I love lipsticks but because I wear lipsticks, my lips are less forgiving if I get lazy and don’t exfoliate them or get them nice and smooth before applying lip colour. Lip gloss is more forgiving in general.
What I’ve also learnt from trial and error is that most lipsticks, even the most drying and matte, can look good on you PROVIDED you prepare your lips properly before applying said lipstick. Whether you like the feel of lipstick of course is a different matter 🙂
Here are some tips I have. Please feel free to add more!
1. Drink lots of water
Drink the requisite 8 glasses of plain water a day. The skin on our lips is very thin and when you are dehydrated, its one of the first places it shows up. Think dry puckered lips – not very pretty is it?
2. Do not bite or lick your lips
So you think biting or licking your lips is cute around boys? Well, your lips don’t think so! Biting injures the delicate skin on your lips and licking only serves to dry them out further. If your lips are feeling dry, use a lipbalm – saliva is not a substitute. If your lips are peeling or chapped, exfoliate them gently to remove the dead skin then apply lipbalm.
3. Use lip balm to stave off dry lips
If you have dry lips or lips prone to chapping, carry a lipbalm around with you. I’m not one for lipbalm though I know many girls are. I used to use Chapstick because there was no flavour. The latest I’m using is Stage WonderBalm (RM40). Its smooth and emollient and has a very very light citrus scent I don’t mind but otherwise there’s no taste. If you dislike flavoured lipbalm you might like this one.
What I also liked about the Stage Wonderbalm was that with overnight use, I wake up with soft smooth lips. Lovely! Which brings me to my next tip…
4. Use an overnight lip treatment
Despite the lofty sounding name, this isn’t something expensive but something you can easily do at home relatively inexpensively. I just use the Stage Wonderbalm or Vaseline or my old standby Pure Vitamin E oil on lips.
Slather on a thick layer on your lips and go to bed. Wake up in the morning to soft smooth lips, just waiting for lipstick to glide on. I swear it works a treat!
5. Exfoliate your lips occasionally
Keep an old soft toothbrush in your bathroom and run it lightly across your lips once in a while. It will remove the flakies and stimulate the skin. In the alternative, make a honey and sugar paste and “scrub” it over your lips then rinse. Soft kissable lips!
6. Use a lip remover to remove your lipstick at the end of the day
You are supposed to use a lip remover to remove old lipstick before putting on new lipstick but how many of us have the luxury at work? So at the end of the day, when I take off my makeup, I use a lip makeup remover. I’m using the L’oreal Eye and Lip makeup remover. Do not tug your lips. Just wet the cotton pad and swipe over your lips gently. You’d be surprised at how much lipstick is left on your lips even though it looks like there’s nothing on.
I was told once that using a proper lipstick remover to remove lipstick is better for your lips and can reduce the incidence of the darkening of the edges of your lips you sometimes see on some women. I’m not sure of the truth of that but what I can say is that I’ve used lipstick all my life till now and my lips look fine! 🙂
So these are my tips for preparing your lips before applying lipstick. Just like our faces, lips take some looking after too to ensure a smooth canvas for the colour. It will make any lipstick glide on and looks better too. Whether its kissable is another matter right? 😉
So share your tips for smooth kissable lips? 😀
Stay beautiful,
Paris B
ieda says
July 28, 2009 at 9:30 ami used olive oil overnight. try butter too. but it’s a bit oily. but the result is fine with me.
ParisB says
July 28, 2009 at 9:48 amHi Ieda
I never thought about Olive Oil or even butter… except with bread 🙂
LyNn says
July 28, 2009 at 10:00 amhehe i practice step 4 every night
vaseline overnight really works 😀
ParisB says
July 28, 2009 at 5:31 pmHi Lynn
I find that the Vitamin E oil works better for me but Vaseline is less goopy 🙂 Both are equally good
Hasegawa Ayane says
July 28, 2009 at 10:01 amThanks for the tips PB!
Oh btw, I was looking for reviews of lip liners on MWS till I noticed there weren’t any! Are there any that you can recommend?
ParisB says
July 28, 2009 at 5:31 pmHi Hasegawa
The reason there aren’t any reviews is because I don’t use lip liners 🙂 Sorry I can’t help!
Shorty says
July 28, 2009 at 10:41 amUse a toothbrush to lightly brush over lips to slough off dead skin cells and flakiness, do this while brushing your teeth when lips are wet and supple. Lips will look pink, plum and fresh! Don’t forget to apply balm right after that.
ParisB says
July 28, 2009 at 5:32 pmHiya Shorty
Ooh great tip! I sometimes use my electric toothbrush! 😀
Sylvia says
July 28, 2009 at 11:03 amEvery morning before I apply lipsticks, I will use Vaseline as the based. The lispticks really glide on so smoothly. Thanks for the tips on using honey mixed with sugar to exfoliate, I really need this done!
ParisB says
July 28, 2009 at 5:33 pmHi Sylvia
That’s a good tip too to use a base. Sometimes it makes it too slippery though so it depends on the type of lipstick.
Jean says
July 28, 2009 at 11:45 amThanks for the tips!
My mum teach me to apply honey on lips before sleep.. but i never did it because I’m afraid of ants crawling on my lips when I sleep..=p
I do apply Vaseline before sleep sometimes~
ParisB says
July 28, 2009 at 5:33 pmHi Jean
Honey overnight? Hmm… I’d be scared of ants too 😉 But maybe honey in the day … in which case I’d be licking my lips all day long! hehe…
Renee says
July 28, 2009 at 12:40 pmRosebud Salve has been the lipbalm I was looking for all my life for my dry, cracked lips. Seriously – I will never use anything else again! 🙂
ParisB says
July 28, 2009 at 5:34 pmHi Renee
YES! I love Rosebud Salve too – I was given a sample once. Need to find it again. Do they have it in Singapore?
