An ombre lip is all about the gradient; you have a deeper colour on the outside and something lighter in the centre to give the mouth a fuller, more defined appearance. The way to do it is simple: put your lips in order, line them with a darker shade, put a light tone in the middle and blend away any stripes for a soft finish.
I am Patrick Hayward and I will be blunt about it: ombre can be as straightforward or as exasperating as you make it, what with your patience and the colours you pick. Do it properly and the lipstick is modern and polished; do not and you may look as though you have been eating a paddle pop in the back of a moving vehicle.
What You Are Getting Out Of It
The appeal of an ombre lip is that it is doing double duty: reshaping the mouth in a subtle way and putting some dimension in it, no needles or ten products required. Hence the vogue for it from the 90s style to the Korean variety on Pinterest and in the tutorials.
It is a matter of optics. The darker edge recedes and the inner colour is where the eye goes, so the mouth seems rounder and more plush. To read more read less, check out our technique on ombre lips. Not quite lip filler and no trickery, but you will see a difference in person and in a photograph.
Why It Is Still Around
Because it is adaptable, ombre does not go the way of other trends. You can have a brown-lined nude for a 90s feel, or a diffused stain for a more understated Korean finish. It is not fussy about the product either; balm, satin, matte or stain will do provided they are blendable before setting in.
Making Your Choice
Do not go out and get an ombre kit or start with a liner until you have made up your mind. Too often people will replicate a social media image and not take in the lip shape and depth of it. My advice is to pick your lane and stick to it. You can mix a K-beauty gloss with a 90s outline if the colours warrant it.
Soft Everyday Gradient
Start here. A medium shade on the periphery and a lighter one in the middle, and diffuse the liner so nothing harsh remains.
Korean Centre Fade
More youthful and less structured than the Western contouring job. Colour is concentrated in the centre and softened outwards, typically with a blurred edge.
90s Defined Contrast
A beige or pink-beige centre against a plum, mauve or deep brown edge. Matte is best for this but you must blend the liner or it will be rough as guts in no time.
Rich-Tone Pairings
On dark skin a rich liner and warm centre can be very striking. Just be sure the centre is not grey-based or too pale or you will be flattening the face rather than brightening it.
Prep Work
There is no glamour in prep but you would be wise to attend to it. With multiple layers and a deeper border the ombre effect will lay bare any flaky or cracked texture. It is like sweeping the kitchen before service, without it the rest of it is a mess.
Your Essentials
Forget the sardine-can of a makeup bag. A few things that go together is all it takes: a primer (if you are one for it), a washcloth or scrub, some balm, a deeper liner and a lighter tint or lipstick. Have a brush or a clean finger to hand for the blending. A hydrating balm is what you need to put on dry skin prior to exfoliating the lips. For prep a soft cloth or something like a mild scrub will do. Add in a lip primer for a neater application with no feathering.
You will want one of the darker lip liner or ombre combo pencils, and for the centre a lighter shade in the form of a balm, lipstick or stain. A gloss, some setting tissue or concealer to tidy up the edges are optional.
Products That Are Up to the Task
When it comes to texture as opposed to all the hype, a liner with some slip for the first half minute and then grip is the way to go. In the centre you will find a long-wearing satin or soft matte formula more accommodating than a Lip Ink type product that has a habit of drying down before your blending is done. Rimmel London and L’Oréal Paris are two brands that come to mind for good value in liners and colour. Amazon is handy for a side by side comparison of sets but do not be too trusting of an online swatch, they can be about as dependable as a servo pie label at midnight; read the ingredient and shade descriptions.
An Easy Method to Follow
I would put this ombre tutorial in front of a friend who wants to get on with it rather than fuss over it. It is unpretentious, fits most lip shapes and is fine for a novice, and it steers clear of the usual problem of a dark ring without any transition. Should you be short on time and have five minutes, make the liner and centre blend your priority, it is the part that makes the difference in a hurry.
Technique
Lips should be clean. Put on a light layer of balm and after a minute blot off what is left. Exfoliate with a soft cloth if there are flakes, otherwise the balm on top of them will cause the colour to grab in an uneven way.
With your darker liner, define the cupid’s bow and outer corners, leaving the heft of the colour at the perimeter. The same pencil can be used to put in a little fill on the outer third of the lips so the edge has somewhere to fade.
Put a tint or lighter lipstick on the top and bottom centre. Then take a brush or finger and work the colours, the lighter out and the darker in, to diffuse the liner. You are after a gradient, not a traffic line.
A couple of presses of the lips is enough, any more and the two tones will become one muddy shade.
Top up with some centre colour for brightness where necessary.
Where People Go Wrong
They pick shades that are too disparate. A deep espresso and pale beige can be made to work with the right undertone and some layering, but for the majority of people staying within one or two shade levels is far more flattering. Then there is the matter of overlining the whole mouth in equal measure. If a fuller effect is desired, be subtle with the lower lip and the cupid’s bow. Draw in the corners and the mouth will appear droopy instead of plush.
Shades to Match
Undertone and depth are of more import than brand allegiance when doing a decent job of ombre. Warm with warm, cool with cool, neutral if in doubt, and you will not be making mistakes. As Patrick Hayward would put it, the liner ought to be from the extended family of the centre shade and not some distant relative that only shows for Christmas lunch.
| Outer Shade | Centre Shade | Best Finish | Who for |
| Rose-brown | Warm nude | Satin | Daily wear and beginners |
| Chocolate or deep mauve | Caramel beige | Matte finish | Defined retro look |
| Natural lip tone or soft berry | Cherry, coral or pink (stain/balm) | Stain or balm | Smaller lips and casual finish |
| Cocoa, plum or chestnut | Terracotta, cinnamon, rosy brown | Cream or soft matte | Ombre lips for dark skin |
Lighting and how long you are wearing it also factor into the choice. Bathroom lights can be deceiving so see how the finished lip looks in the daylight if you can.
