Your lips are one of the most prominent features of your face. Don’t you agree? While the type of your lips is based on your genes, you can always beautify your pout with proper care, make-up or even cosmetic-surgical procedures. Curious to know how?

Read this article to identify which type of lips you have, how to care for them and how to accentuate your smile with the right strokes and shades.

What Expert Says

“Avoid lip balms that contain menthol, camphor, phenol or any sort of alcohol. Castor oil, glycerine, honey, beeswax, almond oil and rose oil are some ingredients recommended for good lip hygiene.”

Dr. Harish Koutam (MBBS, MD – Dermatology , Venereology & Leprosy), Chief Dermotologist at SkinKraft

Types Of Lips + How To Enhance Them?

1. Heart-Shaped Lips

People with these lips have a prominent cupid’s bow, that is, their upper-lip has a pronounced dip in the middle. They may also have a heavier lower lip.

Makeup Tips For Heart-Shaped Lips

• Apply the same shade of lip color on both your lips and enhance the cupid’s bow by using a white pencil at the centre.
• Alternatively, you may also use a creamy nude shadow to make your lips look fuller.

2. Top-Heavy Lips

If you have heavier upper lips and a not so pronounced cupid’s bow, then your pout belongs to this category. It is a common lip type among Indian women.

Makeup Tips For Top-Heavy Lips

• You can use a lip liner around the edge of your lips, following its natural shape. You can also try to line your lips using a brush along with your lipstick.
• Use a darker shade of lip colour on your upper lip to make it appear slightly smaller, while applying a brighter shade on your lower lips. This will give an overall even look to your lips.
• If you don’t want to apply different shades of lipsticks, you can use a white pencil at the center of your lower lip to make it look bigger.
• You can also extend the lining of your lower lip using a pencil. This will make your lips appear fuller and more even.

3. Full Lips

These are the most perfectly balanced lips with proportionately full upper and lower lips. These pillowy, full lips with the bottom lip usually protruding out, often become the cynosure of your face.

Makeup Tips For Full Lips

Even though full lips are considered extremely attractive by most people, you may not like too much attention on this single beauty feature on your face. Here are some tips to draw some attention away from your perfect pout.

• Try using nude lip colours that blend in easily with your complexion.
• Use heavy eye makeup to shift the spotlight to your eyes.
• Highlighting your cheeks can also attract some attention and make your face look more balanced.

4. Thin Lips

Image: Shutterstock

If both your upper and lower lips are not so full, you likely fall under this category.

Makeup Tips For Thin Lips

• Make sure to go a bit overboard while lining your lips and smudge the edges along your natural lip lines for a more fuller look.
• Fill in with either a matte or liquid lip color to complete the look.
• You can also try using a lighter shade on your lower lips for an overall appearance of plumpness.
• Also adding a little bit of lip-gloss at the centre of both the lips will make them look fuller.
• Another trick is to use an eyeliner pencil of a light brown shade under your lower lip to create a mild shadow effect. This will make your lips appear more full.

5. Wide Lips

Image: Shutterstock

If you have a smile that extends right upto your ears, then definitely you are the one with the wide lips. While your smile can light up the hearts of many, you may want to tone it down just a little, so it doesn’t overshadow the rest of your pretty face.

Makeup Tips For Wide Lips

• Overlining your lips can help make them appear bigger and even them out. This will eliminate its width.
• Overlining your lower lip can also add weight to your lips.
• Experimenting with a light or nude shade can also distract people from noticing your lips.
• You can also take the classic path of highlighting other facial features to divert some of the attention from your pout to the rest of your face.

6. Small Lips

These lips are not wide, but tend to be full and protruding.

Makeup Tips For Small Lips

• Apply glossy lip formulas to make your lips appear fuller.
• Dark shades may make your lips appear smaller, so try avoiding them as far as possible.
• Soft shades usually do the trick for smaller lips.
• Light glossy pinks can make your lips appear thicker and more full.

7. Round Lips

These kinds of lips are prominently round and lack a cupid’s bow.

Makeup tips for round lips

• Grab a liner and go a bit beyond your natural lip line at the edges while dipping down in the centre. This will slightly enhance the shape of your lips. Then fill it with a colour of your choice.
• Dark shades may accentuate your other facial features over your lips.

