There’s no denying our love for lipstick. We’ve got shades stashed in every corner of our lives—purses, desk drawers, cars and likely even a pants pocket or two. And there’s no committing to just one shade, either; each occasion calls for its own carefully selected shade. We reach for red for a glam night out, orange when we want to spice it up, plum when we’re feeling vampy. But if we could prescribe one shade that should be in every woman’s arsenal, it would be the perfect natural.
This concept, known as MLBB, or My Lips But Better, has been riding a major trend wave for the past few seasons, but its necessity transcends its popularity. It’s exactly what it sounds like—picking a just-right hue of lipstick that matches your actual lip tone, whether peachy, pink or brown, and using it to sculpt your lips to polished perfection.
It's essential to remind women of the importance of how beautiful they really are naturally.
So how do you find your MLBB shade?
We asked our Global Pro Makeup Artist, Victor Henao, for help.
Step 1
Go natural, not nude. While we love a good nude lipstick, that’s a different quest from MLBB. To find your perfect natural shade, you need completely bare lips. As Henao puts it, “When you choose a nude lipstick, you want to go for a shade that is lighter than your natural lip color. When you choose a natural lipstick, or an MLBB shade, it should be one that matches your actual lip color or is slightly deeper.”
Step 2
Start experimenting! While we love the convenience of shopping online, this is one case where you’ll want to try before you buy. A color can look much different in the bullet than it does on your lips, so play with lots of shades and see which is the best match for your natural tone. Another tip: Go fully makeup-free when you’re trying on. Since this trend is all about looking natural, you don’t want a particular makeup look to interfere with the real you.
Step 3
Apply! The best part of the MLBB trend is that it doesn’t require a lot of bells and whistles to complete the look. You’re enhancing what you’ve already got, so just slick that shade on and call it a day. Need help making it last? “I would use a Double Wear Stay-in-Place Lip Pencil in a shade similar to the lipstick,” Henao advises. Use it to line your lips to keep the color from feathering, or fill in your full lips before applying your lipstick to give the color something to grab on to.
“I love any trend that brings out a woman's inner beauty,” Henao says. “It's essential to remind women of the importance of how beautiful they really are naturally.” We agree, making MLBB one trend that will never go out of style.
