#MyFirstPoutyLip
(Photo: Kylie Jenner via Instagram)
...perfecting the “Kylie Jenner Pouty Lip.” If you don’t know what that is by now, then either a) you live in a cave or b) you are most definitely not Keeping Up With Kardashians. I wouldn’t blame you. Who has the time? Me. But the fact is big lips ruled 2014 thanks to the countless pouty Instagram posts from the youngest Kardashian-Jenner sister. And even though it’s 2015, I had to take a stab at perfecting her infamous lip.
I googled “Kylie Jenner Pouty Lip” and got 42,900 results. About half are tutorials — different tools, serums, lip liners, matte formulas, etc. Just about every makeup guru, beauty blogger, vlogger and InstaStar has their own fool-proof way to re-create Kylie’s pout, so I decided to try three different methods. Read on.
(Photos from left: Sephora, MAC, Sephora, Amazon)
Prep!
For starters, a makeup trick has to be included. Yeah, I know the ol’ overdrawn lip liner is the oldest trick in the book, but let’s face it: it’s not as easy as it seems. You can easily go from your dream lip line to looking like someone colored out of the lines and all over your face. I chose the closest match to Kylie’s lip color: a mauve-y nude matte shade that I love. I used two products, Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita ($19) and MAC’s Pro Longwear lip pencil in Absolutely It ($20). By the way, good luck getting your hands on the Lolita color. It’s literally almost always sold out at Sephora, which must mean it’s a must-have.
I also stumbled upon a really neat lip-plumping tool called Fullips (prices vary from $19.99 to $49.99). This gadget uses suction to naturally pump those babies up! Plus, it has a ton of amazing reviews from beauty mavens like Michelle Phan. Trust me, when you see the before and after photos, you’ll swear they’re most definitely Photoshopped. So in the name of looking Photoshopped, I ordered mine. FYI, they come in three different sizes, so purchase the one that best fits you, and if you’re not sure, order a bundle of all three. I ordered the round one and my Fullips arrived in two days. They even threw in a free large oval one. Shout out to Fullips!
Lastly, I will try Too Faced Lip Injection ($22, also at Sephora). This is a self-proclaimed lip- plumping serum that looks like your everyday, ordinary clear lip gloss, but it's not. It’s packaging says the “patented formula is based on medically-proven blood vessel dilating technology touted to create the sexiest pout this side of a plastic surgeons office.” They also say that you may experience a slight tingling sensation at first. There's an extreme option as well, but that gave me the creeps and visions of duck lips, so I said “nay” and stuck with the original.
Kylie Jenner lips, here I come! Now, my lip enhancing venture begins.
Day 1
I go old school first and start with the overdrawn lip line look. You need a steady hand for this and good lighting helps, too. The thing is, you’re actually creating a new lip line, so you want to get this right. I trace a smidge above my natural line with the Absolutely It pencil and thicken the line as I go in toward my lips (Tip: If you make a mistake drawing your lip line, use a concealer pencil to fix). Then, I fill in my lips with the Lolita color, which glides on smoothly and leaves my lips with a velvety finish. I gotta say this lippie is everything I expected and more. Totes worth the money! I saw a few ladies who also used a highlighter to accent their cupid’s bow (you know, that little dip in the middle of your upper lip) and a bit of bronzer under the center of their bottom lip to create a slight shadowing affect — both enhance the overall look.
When I’m done, I must admit I’m feeling myself *cue Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé*. I snap a few pics and I’m out the door to work. I rock my new look to work, church and dinner with friends. It’s a full day of staring in mirrors every opportunity I get because I love the look so much, and the lasting power of this Kat Von D lipstick is great (I only reapplied once the whole day). It is at dinner that one of my girls stops mid-convo to say — and I quote — “Jaz, did you do the Kylie Jenner makeup?” Yes! Yes! Yes! Mission accomplished.
Day 2
I’m so hype to try Fullips. It’s kind of hard to explain how to use it, so I’ll give it my best shot. (See the clip I made below for further direction.) Basically, you insert your lips into this cap-like object and repeatedly suck till you start to see results. It’s kind of like giving your lips a hickey. I try using both the round and large oval to see which works best and discover that the oval works best for me. Since my lower lip is pretty thick already, my upper lip is my target area, so I focus the sucking there. The oval one is great for that and the round one is better for overall lip fullness. The more I suck, the bigger my lips get. I’m watching as my lips steadily inflate before my eyes. I get them the size I want, swipe my lipstick on and I’m off to a work event.
My coworkers notice my plump pout and the plumpness lasts a good three hours before settling back to its natural state. Mission accomplished again! It isn’t until later that night that I get home and notice I have a bit of a purple-ish mark on top of my upper lip. Oh, no! I quickly reach for a makeup removing wipey and I’m frantically scrubbing. It’s not makeup. It’s a hickey! Would you believe an actual hickey is resting on my cupid’s bow?? Well, this sucks (pun intended).
The next day, I have to conceal my bruise with foundation and you’d never guess it was even there. Now, time to figure out where I went wrong. I check out the instructional videos on Fullips.com and, after watching, I realize the errors of my ways. I sucked too friggin’ hard. You’re supposed to take multiple short intervals and make sure to only insert your lips (not excess skin) to ensure the desired results. Ahh…you live and you learn. After a couple days, when the bruising is gone, I try again and achieve Kylie Jenner lips without the hickey.
Day 3
Today, it’s time to try the Lip Injections serum. The instructions to this are pretty basic. “Apply a generous coat over the entire lip area. You may experience a slightly intense tingle that can last up to five minutes, but don't worry sweetie, it's so worth it!” I’ll be the judge of that. I do exactly what it says, top with my lipstick and am immediately turned off. A fail. The tingling was bearable, but my lipstick is super difficult to put on over the thick layer of sticky goo. I give it a second chance and try putting my lipstick on first and then applying the lip treatment. My lipstick obviously went on better, but I am left with the same sticky consistency on my lips. As for the actual plumping? It works and lasted for about two hours. I still, however, can't get over the gooey feeling.
Disclaimer: I’m a lipstick lover for sure, and most certainly a matte kind-of-girl, so I totally wasn’t vibing with this sticky, gloss thing going on. It messes with the matte formula. But, if you’re a gloss kind-of-girl, this might work better for you. And just an FYI, after only three uses, there was barely anything left in the tube. Not cool for $22.
The Results Are In!
So I found two ways to successfully achieve Kylie Jenner lips without the help of a doctor (yay me!). I can’t get over how much I love the lipstick and liner combo and I swear Fullips is magic. I'm definitely not crazy about the serum, but hey, that could just be my personal preference. I decided that since I love both the makeup look and Fullips, why not combine them?! I got this wining look (peep the selfie above). Kylie Jenner lips on fleek!
Give it a whirl, girl, and comment below to tell me about your own pouty lip experience or reach me on social media.
'Til Next Time,
