Thin Lips

STEP 1. Outline lips with your lip pencil. Just outside the natural lip line, upper and lower lips.

STEP 2. Choose lip colors in the medium range, avoiding those in the very light or deep range, or heavily frosted or matte colors.

Full Lips

STEP 1. Smooth a little concealer, then a drop of foundation, around the natural lip line to de-emphasize it.

STEP 2. Outline lips with lip pencil just inside the natural lip line.

STEP 3. Choose light to medium lip colors. Avoid bright, dark or iridescent shades and lip gloss.

UNEVEN LIPS

To make lips even on both sides:

STEP 1. Outline the best side first.

STEP 2. Now, recreate that line on the opposite side.

If lower lip is fuller than the top:

STEP 1. Outline the lower lip inside the edges of the natural lip line.

STEP 2. Outline the upper lip just outside the natural edges.

STEPS 3. & 4.Use lip color a tone or two lighter on the lower lip than the shade you use on the top, to minimize the lower lip visually. Add lip gloss to the upper lip only.

If upper lip is fuller than the bottom:

STEP 1. Outline the upper lip just inside the natural lip line.

STEP 2. Line the lower li just outside the edge.

STEP 3. Apply a lip color that's slightly lighter in tone on the upper lip than the one you choose for the lower lip, to minimize the top lip.

STEP 4. Add lip gloss on the lower lip only.

SMALL MOUTH

STEP 1. Start at the middle of the upper and lower lips and outline with lip pencil, gradually extending the lip line just a touch beyond the outer corners of the lips, upper and lower.

STEP 2. Make the lips look fuller by using frosted or moisture-rich lip colors in medium tones and lots of gloss, to create reflections. Reach the corners of your mouth to create a look of greater width from side to side.

WIDE MOUTH

STEP 1. Minimize the outside corners of the lips, upper and lower, with a touch of concealer and a drop of foundation to blur the edges of the outer corners.

STEP 2. Using lip pencil, start from the center of the lips, upper and lower and outline, going gradually within the natural lip line as you move to the outside corners.

STEP 3. Stop the liner pencil before you reach the corners of your mouth to create a look of less width from side to side.

STEP 4. Choose light to medium lip colors in matte or moisture formulas. Avoid deep shades, frosted formulas and lip gloss.

DOWN-CAST MOUTH

STEP 1. Outline the upper lip with lip pencil, starting from mid-lip, and lifting up the lip line slightly, at the outer corners of the upper lip.

STEP 2. Outline lower lip, starting in the middle, and outlining to just before the corners of the mouth.

STEP 3. Select 2 lip colors, one tone apart in intensity. Fill in the center of the mouth with the deeper color of the two.

STEP 4. Use the slightly lighter shade at the corners.

STEP 5. Use a lip brush to blend the two to achieve a subtle gradation of color from deeper in the center to lighter at the outer corners of the mouth.

STEP 6. Add a touch of gloss at the center of the mouth.

About Peter Lamas