Blush Response

Here is a lip make up trick I’ve been employing since Ye Darque Ages, which should be useful to anyone who’s ever looked at their eye shadow collection and woefully exclaimed, “Why can’t lipstick come in these colors? I, MAQUILLAGE MASTER, COMMAND IT!”.

Though, yes, it could, and does, sort of, the coverage and staying power of these products often leave much to be desired. Which is fine, because it’s ridiculously easy to create your own custom shades and, using a simple technique, ensure that they stay on as long as you please.

THE TOOLS

  • lipstick brush
  • lips gloss or creme lipstick
  • loose eye shadow of your choice
  • lip or eye pencil liner in a similar color

THE METHOD

  • line your lips, then fill in with pencil
  • in a small dish [or on your bathroom counter, for that matter] mix eye shadow with a dollop of gloss or lipstick
  • apply with lipstick brush, staying away from the very edges of your mouth to prevent feathering
  • Ta-da!

Seriously, that’s it. Infinite color freedom in just a few minutes. You could brush on some She Laq for extra durability, but the liner bonds the gooey mix so well, that I usually don’t bother and carry a little gloss-and-shadow mix in my purse for [infrequent] emergency touch-ups. A reader adds: Check the pigment list for safety. Pigments containing Chromium, Ultramarine, or Ferric Ferrocyanides (usually blues, greens, or dark cool purples mixed with the blue pigment) are not safe to use on your lips. There’s an ongoing list here with a lot of the common culprits, and notes on products that are safe for multi-purpose use.

Below, I gothed it up and lined my lips with black, going over it in with a mix of fuchsia lipstick, gloss, and Sugarpill’s Hysteric loose shimmery eye shadow. Modeled in my finest sock monkey pajamas before and after several hours out with no touch-ups.

It’s likely that some of you have also been employing this method for ages, but for those who have not, a whole new world of experimentation awaits! Gold, green, teal, violet, yellow, orange, opalescent white, that perfect shade of raspberry – everything is permitted. Try this technique with liquid foundation and just a dash of eye shadow for lighter and pastel shades.