Health and Fitness

Your lips are one of the first things people notice about you. Of course one reason for this is because they frame your teeth and are a big part of your smile. If you feel like your lips just aren’t as beautiful as they could be, there are some beauty tips that can help. The best part is, you don’t need painful and expensive injections to get better lips. A phenomenon in Hollywood is botched lip injections. There are certain well-known celebrities who are sporting what could be called trout pouts. Overinflated lips are never a good look.

The solution is to work with your natural volume and make the most of it. While you may not have lips like Angelina Jolie, you can smooth and plump what you do have. One way to do it is with a lip facial. You can get a lip facial at any day spa or salon, however it is cheaper to do it yourself at home. All you need is olive oil and sugar. There are no precise measurements required, just make a gritty paste with the oil and sugar. Apply it to your lips and massage in a circular motion. You may want to scrub a bit with a damp washcloth. For serious exfoliating, use a toothbrush to scrub away dry flakes.

After your lip facial, apply a hydrating lip balm. There are all kinds of choices on the market. Look for products that contain nourishing natural ingredients like shea butter and vitamin E. If you want to improve the cosmetic appearance of your lips there are lots of makeup tricks that can help. One mistake many women make is applying liner that is too dark. When choosing lip liner, use a nude shade that matches your lips. You can put the line ever so slightly above your natural lip line but don’t go overboard or you will look unnatural. Use the liner to fill in the lips also, then apply a clear or pale colored gloss to the center of the bottom lip. This will create the illusion of fullness.

As a general rule, dark lip colors can make the lips look smaller. Your best bet if you want fuller looking lips is to stick with natural, glossy shades. There are all kinds of shimmering glosses out there from which you can choose, some of which contain plumping ingredients. These plumping glosses may impart a tingling or burning sensation to your lips. Some women enjoy this, others don’t. You can find plumping glosses in clear as well as a variety of different shades. Once only available from high end retailers, drugstore makeup brands are now offering these lip plumping potions.

Angela Harris is an author and the owner of Talk Beauty With Me, a beauty blog that focuses on beauty products, makeup tutorials, celebrity looks, commentary and more.