First let’s chat about the Clarisonic. If you have one you should

A: Pat yourself on the back for investing in your skin and

B: Try using it on your lips

I like to wet the brush, turn it on and run it over my lips for about 20 seconds. Not only does it increase the circulation and immediately make them look plumper, but it also helps remove dry skin.

I wouldn’t keep it on the lip area for a full one minute cycle, and I definitely wouldn’t use it with facial cleanser on it. You want to plump them and smooth them but still be gentle. So don’t be going crazy. A little goes a long way.

Ok now on to makeup.

Did you know that you can highlight and contour your lips? You can, and once you start you won’t want to stop. The basic idea is to highlight the highest parts of the lip (cupids bow, center of the bottom lip) to make them look like they stick out from your face further than they really do. Pretty standard makeup stuff, right?

Now take that one step further. We made the high points stand out, now lets recess something! Simply take a matte brown eyeshadow or bronzer and on a small brush run a little tiny bit of it under the center of your bottom lip. This will create more of a shadow and give the illusion that your bottom lip pouts out more.

It’s so subtle but very effective. If you are confused have no fear, because I have a video tutorial on exactly how I do it.

Next tip is to overdraw your lips. I know, you’re picturing THIS. But it doesn’t have to look like the lipstick equivalent of a car wreck. The trick is to be subtle and only overdraw them a teeny bit.

There is a small area around your upper lip where your lip hasn’t ended but it no longer has any pigment. That’s the line you can take it to. It is hard to describe and I don’t have a video on it, but luckily Nikkietutorials does and she demonstrates and explains it very well. She is also hilarious.

In the video she only demonstrates with a red color, but you can easily apply this technique to a nude lip liner for a natural but plump look. Just blend well and top it with a balm or a gloss, and you’re all set.

Last but not least is the simplest trick of all. When in doubt, go glossy. Don’t get me wrong I love a matte lip, but if you are looking for a fast way to make your lips look fuller then it’s all about the gloss.

The added shine instantly makes your lips look bigger and fuller. Think of it like pants, if you wear shiny pants it might make your butt (among other things) look plumper because light is bouncing off all the high points. But where glossy pants might be risky, glossy lips are a sure thing. Just remember not to over do it though, nobody likes a goopy kisser.

You can take all of these ideas and use them separately, or you can combine them all at once. It’s entirely up to your discretion.

I like to do them all at one time, go big or go home right?