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Nothing says sexy more than a set of beautiful, soft, full lips. When your makeup is focused on your lips as opposed to your eyes, you are making a sexy statement that will get attention. However, if you are focusing your makeup on your lips, be certain that your teeth are in great condition because no matter how beautiful your lips are, drawing attention to your mouth will make the eye go straight to your teeth if they are stained with coffee, food or prolonged smoking. I have used Crest White Strips before because drinking so much soda in my life stained my teeth no matter how often I brushed them. Take care of your teeth first and the rest will follow. The next hint I have for your lips is to put on lip balm before you put on makeup to let it soak in because it will help the color stay on your lips and keep them looking moist and healthy.

There is a myth that only certain women can wear red lipstick. This is not true. When red lipstick looks bad on a person, it’s because they chose the wrong shade. If you want to try red lipstick, the first thing you need to do is figure out if you are a warm or cool toned person. Go outside in natural light and look at the inside of your wrists. If you’re veins look blue, then you are a cool toned person. If your veins look green or olive, then you are a warm toned person. Cool toned people need to choose reds with a blue undertone, often looking a bit on the pink side. Warm toned people need to choose reds with more of an orange or brown undertone. If you can’t tell what color your veins are and you look good in both gold and silver jewelry, then you are neutral toned, and you can wear both warm and cool colors. See? Everybody can rock red lipstick. You just have to find the shade that fits your skin tone and find the right occasion.

Here are my favorite lip products.

 MAC Lip Pencil, $13.00

A pencil designed for shaping, lining or filling in the lip. Lip Pencils have a smooth, creamy texture that is perfect for lining the lips or filling them in. They are long-lasting and available in a wide selection of colours that each work well with many different lipstick shades.

This is my favorite pencil I’ve ever had for lips. I usually have to etch the color into my lips because the pigment isn’t very strong but this one glides on very well. The better the pigment, the longer the pencil will last and the less often you will have to buy new ones. It may seem like $13.00 is a lot for a pencil but I’ve been using it for a few months and I haven’t had to sharpen it yet. It’s going to last a very long time. My trick for lip pencils is to not just use them as a liner. First I outline my lips and then I fill them in completely because lipstick will wear off a lot faster than liner. If you fill in with your liner, you’re not going to look silly with just the outline when your lipstick wears off.

MAC Lipstick, $14.50

Colour plus texture for the lips. Stands out on the runway. Simmers on the street! What made M·A·C famous.

Naturally if I prefer MAC lip pencils, I prefer MAC lipsticks to go on top of them. These lipsticks glide on well without having to rub it in within an inch of your life and they stay fairly well. There are lipsticks that take longer to rub off but I like how this one feels. It’s light and it’s not greasy. It’s small enough to carry on the go in your smallest clutch but you’re not going to need to buy it very often. I wouldn’t be willing to pay this much for lipstick if it didn’t last long enough to outweigh the cost.

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick, $10.99

One-step, food-proof lipcolor with a patented technology that lasts up to 12 hours.

    With a built-in, ultra-conditioning topcoat
    One-step application – no topcoat required for comfortable wear
    Stays comfortable and wears beautifully, does not feather or fade
    No touch-ups required even after meals

Apply a thin film to bare lips, wait until dry, remove with oil based remover.

This one is a great drugstore solution for long lasting lipcolor. I have issues with getting lipstick to last more than five minutes because I use my mouth for everything but this one actually stays put. You have to put it on and let it dry first though. Don’t lick your lips or drink or eat anything for a few minutes until it has completely dried. Then it will last through almost anything. It does crack if you’re not careful though, so carry it with you.

Chanel LÈVRES SCINTILLANTES GLOSSIMER, $28.50

Gorgeous shimmer and a high-shine glow is delivered effortlessly to lips with just one stroke of this best-selling lipgloss. A wide range of shades, from sheer and natural to sparkling and rich, look beautiful on their own, or over your favorite CHANEL lipstick. Equally beautiful: the conditioning formula’s comfort and long wear.

Don’t think I’m silly enough to pay almost $30 for a tube of lipgloss! A friend of a friend bought it and decided she didn’t like it, so she gave it to me. I really like this lipgloss because it doesn’t take much to give you a pretty glimmer on your mouth. The color is not too intense. You can wear it by itself or you can put it on top of other lipsticks. Most of the time, I wear it on top of MAC lipsticks because it takes some intensity out of the color for daytime. This is a great lipgloss for all occasions, but frankly, you can achieve the same thing with lipglosses from e.l.f. that cost much less. When you buy Chanel, you’re buying the name.

e.l.f. Essential Hypershine Gloss Box Set, $5.00

“Be Yourse.l.f., no one can tell you you’re doing it wrong”. This is truly the perfect Gift! Get the latest Spring colors as a present to yourself or to a friend, these Glosses are all wrapped up in their pink box ready and waiting for YOU! Each set includes a collection of 5 exclusive pink Hypershine Glosses – Sparkle Pinks: Pink #4, Pink #2, Pink #1, Berry Bliss, Va Va Voom – Summer Ready: Bubble Gum, Flirt, Wild, Perfect Pink, Strawberry.

These lipglosses cost much less than Chanel and work just as well. I have both of these box sets. The tubes are smaller than the Chanel tubes but they are cost effective. You might have to reapply more often but it goes on smooth with a built-in brush. I put the lighter colors on top of MAC lipsticks and I wear the darker colors by themselves.

Tomorrow we will discuss cheeks.