Not since Angelina Jolie has a celebrity’s lips been so talked about.

Yes, we’re talking about Kylie Jenner (who else?) and the trend she kickstarted when she started sporting a fuller lip in 2014. Initially denying she’d had any surgical help, Kylie put her sultry lips down to a clever use of lipliner.

But while we all went out and bought every lipliner under the sun (and struggled to recreate her famous bee-stung look), Kyles finally admitted to using Juvederm temporary lip fillers on an episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians.

We take a look at three ways to get fuller-looking lips – from lipliner tricks to lip fillers:

LIPLINER TRICKS

We know Kylie is a dab hand when it comes to lining her lips – Scott Disick even revealed it takes Kylie 40 minutes to do her lip makeup. Yep, just her lips. A bit of makeup trickery can go a long way when it comes to perfecting your pout and there are a multitude of tutorials online which are inspired by Kylie’s technique. But the gist seems to be:

1) Use translucent powder over your lips and lip line to ensure any colour you put on your lips doesn’t budge.
2) Overline your bottom lip at the centre but stay true to your lip line on both sides (we don’t want you looking like a clown now!)
3) Overline your cupid’s bow (again staying true to your lip line on both sides of your upper lip).
4) Colour in around the inside edges of lips with lipliner to give the illusion of more depth.
5) Use a matte lipstick to fill in lips.

Kylie tends towards ‘nudes’ and brown lip colours and has mentioned previously she is a big fan of MAC Cosmetics’ Stripdown, Soar and Spice lipliners (causing a worldwide shortage in the process). Her own Lip Kits, consisting of a lip liner and matte gloss, sold out in seconds. A second drop of the kits this week sold out in a matter of minutes.

LIP PLUMPERS

The biggest cause of lip shrinkage is collagen loss – it starts breaking down in your 20s and this only speeds up during your mid-30s (d’oh). There’s no way of permanently reversing this but you can promote natural collagen to help reduce the appearance of vertical lip lines and wrinkles by using collagen-infused serums and balms.

If you’re looking for a quicker fix, plumpers tend have ingredients like cinnamon, pepper, ginger or peppermint to ‘irritate’ lips and stimulate blood circulation creating very subtle swelling and a natural pinkness.

Our picks (L-R): Murad Rapid Collagen Infusion for Lips; Lancer Skincare Volume Enhancing Serum; GM Collin lip plumping complex; Du Wop Lip Venom plumping balm; Transformulas Lip Volume

LIP FILLERS

When Kylie finally admitted to using temporary lip fillers in an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, aside from a collective cry of “Finally!”, we all became intrigued with the idea of fillers and whether it was an option we’d consider ourselves.

Kylie opts for Juvederm, a temporary dermal filler made from hyaluronic acid – a naturally occurring substance found in your skin that, along with collagen, breaks down with age. The filler is injected around the edge of your lips to redefine the lip line and is also used to plump up and restore loss of volume in the lips.

Caci, who uses Juvederm as their dermal lip filler of choice, say the results can last from 12-24 months, but this can vary from person to person. The results gradually wear off during this time, with the hyaluronic acid breaking down and dissolving naturally into the body.

It can be slightly nerve-racking trying out a treatment for the first time. So FQ went along to Caci and documented each step of the way. 

Prior to the treatment, what was your area of concern and why did it bother you?
I have never felt like I lacked in the pout area at all. But over time, I’ve started to notice my lips feeling less moisturised and some fine lines are creeping in which makes my lipstick bleed a bit more than it used to. I also wouldn’t have minded a bit more volume on both my upper and lower lips – let’s face it, Kylie Jenner’s amazing lips have completely transformed her face!

What did you know about Juvederm beforehand?
To be honest, very little. I knew it was an injectable and that it was temporary, but I didn’t know how long the results lasted or what the process was. It was great going along to Caci and having one of their Registered Nurses talk me through the entire process and answer all my questions, no matter how silly. I felt very reassured after the consultation that she understood the result I was after – something natural but that would make me look ‘refreshed’.

How long did the treatment take and what did it feel like? Was it painful?
Because the consultation was quite thorough (it took about 30-40 minutes), I felt very comfortable going into the treatment – this itself only took around 20 minutes to half an hour. I’m not great with needles but the Caci Nurse was very gentle and very calming, helping to distract me from the task at hand. Juvederm contains a local anaesthetic that provides more comfort both during and after injection, so although the first one or two injections were slightly uncomfortable (but not really painful), after that I could barely feel anything.

Can you do it on your lunch break and return back to work?
I went after work on a Friday so I could go home immediately after the treatment which I would highly recommend. Whereas with Botox you can have a treatment on your lunch break, go back to work and nobody would notice, I felt like this is a treatment you might want to do after hours or over the weekend (just to give it a chance to settle before making any public appearances). When I went back to work on Monday, my lips looked great!

Did you have any side effects after the treatment such as bruising or swelling?
Immediately after the treatment, my lips felt slightly swollen (although they felt bigger than they looked!) and I had four small bruises on my actual lips. The Nurse gave me some cream to take home to minimise the bruising and for a few days this was easily hidden using a basic concealer and then wearing a slick of lipstick. It can take a short while for the filler to settle down, so your lips may feel lumpy for a few days or weeks but this gradually disappears and they smooth out. Caci schedule a follow-up appointment within two weeks so they can track your progress – if you need a top-up or any corrections, they can also address this during your appointment.

What have the results been like? Have you seen a noticeable change?
I love my lips! It has made wearing lipstick fun again and I love the shape and volume. They definitely feel more nourished and they dry out far less easily. It took me a few days to get used to the look and feel but now that I’ve had them done, I can’t imagine going back to my old lips!

* This post was brought to you by Caci. For more information on Juvederm and to book a free consultation to discuss dermal fillers and whether they are right for you, visit caci.co.nz.