Bright and bold lips are the hottest look of the season and it’s great to have all the information you can to help you carry it off stylishly and effortlessly.

When it comes to lips I am constantly answering questions like, “how can you be sure the colour won’t bleed?”; “does anyone use lip liners anymore?”; and “how can you keep the colour on longer than your first cup of tea?”

I am going to answer all of these questions and give you all the tips and tricks to make your lips pout with pride!

It’s a crime not to prime

Just like an artist primes their canvas, for the best results you must prime your lips! If they are dry or cracked then the lipstick is going to grip to the dry areas and slide off the rest so to prevent this you need to exfoliate regularly.

There is no need to rush out and purchase any lotions or potions because the best and easiest formula is in your pantry! Just take some regular old sugar and moisten it with the olive oil, make a paste in the palm of your hand and then lightly scrub it over and around your lips. The sugar crystals will help to lift and remove the dead skin cells while the olive oil will soften and smooth the skin. (You can also use this mixture to exfoliate dry hands or legs!)

If you prefer to have your power products packaged, I highly recommend;

Carmex Lip Balm $6.50 – This powerful treatment contains Salicylic Acid, an acid that works specifically to exfoliate dead skin.

Dr Lipp Nipple Balm for Lips $28 – Made from 100% medical grade Lanolin this gentle but super effective balm will leave you wondering how you ever lived without it before!

Line it up

Once you have your smooth plump pout it’s time to use a lip liner! Your lip liner is a valuable step in the process because it creates a barrier between your skin and the soft waxy lipstick – this will keep it on longer and prevent bleeding/feathering.

The lip liner does not need to be same colour as the lipstick – a nude lip liner will do the job just as well and you don’t need to spend any time finding a matching lipstick and liner.

For the best application, start by applying it to the centre of the lips; a fine thin line around the centre edge of the bottom lip and the cupid’s bow is all you need to accentuate your lip shape. Then, use the lip liner to colour in the rest of your lip. It’s best to avoid applying lip liner to the outer corners of your lips as it may make your lips feel heavy or unnaturally accentuated.

Liner is great for increasing lip size or helping even out asymmetrical lips – this may take a little practice, but once you have mastered the look you are after, you are going to feel more confident wearing your sexy red lips.

Try these nude liners with your favourite lipsticks:

Natio Mechanical Long Lasting Lip Liner – Lotus or Nude $13.95 – Waterproof, smudge proof formula for an all day wear without any feathering.

MAC Lip Pencil – Stripdown $30 – This is the perfect nude colour with a smooth and creamy texture.

(Kim Kardashian admits to using this very colour to create her perfect nude lip!)

A bit of lip

Now we are ready for the lipstick! You can apply your lipstick directly to your lips or you can use a lip brush, which will give you a more precise line. Lip brushes are also great for making your lipsticks last longer, because you can get into the very base of the lipstick where you can’t normally reach.

Whichever you choose to do, one thing you should never do is rub your lips together to spread the colour! This will push the lipstick outside your lip line and give you an uneven and smudged appearance. If you do feel that you have smudged your lippy a little too far, the easiest way to correct this is to run a little bit of concealer around the outer edge of your lip and it will tidy up the lipstick and give a nice sharp appearance.

Two of the best handbag-ready lip brushes are:

Mecca Cosmetica Retractable Lip Brush – $30 – This little beauty has firm synthetic fibres to help your lipstick glide on, and when you’re done just turn the brush over back into the lid!

Manicare Retractable Lip Brush – $10.49 – This little brush may be small but it is effective for getting that sharp lip line we all want!

Staying power

Keeping your lipstick on is a struggle; the glossier or shinier a lipstick is, the less likely it is to stay on. So, if it’s longevity you are after stick with more matte formulas. Long wear lipsticks are a great option but they can crack and flake, leaving your lips feeling very dry and abused.

If you already have a million lipsticks and would like to keep them on longer then you can try this old Make-up Artist trick. Apply one coat of lipstick and blot it with a tissue, lightly press some loose face powder over the lips and apply a second coat of lipstick. The powder acts as a setting agent and I promise that your lipstick will last twice as long as it normally would.

Taking it off

When you wish to remove your lipstick, you will find that very strong colours like reds or plums will stain and if you get the colour on your skin, you may end up with an unattractive redness around your lips. To prevent this always wipe inwards to the lip being careful not to get any on your skin.

Make-up removing wipes are fabulous at removing lipstick (as are baby wipes) but you can also try baby oil or olive oil. These oils will break down the lipstick easily and, using a dry tissue to wipe it, you will find that you can remove all traces of colour without torturing your skin.

I have one last little helpful tip I would love to share with you all. If you are to get any lipstick on your clothing, a bit of toothpaste and eucalyptus oil will remove it completely! You gently rub the toothpaste directly onto the stain to remove any particles of lipstick and then wipe the remaining stain with the eucalyptus oil until it fades. Pop it in the washing machine as you normally would and if this doesn’t remove the stain entirely, repeat the eucalyptus oil until the stain is completely gone.

And there you have it – everything you could ever need to know about preparing for, wearing and removing lipstick! No lip service.