Lipstick Tricks for Busy Mom’s-Dump The Frump Series

Okay ladies, welcome Lipstick Tricks for Busy Mom’s-Dump The Frump Series, which is post 1 in my “Dump The Frump” Series for SAH and Homeschool mom’s! If you missed the intro last week you can find it HERE. To kick things off, I want to start with one of my favorite go-to’s for when I’m in a hurry. Lipstick! Lipstick is one of those things that can liven up the look and take your face from drab to fab, and it can do this quickly and easily!!! But first, before I get into that let’s talk briefly about why style for mom’s is important.

Why Should We Take Time For This?
You might be wondering, of all the important things to do in a day why on earth should appearance even rank on the list of things to take time for. Believe me, I get it. With six kids, homeschooling, laundry, cooking, business, and everything else, I know first hand how many more “important” things there are to do. And what mom cares about appearance when she’s often sleep deprived!? Like I said, I really do get it!

I talked a little bit about how it blesses our family in the Intro, but I’ll go into a little more detail today and share a couple observations I’ve made when I snatch a few minutes to vamp up my appearance.

The first is in confidence level. Have you ever taken a bathroom break and glanced in the mirror while washing your hands? If so, it’s likely one of two thoughts crossed your mind. One is that you don’t mind the reflection looking back, the other is that you do mind. The second thing that happens are feelings. You either feel good about yourself and a little more confident and energized, or else you feel crappy and zapped.

So then the next thing to happen is you leave the bathroom to continue serving your family feeling zapped and unattractive or positive and a little more upbeat.

Another observation I’ve noticed; when I dress “professionally” for the day it really catches the kids attention and seems to be a blessing to them! Even my 8 month old notices a difference, and it’s the sweetest thing! Sometimes the older kids ask “Are we going somewhere?” and I love to tell them, “Nope, I’m dressing up out of respect for you all! I didn’t figure you wanted to look at a drabby mom all day!” It’s fun to watch their eyes light up as they smile when I tell them this!

Of course it goes without saying that taking a few minutes to spiffy up for the hubby before he get’s home always get’s some positive attention!

So those are my observations.

But It Takes Time…..
So I wanted to start this series with Lipstick because did you know that if you don’t have time to put on a full face that lipstick and foundation alone can totally transform your look? For this reason it should be a gal’s best style fall back, but here’s the thing, so many women don’t know how to properly apply it. Since improperly applied lipstick is garish as are the wrong colors for skin tones, I notice that so many busy moms try lipstick but run away in fear of this magical little stick.

This is so sad because when you find the right shades and apply them properly lipstick really can be a busy but stylish mama/wife’s best friend.

Here’s my lipstick story.
Before I met my husband I was a lipstick novice. For years I bumbled through how to find the right shades as well as how to put them on. One time I bought some bright red lipstick, but I didn’t know how to apply it and found it cumbersome because it would smear and “bleed”. It also didn’t help that it was a cheap brand and didn’t wear well. So I was more comfortable playing it “safe” with one single color that was a medium brownish red and quite boring.

Eventually I met my husband, and not only did he love me in red but he also liked red lipstick and red nail polish (I’m guessing because these are the shades one of the mother figures in his life wore). So, eventually I finally figured the world of lipstick out (wearing red shades has a way of forcing you to figure lipstick tricks out).

Whether red is for you or not, today I’m going to share the tips I’ve learned with you to help you master lipstick (regardless of the color)!

Before I do though I want to emphasize the importance of using natural cosmetics. Science used to think that things put on the skin didn’t absorb into our bodies, but we’ve since learned this is not true! Please take some time to watch the video called 10 Americans by The Environmental Working Group.

I’ll share my favorite resources for natural, non toxic lipstick below, but first, here are tips for choosing lipstick!

Lipstick Tricks for Busy Mom’s-Dump The Frump Series

It’s all About Color
If you have tried lipstick before and not found it appealing, this is probably because you didn’t have the right colors for you. There are a couple things that come into play when finding your perfect shades. This is what I struggled with for years! Here’s what I learned to do;

