Dua Lipa’s Makeup Artist on the Micro-Lining Technique That Instantly Gives You Bigger Lips

Makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes knows lips. She’s been lining the pouts of celebrities like Hailey Bieber, Lily Allen, and Dua Lipa (the latter of which she made up for her Radical Optimism Tour) for years. Then, she creates uber-detailed instructional videos on social media so the rest of us can learn her tricks loved by celebs. The latest video? A super easy way to line your lips to create the viral blurred lip look. “This trick is a less-is-more hack that still gives you the illusion that overlined lips create without having it look totally fake,” Hughes says. Only four tiny marks with a lip liner and a fluffy makeup brush are required.

“This is a trick that makes lips look full in the same way as if you had overlined, but without the overdone look,” Hughes tells me. First, you need to select the right lip liner shade to create the blurred lip effect that gives you an instant boost. In her instructional video, she used the darkest shade of her KJH.Brand’s Prism Lite Lip Crayon for what she calls “maximum impact.” But, she says later when we’re discussing the technique, that isn’t a look one typically wants to wear every day. Instead, try her simple trick to pick the perfect shade: “It should be one shade darker than your skintone,” Hughes says. For me, she suggests the Lip Crayon in shade Enigma.

From there, it’s time to make four precise lines, which Hughes says focus on the parts of the mouth you want to recess (the corners) and the parts you want to appear plumper (the cupid’s bow and the middle of the bottom of your lip). Draw a small overlined mark at each of these placements, then blend with the fluffy makeup brush. “This creates the soft, blurred finish without removing the product,” she says. “The amount you blend is really about preference. Sometimes I want more definition, which means I blend less. But if you want something softer, blending more is the way to go.” Top with a gloss and you’re good to go—illusion of larger lips fulfilled.

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