Luscious Lips
A beautiful smile is one of the first things people notice about you, so you want to keep your lips in tip top condition. Our lips are exposed to the elements, and the skin on our lips is very thin (allowing the blood vessels to show through, leading to their red colour). Added to this, our lips don’t have any oil glands so we need to ensure we provide moisturiser regularly to stop our lips drying out and cracking (and no, licking your lips regularly does not provide moisture, it dries lips out further). So, what should we use for a beautiful pout? Lip Balm, lipstick, lip gloss – there are so many products available for luscious looking lips.
Lip Balm
The first step to luscious lips is a lip balm. A good lip balm is a must to keep your lips looking hydrated and to prevent chapping and flaking. Most lip balms contain at least one oil ingredient, to hydrate your lips, and a wax ingredient to seal the moisture into your lips. Many lip balms offer additional beneficial ingredients such as antioxidants, SPF, and calming ingredients. Bioderma Restorative Lip Balm contains highly nourishing ingredients shea butter and avocado oil to moisturise even the driest lips. The formula is paraben and fragrance free, so it won’t irritate already sensitive lips, and is great for people with dry sensitive skin. 15ml RRP $16.99. Australian favourite, Jurlique Rose Love Balm works to moisturise, soothe, soften and protect dry, sensitive and chapped lips (and other areas). It is formulated with hydrating oils such as olive and safflower oils and soothing chamomile, calendula, marshmallow, rose gallica, daisy, echinacea, sweet violet and pansy. The creamy blend is mixed into a base of natural oils. including soybean, mango, jojoba, shea butter, sunflower seed and avocado as well as beeswax, to keep your lips hydrated. 15ml RRP $16.00. Australian cult brand Ego QV Lip Balm is SPF 30+, providing your delicate lips with very high protection from UVA and UVB rays. The formula is fragrance, colour, lanolin and preservative free, so is formulated to be non-irritating, and keeps your lips ultra hydrated. 15g RRP $5.15. P’ure Papayacare Papaya Ointment is an Australian made beauty product that contains 100% natural ingredients, and contains no petrochemicals or preservatives. it does however contain a swathe of beneficial ingredients, including Australian Papaya (paw paw) extract, known for its skin restorative properties, shes butter and macadamia oils to moisturise, jojoba oils to moisturise and known for its antioxidant properties. 25g RRP $9.99, and 75g $18.99. June Jacobs Lip Renewal is paraben, preservative and petrolatum free, so gentle on sensitive lips. The formula is infused with emollient peach, jojoba and coconut oils along with cocoa butter, shea butter and vitamin E to provide instant and continual hydration for parched lips. The revitalizing formula with active oligopeptides naturally enhances lip structure by stimulating collagen production, so is great for more mature lips. 14g RRP $32.00.
Lip Exfoliators
If you find it hard to keep your lips in top condition, due to constant chapping and cracking, a lip exfoliator is a great product. They work just as exfoliators do on your face and body, gently removing the build up of dry and rough skin cells so the newer and fresher skin can come through underneath. Nutrimetics Nutri-Rich Smoothing Lip Polish has a gentle exfoliating action to smooth away dry, flaky skin without leaving your lips sore or irritated. Exfolating particles along with a luxurious blend of oils, leaves your lips soft, smooth and moisturised. 15g RRP $30.00. e.l.f. cosmetics Studio Lip Exfoliator gently cleanses dry, chapped skin. The sweet sugar and smoothing sensation is infused with vitamin E, shea butter, avocado, grape and jojoba oils to nourish and protect the lips. It treats and smooths lips for a conditioned and revitalised feel. 4.4g RRP $9.00.
Lipstick
Now we’ve got our lips in great condition, it’s time to look at colour. Lipstick is the most popular and widely used lip colour product in Australia and around the world, and there are a multitude on the market. So what should we look for in a lipstick as we mature? The best finishes for more mature lips are Satin and Cream textures, as a Metallic or Frosty lipstick can focus on lip lines that appear as we get older. You can also still wear Matte lipstick, just go over the top with a slick of lip gloss in the middle of your mouth (around the Cupids Bow) for a less stark look. As for colour, if you want to wear bold colours do so, and if you don’t, don’t – it’s up to you. MAC has a (very) wide range of lipsticks in a variety of colours and finishes. We love the MAC Satin Lipstick, which is a creamy formula with a soft cushiony feel. The formula is a medium coverage, buildable to a full coverage. MAC Satin lipstick is available in 25 shades. 3g RRP $36.00. Max Factor Colour Elixir Lipstick is another very wearable Satin finish lipstick , that moisturises and conditions your lips throughout the day. Available in 12 shades. 4g RRP $20.95. L’Oreal Color Riche is a lipstick line that has multiple different lipstick options in a wide variety of colours and textures. The New Color Riche Matte lipstick range offers an intense colour payoff with a soft matte finish. The formula features a soft gel base and is enriched with camellia and jojoba oils for intense moisture and all day comfort. Available in 15 shades. 4.2g RRP $21.95. Bourjois New Rouge Velvet The Lipstick offers a matte finish and velvety texture that lasts up to 24 hours. The hybrid formula contains a moisturising complex and a perfect balance between high pigment density and essential oils to nourish lips. Available in 12 shades. 2.4g RRP $24.00.
