If you lust after fuller lips but weren't blessed with an Angelina pout, you don't need to reach for the collagen injections. Most of us don't have perfectly shaped lips but the good news is it's easier than you think to cheat your way to a plumped-up pout. Use clever techniques to apply your everyday lip products to make the most of what you naturally have. I've been putting these tricks to the test and I've definitely noticed a difference.
Prepare your lips by exfoliating. Use an old, clean tooth brush to gently buff away dead flakes of skin that can cling to your lipstick. Apply a lip moisturising product like an intensive lip balm or Vaseline lip therapy if your lips tend to dry out when wearing lipstick.
Line your lips using a neutral coloured lip liner. Lightly draw just outside of your natural lip line (but not too far) to even out the shape of your lips. Don't go for lip liner that is too dark in colour as this will actually make your lips appear smaller. Fill in your lips using the lip liner pencil. This will act as a base and help your lipstick to stay put all day long.
Apply a pale shade of lipstick to your lips. Pale frosted shades actually act as highlighter, bringing your lips forward and help them to appear larger. Darker shades contour so therefore have the opposite effect. Try a lipstick a shade lighter than you would usually wear when you want to create the illusion of fuller lips. For precise application, use a lip brush rather than applying it straight from the tube.
Apply a dab of light-reflecting concealer (I prefer the pen concealers for this) to the middle of your upper and lower lip. Blend the concealer in with the rest of your lip colour using a lip brush or your finger. The light-reflecting particles in your concealer will act as a highlighter and draw attention to the fullest part of your lips.
Finish with a slick of pale shimmery lip gloss. Apply it to the centre of your lips first and gently blend to the outer corners of your lips. The gloss will reflect the light, again helping the lips to appear fuller. For extra oomph, look for a lip-plumping lip gloss which will stimulate the lips and help to plump them out. I like Lip Injection Dual Plumping Tool by Two Faced.