Matte lipstick has a higher content of wax and pigment and less oil than standard lipstick. This makes the final product more opaque and more deeply colored.
It is possible to get outstanding color contrast with matte lipstick, but only if the product is applied appropriately, because matte lipstick doesn’t wear like gloss lipstick. Read on to see who should be wearing this new trend and to learn some techniques for making it look great.
1. Fine and Smooth
Matte lipstick has a tendency to adhere to dry areas and rough patches of skin. To ensure that you have the right surface on which to apply a matte product, start by exfoliating your lips. A simple rub with honey and sugar will work wonders on lips, but you can purchase a commercial product as well.
Exfoliate your lips once per week if you wear matte lipstick often. Light colors tend to show irregularities more than dark matte colors do, so exfoliating is more important with light shades.
2. Textured
If a perfectly smooth finish isn’t for you, then you can choose to go with a finely textured look. Note that you still want to start with a smooth canvas because you are going to add texture, not let texture show through.
Start with a lip liner that matches your skin color closely and use it to create an outline. Apply a textured matte lipstick to fill in between the liner. Textured lipsticks emphasize the natural shape of your lips.
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3. Concealer First
If you want the color of your lips to be as bright and vibrant as possible, then you need to start with an even, neutral canvas. Putting concealer on your lips will help your lipstick to pop, much like putting down primer helps a new coat of paint to look fresh and bright. Concealer is also a must for lighter colors as it helps the lipstick remain true to its original color once applied.
4. Neat Lines
The standard process is to apply lipstick to your lips and then to follow up with a liner. When it comes to matte lipsticks, however, you want to do the opposite.
Apply a lip liner that is the same shade as your lipstick to get a clean, neat line. Fill in your lips with the matte lipstick and then blend it with the liner to create a smoother, perfect look.
More: 6 Tips for Choosing the Right Lipstick
5. Blot and Reapply
If you want your matte lipstick to look its best, then you should apply two coats. Apply the first coat and then blot your lips with a tissue. After that, apply a second coat.
Not only will this improve the color, it will prevent the lipstick from caking. As an added bonus, this technique can also help you go longer between applications.
6. Faded Look
Gloss lipsticks help to create a full, plump look; so much so that women with thin lips are often advised to use only gloss lipsticks. It turns out that, with a little finesse, you can achieve the full look with matte as well.
Start with a lip liner that is identical to your skin tone and then fill in your lips with a matte color that is just slightly pinker than your skin tone. Finish by blotting the edges of your lips a bit more than the centers and they’ll look fuller.
7. Bright Lips
If faded matte isn’t your style, place concealer on your lips and then go for a bright matte lipstick. This look is best for women who already have fuller lips and works well with equally bright accents in other areas like cheekbones and eyes. It is easy to go overboard with this technique, so be careful.
8. Messy Matte
Believe it or not, having messy lipstick can be alluring. This technique, like the faded technique, works best with tones that are slightly pinker than your own skin tone.
Just put the lipstick on, without liner and without blotting. It’s okay, even desirable, to miss a few spots to produce a sexy, confident look.
9. Semi-Sheer
The semi-sheer look is considered to be sophisticated and elegant. It’s easy to do too. Just put on a dark, semi-sheer lip shade, like a berry matte, and then blot it well. It will provide very striking drama without being overtly bright. The semi-sheer look is great for evenings out and for formal occasions.
10. Dark Matte
You can get an edgy, aggressive look by choosing a dark, muted shade like gray or lilac. This look is great for contrasting your lips with other features of your face, including highlighted cheekbones or bright eyes. Dark matte is probably the hardest look to pull off, so use it with caution.
For now, the matte look is quite popular. Whether matte lipstick remains a beauty staple moving forward will come down to use. You can almost never go wrong with glossy lipstick, particularly if you have thin lips at baseline.
The same cannot be said for matte lipstick. Use this product with caution and understand that making it look good will take a little bit more time and attention to detail. If you have the patience and prepare your lips as above, then you can pull off some very stunning looks with matte lipstick.
More: 10 Dos and Don’ts of Wearing Red Lipstick
As a final note, remember that matte lipstick contains less oil than standard lipstick, which means it won’t moisturize your lips well on its own. Moisturizing is a great way to ensure that you have smooth, pliable, healthy lips. Most experts suggest that you moisturize your lips twice per day, before putting lipstick on and after taking it off.1