How To Make Your Lips Appear Bigger

There are very few people in the world born with the true gift of beautiful, plump lips. For the rest of us, there is thankfully several tips and tricks we can use to make our lips appear bigger without the need for lip injections!

Exfoliate and Moisturize

The very first thing you can do to make your lips appear naturally larger is to exfoliate and moisturize them. Nothing makes lips appear smaller than dry, cracked skin. There are many cheap and easy methods you can utilize to achieve this very important step.

The first is with any hydrating lip balm (or salve) and Q-tips. Slather on a good layer of balm to the lips and leave on while you are applying the rest of your makeup. When you are finished with your makeup use a couple of Q-tips to wipe away the excess balm from your lips. The Q-tips will take away the dead skin, leaving you with fresh, beautiful new skin. Instead of using Q-tips you could also use a rough-textured hand cloth to wipe away the excess balm.

I am in love with the Rosebud Salve lip balm from Rosebud Perfume Co. It is incredibly moisturizing and very affordable at only $6.00 per tin. I picked mine up around the check-out line at Sephora months ago and have barely made a dent in it despite using it every day.

The same method can be applied with a toothbrush and Vaseline for extensive exfoliating. Simply allow a good amount of Vaseline to sit on your lips for a few minutes and then scrub off with a clean, damp toothbrush. Or, you could chose to use a Vaseline and sugar mixture. Mix equal parts of both on a clean small cup or plate and gently rub the mixture in small circles around on your lips. When you are finished wash the mixture off your lips to reveal beautifully exfoliated, fresh lips.

Prime Lips with Concealer and Powder

For a more pigmented color consider priming your lips first before applying lip liner or lipstick. Every makeup line has some kind of lip primer that you can purchase, such as MAC Prep and Prime, but a just as effective and cheaper method would be to lightly dab your lips with concealer. You can use your finger, a beauty sponge, or a beauty blender to do this. Then, using a small powder brush, gently brush a small amount of translucent powder over your lips until they are smooth. This will prevent the lipstick you are about to apply from sticking by setting the concealer.

My favorite translucent powders are the ELF Studio Perfect Finish HD Powder and the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder. Both are lightweight and sheer, leaving skin with a flawless, crease-less finish.

Overdrawing Liner and Lipstick

Slightly overdraw your lip shape or overdraw your top and bottom lip lines to create the lip shape you desire. Always use a lip liner that is one shade darker than the lipstick you plan on using. First, trace the bottom lip just below where your natural lip line ends. Then, overdraw the top lip line with an emphasis on over-lining the cupid's bow. Continue to line the rest of your lips to connect with the edges of your mouth.

The best way to achieve a natural looking pout is to slightly overdraw your lips with a nude lip liner and then apply a nude or nude-pink matte lipstick. Or, you could line your lips and use that same liner to fill in your lips. Lip liner tends to be drying so make sure your lips are well moisturized beforehand. Another option would be to add a lip gloss over the lip liner, my favorite being the NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee overtop.

Drawing Lines on Lips

Drawing lines with lip liner upon your lips before filling them in with lipstick will help define them and make them appear fuller. Simply line your upper and lower lips as usual with a brown shaded lip liner. Make several lines with the brown liner on your lower lip: one in the center, two to the right of center, and two to the left of center. Move on to your top lip and make four more lines: two to the right of center, and two to the left of center. Do not make a line down the center of your top lip, as this can make it appear thinner. After you are done lining fill in your lips with your lipstick or lip gloss of choice.

The technique being used here is light/dark shading. By placing the brown lip liner at intervals underneath a light lipstick or gloss will create the illusion of plumpness. Dark colors minimize and light colors accentuate. my favorite lip liner for creating this look is the NYX Slim Lip Pencil in Soft Brown combined with Urban Decay's Matte Revolution Lipstick in Naked.

An Example of Using Lip Liner to Draw and Fill in Lips

Lip Plumping Gloss and Liquid Lipstick

The quickest way to achieve big lips in a hurry is to grab a lip gloss with plumping serum already in the formulation. Many products are out there that claim to "sting" your lips by using bee venom to cause the blood vessels in your lips to physically plump. One lip gloss that works just as well (minus the bee venom) is Buxom's Full-On Lip Cream. My favorite shades are White Russian and Mudslide. This lip cream gives you a full, glossy finish, and a tingling, cool minty sensation on your lips. It will not have the same effect as the bee venom but the chilling sensation does make your lips feel and look bigger.

If you aren't a fan of the lip plumping gloss, try a liquid lipstick. You can easily overdraw your lips with a good creamy liquid lipstick, making your lips appear much larger in size. Many liquid lipsticks can be drying so make sure to moisturize first, or take the extra step and exfoliate for an extra smooth finish.

My absolute favorite brand for liquid lipstick is Anastasia Beverly Hills. They are super pigmented, matte without being too over-drying, and will not budge from your lips without a good scrubbing with makeup remover. My favorite color is Pure Hollywood (a flawless pink nude), and I love Sepia and Sorbet. A good alternative to the expensive ABH liquid lipsticks are the Colorpop Ultra Matte Lips. My favorite colors are Trap, Midi and Donut.

Highlight and Contour

Highlighting and contouring your lips can make a great difference when it comes to their size and shape. Using the tip of your pinky finger place a dab of your favorite highlight on the bottom lip over lip gloss or lipstick to give it a more plumped look. Also, highlight above the cupid's bow, this will give your upper lip the illusion of being fuller and more voluptuous.

Contour with a small sculpting brush just below lower lip. I use the ELF Contour Brush and apply a small amount of product, following the line of the shape of the lip I wish to create. This helps to form a shadow beneath the lip line and makes your bottom lip appear larger than it actually is.