Lips are often the first place people look after your eyes especially when they move as you talk. As you get older, your lips can start to purse and become thin, wrinkled and with fine lines around the edges. You can resort to surgery for smooth and plump lips but there are many practical and affordable ways to keep your lips looking great, and especially putting an end to dreaded lipstick bleed. Here’s how to achieve that natural, youthful look in your 60s.
Get the right shade
Darker lipsticks only truly flatter a darker skin tones, so stay away if you have fair skin. Apricots, pinks, nudes and corals look great on a lighter skin tone and older woman. According to makeup artist Bobbi Brown, the best natural lip shade will just be a shade or two darker than your natural lip colour.
You can try the Asap Mineral Lip Colours, which come in nude and natural tones and contain vitamin E, avocado and jojoba oil to nourish, condition and protect your lips. It also has been formulated with hyaluronic acid micropheres to help replenish and smooth lips throughout the day.
More info or shop at the Skincare Store. They ship worldwide.
Exfoliate
As you age, your lips lose oils and their plumpness. To keep lips looking smooth, make sure to keep lips exfoliated all year round. Try the Bite Beauty Whipped Cherry Lip Scrub, which is a cherry-flavoured scrub mousse with exfoliating beads. It is infused with the antioxidant resveratrol, fruit acids rich in vitamin C, and rice bran. For those who want to avoid harsh chemicals, this scrub is formulated without parabens, sulfates and phthalates. Prefer to go DIY? All it takes is an old toothbrush and some sugar or salt.
Click here for more info or to buy this product.
Lip prime
Yes, there is such a thing as a lip primer. Just like an eye shadow primer, the lip primer’s job is to make your lipstick last all day. Elf Cosmetics which retails in Kmart sells a lip primer that includes a plumping agent too.
Line that lip
One of the two most common mistakes that women make when applying lip liner is using a different shade to their lipstick, and not lining the whole lip. Yes, you read that right: you need to fill in all of your lips, not just around your lips! Choose a colour that is identical to your lipstick, as this will create a barrier for the colour so it won’t bleed. There are plenty of inexpensive liners you can get online. Try these lip liners (pictured from left): Butter LONDON Plush Rush Lip Liner, Asap Mineral lip pencil, INIKA Certified Organic Lipliner in Nude Delight, Napoleon Lip Pencil in Nude Awakening and Jane Iredale Lip Pencil in Terra-Cotta. Find them at this store which is also offering up to 75 per cent off clearance products.
Stop the bleed
Here’s the real trick! To keep lipstick from bleeding into fine lines and wrinkles around your mouth, dip a cotton swab in a translucent powder and roll outside the lip line before you apply your lipstick. Don’t apply powder to the top of lipstick — it will ruin the colour.
Shiny vs matte
Matte finishes can be drying, so it’s best to opt for a sheer, shiny, or satiny finish if you’re a lady in your 60s. With that said, if you’re still worried about lipstick bleed, a matte finish will make sure it doesn’t slip around. These tips of glosses or lipsticks have become very popular in recent years and give a more natural look.
Fake fullness
Not everyone was born with full lips but there’s a way around that, without resorting to cosmetic procedures. First, use the pencil to draw a line just outside your top lip, but only at the bow. Then use your pencil to make the middle of the bottom lip a bit rounder by drawing a line just outside the fullest part.
Never redraw the lips completely from corner to corner. Fill in the space between the new lines and your lips with the same pencil. Apply lipstick over the entire area.
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Here is a video to help you get amazing lips!