How To Do Your Makeup With One Product (You Already Own)

Lipstick: the product that was our first foray into makeup (when our mum finally let us) and has since been hauled around in our handbag on the daily. But, while its preferred function is in its very name, lipstick is a very versatile product. In fact, you can do your whole face of makeup using with it. Seriously. Yes, we know about popping a little on the apples of the cheeks in lieu of blush, but there are more functions to your favourite lippie. Whether you’re on a girl’s night out out and your clutch can only fit one peachy YSL bullet, or you’re a lipstick connoisseur looking to get more bang for your buck, we’ve got a full face of makeup sorted, using just lip colour…

Image: Instagram @Isabella

1. Blush

Dabbing a lip shade on the apples of your cheeks and blending in is one of our favourite primping past-times, and is a trick passed down for generations. But, maybe now it’s time to venture beyond just your safe pinky shades. The creaminess of lipstick means it melts into your skin so you don’t end up with a slick obvious line, so opt for lower pigmented lip shades in browns and berries for a subtle but effective highlighted cheek flush.

2. Eyeshadow

This might seem like it’d be a ‘good-in-theory-bad-in-real-life’ tip. Mostly because some lipsticks can be quite sticky and you definitely don’t want that on your eyelids (we all need to blink). So just be conscious of the texture of the lipstick you choose – you want a high-pigment formulation, with a non-matte finish (it doesn’t work so well on the lid as it can be drying and hard to manage). Dabbing a beige or brown coloured lip shade onto the eyelids can give a smoky-eye effect, Just dab around the corners of the outer eye and smudging the colourway into the skin. And, if you’ve got a steady hand and a new lipstick, you can use the point of the bullet to line your under eye.

3. Contour

You’d be surprised, but a brown shade lipstick can be used as a contouring tool. Better for contouring beginners, blending a line of colour into the cheek bones can create a chiselled effect, while keeping your overall look glowy and hydrated. Stick with dewy-formulations that are easy to manipulate on the skin (so, not a long wear lip product), then you won’t end up with a hard-to-remove stripe on your face.

4. Concealer

We trialled it, it works! Full disclosure, we were surprised… but dabbing a nude, green or light pink coloured lipstick onto a blemish can actually reduce redness as well as ultimately hiding it from the public eye. Simply cover with a liquid or powder foundation and et voila! concealed blemish.

5. Of course, Lip. Wine Stained, specifically.

The wine stained, smudged lip is one of our favourite beauty trends. Simply take a red or burgundy coloured lipstick or crayon and dab it onto your lips with your ring finger. Once you’ve achieved your desired coverage, you can smudge the edges to finish off the effect.