How to Build a Lipcare Routine for The Perfect Pout 

If having dry, chapped lips isn’t enough for you to want a lip care routine, you’ll still want to surrender a few extra minutes if you’re an avid lip tint or lipstick wearer. With smoother, plumper lips comes better application. Think of your regular lip tint/lipstick but better. Now that we all agree we need a lip care routine, here’s how to get started. Perfect pout pending…  

1.Apply a Lip Sleeping Mask Before Bed 

We’re huge fans of beauty sleep, and not just because we need an excuse to press the snooze button on our alarms (although, it’s a pretty good excuse to be late if you ask us). A good night’s sleep actually helps to beautify your skin by renewing and repairing its cells, but it’ll lose more moisture at night as it’s required for this process.  

Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL), the loss of water evaporated into the surrounding atmosphere, is also at its peak at night as the skin is more permeable when it’s warmer, meaning your lips are seriously parched come morning. Lip sleeping masks can help to keep your lips hydrated overnight, as well as boost the cell renewal process with additional nutrients.

Try: LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask - Grapefruit (20g) - £19.95

LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask is gentle enough to be used every day for extra protection against dryness. Using patented Moisture Wrap Technology it covers the skin in a unique moisturising film of beta-glucan to plump, soften, and hydrate your lips with vitamins rich in antioxidants. 

Try: KLAVUU Nourishing Care Lip Sleeping Pack (20g) - £12.95

Best For: Preventing overnight dryness

An intensive daily overnight lip treatment with natural oils bursting with nourishment, such as avocado, sweet almond, and apricot seed oils, that’ll transform your lips from dull to delicious. The luxe, silky texture with a subtle vanilla scent is what dreams are made of. Sleep tight. 

2.Apply Lip Patches 1-2 Times A Week 

Rich in the most potent ingredients, lip patches are a must in every lip care routine. They’re dripping in high-concentration actives with instant payoff. Covering more than just your dry, chapped lips, they can also help to soften fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth. 

Try: BERRISOM – SOS Essence Lip Patch (30pcs) - £19.95

Best For: Providing an intense dose of hydration to lips

Coming to the rescue is BERRISOM – SOS Essence Lip Patches. Pre-soaked in collagen for plumpness, peptide to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles, ultra-hydrating hyaluronic acid that can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water, and centella asiatica extract to heal and soothe. In a pretty pink lip-shaped box, they’ll look fabulous on your shelf. 

3. Daily Lip Balm Is Non-Negotiable 

Applying a daily lip balm before you even have problematic lips is the best way to avoid them. A good lip balm will provide optimal hydration and prevent TEWL throughout the day, all with a natural shine. *Adds 5 lip balms to basket*. 

Try: ROHTO MENTHOLATUM - Water Lip Tone Up CC SPF 20 PA++ (Rose Pink) - £8.50

Best For: Everyday maintenance 

Hydrating your lips with vitamin E, jojoba and olive oils, LANEIGE Lip Treatment Balm is one you’ll want on your team whilst fighting off dry, chapped lips. Simply swipe across your lips for instant hydration and a pretty pink tint that meets halfway between a lip balm and gloss. 

4.Wear SPF Protection

Those precious lil’ lips of yours also need SPF protection. Why? Because they’re made up of skin just like the rest of your body and you wouldn’t go out without dipping that in sunscreen. In fact, they’re actually more susceptible to sun damage as the skin on your lips is a lot thinner.

They also contain less melanin, the pigment that absorbs and redirects UV rays away from your skin cells which is what gives the skin a tanned colour. That sort-after tan you want so much is actually just your skin’s cry for help. 

Try: ROHTO MENTHOLATUM Water Lip Balm SPF 20 PA++ (Mint Menthol) - £8.50

Best For: UV ray and free radical protection 

Protecting against UVA and UVB rays, this SPF 20 lip balm contains honey, aloe vera, and collagen. Honey is a naturally sourced humectant, meaning it attracts and retains moisture, while aloe vera contributes to moisturising the lips as well as providing relief to painful pouts with its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. Its high antioxidant content combined with collagen makes ROHTO MENTHOLATUM Water Lip Balm ideal for preventing sun damage as it’ll help to neutralise free radicals and adds volume to counteract the breakdown of collagen, which both happen as a side effect of prolonged sun exposure. 

5.Stop Lickin’ Those Lips!

When we notice our lips looking a little worse for wear, our immediate response is to lick them to naturally moisturise them with saliva, so they don’t look so dry and chapped until we can get our hands on some lip balm. But this quick fix could do a lot more damage in the long run. 

Saliva contains digestive enzymes which help to break down the food in your mouth and can also do the same to the skin on your lips, worsening your already dry, chapped lips. This can also make them more vulnerable in the long term.