• Remember the book Color Me Confident that I talked about in the Intro to this series? Not only will the book help you easily and quickly find an in depth profile for your skin tone, but you’ll find each section of that book has recommended makeup shades for your skin tone including lipstick. This will take a TON of the guesswork out so use those sections!
• Determine skin tone-again, the aforementioned book will help you with this but as a super brief intro look at your wrists, are your veins blue, green, or bluish green? Blue veins = cool skin tone, green = warm, and blue/green = neutral (I’m neutral). If you have cool skin you will want to stick with cool, bluish and purple toned lipstick, warm tones mean you’ll want warmer toned lipstick, and neutral means you are pretty lucky, you can probably pull off either!
• Start out with buying samples, get as many shades as you can that you think will work, but also venture outside your comfort zone because you might be surprised! You’ll also have some fun, like the time I-with my full lips and pale skin in all it’s “glory” tried a very nude shade that was as light as my skin-the results were so funny I had to go startle my husband who exclaimed “WHERE DID YOUR LIPS GO!?!?” It was quite funny.
• When you go to try them on use the tips I have for you below and be sure to try them on in natural light.
• Lipstick and foundation go hand in hand. I’ll explain why below. But again color is important when it comes to foundation; you’ll want a foundation that matches your skintone precisely. Skipping foundation is why a lot of women try lipstick and end up not liking it. Again, buy lots of samples and view them on your face, not your wrist! Simply draw a line going from your ear to your chin-if it doesn’t match your skin find one that does. If you are new to foundation here are some tips; creme and liquid foundation are best for skin that is starting to show fine lines and dry skin. If you have oily skin opt for creme or powder. Don’t use loose powder foundations if you have fine lines though! If you really hate the idea of foundation, you’ll at least want some that you can put just around your mouth and fan out. Lastly opt for mineral foundation! Not only is it better (some are even good for your skin) but it’s way more versatile and forgiving shade wise!
• Generally speaking-if you have thin or uneven lips the bolder and brighter lipstick shades will make your lips look like a thin streak, so neutral, gloss, and lighter shades will look best on you. If you have fuller lips, the lighter colors and glosses can make your lips look sloppy and washed out, so you will want to opt for shades on the medium to bolder side. Keep in mind there are always some exceptions to these rules so be sure to experiment!
• If you do have thin lips but really want to wear red opt for the warmest shade you can pull off and veer away from matte (try to find a glossier red).
• If you are going with reds keep the rest of your makeup to a minimum. (This is my number one favorite thing about wearing reds-again, it’s all about saving time)!
• Last but not least, make sure the lipstick shade you pick doesn’t clash with your clothing.

Okay, so now that you have your colors we are ready to move on to the application tips!

Please note; tips 1-10 are for a medium to bold or red shades, BUT if you are using a neutral, light, or gloss all you need are steps 1-3.

10 Application Tips For A Perfect Bold Pout

1. Brush your teeth-yellow teeth behind the pout don’t provide an attractive backdrop.
2. Exfoliate your lips. You can do this quickly with your toothbrush while brushing, or you can use a wash cloth. Be sure to dry your lips well!
3. Check for redness around mouth/nose. Many people have redness in their upper lip/chin area and in the creases of the nose. This breaks the look, but it is especially bad if you are going to wear red or bolder lipstick, so be sure to put foundation on at least over the red areas.
4. Outline lips with pencil (absolutely necessary if using medium to bold or red shades). Try to find a shade that is as close to the same color as the lipstick you are using-or else use a shade that is the same color as your lips (as long as your lips aren’t pale).
5. Apply lipstick using a lip brush-once you use a lip brush you’ll never go back! Lipbrushes use way less lipstick and help get it in the creases.
6. Blot-don’t use toilet paper because most brands will leave white flakes and dust on your lips. Use a tissue.
7. Apply a second coat.
8. Blot again. This helps ensure it all doesn’t come off when you kiss your hubby or kids. Some might, but it won’t ruin your lipstick job like it would if you didn’t double apply and blot. Note; matte lipsticks will not come off as easily as creme ones will.
9. Use the finger trick to make sure you absorb excess lipstick getting on your teeth. To do this follow these steps; Using clean fingers, put your finger in your mouth and circle your lips gently around your finger. Pull your finger out. See all that lipstick on your finger? Yeah, it would have ended up on your teeth without this step.
10. Check your teeth for lipstick.

That’s it! But I’m going to give you a bonus lipstick hack since you are probably a busy mom. If you are using a bold lipstick dab some on the apples of your cheeks and smear it around until it’s blended in for a little more cheek color (this only works with medium and bolder colors)!

There you go, that’s how lipstick can vamp up your look! I realize that the application tips may seem like a lot at first, but once you get the hang of it you’ll find it takes less than 5 minutes-which is so much faster than applying a full face!

Here are some affiliate links to my favorite non toxic lipsticks brands, these are the ONLY places I go for lipstick;

Southern Magnolia Minerals– love their entire cosmetics line but especially their lipstick. Southern Magnolia sells samples, so this is a great company to help you find your perfect shades!

Young Living Cosmetics-for very pure, plant based cosmetics. You will want to become a member if you choose this company so that you get the 24% discount.

If you enjoyed Lipstick Tricks for Busy Mom’s-Dump The Frump Series be sure to check out my other style and beauty posts HERE.

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