Lipstick: six mistakes that almost all or all of us make

Comfortably seated in front of your mirror, you immediately try on this new lipstick chosen on a whim. Without being aware of the dangers that await us: it risks marking fine lines and cracks, or even not holding up until lunch. To avoid this kind of beauty cataclysm, Jean-Charles Perrier, make-up artist for Giorgio Armani Beauty gives us his advice and tips.

Don't moisturize your lips first

"When you put on lipstick, you don't want to ruin it with your first sip of coffee in the morning", notes the professional make-up artist, aware of the magnitude of the problem. “The solution is to prepare a good base for a long-lasting application. Which of course starts with moisturizing the lips with a balm, which you can leave on while you work on your complexion and eye make-up.” Hydrated, they appear plumped and will show less any streaks, fine lines and cracks. Before moving on to the next step, remember to pinch without rubbing your mouth on a Kleenex to soak up any excess balm.

Obviously grab a pencil with lots of good intentions

To want to do things well, we forget that we do not necessarily have the technique that goes with it. For example when you want to redraw your lips with a sharp pencil (worse, in a darker color worthy of the worst hours of the 1980s). If this can correct any asymmetry, it is preferable not to exceed their natural contours in the irrational hope of making them appear thicker. "If it can have the merit of prolonging the hold of red, it necessarily changes its texture and rendering, opacifies it and weighs it down", regrets Jean-Charles Perrier. Especially since it can quickly become expensive to acquire pencils matching the color of its different sticks. "I suggest using a base like Giorgio Armani Beauty's Prima Lip Eye Perfector instead, which hydrates, blurs fine lines, and prevents red from running, all in a light way. »

Choose the shade of your stick only according to your complexion

Traumatized by the saleswoman who strongly forbids fair skin to wear dark lipsticks and vice versa, we take care to avoid strong contrasts. However, many models on the catwalks or celebrities on the red carpet prove the opposite in beauty. "It is better to start from a desire rather than a diktat", advises the make-up artist Armani Beauty. In make-up, rules only exist to be contradicted. “The important thing is to listen to yourself and know what result you want: what color and what finish? The same fuschia can be worked to appear matte, transparent or satiny”. So we forget the received ideas that prohibit us from wearing this or that color and trust our desires to dare to wear makeup in accordance with our personality and mood. "You can achieve a nude complexion, completely dispense with blush, bet on a touch of mascara, to better wear a strong mouth like a real statement" continues the make-up artist, supporter of Less is more.

Apply it directly to the grape

In addition to being a nest for microbes, the tip of his lipstick is a real trap for non-experts, especially near the critical areas that form the corner of the lips and the cupid's bow. Rather than going straight to the grapes, “you can use a cotton swab rubbed against your lipstick: it will allow you to draw your lips with precision in the first layer. And to obtain a bitten lip effect that we can be satisfied with, ”suggests the beauty expert who recommends starting at the heart of the lower lip, then rubbing them against each other, in order to give yourself a before. - color taste. Red can be enough to give a healthy glow and dispense with the blush step. “Optionally, the brush also allows for less coverage. It can be used on an ad hoc basis to modulate the thickness of the product and apply it with precision at the level of the commissure”. If you exceed, a cotton swab moistened with foundation can erase any errors.

Multiply the layers and products for a long hold

The best equipped may feel exempted from touch-ups for the day after having carefully applied lip balm, a dedicated primer, pencil, three coats of red, interposed with a cloud of loose powder each time. Not too much is needed: "the multiplication of layers of products can be uncomfortable, visible and unnatural", warns the make-up artist who rather advocates using a reduced number and quantity of product. “The use of a primer also depends on the quality and nature of your skin. You may not need it at all if you choose a good red that lasts well”.

Touching up overcoat during the day

During the day, you may be tempted to go over your lipstick to revive it if it has been somewhat erased. "Big mistake: this creates unwanted extra thickness and can form clumps" warns the makeup artist. “Better to erase everything and start over. Hence the importance of equipping yourself with good products that require a minimum of maintenance.” Rather than carrying in your bag an armada of pencils and lipsticks to be applied in several layers to finally obtain the desired result, it is therefore better to choose from the start the one that suits you with a minimum of effort. “At Giorgio Armani Beauty, for example, Lip Magnet, a matte liquid lip stain with a precise applicator, offers 8-hour wear with the impression of bare skin thanks to a texture four times thinner than a classic lipstick” recommends the make-up artist. The best tool to keep in your bag according to him? “A small mirror of course, to check at will if his red has flakes or has spun. »

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