How to disguise thin or uneven lips

Do you have thin or uneven lips? Well, there is a way to make them appear fuller or more even without having to resort to surgery or dermal fillers!

Begin by gently exfoliating your lips with a warm, damp wash cloth or use a soft toothbrush to remove any flaky, dry skin and moisturise lightly with a little lip balm or a small dot of eye cream. Use as little as possible, as you don’t want your lipstick to rub off or fade too quickly.

Take a pencil lip liner in a shade the same colour as the lipstick you intend on wearing (or use a nude shade) and using light, feathery strokes or very tiny circular motions, almost buff the lip liner onto the edge of your thin or uneven lip, right where the natural lip colour and skin colour meet. Ideally, you want to extend the natural lip line colour by about millimetre or two (the width of a sharp lip liner pencil). Look in the mirror and if you feel you can extend the line slightly further outwards without it looking unnatural, apply a little more lip liner using small, light strokes. Keep checking and adding more width until the lip looks fuller but still natural. Rather start small and build the line up slowly instead of having to wipe the liner off and start again each time.

Do the same to the other lip if it is also thin. If you are balancing out uneven lips, line the other lip slightly inside your natural lip line if there is a big difference between the two, or right along your natural lip line, not extending the colour outward at all.

Once you’ve lined both lips, fill them in with the lip liner to create a base for your lipstick. Take a clean, dry lip brush (or a cotton bud) and soften and blend the lip liner onto your lips so that there are no harsh lines but rather a smooth application of colour.

Apply your lipstick to both lips, preferably with a lipstick brush and blot with a tissue. Apply a second coat of lipstick. Place a clean index finger in your mouth, gently close your lips around it and pull your finger out. This will remove any excess lipstick and prevent it from ending up on your teeth!