I saw this pic on Instagram and it took me back to my late teens, early 20's....
Back then I worked in a popular fast food chain and one of my co-workers wore her lip-color in a way that made me take pause. See, at a time when most were doing the super harsh black lip line, this young lady lined her lips a shade or two darker than her lip-color, feathered it in nicely, and topped it off with just the right amount of shine.
At that time I really wasn't a fan of makeup, rarely even wore it in fact, but I admired her lip-color technique and wanted to replicate it. So I went on the hunt for shades that would work with my skin tone.
This was the early to mid 90's so fuchsia WetNWild was all the rage, I used this to line my lips. Next up was Summer Punch by Avon (discontinued of course, I miss it so). I would press my lips together to blend the colors, then blot with a tissue. Last I applied a pale pink shimmer to the inner lip, and a light layer of gloss to finish it off.
This pic is from 1993, it's a little hard to see the detail here, but it's there. (Ain't I cute?!)
As you can see in the very first pic the Ombre Lip has undergone a ramped up make-over and has come back much bolder than before.
The idea is the same, but the colors are much more vibrant and daring.
There are number of tutorials out there online. All sorts of demo videos on YouTube, some over complicated in my opinion, but choose the one that's right for you.
For me it's as simple as this....
Step 1: Prime your lips. Use a lip primer or lip balm, whichever you prefer.
Step 2: Line your lips. Back in the day I used lipstick applied with a brush because I didn't like the chalky dry feel of lip liners. However, lip liners have come a long way and there are some pretty good ones out there.
Step 3: Add you contrasting but complimenting color. Again for me, I go a shade or two darker than my liner. Once applied, press your lips together to blend the shades.
Step 4: This step is about personal preference. At this point you can add to innermost part of your lip a nude/pale shade to further emphasize the Ombre effect.
Step 5: Add just a touch of shine with the gloss/moisturizer of your choice.
I'm in love with this look all over again, and I encourage you to try it! Play around with colors, and develop a technique that works best for you.
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