Precision no longer means perfection - lived-in lips are pucker

Emma McCarthy tries the next-gen products behind a slick new look
Burberry
Emma McCarthy22 October 2018

Remember everything you’ve ever learnt about the proper way to apply lipstick.

Now forget it.

This season, precision does not equal perfection. In fact, the modern way to wear your lipstick in 2018 is to look like you applied it without a mirror, let alone a lip-liner.

Think artfully smudged and a bit blurred around the edges — as if you’ve slicked it on before running out of the door and forgotten about it until long after your second glass of wine.

Generation G lip colour, £14, Glossier. Glossier.com
Glossier

Among those at the forefront of the imperfect perfect look is Glossier, the cult make-up brand made for everyday life, not photoshoots. It has just one type of lipstick — named Generation G — dubbed a “new kind of lip colour” designed to give a diffused, “just-blotted” finish.

Glossier

Available in only six shades, from the poppy red Zip to the juicy berry Jam, the sheer-matte formula also features a dialled-down pigment so the effect is more casual — simply swipe once onto naked lips for a subtle wash of colour, or three or four times for a deeper shade. In essence, it’s the perfect lipstick for the non-lipstick wearer.

Bobbi Brown's Crushed Lip Colour, £24.50. Bobbibrown.co.uk
Bobbi Brown

Bobbi Brown’s Crushed Lip Colour ( £24.50, bobbibrown.co.uk) is another to try. Available in 22 shades, the lipstick-meets-lip-balm is loaded with crushed pigments for a swipe-and-go formula.

Bobbi Brown

As for that coveted lived-in look, several brands are looking to powder-effect finishes to create a diffused effect. Chanel’s new Rouge Allure Liquid Powder (£31, chanel.com) features a foam applicator that creates a blurred result. Just apply to the centre of lips and smudge to the outer corners, with or without a mirror. Burberry’s Lip Velvet Crush (£24, burberry.com) also features a spongy cushion applicator and a formula that goes on creamy and dries to a powdery, no-fade matte finish. Dab it onto lips for a subtle stain or glide on for sheer-matte coverage. You can even blend it onto cheeks for a light flush of colour.

Lip Velvet Crush, Burberry, £24, burberry.com
Burberry

Or try MAC’s new Powder Kiss Lipstick (£17.50, maccosmetics.co.uk), which has been developed to replicate the technique often used backstage at catwalk shows of blending out the edges of lipstick for a soft, hazy effect.

Powder Kiss Lipstick, MAC, £17.50, maccosmetics.co.uk
MAC

The soft-focus approach to lip colour has been created using moisture-coated powder pigments that work to condition and hydrate lips while retaining a weightless feel and undone appearance. “Powder Kiss Lipstick is specifically designed to give that effortlessly imperfect, perfect lip,” says Claire Mulleady, MAC’s global senior artist. “The lipstick will naturally give a blurry matte look that feels like a moisturising balm. Once you’ve covered the lip, use a cotton bud or your finger to trace around the edge of the lip to further diffuse the line. This is a really flattering way to wear a strong colour but makes any colour more effortless.”

How’s that for low maintenance?

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