Movie lips: The TikTok makeup trend that finally got me

Just kissed.

TikTok loves to give a catchy name to a beauty technique we’ve been doing forever and hype it up until it becomes a viral trend. There’s been skin-cycling (the crazy idea of not using retinol and exfoliating acids on your face every night), the slugging obsession (please, Marilyn Monroe was doing this in the ’50s), the explosion of latte makeup (a face full of warm neutrals, groundbreaking), the list goes on. 

As you can tell, I’m cynical about TikTok beauty trends. When I do hear about them – through podcasts and Instagram reels, like a true millennial – my makeup artist brain goes: ‘That’s not a trend, that’s just facts.’ It’s not that the ideas aren’t good, they generally are, but it’s usually a jazzy rebrand of something I’ve heard a million times before. Recently though, I scrolled upon an idea that I genuinely think deserves more hype: movie lips.

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The ‘movie lips’ trend hooked me with a photo of Kiera Knightly in Pride and Prejudice and reeled me in with a photo of Liv Tyler in Lord of the Rings. The trend describes the natural, flushed lip colour you often see on characters in period dramas, or films where the makeup really can’t be looking like makeup. It seems simple, but the art of subtle lip blushing is hard to recreate. That’s why the makeup artists on movies get paid the big bucks. 

As someone whose natural lip colour is more anaemic grey than rosebud, I was determined to master this look. Based on my research, the movie lip is blurred, matte, soft, tinted, just-kissed. I guess it’s clean girl-coded (a trend we’re apparently ‘over’ but IMO will always be around), although it’s far from the overdrawn, honey-glazed Hailey Bieber pouts of the world. It’s more of a French clean girl, fille propre look, which I’m a sucker for (see this Violette FR tutorial). Importantly though, it’s a look that can work on all skin tones, not just fair-skinned Elvish women.

 

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Makeup artists were doing ‘movie lips’ long before Bisou Balms and Powder Kiss lipsticks existed. As much as I love an excuse to buy a new lip product, you can probably achieve the look using something you already own – or something your sister, mum, or housemate owns. According to the professionals I asked, it’s really all about the technique. 

How the professionals create movie lips that last

“I like to do a few different techniques to create this kind of look,” explains makeup and prosthetics designer Stef Knight, who has over 30 years of experience in the film industry. “Benefit does a great range of tints, from sheer to more solid colours like FloraTint or GoGoTint. These are long-lasting and come in a great range of colours for all skin tones.

“The other thing I use for a more solid colour effect is to take a much brighter colour than I want and apply it with a finger, smudging it into the lips really well, then I feather out the edges with a fluffy brush. This gives a great pop of colour without it looking made up or like lipstick. Usually matte lipstick works best so it doesn’t have a lot of shine.”

For New Zealand-based makeup artist Katie Rogers, prepping the lips with a scrub first is key, to enhance their natural colour. “I use Lanolips Lip Scrub, then a balm that’s not too glossy such as Maryse Treatment Balm. Then, I would use Maryse Mineral Tint in Dahlia, pressed into the lips using my fingertips so it’s nicely worked in the centre. Then I would use a lip brush to smudge the edges so it has a soft look. Then blot it down with a tissue.”

The best products for instant movie lips

I get it, not everyone has the time or patience for lip brushes and blotting tissues. Here are some tried-and-tested options covering all skin tones that will shortcut the look for you. 

Violette_FR Bisou Balm in Guimauve

 

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The Violette_FR Bisou Balm is a moisturising matte lipstick with a slight blurring effect. The shade Guimauve, which means marshmallow in French, is a soft cloud of coral with a touch of spice.

Maryse Mineral Tint in Dahlia 

 

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New Zealand-based beauty brand Maryse offers four shades of tinted balms for lips and cheeks. Dahlia is a crimson hue with brown undertones, ideal for medium to deep skin tones.

Rom& Zero Velvet Tint in Villain Vest

 

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Described as a ‘bludging’ (blurring and smudging) tint with a velvety finish, Rom& Zero Velvet Tint in Villian Vest is an ideal ‘My Lips But Better’ shade for deeper skin tones.

Nars Powermatte Lipstick in Thunder Kiss

 

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Nars Powermatte lipstick in Thunder Kiss is a deep mauve with a cool undertone, in a long-wearing lightweight matte finish.

Glossier Generation G Sheer Matte Lipstick in Fuzz

 

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A sheer yet buildable matte formula, Glossier Generation G Lipstick in Fuzz is a soft rosy taupe that will suit a wide range of skin tones.

MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick in Sultry Move

 

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For fair to medium skin tones, MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick in Sultry Move (a bright rose brown) is as close to the Kiera Knightley reference as I could find.

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