Lips Makeup

Each product plays a different role. Lipstick delivers pigmented colour in finishes from creamy matte to velvet matte — our HAUTE CREME COUTURE Matte and Velvet Matte ranges sit here. Lip gloss adds shine and dimension, either over lipstick or alone for a soft tinted-lip look. Lip liner shapes and defines the lips, stops lipstick from feathering and locks in colour for longer wear — our Creamy Longwear Lip Liners come in 11 shades. Lip balm is purely hydrating and protective, perfect under colour or worn solo; our Hydrating Lip Butter Balm keeps the lips conditioned before any product goes on top.

Smooth lips start the night before. Gently exfoliate once or twice a week with a soft toothbrush or a sugar-based lip scrub to lift dead skin. Each morning, apply a hydrating lip balm — our Hydrating Lip Butter Balm is ideal — and let it absorb for a few minutes while you do the rest of your makeup. Just before applying colour, blot any excess balm with a tissue so the surface isn't slippery. This routine helps matte lipsticks like our Velvet Matte range glide on evenly without clinging to dry patches, and stops liquid lipsticks from cracking through the day.

Start with prepped, balmed and blotted lips. Outline your lip shape with a Creamy Longwear Lip Liner that matches your lipstick or is one shade deeper, then lightly fill in the whole lip — this acts as a base that grips colour and prevents bleeding. Apply lipstick from a HAUTE CREME COUTURE Velvet Matte or Matte shade straight from the bullet or with a lip brush for precision, blot once with a tissue, and reapply a thin second layer. Add gloss only to the centre of the lips for dimension. Keeping gloss off the outer edges helps the liner hold and stops colour from migrating.

Look at the underside of your wrist. Blue-toned veins suggest a cool undertone, green veins suggest warm, and a mix is usually neutral. Cool undertones tend to glow in berry, rose and true reds — try CLAY ROSE or FAMOUS MAUVE. Warm undertones suit caramel, terracotta and brick shades like CAFE LATTE, GOLDEN SANDS or SANDSTORM. Neutral undertones can wear most things, but universal flattering picks include LEGENDARY NUDE and NUDE OBSESSION. For a foolproof first nude, choose a shade roughly two tones darker than your natural lip colour.

Long wear is layered wear. After prepping with balm and a Creamy Longwear Lip Liner across the entire lip, apply a thin coat of Velvet Matte lipstick, blot with a tissue, and dust a translucent setting powder lightly over the top through a single tissue ply. Reapply a second thin coat for full pigment. Through the day, drink through a straw where possible, blot rather than rub when eating, and carry one product for quick touch-ups.