6 Valentine's Day Lip Trends To Ensure Your Pout Is On Point, From Sultry Nudes To Bold Brights
While I'm normally more of a skincare girl myself, something about Valentine's Day always gets me thinking about my lips. Maybe it's the sexy red lipstick trope, or maybe I'm just a beauty marketing team's dream audience, but I always feel the need to amp up my lip game when the second week of February rolls around. This year, I've ditched that classic red lip and decided to pay attention to some other Valentine's Day lip trends, which include some textures and tones I otherwise might not have even considered. There's no wrong way to rock a fun lip, whether your lipstick will come in handy this V-Day for smooching or for selfie-ing, but here are some trends to keep in mind if you want your pout to be on point.
Plump & Full
Instead of a basic lip balm, this year I'll be treating my pout to the luxurious PCA Skin Hyaluronic Acid Lip Booster ($45, pcaskin.com). I use hyaluronic acid on the rest of my skin, so why shouldn't my lips reap the benefits, too, am I right? It's an ultra-hydrating ingredient that also stimulates collagen production, so a swipe of this clear, glossy balm will have lips looking fresh right away and provide long-term benefits the more often you wear it. This product in particular also utilizes a blend of sodium hyaluronate and konjac root reffered to as Ultra Filling Spheres, which give the lips a plump, full look by moisturizing in a way that brings hydration to the upper layers of the lips' skin. So basically, whether you rock this underneath a lipstick or on its own, your lips will look pillowy soft and enhanced.
Whipped Tints
My favorite part of Jill Stuart Beauty's Strawberry Collection for Valentine's Day has to be the brand new Strawberry Whipped Rouge ($24, jillstuartbeautyusa.com), a liquid lip tint available in four shades that's packaged in a bottle far more beautiful than any bouquet of roses. The lightweight, wipped texture glides onto lips and stays put thanks to a long-lasting tint, so it'll last through date night and still look stunning. BTW, as if this weren't already the ultimate V-Day lippie, it's also got a chocolate berry scent. Yum. Please, don't even think about buying me a real box of chocolates; a box full of lip tints is truly all I could ask for.
A Glossy, Layered Look
Not into a lip stain, but still want a super long-wearing lip look? The key is to layer products so your color doesn't fade as fast, and the new Revlon x Ashley Graham Never Enough Lip Kit in "Worship" ($20, amazon.com) is the perfect trio set to get the job done, especially if you are in favor of that go-to V-Day red lip. The set includes three full-size products curated by Graham for a sultry pout: a Super Lustrous Lipstick in "In Your Dreams," a Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in "Fiercely Fab," and a ColorStay Lip Liner in "Beyond Beautiful." IMHO, if you are doing red, a glossy look is a must, and filling in your entire lip with liner, applying the lipstick, and topping it all off with a gloss will ensure that, even when the shine fades, the bright hue will stay put.
Have a Heart
What's Valentine's Day without putting hearts on every imaginable surface, am I right? My favorite arts-and-crafts style heart placement this year has to be on the lipstick bullets of the YSL Beauty Volupté Plump-In-Color ($39, yslbeautyus.com), available in six shades including various reds, pinks, and nudes. These mega-shiny balms are packed with luxe pigment, and they feature a heart-shaped center that just so happens to be a plumping, hydrating core, so you get color and care all in one swipe. BTW, if you're picking this up for your Valentine or Galentine, you can even get the casing engraved, because everyone knows a gift is a thousand times more personal when it has your name on it.
Send Nudes
TBH, while I appreciate its festive power, I'm just not one to rock a red lip! Everybody has their own preferences, and that's why I'm particularly pleased to see that Charlotte Tilbury has launched new supermodel-inspired lipsticks in three sultry shades of nude. A trio of new Matte Revolution lipticks in tawny brown nude Super Nineties ($34, charlottetilbury.com), nude rose Super Model ($34, charlottetilbury.com), and nude rouge Super Sexy ($34, charlottetilbury.com) are here for those of us keeping it neutral this year. If you're planning to send me any nudes this V-Day, it better be these. I'm serious.
Stand-Out Shades
Fenty Beauty already had an iconic red lippie, so of course they dropped a few different statement shades just in time for your Valentine's Day selfie. The brand just launched a trio of new Stunna Lip Paints, in bright coral "Unattached" (fentybeauty.com), deep purple "Undefeated" (fentybeauty.com), and vivid pink "Unlocked" ($24, fentybeauty.com), so if you've got Galentine's Day plans and want to stand out in a sea of red lips, now is your chance to really wow them with something else bold and bright.
