you are finished, you can look in the mirror and smile and those proud new lips you have created.

One further tip: Stay away from the bright reds. I know everyone loves them, but in nearly all cases they just don't look good. Don't fool yourself. Stick to mauves, pale to medium pinks, corals. These are summer colors. Think cool and you will have it!

Wendy is a professionally trained makeup artist. She runs a transformation service in Brooklyn, New York. Feel free to contact her with your questions. She can be reached at WomansTouc@aol.com and visit Wendy's Web Site too!

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