Shay says
July 28, 2009 at 10:02 pmYes. They have it in Sephora in Sg. But its S$14 per tin.
I bought 1 in Taiwan for less than S$10.
ParisB says
July 29, 2009 at 9:43 amHi Shay
Ah… since I’m not going to Taiwan, I’ll have to look for it in Singapore! Thanks for the heads up!
Shay says
July 29, 2009 at 7:58 pmI didn’t use it as frequent as I should because its in a tin and makes my finger sticky.
Sometimes after I rub the salve on my lips, I’ll just use the remaining on my fingers to rub my nails. haha…I have no idea why I do that.
ParisB says
July 30, 2009 at 9:57 amHey Shay
I sometimes rub remnant vit e oil on my elbows – softens up the hard skin 😉
corrine says
July 28, 2009 at 12:47 pmHey Paris,
U should try Keihls baby lipbalm too..it moistures your lips all day long..i do apply thicker layer before sleep as well.
But i never exfoliate my lips…i should try it too..luv honey..haha..i would love to try the lip exfoliater of BeautyMaker from Taiwan too..
Cheerz!
ParisB says
July 28, 2009 at 5:34 pmHi Corrine
I haven’t tried the baby lipbalm but I’ve used the Kiehl’s #1 lipbalm which didn’t really work for me. Thanks for your input!
Mey says
July 28, 2009 at 2:15 pmEating a green apple always seems to leave my lips soft and hydrated – I still can’t figure out why! But I do apply lip balm after and the effect lasts for hours. 😀
ParisB says
July 28, 2009 at 5:36 pmHi Mey
It must be the acid in the apple and that’s very healthy too! I should try it 😉
prettybeautiful says
July 28, 2009 at 3:09 pmi got the benefit lip scrub and lip balm 😀 works really well the lip balm, it feels like vaseline, but slightly lighter.
ParisB says
July 28, 2009 at 5:36 pmHi Prettybeautiful
You know… I’ve never used a dedicated lip scrub before. Sounds nice!
Connie says
July 28, 2009 at 5:16 pm2. Do not bite or lick your lips
I try to tell myself that everyday!
though I’ve been religious with lip balms, I sometimes get allergic reactions to them so the softness of my lips is not constant! well, it’s my fault for liking to experiment with different brands. Recently I’ve been using Origins Perfect World Eye Serum at night on my lips and I love it! It does more for my lips than for my eyes :-/
ParisB says
July 28, 2009 at 5:37 pmHi Connie
You and me both. I try to remember my own tips but I don’t always stick to them 😛 I don’t use lip balm religiously – its just not my thing so I prefer something that lasts. I find Vaseline does the job for me which means SUPER CHEAP! 😀
jojoba says
July 28, 2009 at 5:31 pmgreat post! i can’t live without my pure vitamin e oil.
ParisB says
July 28, 2009 at 5:38 pmHey Jojoba
Me too! I still use it now and then for the face but I use it every night for my lips and I love how they look in the morning.
Jenn says
July 28, 2009 at 7:01 pmThanks for the tips Paris!! 😀
Thankfully my lips are not the chappy kind, so i can get by with just normal lipbalm during bedtime and still wake up with soft lips! 😀
ParisB says
July 29, 2009 at 9:43 amHi Jenn
Ooh lucky you! 🙂 I don’t get chappy too but I like the overnight treatment 😀
a says
July 29, 2009 at 3:40 amnone of the people here knows the secret to soft lips.all are giving tips like lip balm,vaseline,baby oil,olive oil,honey etc! all these things only make ur lips feels tight and feelings waxy and it doesnt really helps severe chap lips as far as i concern. i found a way to cure severely chapped and dry lips,and it makes my lips soft and moist in an instant.i ditch all my lipbalm after i found this secret.kiehls #1 lipbalm is a hoax! maybe it suits those western people live in cold /windy weather,but not in scorching hot weather like malaysia. it doesnt really helps dry lips,its waxy and will dry after some time. believe me dont waste ur money buy expensive lip balm/oil,butter wax,petroleum jelly whatsoever. dont u feels ur lips “ketat” after applying all those? the secret to treat dry lips and make it soft to the touch is “water”? what kind of water and how to put water on ur lips?i let u to guess…..
ParisB says
July 29, 2009 at 9:44 amAh… a fount of wisdom ye are…
Amanda says
July 29, 2009 at 4:34 pmI love Vaseline Lip Essence Advanced. I use it everyday and also under my lipgloss/lipstick. Since they’re not available here, my mom sent me 4 of them in mail *lol* Now I’ve the supply till the next time I go home.
Carol T says
January 4, 2010 at 12:06 pmHi Paris B. Seems like you’ve done some pretty thorough research on how to keep lips feeling and looking smoother. I was wondering if you’ve tried Mary Kay’s Satin Lips treatment. It is a two step process – a lip mask and then a lip balm. I’d really like to know your thoughts if any. Thanks!
ParisB says
January 4, 2010 at 4:42 pmHi Carol
I haven’t tried anything by Mary Kay so I can’t quite help you there, sorry! If I do try, I’ll be sure to write about it 🙂
huiyou says
December 26, 2011 at 4:16 pmdo we need to use lip makeup remover to remove tinted lip balm?
Paris B says
December 26, 2011 at 5:59 pmIf it is very strong and leaves a stain on your lips, yes.