A photo posted by Paula Calingasan (@poleng_istar) on Jun 22, 2016 at 6:47am PDT
Use Liner
Line your lips with a pencil that is close to their natural shade—this will really make the color pop, says Dina Racciatti, a Hoboken, New Jersey, makeup artist and founder of DKM Cosmetics. Using lip liner will also help prevent bleeding lipstick.
Watch this video for lipstick tips from a drag queen:
Balance the Rest of Your Makeup
This is key, says Fromm. She recommends a stronger brow filled in with a pencil and bit of mascara, at a minimum. If the lipstick you’re using has a blue-ish tint, “it can drain color from the rest of your face,” says Fromm, but a dusting of bronzer helps to counteract that effect.
A photo posted by Dark Skin Women (@darkskinwomen) on Jun 21, 2016 at 6:00am PDT
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Extend Your Wear
If you’re going to take the time to put on a bold lip, you want it to last all day, right? To keep your color in place, blot on the lipstick, then reapply another layer, says Fromm. “It actually helps your lipstick to stay on that much longer,” she says. “Blotting presses the pigment into the lip, and then reapplying gives you an extra glaze.” As far as choosing a product goes, we’re obsessed with Urban Decay Vice Lipstick ($17 each, urbandecay.com), which comes in 100(!) shades—many of them moody.
A photo posted by Urban Decay Cosmetics (@urbandecaycosmetics) on Jun 2, 2016 at 5:36pm PDT
Still Scared? Take Baby Steps
Hesitant to abandon your natural look? Fromm says you can get yourself comfortable wearing a vampy lip by dabbing on a bit of a stronger hue like a pink or a red in the middle of your lips for a “bitten look.” Consider it the pit stop before you fully convert to the dark side.
A photo posted by Austen Marie (@austenmarie) on Jun 21, 2016 at 11:05am PDT