"If At First You Don't Succeed, Apply More Lipstick"

Apply more lipstick? Absolutely, Always and Forever.

Lipstick is the best feel-good there is. I am never entirely sure why a small tube filled with colour can delight in so many ways. It does.

Lipstick is one of the best aids I know for a broken heart, a bad mood or even sadness. Okay, even lipstick can’t cure a broken heart but it sure can make us feel better for a mini-moment.

Wearing a =, whatever your game can make the world of difference. A solid shade is my go-to when I feel less than buoyant or I am in a racing hurry. Especially a good red, light or dark; a great red is the difference between feeling just so and feeling on top of the world.

Sometimes small things make big impacts. Lipstick is one of them.

And as my mother said, ” going without lipstick is like being undressed.” I am not entirely sure her logic applies all the time but I know what she means on many an occasion.

Choosing a lipstick is a fickle business; I flip and flirt between many brands. Right now I am crushing on Nars, their Audacious colours and their Velvet pencils. They feel good, stay on and are easy to apply.

Sometimes a girl just has to stray. ;) xv

“Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick and pull yourself together.” – Liz Taylor

4 Steps To Fabulous Lips

1. Exfoliate the lips with a damp flannel, and sparingly apply lip balm before applying the rest of the make up.

Dry or cracked lips will make application of lipstick more difficult and the end result won’t be as polished.

2. If using a bright or very dark shade, ensure the skin tone around the mouth is even using a concealer or tinted moisturiser.

This will enhance and make the colour pop.

3. Using a matching lip liner outline the lips to avoid bleeding and then fill in the entire lip with the pencil. This is wear I often use the Velvets.

Filling the lips in with the pencil will ensure that the colour stays longer and avoids that washed out look after eating and drinking.

4. Using a lip brush, carefully apply the colour in long sweeping motions across the lip. With a tissue, blot the lips and reapply the colour once more.

This will give the colour more staying power.

** To make a lip colour more matte, hold a thin tissue over the lips and brush with translucent powder. This will also increase the staying power of a creamier lipstick.

4 Fabulous Colours

wind it up

audacious charlotte || audacious jeanne || audacious carmen || audacious limited vibeke

pencil it on

velvet endangered red || velvet mysterious red || velvet belle du jour || velvet la dolce vita

image, elizabeth circa 1955 silver screen collection/getty images