How To Unmask Your Lips

How To Unmask Your Lips
Masks are to mouths as tights are to legs in winter: a practical, convenient and necessary cover up. And what relief, not worrying about what's underneath. Scaly legs blanketed in hair that's suitable for plaiting, and lips, as dry as a desert floor. But Freedom Day has arrived and going mask-free is acceptable in some situations.

"Lips are just as important as our daily skincare rituals, but are often forgotten about,” says Lars Fredrkisson, founder of Verso, who recommends an intensive balm every night before bed. Other tips for mask-free, manicured, coloured and kissable mouths? Read on.

PREP

Just like the aforementioned leg scales, lip flakes need buffing too. Homemade sugar scrubs do an excellent job - try one tablespoon of honey and two tablespoons of sugar. “Sugar acts as a natural humectant, gently buffing away the dead skin cells”, says Caglar Odabasi, head of education at Fresh. If you don’t have the inclination for a DIY job, there are plenty of formulas with built-in buff, like Becca Hydra-Light Smoothing Lip Scrub, to help slough dead skin and replenish moisture with hyaluronic acid and mango butter. Alternatively, use Fresh Sugar Lip Wonder Drops Advanced Therapy before bed and then slather lips with Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF15, which with SPF 15, renews and protects.

HYDRATE

“Balm wise, I’d recommend something with nourishing oils and without petroleum,” says Obadasi. You probably own trainers that cost less than Sisley-Paris Comfort Extreme Nutritive Lip Balm, but that’s beside the point, because at eye level, people are more likely to look at your lips. And when they glisten with botanical oils and butters, who can blame them? If you’d prefer a finger-free application (it is 2021 after all), there’s Augustinus Bader Lip Balm. You know who he is, right? Creator of the most wondrous, cult cream. For assurance of his lip balm worth, ask one of the tens of thousands of AB disciples about the transformative power of The Cream. Finally, there’s Drunk Elephant Lippe Balm, which small but mighty, is packed with vitamins, antioxidants and omegas.

PAINT

The fear of lipsticks in summer is not unfounded. Saturated colours in the glare of the sun can be unforgiving, especially when they’re not applied with surgical precision. Between bleeding and smudging, you invariably look like you’ve had a run in with a toddler wielding a crayon. Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Primer may sound superfluous, but it keeps everything in place, giving lipstick a sort of gravitational pull. According to make-up artist Cher Webb, this is especially necessary for mattes such as the Laura Mercier Velour Extreme Matte Lipstick, which also benefit from a base layer of lip pencil. “Finish by blotting to set the colour,” she adds. If you want something that requires minimal effort, look to Charlotte Tilbury Tinted Love. The tint is more of a stain and once it’s on, you’ll be hard-pressed to get it off, even if you’re wearing a mask.

Posted: Sunday, 20 June 2021

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