To Make It Last
It is all in the textures and thin layers. Put down heavy balm, thick lipstick and gloss in one go and it will slide around like a tinnie on a trailer with nothing to hold it. You can have a smearproof lip but not every look needs to be bone-dry; a six hour lip that does not crack by lunch is preferable to one that lasts ten.
Some tricks
Balm first and blot before the colour. Do not just pencil the line. Keep the centre product to a minimum. For extra hold a quick reapplication of the middle shade after a light tissue-blot will do.
When it comes to eating and drinking, you will find that a well defined dark outer edge holds up better than pale nudes in the centre. A product for a mid-day touch-up is of more use than lugging about the whole kit. For those who prefer to keep things simple, put a pencil and a centre colour in your bag; there is no need for five or so “just in case” items.
Expectation Vs Reality
You would like to think an ombre lip can be put through its paces with coffee, lunch and a bit of wind and remain unblemished. In reality the oils get to the centre first and all the talking will rub some colour from the inner lip. Do not make it a personal failing, it is only to be expected.
Suit It To Your Features
A good ombre should be in keeping with your mouth, not force it into another person’s mould. Lip shape dictates placement. Most tutorials do not have it right, showing as they do a single face and proportions for their result. Real life is not so uniform.
Thin Lips
Do not make the line thick around the entire mouth, confine the darkest to the outside and employ a softer contrast. A lighter centre will give volume without being an obvious outline.
Full Lips
These can handle a stronger contrast nicely provided the blend is done properly and the outer definition is a little deeper. Too sharp a liner and it will dominate the face.
Uneven Lips
Put the gradient on after you have corrected the shape with liner. Relying on the centre shade to remedy any asymmetry will leave an imbalance when the colour has gone.
The Permanent Option
Permanent makeup for an ombre effect is something else altogether. It is cosmetic tattooing to impart a soft, graduated pigment for even tone and understated definition. However, with any cosmetic tattooing comes the risk of poor results—if you are considering cosmetic pigments or dealing with previous work, see How Do You Fix A Bad Eyebrow Tattoo? for an honest breakdown of corrective cosmetic procedures. Should one opt for it, consider it a semi-permanent service and not a quick fix. There is the matter of cost and healing, and one must be selective in finding a practitioner with experience.
What To Expect
Pigment is put in by the practitioner in layers after he has mapped the lips and made his case for the colour. Once healed the outcome is apt to be lighter and less pronounced. This is where people are wont to panic on the first day, only to see the colour mellow by the time the week is out.
As for lip filler and ombre, they are not interchangeable even if a client does both. Filler alters the structure and volume of the lip, ombre is about the look of it.
Aftercare And Safety
One must be diligent with aftercare as the lip is not like other skin. Australia’s Healthdirect tattoo safety advice notes that lax hygiene and aftercare invites infection. If a studio is non-committal on sterile procedure or risks, or does not make much of consent, then leave. Costs are generally higher for a lip tattoo than a home kit, and an initial visit plus a touch-up are to be anticipated. It is not for everyone, particularly where cold sores or sensitivities are a concern; seek medical advice before hand.
Wise Product Choice
Some sets are all hat and no cattle, which is the commercial end of the trend. The right kit ought to simplify matters with compatible undertones and textures and make no bones about whether it is a matte, stain, satin or glossy finish. There is a certain logic to Patrick Hayward’s approach: let function be the reason for a purchase, not the packaging.
Making Sense of A Kit
A good one will have a deeper liner and a lighter colour for the centre, with a medium transition tone thrown in. Should a set put forward smearproof credentials, it pays to see if that is down to a liquid formula or a stain, or merely an exercise in marketing. One can consult reviews, but be on the lookout for any talk of dryness or patchiness and whether the shades are as they seem online when you get them in hand.
Rimmel London, L’Oréal Paris and Lip Ink tend to come up in searches. For some ideas there is Ogle School or Pinterest boards, though technique is what counts, not replicating what another has put on. When weighing up an Amazon offer, have a look at the shade range and returns policy and make sure the lipstick and liner are depicted on different skin tones.
Who is this for?
Those after a polished lip with some definition and a fuller appearance, yet without going in for dramatic colour, will find this style well suited to them. It is also useful for anyone fond of making their own lipstick shade; ombre allows you to put your own finish on with some layering of colour.
Not so much for the beginner with no patience for blending, nor for a 6 am school run where a one-swipe lip is called for. In which case a soft stain blurred from the middle out is preferable to a two-tone number every day.
Some questions are asked before one puts a product to use or makes an appointment for a cosmetic tattoo. Understandable. You would rather know what is in store than find out under the unforgiving light of a car park.
FAQ
What exactly is an ombre lip?
In short it is a gradient, with a darker outer and a brighter or lighter centre, blended to give dimension. The result may be more defined or soft and blurred by way of style.
Do they have the effect of making lips larger?
Visually they do. The contrast of a dark perimeter and a light centre can add fullness, provided the shade and blending are right for your lip shape.
Step by step?
Prep first. Put a deeper liner on the edges and a lighter shade in the middle, then blend to smooth the transition. A thin layer will wear better and you can put in a touch-up in the centre to end off.
How long does it hold up?
With regular makeup it is a matter of hours, subject to primer and liner use and what you have been eating and drinking. Permanent ombre will outlast daily cosmetics but even that will fade and require a professional at some point.
Mature or textured lips?
They can work, best with a softer contrast. See to it you have a hydrating prep and stay away from anything too dry. Pick shades that will not go into lines but can be blended.