Dan's Papers - December 21, 2007

I have been comfortable applying makeup to myself and others since age ten. It has been easy for me, since my mom is a Senior Sales Director in Mary Kay Cosmetics and has run her office out of our home my entire life. However, confident as I am with putting on my face, my lips are a venture that I have yet to conquer. No matter how I try I always feel that lipstick looks messy on my uneven lips. My mom always says, "lip liner is a must!" Angelina Jolie herself probably had to become comfortable with wearing lipstick at one point in her life. It is the most challenging and also the most fun part of the makeup process, and there are so many tips out there to help us learn the tricks of the lipstick trade.

Popular lip shades for winter tend to be berries and reds. According to your skin tone, color shades will vary. Olive complexions stick with warm undertones, fair faces go with the peachy and pink undertones, and lovely china-doll pale complexions should feel free to use any color of the rainbow.

Some say that the appropriate look for daytime is a matte finish and evening goes with a glossy finish. The matte finish is basically smooth color with no glossiness. There tend to be problems with both. The matte finish tends to dry out the lips during the winter and the glossy may smudge and rub off on glassware and your date. The best way to go is demi-matte finish which is a combination that keeps it smooth and moist without smudging. Particularly in the winter time, lipsticks that claim to be long lasting tend to dry out the lips. The demi-matte is a more creamy formulation.

Right up there with lip liner, my mom is a huge fan of lip primers and finishing with a gloss. For young people it is recommended to use liner to keep lipstick in the lines but it is not necessary because the skin is still bouncy enough to hold the color in place. As you age you must wear liner because the color will run. A primer is applied to the lips first, then the liner and last the lipstick. There are many tricks that come into play with the lip liner. For those like me who have an obnoxiously noticeable fuller lip (my bottom one) line the thinner lip just outside the natural line and the big one just inside the line. Be sure to apply a little foundation to the outside edges of the bigger lip so you can't see that the other line is false. This same rule applies to making lips look plumper or thinner, line just inside to thin and just outside to make more full. If applying lip liner to the inside of your lips, don't forget to apply a little foundation onto the natural edges before beginning. For those who have discoloration of the lips, simply apply darker color on the lighter areas. Once the color has been applied it is important to blot. Blotting makes all the difference in the world to your lipstick finish. It sets the color and perfects the look. Lastly, throw on some gloss to moisten things up. If you are still not convinced that you feel comfortable with lipstick, just wear the lip gloss. Glosses are offered in many different tints as well as clear. I recently met a girl who was blessed with lips that were naturally a plum red color; lucky people like her need only put on a clear lip gloss and they look like they went through all of the steps above.

A fun thing to do once you find your favorite tube is notice the shape that the tip takes after it's used. Some say this is a reflection of your personality type. Flat - relaxed and sporty, round-gentle and romantic, strong slant - articulate and well balanced and a whistle shape means that you are outgoing and dominating.

Lipstick is the most dramatic way to change the look of your face. Whether classic red, princess pink or a deep brown, we are able to magically transform ourselves with one little stick. Let yourself go back to the fairytale days of playing dress up and indulge in some fun. New Year's Eve would be a perfect time to try out a classic red like the movie stars. Dazzle yourself and your hunny with new lips this winter.