Lip contouring: a major beauty trend on Instagram

Lip fillers have moved on from silicone injections to temporary hyaluronic-based options with a natural finish. Meantime, those who deny needles can benefit from the latest lip plumping serums, balms and masks. All these promising to boost the moisture and collagen levels needed to pucker up properly.

Then there’s the colour. Liners encourage us to sketch beyond our natural boundary; you can bland lipstick shades into ‘ombre’, and add light-reflecting glosses on top for a full finishing touch. And, don’t forget about lip contouring!

In the same way, we use shadow and highlights to cast cheekbones, jawline, and even eyebrows into the light, this technique helps you to contour lips.

There are many ways for this technique to tip into disaster territory – but with a few simple tips, lip contouring will leave you feeling plumped up and confident.

1. First up, surrounding fuzz needs to be whipped away; in other words, your upper lip should be smooth and slippery.
2. Then apply a primer to stop the colour resting in any pores. Choose contour products with a matte finish for the base (no one wants a dark, shiny circle around their mouth), and put aside a nice reflective nude to finish (due to the softly blended effect, vibrant colours like red could end up looking smudgy).
3. Make sure your beauty blender is nice and clean, and then you’re ready to contour!