Go for gloss: get the perfect pout

As lip products become more sophisticated and application techniques become easier, you no longer need a bagful of products to make your lips stand out.

Most of us probably have at least one lipgloss stashed in our make-up bag. In the past few years, lipgloss has not only become one of the best-selling products in most cosmetic lines, it’s also become much more sophisticated. Today, there are shiny glosses as thick as plastic, long-lasting glosses that fix on the lips for hours, colour-rich glosses that look like lipstick on the mouth but are easier to apply, and barely-there glosses that leave just a hint of colour staining the lips. All of these innovations are great news for consumers, meaning women of any age can wear lipgloss with impunity, safe in the knowledge that as well as adding shine, it won’t smudge or ruin an otherwise polished look by disappearing after minutes.

Finger painting
For a modern pout, hair and make-up artist Laura Dominique recommends steering clear of lip pencil. “I love a natural mouth,” she says. When applying gloss, Laura likes to start with a well-moisturised mouth – try a hydrating cream such as Elizabeth Arden's Perpetual Moisture 24 Cream, $78, which can be smoothed over the lips to prime them. Follow with your chosen colour – this season glosses run the gamut from sheer beige to shimmering orange. Laura dabs it on the lips with the applicator then smoothes it out with her fingertips, working from the centre and patting outwards to the edges. “What’s so nice is that you can see the natural colour of the lips coming through a subtle veil of colour,” she says.

Did you know?
During WWII, the actress and singer Marlene Dietrich toured entertaining the Allied troops. Instead of signing her name, she bestowed lipstick-coated lip prints as autographs.

Lip locked
The greatest recent lipgloss innovation has been the introduction of silicone as a key ingredient. Silicone is a malleable yet stable substance that works to create a thick, glossy coat that lasts for hours.

Words: Nikki Goldstein. Photography: Steven Chee. Hair & make-up: Budi Juspandi.