4 Pro Tips That’ll Help You Kiss Chapped Lips Bye-Bye

by | Oct 6, 2016 | Make-up

Photography by Nadja Van Scotti

Your lips don’t lie.

Give your mouth a little love and the soft, plump results will make your entire face look younger. Get the lip-lovin’ low-down from legendary make-up artist, Bobbi Brown.

Lips get a raw deal. They’re thin-skinned, lacking in oil glands and exposed to the elements – which means they’re easily chapped. Plus, as we get older, lips become smaller and drier and lose colour. Don’t despair! Here’s your plan for a healthier, smoother pout.

Hydrate from The Inside Out

Dry lips can be one of the first signs that you aren’t drinking enough water. They can also show you’re stressed – stress messes with your body, depleting it of essential nutrients, including water. Rehydrating doesn’t have to mean chugging eight glasses of H20. Herbal teas, coconut water and even fruit and veggies with a high water content (melon, cucumber) can count towards your overall intake. The ideal amount is different for everyone, but if your urine is clear to pale yellow (and your lips are less dry), you’re okay.

Skip The Stick

That waxy balm you obsessively apply? While it’s great for protecting against moisture loss, it doesn’t actually get absorbed into lip skin to add any hydration. And if it has menthol or camphor in it, it can irritate and dry out lips even more (and FYI you can be addicted to applying it). Instead, pick a creamy or ointment-like treatment that contains a mix of humectants (like hyaluronic acid or squalane, which draw water from the atmosphere into the skin) and occlusives (like shea butter and avocado and jojoba oils, which help seal in hydration). In a pinch, try Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream (R940), which includes humectants and occlusives, as a lip treatment. It’s the perfect not-too-greasy texture to wear under lipstick. Apply your cream or ointment to lips morning and night and whenever they feel dry.

Flake Off

To slough off rough skin, prep lips with a moisturising balm or facial oil and lightly brush away any scaly patches with a soft-bristle toothbrush. It works like a charm. You can also use a little brown sugar and olive or coconut oil – rub on with your fingertips for a few seconds. Just don’t use salt – it will sting cracked skin. Rinse lips clean and finish with another coating of your balm. Exfoliate lip skin once a week, tops. Any more can turn them raw.

Protect ‘Em

If your lip or eye cream doesn’t contain a broad-spectrum SPF, top it with a balm or lipstick that contains at least SPF15 (make it SPF30 if you’re hitting the beach) during daylight hours.

Right so you’ve primed and prepped your lips, now what? Try one of these on-trend purple lipsticks for a stand out pout.

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