As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.
Before we start, I am not a lip girl. I would love to wear an in-your-face red like Taylor Swift or try to have the glossiest pout in the room, but lip products and I do not get along. They either end up on my teeth, in my hair, or gathered at the edge of my lip. I have tried every hack to stop my lipstick from bleeding, but I'm yet to find one that works – let alone make my lips look slightly more plumped. This is why I was intrigued to try Huda Kattan's Lip Cuffing technique, a method she swears by and promises will not only keep the product in place, but will also give you the illusion of a fuller, plumper pout. oral health care
The beauty influencer and CEO of Huda Beauty, has posted countless videos on social media showing off her lip cuffing method, which all have thousands of views and comments from fans suggesting this is the best way to apply lip products. What concerns me is how easy she makes it look. I'm not sure my skills are quite up to scratch, however I'm happy to give it a good go.
Keep reading to see how I actually managed to recreate the technique and how I was quite shocked by the result.
Here’s my Lip Cuffing technique for the juiciest, poutiest-looking lips #lipcuffing #fyp #foryou #tiltoksalon @Huda @Huda Beauty
If you think it's just lining your lips, you would be incorrect. According to Kattan this five-step method is all about contouring your pout, "It's such an amazing technique — it's my go-to right now!" she told POPSUGAR UK exclusively. " It is a technique I created to 'contour' the lips, add dimension and create your desired shape for the poutiest lips."
This five-step method uses two lip liners, your chosen lip colour, powder and a gloss on top. Which for a tinted lip balm gal seems quite intense, but if it will give me a full pout like Huda's I am willing to try anything. Especially as I've found as I'm getting older, the outer corners of my lips are becoming noticeably thinner. If I can master this correctly it could prevent me from considering filler, as this is something I have always been too nervous to try.
I went straight to the guru herself for the step-by-step guide and tried to follow as best I could. "First, you need to 'cuff it'," says Kattan. "Choose a shade a few shades darker than your natural lip colour to define the corners." According to Kattan by playing with darker and lighter lip liner shades it creates dimension and makes your lips the focus. As I didn't want something too dark I went for Huda Beauty Lip Contour 2.0 in Warm Brown (£19) as this was still darker than the colour I was planning to use for the rest of my lips and deeper than my natural shade.
After applying to the corners, Kattan says the key is to blend the pencil in using a brush or your fingers. I chose my fingers as I couldn't find a small enough lip brush and if fingers were good enough for the lady herself then they were good enough for me too.
The third step is filling in it. "I call this step 'link it'," says Kattan. "This is when you connect the deeper shade of liner with a lighter one; my go-to shade is "Warm Brown." As I had used this shade for the corners I went for Warm Pink for the rest of the lips.
Finally, you need to fill it in with your go-to lipstick. I thought I would go for my regular Sculpted By Aimee HydraLip in Berry (£16) as this is quite a subtle colour and I am used to wearing it, I didn't want to try a new technique that was already out of my comfort zone and then hate the shade.
Kattan then adds a loose powder on top, but I got a bit nervous with this step and just pressed a tiny bit in the middle and top of my lip colour. To finish she adds a lip gloss on top. I went for Huda Beauty Faux Filler Lip Gloss in Clear (£18) as our team recently reviewed the new range and I am obsessed with the finish and how it adds shine without drying out your lips.
teeth desensitizing gel syringe Overall I was impressed. Considering this is about four steps more than my regular lip application I didn't find it took too long to complete. I was quite taken aback about how full my lips looked afterwards and kept catching myself in the mirror in shock. I looked like a lip girlie for once and I was kind of feeling it. I'm not sure I will do it every day, as I find this is quite a statement way to wear makeup and I have more of a laid back, natural style. But if I had a big event I would definitely use this technique again.