Silk Naturals

Any suggestions on this? My lips are looking thin lately. If I could afford injections, I'd probably consider it!
What shades do you think make your lips look more full?

The usual rule is that adding light (shimmer, sheen, pearlescence etc) draws the eye to that area and thus brings the area forward. Conversely, darkening an area makes it seem further away, deeper or receeded. Same thing for lips, a dark matte colour diminishes the size of the lips whereas a lighter colour gives the illusion of adding fullness and the light reflection from light bouncing off of the shimmer / sheen / glossy sheen draws the attention and makes it seem further forward / more prominent on the face. Try and go for a sheer or semi-sheer colour which compliments your natural tones in your lips. This will seem more natural and add to the enhancement illusion. Using 'fashion' colours - that is colour which you wear because you like the colour, not because the colour necessarily compliments or flatters you - can diminish the look by 'jarring' against your natural skin tones. Some general lippy suggestions would be Precious, Gold Blush, Pout and such like. Without knowing your colouring it'd be tough to suggest compatible colours.

Another trick is to outer-line the lips with a light reflecting product. I had an idea ages ago which really took off on another forum for using Pearl Beige - pearl for the light reflecting, beige for the near white colourlessness. But the idea what just adapting what was widely known from using products like YSL Touche Eclat etc and using mineral products instead. Anything neutral in colour and pearly would obviously work. What you do is use this lightly anywhere that you want to enhance and draw attention to. For lips, you're familiar with lining just inside the lip-coloured area with a lip-coloured pencil? Well, this time, use a fine brush for precise application and draw around the outside of the lip line on the 'proper' skin, not lip skin, and use a light-reflecting pearly sheeny mineral. This will give the appearance of making the lips bigger, sticking out slightly more and if you use a gloss, it'll look more full. Of course, it's a bit high-maintenance, but works well.

Lastly, for lips, ensure that your lip skin area is well hydrated by using perhaps a serum like Green Tea and Aloe. The delicate skin around your lips is not unlike the delicate skin around your eyes and your should treat it with the same delicate touch and care. Just as you blink continually through the day, you speak or breathe and move your lips continually, so this skin is the first to show signs of 'wear and tear'. Many high end skin care companies offer a lip and eye cream - one product suitable for both areas. If you do not already use a lip cream (for the tissue around the outside of the lips, not the pink-toned lip skin itself) then consider using your eye cream there for about 4 weeks to see if this helps restore some of the plumpness.

You can use the same technique for straightening a nose by painting a light dusting down the centre of the nose to fake a straight line. Likewise above the upper side of the arch of the eyebrow to help raise the appearance, especially on hooded eyes. Paint in deep wrinkles or laughter lines to light-diffuse the depth of the line. There are all sorts of uses for playing with light and shade. Hope that helps for lips.

krenee wrote:Any suggestions on this? My lips are looking thin lately. If I could afford injections, I'd probably consider it!
What shades do you think make your lips look more full?

The new vegan lippie Mirage is perfect for making your lips look fuller. It's a great "nude" color that really enhances your lips. Its also very soft feeling!

Foreplay makes my lips look huge!

Trainer wrote: The new vegan lippie Mirage is perfect for making your lips look fuller. It's a great "nude" color that really enhances your lips. Its also very soft feeling!

Really? That's interesting, I've never tried that. I'd have thought that a nude lippy has tan and beige tones in it to replicate the skin tone and therefor make the lips less visible by making them appear to slightly disappear into the same tone as the rest of the face.

Cupcake wrote:

Trainer wrote: The new vegan lippie Mirage is perfect for making your lips look fuller. It's a great "nude" color that really enhances your lips. Its also very soft feeling!

Really? That's interesting, I've never tried that. I'd have thought that a nude lippy has tan and beige tones in it to replicate the skin tone and therefor make the lips less visible by making them appear to slightly disappear into the same tone as the rest of the face.

I know that lippies look slightly different on everyone, but for me, like you said earlier, the darker the lipstick the less full my lips look, although I do love brown lippies and wear them. I understand the disappearing idea you mentioned but on my lips it allows the bottom lip to really show through. (do you know what I mean?) So the edge of my lips can really be seen and so they really look full. Its like you were saying about outlining your lips, you can put it all the way to the edge of your bottom lip since it is a light color without looking like you are outlining your lips.
I also like the liquid wand Modern Poet alot. It does the same thing for me. Can't wait to see the new fall lippies. Especially if there are some that have the dual color to them!

Honestly, i think it depends on your lips. Since I have rather full lips- darker colors emphasize their fullness.

I've swatched almost every lippie (everything but reddy and impulsive GWP) on vox:
http://xarata.vox.com

eta: personally, i think red always pops which is why it's such a classic.

If you're into lip plumpers, i recommend city lips lip plumper and physician formula plumping potion. They work about equally well. Physician's Formula is rather sticky but affordable, city lips doesn't have the texture issues but costs a lot more.

That's true in the sense that if you've got it, you can emphasise it (dark lippy on big lips looks amazing) but what I was talking about is when you haven't got it, how to fake it.

Thanks for all the ideas.
Cupcake, I had never thought of some of the ideas you mentioned - lining with a light reflecting product is something I'd never heard of so I will have to give that a try. I will also try using a serum like Green Tea and Aloe around the lips like you mentioned - thanks.
Xarata - wow, I'd never seen those particular photos before. Nice!