One of the great parts of going to #BlogHer16 is meeting all of the other amazing bloggers and gathering inspiration. This post is dedicated to a super sweet blogger I met at the Adam & Eve tasting event, Kendra. Hey girl! She runs the blog HeadBandForToday.com that focuses on balancing the many parts of life, parenting, marriage, family, career, and still having time for yourself. In our chatting and learning about each other’s blogs, she lit up when I talked about the beauty portion of my blog. Kendra had recently gotten braces and was wondering if she could still wear lip colors, what she should or shouldn’t do, and what are the specific problems people with braces may face when it comes to lipsticks and the sort. As a makeup enthusiast and a former brace face, I felt like this was a great subject to tackle.
Braces are an interesting apparatus, to say the least. Not only do they shift the teeth, they change the way your lips move, how dry your lips get, dictate what you can and can’t eat, and are an all-around pain in the ass. When I had braces my biggest complaint, besides the pain after having them tightened, was that my lips were always dry, and it’s probably why I haven’t kicked the habit of incessant lip licking to this day. Although braces don’t look that bulky, that extra space between the inside of the lip and the gum line can make a huge difference in how well your lips retain moisture. So my first tip for those with braces is to avoid most formulas of liquid lipsticks. I know they are all the rage right now, but as beautiful as they are most are extremely drying, braces or not. I’d say opt for good old fashioned creamy lipsticks, lip glosses, lip lacquers, and basically any lip color that doesn’t have a matte finish. If you want to be stubborn and still give liquid lipsticks a try, I would recommend NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipsticks. I wrote a post about them a little while back. Check it out here NYX Liquid Suede
So my first tip for those with braces is to avoid most formulas of liquid lipsticks. I know they are all the rage right now, but as beautiful as they are most are extremely drying, braces or not. I’d say opt for good old fashioned creamy lipsticks, lip glosses, lip lacquers, and basically any lip color that doesn’t have a matte finish. If you want to be stubborn and still give liquid lipsticks a try, I would recommend NYX Liquid Lip Suedes. I wrote a post about them a little while back.
Next, prep your lips! This is true for all of us, but the dryness that braces can cause may lead you to needing to put a little more time into this step. I like to do the full lip prep routine at night so that my lips have time to really get the full benefits. Use a lip scrub to remove dead skin and smooth the lips. Especially if you want to wear a dark or bold color. Reds, blues, and the such can really emphasize flaky skin. You can either purchase a lip scrub, ELF and LUSH make fabulous ones. Or you can go the DIY route and make your own with coconut oil, honey, and sugar. Either way, get that dead skin off. Don’t go crazy. If it starts to hurt, then that’s a sure sign to stop. Then finish off with a super moisturizing lip balm. I really, really love the Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm in the Shea & Vitamin E variety. It’s super rich, but not greasy so you don’t end up looking like you just stuck your face in a jar of Vaseline. Oddly, this is only marketed towards men.
Now to apply your lip color. Start out with a thin coat of a more lightweight lip balm. I prefer Nivea A Kiss of Moisture. Next, I know not everyone is a fan or feels it’s necessary, line your lips. This is especially necessary if you’re wearing a bold color because they like to bleed, but also because it gives you a good guide when actually applying your lip color. After that you apply your lip color of choice and poof, you’re good to go.
Another point Kendra brought up was with the old-fashioned metal braces you often get to choose colored bands. She wanted to know how to know what lip colors to avoid. Being the DGAF type of person I am, my initial answer was “Do what you want! If a certain lip color makes you happy then wear it no matter what.” But I recognize not everyone is as footloose and fancy-free with their color selections as I am. I wear green lipstick to work for goodness sake. So to answer this question I introduce the color wheel.
“According to color theory, harmonious color combinations use any two colors opposite each other on the color wheel, any three colors equally spaced around the color wheel forming a triangle, or any four colors forming a rectangle (actually, two pairs of colors opposite each other). The harmonious color combinations are called color schemes – sometimes the term ‘color harmonies’ is also used. Color schemes remain harmonious regardless of the rotation angle.” – Color Wheel Pro
I am by no means and expert on color theory, so take what you will from this. I am, however, an expert on doing WTF I want, so you should probably still take my advice lol.
So for a quick recap, my tips for wearing lip colors with braces are:
- Prep your lips the night before
- Moisturize your lips right before application
- Pick a color, any color
- Line your lips
- Apply color
- Bask in all your glory
Let me know if these tips helped you.