How To Take Care Of Your Lips?

1. Exfoliate Regularly

Just like your skin, your lips also accumulate dead skin cells that can make them appear dull and dry. Always remember to apply a lip balm before bed, to keep your lips well hydrated. Also, you can use your tooth brush to gently exfoliate the dry flakes off your lips in the morning.

Note

Do not brush your lips too harshly to avoid causing damage to the delicate skin of your lips.

2. Avoid Makeup When Indoors

Lipsticks tend to dry out your lips. Avoid applying lipsticks when it is not required. Use a primer or balm before applying a lipstick to prevent your lips from getting chapped.

3. Be Mindful Of What You Put On Your Lips

The skin on your lips is more delicate and sensitive than the rest of your face. So, you should be careful about the products that you apply on your lips. “Avoid lip balms that contain menthol, camphor, phenol or any sort of alcohol. Castor oil, glycerine, honey, beeswax, almond oil and rose oil are some ingredients recommended for good lip hygiene”, suggests Dr. Koutam, our Chief Dermatologist at SkinKraft.

4. Stay Hydrated

Not drinking enough water can make your lips feel dry and irritated. Just like your skin, your lips also need hydration. Experts recommend that you drink at least 2-3 liters of water everyday.

5. Use Vitamin E On Your Lips

Vitamin E is essential for healthy skin and lips. Vitamin E helps to keep your skin hydrated, reduces lines and wrinkles and makes the lips look more plump and youthful. You can use Vitamin E capsules by cutting them open and rubbing the contents onto your lips.

6. Avoid Licking Your Lips

Licking your lips can contribute to dehydration. If you feel your lips are getting dry, use a lip balm to keep them hydrated. Your saliva can leave your lips feeling even drier as it contains enzymes that may be too harsh on them.

7. Avoid Staying In The Sun For Too Long

Your lips contain very little melanin, the pigment that protects our skin from the detrimental effects of the UV rays of the sun. Use a lip balm with a high SPF to prevent UV-induced damage to your lips.

How Can I Change My Lip Shape?

1. Makeup

Makeup, if used correctly, can do wonders to accentuate or change how your features appear. If you want to change your lip shape, you can experiment with various shades and colors of lipstick. Refer to the makeup tips mentioned above in order to find out the right makeup choices for your lip type.

2. Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Lip Fillers

This is a temporary filler that lasts for about 6 months. These fillers are designed to give you more pronounced lips. They are used to get rid of wrinkles and give you fuller lips.

HA lip fillers have a gel-like texture and are very smooth. The final result usually shows up a few days after you get injected. Hyaluronic acid lip fillers are most popular as they can be erased easily and cause minimal bruising. (2)

3. Collagen Lip Fillers

Collagen lip fillers may need you to visit the cosmetologist a few times. Collagen lip injections used to be popular before the Hyaluronic ones came out. Collagen is a protein that is naturally present in the skin. Replenishing your lips with collagen fillers smoothens out its depressions and may also make it appear fuller.

4. Silicon Lip Filler

These lip fillers are permanent lip fillers, but can be removed easily. They are usually cheaper than temporary lip fillers. They are also pre-made.

Just keep in mind this advice from Dr. Koutam, “Lip fillers can trigger hypersensitivity or allergic reactions in some people. But these incidents are extremely rare”. You can consult a certified dermatologist before you opt for one of the fillers to avoid any adverse reactions.

5. Lip exercises

Yes! Lip yoga is a thing. There are a number of jaw exercises and pouting techniques that you can try in order to get those full, attractive lips.

Wrapping Up

We all have different shapes and sizes of lips by birth, and each is pretty in its own way. But you can always play around with different make-up tricks to make your pout look a bit different every day. You can overline your lips or use lighter shades to make them look fuller, or dark shades to tone down lips on the plumpier side. You can also take professional help to alter the looks of your lips.

But do take good care of your lips by keeping them hydrated and protected with a sunscreen lip balm. Also exfoliate at regular intervals to keep your lips glowing. Most importantly, keep smiling!