Types of lips: How to make the most of them

What types of lips are there?

• Thin lips: as the name suggests, the top and bottom lips are both thin, sometimes known as a “small mouth”.
• Full lips: this type are large, thick and plump. This type is perhaps one of the most sought after.
• Downturned lips: this type gives us a rather sad-looking expression, as they are turned down at the corners.
• Cupid's bow lips: the upper lip is slightly thinner, whereas the lower lip stands out for being thicker. This contrast in thickness is reminiscent of Cupid's bow, hence the name.
• Normal lips: this is the standard lip shape, where both lips have the same thickness, giving a balanced appearance. These are the most common lips and the easiest to apply makeup to, since you can play with makeup to make your lips look bigger or smaller as you wish.
• Round mouth lips: as the name suggests, these are round, full lips generally framing a small mouth.

What does the shape of your lips tell about you?

There are certain essential attributes such as the shape, size, definition of the Cupid's bow or the fullness of our lips that tell us about the personality of people and the traits they suggest:

• Ripe lips: these are full, uniform top and bottom lips which show protection of others, empathy and affection. People with these lips spend their lives selflessly looking after others.
• Thin lips: people with lips like this tend to be shy, usually solitary and find socialising difficult. This is not negative though, as they tend to be independent and to a large extent don’t try to depend on other people.
• Full lips in the middle: people who usually hate being alone. They like to be the centre of attention and go full out with their friends. Their friendships are usually more successful than their relationships, since they have a constant roller-coaster of emotions.
• Pointed Cupid's bow: fundamentally creative, spontaneous people, although they can be impulsive on occasions. They have a good memory, are very sociable and need constant contact with other people.
• Rounded Cupid’s bow: compassionate, friendly people, although they do tend to anger easily to support their beliefs. They are also very empathetic and hate injustice.
• Undefined Cupid's bow: usually very generous people, independent and responsible, but sometimes they aren't sure where to set emotional limits. They also manage their time effectively, but they can be over-meticulous.

How to apply makeup depending on your lip type

• Thin lips: one way to enhance thin lips is to use pale lipstick, since darker shades will make your mouth look smaller. Moreover, you can add some gloss to make them more attractive. You can also line them above the rim in a colour similar to your shade of lipstick to slightly increase their volume, and fading in the edges so that the colour blends with the shape of your lips to look more natural. Apply some corrector to the surface of your lip before applying lipstick. Using a different colour to the one you are going to use, draw some vertical lines in the middle of your lower lip to make it look fuller. Fill in with lipstick, adapting it to the line drawn earlier. We recommend using a liquid or stick lipstick with a satin finish to make your lips look riper. If you prefer a matte finish though, you can add a touch of shine in the middle of your lips to give them that extra bit of volume.

• Full lips: to make the most of this type of lips, you can choose brighter colours such as scarlet or purple, and depending on the colour of your skin, brown may also suit you. You won’t need to line them, but if you like the end result you could apply a thin line. You should draw the line inside the edge of your lip to avoid making them look excessively full and artificial. To ensure they look more symmetrical, use a liner and lipstick with a matte finish to perfect the appearance of your mouth. Full lips often don’t need anything extra to draw attention to them. Therefore, enhance the rest of your face with harmonious makeup.

• Downturned lips: to change the appearance of this look, use a nude shade liner pencil to line your lips and to turn them up slightly. Then, before applying any lipstick it is a good idea to take a lip liner the same colour as the lipstick you are going to use, and fill in the corrected arch you have drawn, without reaching the ends to enhance the effect you are looking for. You should draw upward strokes at the corners, without following the natural line, to hide that downturn and to look happier.

• Cupid's bow lips: you can apply makeup as you wish with these lips, in pale, nude or peach tones, with darker shades or simply with lip gloss... although if you want to enhance your Cupid's bow you will need to line them in a colour similar to the lipstick you are going to use. If you use gloss, lining your lips in a slightly darker tone than your skin is a good idea. To enhance your mouth and its heart shape even more, we recommend lining the centre with a white liner pencil or creamy corrector in flesh colour to highlight the definition and fullness. Then fill the space with the lipstick of your choice.

• Normal lips: pale lipsticks, but always shiny, are a safe bet. However, the good thing about these lips is that you can experiment with different colours depending on the colour of your skin. We recommend avoiding dark liners which would make your mouth look smaller.

• Round mouth lips: since these lips are full but narrow, darker colours are very striking, but they can be hard to combine, as your mouth will draw attention away from the rest of your makeup. Go for paler colours on special occasions.