







1)Exfoliate lips in the shower or prior to makeup application. Use a lip balm or moisturizer to condition lips. Allow the product to absorb before proceeding.



2)Apply foundation and concealer as usual on face. To not detract attention from dramatic lips, you must create a clean backdrop. Under-eye circles and any discoloration and unevenness in skin tone should be camouflaged for an all-over flawless finish. Use a translucent powder to mattify face. Groom and define brows. You may also bring out the shape of your eyes with eyeliner and mascara, but don't apply any products with evident color. Your eyeliner and mascara, should you use them, are best kept black, dark brown or gray.



3)Pat a makeup primer all over your lip line. You can use one containing silicone to give dark lip color a firmer base to cling to so it neither feathers nor bleeds. While you are waiting for the primer to absorb, survey the lip colors you wear on a regular basis. To simply add some drama to your everyday look, you will need to intensify an existing lip color in your makeup kit. On the other hand, to go in a completely different style direction, shop for a dark--even decadent--lip color you haven't worn in public before. An almost-black red is such a color particularly fitting for a winter evening event.



4)Deepen your lip color of choice from your makeup kit by mixing it with a dark brown lip product on an artist's palette. Add as little or as much as you want to produce the shade you are most comfortable wearing. The more opaque your mixing medium is, the more evidently darker your result will be. For instance, for a thick, highly-pigmented finish, use a creme-based dark brown lipstick. If you want a more sheer formulation, use a dark brown lip gloss. Line and fill lips in with a pencil in the same color as your finished product. Use a nude lip liner instead if you don't have one that matches. Smooth lipstick evenly onto lips with a lip brush.



5)Revamp your look by purchasing a new lipstick or lip stain in the dark shade you fancy. If you're going this far, don't settle for a mid-tone intensity. Choose a deeper and darker one unlike any you've previously tried. You can wear your new lip color in two different ways. One method involves lining and filling lips in with a pencil as in Step 4, before topping lips off with the lipstick or lip stain. This gives you a more finished appearance. The second option merely calls for a stained effect, where you generously swipe the color onto the center of both top and bottom lips before blending outwards to meet the boundary of your lip line. Polish lips with a light coat of clear lip gloss if you wish.