Straight From The 90s: Here’s How Can Ace The Ombré Lip Trend

Ombré lips (or the dual-toned lips) is not only the hottest trend in the makeup world, it’s easy to do as well. This is one of the trends which has been readily adapted in real life from the runways. Also known as gradient lips, ombré means using two (or more) different colours on the lips that are from the same family. You get a multi-hued effect on the lips by combining different lip shades and it’s anything but boring.

Back in the 1990s, lining the lips with a lip liner much darker than the lipstick was quite popular on the runways. And since then, this trend of ombré lips has definitely come a long way. The look, today, is softer and more playful. We do love our lipsticks, but wearing just one colour all the time can be boring, right? Get playful with your lipstick and add more colours to your pout.  The bright and beautiful gradient effect will make your lips look fuller and more feminine.

There are many versions of ombré lips, but if you are a beginner, it’s best to start with the basic colours and style. The classic look calls for using darker shade on the outer edge of the lips which gets lighter towards the center. But if you wish, you can also reverse the shade pattern. Let your creativity go wild while choosing colours to create the look.

You can go for a vertical or horizontal gradient or combine different textures and formulas (matte, creamy or gloss). You can even add glitter, rhinestones and crystals to make the look more stylish. The trend is so popular that many brands have come with ombré lipsticks. If you cannot find an ombré lipstick, you can use a different colour from your lipstick stash to create your own suave look. 

But you’ve got to be careful! Achieving the perfect gradient effect on your lips can be tricky. The wrong mix of colours and not fusing them well can make your lips look harsh. However, when done right, ombré lips can look subtle and chic, and even fuller from certain angles. 

Here are some easy tips to follow while attempting ombre or shaded lips:

- Pick two contrasting colours from the same family (example: if going for pink, pick a deep pink colour and a soft, pastel pink). If you pick shades that are too similar or with minor colour variation, the gradient will not be visible.

- Blending is the key. Just like your foundation and eyeshadow, the beauty of ombré lips lies in the fact how well you fuse or blend the two colours together. There should be no separating lines visible, and the colours should look like merging into each other without any boundaries.

- Semi-matte to matte lipsticks are best for creating the dual-toned effect. Avoid creamy lipsticks as the colours may bleed together. Liquid matte lipsticks wouldn’t work as well as the pigmentation is intense and the blendability of two colours is not that great. They dry out fast, so creating that gradient effect can be challenging. Creamy matte formula that doesn’t dry completely and is perfect as it makes blending easy.

- A simple way to achieve ombré lips is by using the two colours separately on each lip (one lighter and other darker) and then blending them using a lip brush on the inner side.

So are you ready to rock this runway trend in real life?

Article by: Richa Ranjan