Sheer Lipstick & Coloured Lip Balm
If you don’t like the heavier texture of a lipstick, or prefer a lighter cover for summer, then Sheer Lipsticks or Coloured Lip Balms are perfect for you. As an added bonus for people with drier lips, most sheer lipsticks and coloured lip balms have added moisturising benefits to keep your lips looking good longer. One of the best sheer lipsticks available in Australia (in Beauty Over 40’s humble opinion) is Dr. Hauschka Sheer Lipstick. The wonderfully delicate, light creamy texture leaves your lips with a soft, subtle shimmer. The formula combines mineral pigments with nourishing and anti-oxidant ingredients such as vitamin C rich rose hip extract, provitamin A rich carrot root extract, argan oil, jojoba oil, castor seed oil, anthyllis extract for silky soft lips. Beeswax, precious rose wax, cadelilla wax and carnauba wax help seal the moisture in your lips. Available in 6 shades. 2g RRP $41.00. New from Bobbi Brown, Crushed Lip Color leaves an oh so subtle stained flush of colour on your lips, pairing a soft matte pigment with a blotted down finish that lasts all day. The formula features vitamins C, E, and beeswax to keep your lips hydrated and smooth all day. Available in 20 shades. 3.4g RRP $46.00. Clinique Chubby Stick has been a favourite for many years, and is available in many variants. We like the Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturising Lip Colour Balm, a super nourishing lip balm with a high blend of pigments to provide intense colour while decadent butters, oils and antioxidants help protect your lips with immediate moisturisation. Infused with shea butter, mango seed butter and jojoba seed oil, the formula delivers moisture in a colourful stick. Available in 15 colours. 3g RRP $36.00. e.l.f. cosmetics Gotta Glow Lip Tint reacts with your lips to deliver a personalised shade of pink, berry or peach. It offers a sheer flush of colour to enhance your lips. The gel-based formula is infused with shea butter to glide on smoothly and moisturise and nourish your lips. 3.4g RRP $16.00.
Lip Gloss
Lip gloss adds high shine and a hint of colour and is perfect to wear alone or add shine and depth to lipstick looks. Most lip glosses now have added benefits, such as hydration or lip plumping (which is great for your lips as they mature, as they can become thin, and lines more prominent). If you are after a subtle glow for a weekend look, then lip gloss is perfect to give your lips a sheen with a hint of colour. Nutrimetics nc Volume Maximising Lip Gloss has a super shiny colour and a non-stick finish. It works to plump your lips leaving them with a fuller, smoother and more voluminous appearance. The addition of Apricot oil moisturises your lips to keep them hydrated. Available in 4 shades. 8g RRP $28.00. Revlon Super Lustrous™ Lipgloss contains light reflecting spheres which give high shine without stickiness. It is perfect to be worn alone, or over lipstick, and is enriched with vitamins and aloe to moisturise your lips. The formula contains SPF 15 to protect your delicate lip area. Available in 10 shades. 5.9ml RRP $22.95. Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Oils are a hybrid of gloss and sheer colour in a highly moisturising oil format for long lasting hydration. The 100% natural formula contains Meadowfoam Seed Extract, rich in fatty acids and antioxidants, and coconut oil and community sourced beeswax to help strengthen the barrier of your delicate lip skin. Available in six shades. RRP $16.95. If you like glossy lips, but traditional lip gloss doesn’t have enough colour, then L’Oreal Paris Infallible Lip Paint in a lacquer finish could be the product you’ve been looking for. High impact pigments saturate your lips with rich colour. The teardrop shaped applicator allows precise application for a perfect pout. Available in 10 shades. 8ml RRP $19.95.
Lip Pencil
Why use a Lip Pencil? Think of a Lip Pencil as being to a Lipstick, what a Primer is to a Foundation. A Lip Pencil/Lip Liner helps your lipstick last longer, and helps stop it bleeding and feathering into the skin around your lips (which is great for mature skin). It can even make your lips look larger if they are starting to thin (something else we face as we start to mature) – simply draw an outline outside the line of your natural lip line, and fill in with colour. Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Lip Pencil has a non-feathering, non-bleeding, skip-free formula that delivers a colour true, smooth, even line that lasts up to 12 hours. The formula contains hyaluronic acid to assist with moisture retention and vegetal filling spheres to soothe and protect your lips. Available in 11 shades. RRP $38.00. Nutrimetics nc Perfecting Lip Pencil is a long-lasting, glide-on lip pencil that offers precise lining, without dragging. The naturally enriched formula increases the staying power of your lip colour. Available in six shades. 0.35g RRP $25.00. if you can’t find the perfect Lip Pencil/Liner shade to suit your lipstick, this might just be the product for you. Bourjois Miraculous Contour Universal Lip Liner + Primer is a multipurpose lip liner and primer that smooths and softens lips, fills in cracks and primes your lips for lipstick application. It goes on transparent and can be used with any lipstick shade. 0.24g RRP $15.00.
Specialist Lip Products
As we mature, our lips lose their plumpness, and feathering can become a problem for some women, and we find it hard to get our lipstick to stay in place. We’ve gathered some products to help treat specific concerns that some of you may experience. Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Lip helps visibly reduce the appearance of lines on your lips and around your lip area. It has an exclusive patent-pending blend of eight powerful, 100% active anti aging peptides and neuropeptides that help to enhance lip moisture, increase lip volume, and improve the definition of the lip line. Lips are left fuller, smoother, and more youthful looking. 10ml RRP $43.00. If the skin around your lips is considerably wrinkled, you may find it difficult to get lip products to stay in place and not feather. Covergirl Farewell Feathering Universal Lip Liner is designed to help stop lipstick from feathering and bleeding into the skin around your lips whilst locking lip colour in, to stay in place all day. This great Lip Liner is transparent, so you only need this one product to suit all your lipstick shades. 1.2g RRP $12.95. Models Own Lip Base Lip Primer is perfect if you have trouble keeping your lipstick in place. In exactly the same way you would apply a primer before foundation, apply this Lip Primer before applying lipstick, gloss or coloured lip balm for a smooth hydrated base that will keep your colour longer. 2.3g RRP $11.95.
