Hello all! Today I’ve got a lipstick post requested by a friend of mine. I’m going to do a tutorial on how to use lip liner and apply a bold or dark lipstick. This post should be especially valuable as we approach the fall season and its vampy lip looks! Read on for my tutorial!

The first step to a successful bold lip is the right tools. I’m using a Revlon Colorstay Lip Liner in Wine, The 3 Concept Eyes Lip Color in #501 Bella, a Q-tip, and a lipstick brush. I would normally forgo the brush for this look because I’ve got a steady hand, but my poor Bella lipstick won’t wind up anymore and I can’t get the color without the brush. If you want more punchy color with less work I would suggest applying directly from the bullet. Below is a picture of my tools and my naked face.

Many of you may think that this is an excess of tools for the average user, but I wanted to cover all my bases for any type of lipstick user! Really all you need for the most basic look is a darker or vampy lipstick.

I started off with my finished face using the regular makeup. I won’t repeat myself because you’ve read about these products one hundred times before. All I left undone was my lips, eyebrows, and blush. I find that both brows and blush might need to be tailored to the darker lip color so I wait on them. Just make sure your skin looks even and go simple on the eyes. Obviously it is fine to wear bold lips and eyes, but for the day I prefer to keep the eyes on the simple side. I just wore a black winged liner.

Before beginning your face makeup make sure you put on some lip balm! By the time you start the lips it will have sunk right in. Trust me, you want a little moisture before applying lip liner, which can be quite drying.

The first step in creating a bold lip look is to use lip liner. This isn’t always necessary, but I find the liner allows your lip color to stay longer and helps you keep in the lines. My vampy lipstick look is all about neat lines and deep colors. This concept is why I used black liner and want my lipstick line to be perfect. My liner is not an exact match for the color, but being close or using nude works well. Start by lining your entire lip. I find that just lining the outside is much harder. Work from the outside in. If you’re looking for a more precise line on the top lip, fill in the middle like a “v” as shown below and then work outward.

I did shape my lips a tiny bit for this tutorial because I like doing that for bold lips. The biggest tip I have is not to stray far from your lip line. Liner shaping is all about making your natural lip shape a bit more defined (I made my top lip a bit more pointed in the middle). I am not a proponent of creating fake lips like many of our current celebrities (*cough cough* Kylie) because that doesn’t tend to come out well on non-professionals and I am all about loving your natural pout no matter what! Regardless, my slightly defined lips are shown below.

The next step is to add the actual lipstick. This is where your Q-tips might come in handy, especially if you’re applying straight from the bullet. Keep a little concealer or makeup remover nearby for more intense mistakes. With a makeup brush things are a lot more precise. I applied the lipstick from the center to the outside of my lips. If you’re looking for even more staying power, I suggest pressing a tissue to the lips and then applying another coat.

In the above picture my lips are done without the finishing touches of my makeup. I went with a bolder brow to even out the face and a generous amount of blush to make sure I wasn’t washed out. Check out the results below! I’ve also included a picture of my shaped lips up close.

That’s the tutorial folks! I hope this helps the lipstick-challenged to work that bold fall lip. This lip color is on the border of a vampy look because it doesn’t come off as all that dark, but you can definitely darken the color and compensate with a bit more blush. I have an old picture of a darker lip look below. Thanks for reading! Comment with your favorite vampy lip color!

-Kate