Oh man guys, the end of daylight savings time is a bummer. I can deal with chilly weather (not snow I hate snow, I just HATE it!) but the getting dark early thing really bums me the hell out. I was going to say that I need Vitamin D but I’m not going to open it up for you guys to make a bunch of “that’s what she said” jokes . . .pervs. 😉

The cold weather itself is kinda fun though, it gives me reasons to be inventive with my beauty routine, and I get to wear so many layers all at one time. I mean it’s not fun if you’re like out waiting for the bus or something, but we make the best of it right?

One thing that’s an issue for me in the cold weather though is winter lips. You know what I’m talking about, cracked and dry and just the worst. A few years ago I wrote a post about how I keep them from cracking and getting chapped, and last year I wrote about how to avoid winter dullness so clearly this is an issue that rings true to my heart.

Today what I want to talk about is an every day, glossy lip that looks nice and will protect your lips from the cold and wind. It’s possible! It’s also easy so you can just slap it on and go.

Ok first step. Apply your foundation and buff it in as usual, and let it overlap the edge of your lip line. Then take a q-tip (preferably a pointy cosmetics one) and wipe off the foundation that has gotten onto your actual lips, right up to the actual lip line itself. This is called “carving out” the lips and will create a nice clean line without any lipstick or lip liner. This is a great way to give shape to the lips with minimal product.

The next step is to take your powder highlighter of choice and a pencil brush and highlight the cupid’s bow and the center of the bottom lip. I used Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal, because that’s what I’ve been really in love with lately. You can make it a little bit more exaggerated than you normally would because its going to get a little bit blurred out in the next step.

The last step is sort of “product specific” You want to apply a balm that is extremely glossy and thick. Balms like that give the same glossed, plumped effect that a proper lipgloss will give you, but they also have the benefit of being a very potent lip conditioner.

So once you slather some of it on over your highlight, it looks like a beautiful shimmery gloss, it makes your lips pop because you carved them out and highlighted them and it has the added benefit of keeping them protected in the windy cold! Super winning!

In this example I used Dr. Lipps Nipple Balm For Lips which I reviewed not too long ago. It’s definitely my favorite for this look because it’s über thick and glossy so it looks almost like a mac lip glass, but it makes your lips super duper soft. You could also use something like Eight Hour Cream which is similar but not quite as thick so I don’t think that it lasts quite as long on the lips. It’s definitely really glossy though.

The key ingredient to look for in a thick balm such as this is Lanolin. Lanolin is like a miracle for your skin, and it also makes me giggle because Ron Burgundy.

That’s how I’m fending off the chapped winter lips right now. Today I wore this look out and about while I was all bundled up running errands, and my lips feel fantastic now. And nobody knew it was more of a lip treatment than a gloss. High Five!

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