Metal mania: How to rock the metallic pout?

Make metallic shades work for you! With the festive season in full swing and wedding soirées all lined up, there’s no better time to master this make-up look. At the recent New York Fashion Week, Jeremy Scott sent his models with showstopping lip art. Their rose gold painted lips were adorned with shiny gold foil bits and a sliver of glitter for an ultra-glam effect. Songstress and beauty queen Rihanna who has launched her own high-on-shine lip luminisers was recently spotted at the Diamond Ball flaunting an elegant metallic pink lip. A few months earlier at the CFDA, Lupita Nyong’o went metallic with a bold gold mouth. While closer home, Shruti Haasan has been sporting a deep metallic maroon shade for fashion week. Experts tell us how to replicate the trend.

Not an everyday look

Clint Fernandes, make-up expert feels this cannot be worn on a regular basis. “Glitter foil works better on the eyes than the lips, but not for a normal party look. Metallic lip colour is very trendy, highly frosted shades are in such as gold, apricot and peach which work well for the bridal season. Even a metallic burgundy complements most Indian garments. Bolder colours go well with western outfits. A highly metallic pink with an LBD, nude eyes and lots of mascara can look quite cool,” he says, adding that older women might want to mix a metallic shade with a regular colour for a subtle look. They can use it as a top coat in the centre of the lip.

Follow the steps

Anyone who has a structured face with almost any skin tone can wear and carry this look with ease, says  Jyoti Advani, make-up expert who is a big fan of metallic lips. “Start with a good balm, to moisturise the lips well. Then use a lip liner and contour your lip from the middle and the edges. For the next step, apply a metallic lip colour available from the various cosmetic brands. For higher intensity, use the metallic lipstick alone and for lower intensity, mix it with a lip gloss to give a metallic yet a dewy effect. Another option is utilising a matte lipstick and applying a (gold/silver) pigment on the centre of the lips and blending it out with the fingertips. Finally, one can also use a glossy eyeshadow and top it with glitter as per your need,” says Jyoti. She suggests experimenting with a baby pink and a subtle bronze hue as the colour-combination looks classy.

Match your skin tone 

Metallic lips are the trend for the season, and with the upcoming Fall/Winter, it will certainly be amped up in deep jewelled metallic tones, opines Priya  Kapur make-up and hair expert. “You can use a neutral-toned metallic lip colour — from a nude metallic to a rose gold there are many variations. Choose one according to your skin tone. You can also add a hint of shine to the sides and the centre of your lips to create a pouty 3D look. Since metallic lip colours are heavily pigmented, let your lips be the dramatic focal point. Leave the rest of the face fresh and dewy. Keep contouring and highlighting to a minimum,” says Priya.