One of the best parts of being a woman is all of the ways we get to play with our appearance. If you want a change, you can literally reach for a dark lipstick and in two seconds look completely different. It’s fun, easy, and you don’t need a plastic surgeon to pull it off. However, if you don’t take some certain steps, a dark lip can easily turn into being asked “why is your mouth bleeding?” All night. Here are some ways around that.

Prepare Yourself

No, I don’t mean prepare yourself for your socks to blow off because your dark lips look so damn good (even though you should probably prepare yourself for that too). I mean go to the bathroom and exfoliate your lips like a mutha before you apply your lipstick. You can’t slap some dark lipstick onto dry and chapped lips. The color will crack, flake, and dry your lips out even more. Exfoliate your lips and apply a moisturizing balm to fend off cracks and dryness.

Do It Right

Ok, so the difference between a sloppy lipstick job and everyone thinking you have a makeup artist at your house every day can be as simple as lip liner and a lip brush. When you wear a dark lip you have to line your lips. This prevents the edges from bleeding, helps keep your lipstick on and gives you a perfect lip line. Perfect the edges of your lips with concealer so that any mistakes are hidden and never apply straight from the tube. Using a lip brush gives you an extra bit of control so that you can keep it in the lines and gradually build your color up.

Don’t Forget The Rest Of Your Face

I know that sometimes when you choose to wear a dark color on your mouth that it’s hard to add even more makeup because you don’t want it to be too dark. I get that, but to pull the whole lip together there are certain things you can do that will bring your lip color out, not compete with it. Well groomed brows are a must. Lightly fill them in and brush them to bring out their shape. If you are going to use eyeshadow then keep it shimmery and light. Especially if you are an eyeliner and mascara gal. Unless you are going for all out vamp, then keep your liner clean and simple. No smokiness or smudging. A light, clean eye with well groomed brows will just add a bit of polish to your makeup, without taking the shine away from your new lip color. Remember though, cheekbones and a bit of blush are a must otherwise you can look washed out. A bit of bronzer can go a long way rather than colored blush. It adds warmth and can make your cheekbones pop while looking natural.

If trying a dark lip is something that intimidates you but is something that you’re dying to try, then try it a couple times at home first before you bust it out on the street. Once you get comfortable with it you’ll love it. Oh and always remember to check your teeth ladies. One of the downsides to dark lips is that you can wind up with lipstick smudges on your teeth. So keep your eye on them when you’re eating and drinking. Other than that dark lips are a fun and unexpected way to amp up your look on a night out. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Here is a great homemade lip scrub for you to whip up easily if you’re looking for something to get that mouth of yours dark lip ready:

Homemade Lip Scrub

1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp olive oil

Mix and spread onto lips. Scrub lightly and rinse off. For even more scrub power, apply to a toothbrush and scrub away.

xo Stephanie