Blurred makeup is the perfectly imperfect look that’s been everywhere this year, with red carpets full of dreamy, romantic lips, their edges are as soft as a cloud on summer’s day. However, the ‘cloud lip’ trend can take a dark and ominous turn, particularly on older women who struggle to make it flattering.
That blurred-out, ever-so-slightly over-lined look that makes Emma Stone, Zoe Kravitz and Jessie Buckley look so lusciously undone? ‘I just look like I’ve got a moustache,’ one 40-plus beauty editor recently grumbled, at her botched efforts to recreate the work of makeup artist Nina Park.
Nina does focus her 'cloud lips' technique heavily on celebs in their 20s and 30s, often using a darker liner which is perhaps less flattering on mature lips.
However, she did employ it recently for Carey Mulligan, who is 40 and has naturally thin lips, showing how well it can be adapted with a softer iteration.
Fellow celebrity makeup artist Hannah Martin says that an adapted version of cloud lips is a trick she can fully relate to in her 40s. ‘I absolutely love blurred lip makeup, it makes mature lips look fuller in a very natural way,' says Hannah, the woman behind the Princess of Wales’ bridal makeup. 'But I do think if you’re attempting a blurred liner yourself it’s something that takes a little bit of practice,’
‘And yes you do probably need to be aware if you have fine hair on your upper lip as this look can accentuate that.’ A little wax won’t go amiss!
Here are Hannah's tips for a flattering and ageless cloud lip.
Avoid ‘spaghetti lips’
The right colour makes all the difference between a final look that’s soft and one that’s sloppy. ‘If you try to use a lip pencil that’s quite orange, that’s when you get ‘spaghetti lips’ where it looks like food stained around your mouth,’ says Hannah.
To avoid the look of a slurpy Heinz session, Hannah advises using cool-toned matte lip pencils instead. ‘They lend themselves beautifully to this look,’ she says. Clinique’s Quickliner in Nude Honey is one of her favourites.
Clinique Quickliner For Lips in Nude Honey
Blunt your pencil
A soft, slightly blunted pencil is more forgiving than a harder, sharper pencil. ‘It’s easy to apply and it’s easier to blend,' says Hannah. 'Some of the old-school lip pencils that are harder and drier will drag as you apply, and they’re harder to buff. So then what you end up with is a slightly patchy result.’
Steady yourself
Hannah says the pinky finger ‘really comes into play’ when you want to apply liner – a boon if your hands aren't the steadiest. ‘I watch people on the Tube applying lip liner free-hand and I’m like, “Hold on, what are you doing?” That would be up around my nose if I was doing that,’ says Hannah.
‘So always anchor your application by resting your pinky finger on your chin,’ she says. ‘That way you feel exactly where the lip is. Hold the pencil at an angle so you can see the lip properly.’
Stay in contact
Don’t lift the pencil up. ‘I just keep the lip pencil in contact with the lip at all times and do lots of little strokes, buffing back and forth,’ explains Hannah. ‘This is the way that you get the most soft and blended finish.
Keep it subtle
You want to overline, but ‘only ever so slightly’, says Hannah. The idea on a mature lip is to just take the pencil's soft, blunted edge a fraction beyond the natural lip line to create a fuller-looking lip. ‘This is not about drawing an entire line beyond your lips.’
Buff it out
Soften the finish once you’ve outlined the lips. ‘It’s up to you whether you use your fingers or a tool. I like to use a little buffing brush. But just very gently, very lightly, anchor your hand again with your pinky, buff back and forth and gently diffuse that liner edge for a very soft blurred finish,’ she says.
Fill in with colour
For this look, you’ll want to fill in lips with a ‘soft creamy colour, like a Clinique Chubby Stick - I love the Amp Up Apple shade for this,’ she says. ‘And blend a bit on the cheeks for a monochromatic look. There’s no need to blot a blurred a lip, as you could lose some of the impact.'
Beware the balm
Blurred-out colour looks best on smooth, well-conditioned lips but Hannah warns against smothering on balm straight before you try this technique. ‘Unfortunately your lip liner’s just not going to adhere to the skin and you’ll be layering back and forth, and finding you get really little colour payoff.’
If you’ve got dry or dehydrated lips, ‘by all means prep with a lip balm at the start of your makeup routine and then buff off before you come to do your liner,’ she advises. ‘For the ultimate blurred lip, it’s better to avoid any kind of moisturiser or balm that could create a barrier between your lips and the product.’
