When it comes to our skin care routines we love to give our faces a weekly treat. Whether it’s a #FridayFacial or a #MaskMonday we scrub, cleanse and apply face-masks all in the hope of revealing healthy, glowing skin. But, what about our lips? Often over-looked, the skin on our lips can be prone to becoming dry, cracked and sore, especially during the winter months. Here we reveal the simple steps that can soothe sore lips and leave them kissably smooth!
STEP 1: DRINK UP
We use our mouths much more than we realise and all the talking, singing and eating they do is thirsty work! To make matters worse, unlike our skin, our lips do not have sebaceous glands. This means that they cannot produce oil to help keep them moist so, if your lips feel tight, help keep them hydrated by drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water a day.
STEP 2: SCRUB UP
The skin on our lips is exceptionally fine and can be prone to becoming dry and flaky. The ‘flakes’ you see are dead skin cells and, if allowed to sit on the surface of the skin, they can make applying a smooth coat of lipstick a challenge. It’s harder for lips to remove dead skin cells naturally because they do not produce sebum but the good news is, you can avoid a ‘cakey’ lipstick look by lightly buffing away the dead skin cells using a soft, clean toothbrush or a clean, dry flannel. Work in small circular motions before rinsing the lips with lukewarm water.
STEP 3: DO SOME PREP WORK
If you have fine lines around your mouth, you may find that shortly after applying your lipstick the colour feathers or ‘bleeds' into the surrounding skin. The good news is that with a little prep work you can stop your lipstick from leaking by applying a lip primer. Always look for a primer containing vitamin E, as this vital vitamin will help lock-in hydration and help your lipstick in place for longer. For best results, always apply to the lips before applying your lipstick.
STEP 4: DRAW BACK YOUR BOW
Named after the Roman God of desire, the Cupid’s bow sits at the top of the mouth. It helps give the lips definition but can start to lose its shape as we age. Not only does this make the lips look thin and flat, it can also cause lipstick to smudge or bleed away from the mouth and into any surrounding fine lines. The good news is that you can help prevent this using our Lip & Eye Line Eraser and by carefully lining the outline of the lips before filling in the lip.
STEP 5: LAYER UP
Once you have chosen your lip colour apply it slowly, gradually layering it to help build the colour you want. Take care around the edges of the mouth and remove any excess by folding a clean sheet of toilet paper or kitchen towel and gently blotting it between the lips
THREE TO TRYFOR A PROTECTED POUT
The skin around our lips is fine and, when exposed to UV rays it can be prone to wrinkling. To protect your pout prime your lips with a scent-free SPF lip balm. This handbag-sized helper gives UV protection and, because it is scent free, it is an ideal natural lip balm for sensitive lips.
TO GIVE YOUR LIPSTICK LONGEVITY
Want to deepen or brighten the colour of your lipstick? For long-lasting vibrant colour apply our Enrich & Enhance Lip Primer. Designed to prevent fading or bleeding its colourless base enhances the natural hues of your lipstick whilst locking in hydration.
FOR LUSCIOUS LIPS
Does our Damask Rose Lipstick look familiar? A favourite of beauty journalists and bloggers alike it’s been featured in many glossy magazines including Top Santé and New magazine. With its timeless nude-rose shade and non-drying, matte finish it’s little wonder that this Green People lipstick is the name on everyone’s lip! Highly pigmented and made from natural earth minerals, it is enriched with soothing vitamin E to help keep lips nourished.