The Ombre Lip: Makeup Tips For The DIY Bride

Want to create a gorgeous ombre lip look for your wedding day? Read on, because OB columnist Bethany Jane Davies from Fatale Cosmetics is here to help…

Many alternative brides will be seeking out styles that reflect their inner vamp as part of their wedding-day look. You can create your own dark and sumptuous bridal look, inspired by modern gothic and Steampunk themes, by integrating a show-stealing ombre lip into your bridal makeup. Below I cover the main steps and order of application, for you to use these elements yourself and ensure you steal the limelight.

This striking ombre lip look is created by using a graduating colour across the lip. Note that it gently blends from a lighter shade in the centre of your lips, to darker one at the edges. The effect is to give the illusion of plump full lips, and draw attention to them.

For this step-by-step tutorial, we have combined the ombre lip with a simple smoky eye, but you could combine it with a number of eye looks to suit your taste, from a bare-eye to a winged liner or even bolder eye makeup. Also we have chosen to combine a black lip liner with a contrasting red shade, but you can use any combination of liner and lipstick, going for a lighter contrasting shade of lipstick at the centre of the lip.

Step 1

Begin by priming the skin with an appropriate primer product for your skin type. Apply your foundation, concealer and powder, ensuring to cover all over the eyelids.

Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash

Step 2

Line the upper lash line with a black kohl pencil. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Then with your pencil brush or cotton bud, softly blend the upper lash line until you get a diffused, smoky finish.

Step 3

Then define the lower eye, by applying a few dots of the kohl pencil along the lower lash line. In a gentle side-to-side motion, with your pencil brush or cotton bud, blend these dots together to create your smoky under-eye section. For both the upper and lower lids, add more liner and blend until you have the intensity you desire.

Step 4

For both the upper and lower lids, add more liner and blend until you have the intensity you desire. Apply mascara and add lashes if you wish.

Photo by Ashley Piszek on Unsplash

Step 5

Now it is time to start the ombre lips. Line the lips with your darker shade, in this case a sharp black pencil (lip liner or eyeliner pencil will do the trick). Once the lips have been lined, add extra darker colour to the outer corners of the mouth.

Step 6

Apply your lighter lip colour, in this case a highly pigmented red lipstick, with a lip brush to the centre of the lips, where there is no black pencil.

Step 7

Using a clean lip brush, gently feather/blend the black liner into the red lipstick, shading out-to-in, pulling the black colour towards the centre of the lip with the brush.