Festive Makeup Picks: The Bold Lip #DitsyDecember

It's part three of this mini 'series-in-a-series' on Dainty Ditsy and today I'm talking my third and final 'pick' of the festive season makeup-wise. Friday was all about the base (no treble), Saturday the eyes, and so it makes sense for today to be of course centred on the classic bold lip.

Ready for a crash course in bold lips this Christmastime? First on the agenda, application...

1. You want to ensure your lips are in tip-top condition before any of the bold stuff comes anywhere near them. A lip scrub is perfect in this situation or, if on a budget, use your toothbrush (yes, really) to buff away your pout until its a soft as a baby's bottom. Make sure you also apply plenty of lip balm either the night before you plan on rocking that bold lip or at the very start of your makeup routine to give it some chance to sink in.
2. Next you want to use a lip liner to outline the shape of your lips and stop your lipstick fro bleeding or wearing off quicker. Start from the outside corner and draw up to your cupids bow - this makes sure you don't close your lips up. You want to make them as big and plump-looking as you can, without overdrawing them. Then either leave it at just an outline or carry on filling in the rest of your pout to act as a base colour for the lipstick you want to layer on top.
3. Next is the big one - applying the lipstick. I like to start from the centre of my lips before carefully filling in the tricky bits at the corners of my mouth. This is where the previous step really comes in handy - if you've outlined your lips with a liner, this makes it easier to apply your lipstick as the shape is already there for you. Keep smooshing your lips together as you go, so the colour is distributed evenly and is really worked into the lips.
4. Then you want to blot your lipstick. This will make the first layer act as more of a stain, causing it to hopefully stay around a little longer than it would without this step.
5. After blotting, apply a final layer of your lippie on top to seal in that stain you've created and to even things back out from where they may have been disturbed by the blotting.
6. As a final step, sometimes I can look at myself after apply a bold lip and the edges of my pout seem a little 'harsh', so to get rid of this and make everything look softer, I like to go back in and gently rub or pat the lipstick in around those areas. I find then the finish is more 'natural', even though you're wearing a bold lip! 

Now you've hopefully got application down, there's just the small matter of what colours you may be thinking of employing the technique for. As I've only properly started getting into bold lips and typically like to experiment in this area, I personally am into drugstore bold lips at the moment. I could obviously whittle off a load that I've tried and love, or ones I've heard are fab and am eager to try myself, but then this post would be super long so instead I thought I'd give just a few suggestions -

 

The Rimmel Lipsticks in general are fab, particularly the Moisture Renew if you're looking for a glossier finish or the Kate Moss Matte collection if you're more of a matte gal (me personally). My picks would be In Love With Ginger from the Moisture Renew line for red lips with a  slight orange undertone, and of course the classic 107 from the Kate Matte range made famous by Zoella and loved by every beauty blogger ever since.

 

I also love the recent launch from Maybelline - their Velvet Lip Pencils are all kinds of awesome. Matte but with a slight sheen; creamy enough to easily apply but hard enough to last. I love them. My picks would obviously be the three I've tried so far (Light It Up, Red Essential and Keep It Classy) but there's also a few other bolds in the collection that I've got my eye on.

 

Finally, the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets are again brilliant. They were what got me back into bold lips, on recommendation from Anna and I couldn't be more chuffed with them. Like the Maybelline Velvets, they're matte yet comfortable on the lips and despite being in liquid form (possible mess-ups at the ready) the applicator makes the whole process a dream. A definite top-pick from me.

So that just about wraps up 'Festive Makeup Picks'! I really hope you've enjoyed this mini 'series-in-a-series' and I'll see you tomorrow for another #DitsyDecember post...