How to Get Bigger Lips with Makeup:

Many of us aspire to have the perfect pout – but unfortunately, we can’t all be blessed with naturally full lips. Thankfully, lipstick, lip liner and lip gloss can work together to help you achieve plumper-looking lips without the commitment of lip filler.

There are a number of simple yet effective makeup techniques you can use to give the illusion of a fuller lips while preserving the beauty of your natural features.

Read on for the ultimate guide for how to make your lips look bigger using a few precise makeup tricks.

How to get plump lips: a step-by-step makeup guide

The key to crafting fuller-looking lips is using makeup to add dimension and light. To do this, you’ll need a few hero products: lipstick, lip liner, lip gloss, and highlighter. With these products in your makeup kit, you can create the perfect full lip pout in a few simple steps.

Follow our step-by-step makeup routine on how to get fuller lips below.

1. Prep your lips

When perfecting your technique on how to make lips bigger, it’s easy to focus purely on lipstick and liner application. But prep is also important, and a smooth, hydrated base will make your lipstick last longer – and give you more control in the application process.

We recommend using a gentle exfoliator on your lips once or twice per week to remove dead skin cells and keep your pout in pristine condition. You can opt for either specially formulated lip scrub or simply use sugar and a soft toothbrush to exfoliate the lip surface.

Well-hydrated lips also look plumper, so apply the YSL Loveshine Candy Glow for a bouncy, dewy feel on the lips. Our tinted butter lip balm is packed with 98% natural origin ingredients: including maracuja oil, shea butter, and jojoba butter for up to 24 hours of nourishing care.

2. Choose your lipstick and lip liner colour wisely

Once your lips are primed and ready, the next step in how to get thicker lips is colour selection. When choosing your lipstick, it’s important to note that darker shades can have a ‘slimming effect’ on the lips, making them appear smaller. Lighter hues of pink, coral and nudes tend to reflect more light and add to the effect of full lips.

If you’re using a neutral shade of lipstick, opt for a lip liner shade that’s slightly darker than your natural lip tone to keep the shape looking as natural as possible. If you’re using a brighter, bolder lip colour, then your lip liner should be a close match to your lipstick shade.

Try YSL Beauty’s Virtual Try-On Tool today to help you choose your perfect shade.

3. Subtly overline your lips

Learning how to make lips bigger with makeup means perfecting your overlining technique.

This might seem intimidating at first, but our top tip for overlining is to use a light touch, following the natural shape of your lips: here’s how.

1. Start by making an ‘X’ at your cupid’s bow and draw downwards on both sides of your tip lip (keep it symmetrical). This will help you accurately fill in your lip later.
2. Line the outer corners of your lips – slightly outside the natural lip line – to give you the right shape.
3. Using these outlines as a guide, line the remainder of your lips. Your ‘overline’ shouldn’t be too dramatic, just a couple of millimetres.
4. Try using a lip brush or fingertip to gently blur your lip liner for a more seamless finish.

4. Fill in your lips with lipstick

Once you’ve lined your lips, it’s time to apply your complementary shade of lipstick.

Keep in mind that matte lipsticks don’t reflect light, so the ‘flatter’ finish can make lips look thinner. Instead, opt for a classic creamy satin lipstick like our Rouge Pur Couture, which offers impeccable radiance. Or take your luminous, plump finish one step further with a wet-shine lipstick like our beloved YSL Loveshine.

5. Coat your lips with a plumping gloss

Lip gloss is one of the most effective tools in your makeup bag to create full lips.

Because lip glosses have a shimmery, light-reflecting finish, they add dimension to the lips – making them look larger. You can take this volumising effect one step further with a plumping lip gloss like our YSL Loveshine Plumping Lip Oil Gloss.

This high-shine formula is powered by a stimulating blend of ginger and pepper oils to plump the lip surface, while hyaluronic acid and fig pulp deliver lasting hydration.

6. Finish with a touch of highlighter

Now that you’ve lined, coated and glossed to perfection, deploy highlighter strategically to add greater dimension to the lips.

We recommend applying a dusting of the Touche Éclat Illuminating Highlighter Pen across your cupid’s bow to make your top lip look more plump. This product offers precision and luminous highlight, without shimmer or glitter, for a more natural look.

Now that you’ve mastered our tips on how to make your lips bigger, elevate your application technique with one of our favourite beauty trends: blurred lips.