8 Tricks to Instantly Plump Your Lips

Full, supple lips is one of the biggest beauty trends nowadays, but in fact, this look has been coveted since the days of Marilyn Monroe. A plump pout is not only thought to be seductive, but it’s also one of the simplest ways to give yourself a naturally healthy appearance. When the skin on your lips look hydrated and healthy, it’s almost a given that you are working to ensure the rest of your skin and body feels the same way. So, how do you make your lips look plump?

One of the simplest ways is to use our Just Kissed Lip Plumpers. They contain certain peptides, such as Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, which have been shown to plump lips by increasing hydration and stimulating collagen synthesis. The peptides take time to work, but have been proven to show results with regular use and application, so your lips will appear smooth and full, naturally.

How to Make Your Lips Look Plump with Makeup

If you’re looking for a more immediate way to make your lips look bigger, here are our best lip plumper makeup tips:

1) Exfoliate every day.

If your lips are dry, dehydrated and flaky they will not reflect light, making them appear dull. Exfoliate your lips every morning with a gentle lip scrub like the Sugar side of Sugar&Butter Lip Exfoliator/Plumper. It’s not too harsh, but provides enough friction to remove any flakes from your lips. Not to mention, it tastes delicious! Exfoliating also helps increase circulation in your lip area, adding a flush of color and making your lips look bigger naturally.

2) Create a nude base.

If you plan to give your lip line some help, start by making your entire lip area nude. Apply concealer to the outline of your lips and blend it in toward the center, this way you are hiding your true lip line. Then, apply a little bit of powder on top of the concealer to set it.  This trick creates a uniform canvas for your lip liner and helps to ensure your lip color will not move.

3) Stay close to your lip line.

Don’t veer too far from your natural lip line—Jane recommends lining just outside the vermilion border (the ridge of your lip line), but not onto the skin. To make your lips look plump, fill in the entire lip with the liner, as well.

4) Pass on dark lip liners.

To make your lips appear larger, line just slightly outside the lip line with a nude, pinky nude or neutral Lip Pencil. Dark lip pencils can create the illusion of smaller or slimmer lips and they can make your mouth appear flat, rather than full and voluminous. “Think about that favorite little black dress you have,” says Global Makeup Educator Hannah Hatcher. “Why do you love it so much? Because it is slimming! The same idea applies to your lip liner choices.”

5) Emphasize your bottom lip.

Add a hint of light to the center of the bottom lip to give your lips a pouty fullness. There are a lot of products you can use to get this look. Try adding a hint of lipstick in a lighter shade than your base color for an ombré effect. Dot a bit of lip gloss on your bottom lip to give it shine, or use our Quad Bronzers in Moonglow, Rose Dawn or Sunbeam and pat a small amount on the center of the bottom lip. Make sure to apply any powders after your lip color is on, but before you add any gloss.

6) Shine, shine, shine!

A little shimmer adds light reflection and fullness to your lips. So if want to boost your pout, grab a PureGloss Lip Gloss. You can wear it by itself or layer it on top of your favorite lip color for extra oomph.

7) Highlight your cupid’s bow and under the lower lip.

Use one of the lighter shades in our Quad Bronzers or even a White Eye Pencil to create the illusion of light on the high points of your mouth. Apply a small amount just above the cupid’s bow on the top lip, and a just below the lip line. Blend well with your fingertips so there are no obvious lines of demarcation.

8) Add a little shadow below your lip.

Some makeup artists use a water resistant light brown Eye Pencil to create a small shadow on your chin, underneath the center of your bottom lip, thus making the lips look plump. Be extremely careful doing this, too much and you will end up with a beard! Just a light flick of the wrist is enough to create this 3D effect.