How To Wear It: The Vampy Lip

I’m really loving dark, sultry, vampy lip colors right now. While they are super popular in fall, and as evening makeup, I actually think they can look quite posh and sophisticated during spring– and yes, even in daytime.

The prospect of wearing an eye-catching dark lip can be daunting to many. Once upon I time I’d never even dream of leaving the house in such a shade, let alone during the day. (Gasp, what if someone saw me?) But by now I really feel confident in just about any shade.

Tips For Vampy Lips

Perfect the skin as much as possible. I guess it’s because of the contrast, but it seems like wearing a bold lip makes any hyperpigmentation, spots, scars, etc. instantly more noticeable. So bust out that concealer and those color correctors. This is especially true for those of you who are quite fair like moi.

Focus on the brows! We hear all the time that brows balance out the face. It is never more true than when you’re rocking a bold, dark lip. Making sure your brows are filled in and defined will help make sure the rest of your features don’t get lost or overtaken by your lip color.

Keep the rest of your makeup natural, but not invisible. I know the tendency when you have a very STRONG color on one part of your face is to go extremely minimal on the rest. But (and this is especially true if you’re pale) that can be a mistake! Unless of course the sort of ghostly goth look is what you’re going for. You should still define your cheeks and eyes. Don’t be afraid of some black liner and flirty lashes, either.

Pick a color that flatters you! Kate Bosworth’s look here is perfection! The brows look great, her eyes are defined with some liner and mascara, and her cheeks have been subtly contoured and blushed. Also, this particular color flatters her immensely. Don’t get color tunnel vision when rocking the vampy lip. Opt for a shade in a color family you already wear and love, just darker. If you aren’t sure what color to wear, grab some cheapies from the drugstore to play with. 

Spend extra time. These lips are very eye-catching, but also unforgiving. It’s worth spending the extra time to use a lip brush and/or lip liner – you know, those things you skip when you’re short on time? Don’t skimp. You might also want to go around the edges of your mouth with a very fine brush and some concealer to really define that edge, or add a highlight on the very edge of the cupid’s bow like on the model pictured above.

How do you feel about this look? Are you rocking vampy lips? What are your favorite products to use? I’d love recommendations! For more of my fav vampy lip looks (and lots of other fun things), follow me on Pinterest!