"Lip Cuffing" Is Like a Facelift For Your Mouth

For those of you who may not know this about me: I love a good makeup hack. From concealing my brows to giving myself a faux-bleached look to strategically placing my concealer to fake a facelift — I'll try almost anything. That's why when I saw makeup artist Huda Kattan's latest hack for getting the "poutiest, most juicy-looking lips" (her words, not mine), I had to try it.

The process includes over-lining your lips and shading in the sides before adding any colour. Kattan's steps are aptly titled: cuff it, blend it, link it, fill it, and gloss it. Her results? Deliciously glossy lips that I couldn't wait to recreate — so I did just that.

My products of choice were the Dibs Beauty No Pressure Lip Definer ($14, originally $16) in Dark, the Made Beauty Velvet Matte Liquid Lipstick in Cookie Butter ($22), and the Huda Beauty Faux Filler Lipgloss ($19) in the shade Sugar Baby.

Like the makeup artist, I started outlining my lips, making sure to fill in the corners of my mouth with the dark-brown liner. After rubbing the liner in with my finger to blend the colour into the rest of my lip, I connected the right and left edges (just like my normal lip-lining technique). I then filled in the space with the pink lipstick, and topped it off with the lip gloss.

As to whether or not my lips looked the "juiciest" they ever have, I'd have to say no, as I typically find that tacky formulas like MAC's Clear Lipglass ($23) tend to give that effect. But those formulas also typically feel a bit sticky as a tradeoff. The Huda Beauty gloss does not provide that shine or tack, so depending on your preferences, you'll either want to go in with another layer or clear gloss for that shiny effect.

When it comes to the technique, however, especially the "cuff it" portion, I'd say that this hack is a winner. I've never been good at contouring any part of my face or body, but that's exactly what this is — playing with shadows and light to achieve a desired outcome. I noticed an upturn in the shape of my lips. Though the edges of my mouth typically tend to fold inward, making that area look a bit more pulled down when my face is at rest, I noticed that it wasn't as prominent after using this technique. When I smiled, my eyes immediately went to the lighter part of my mouth: the middle.

So, is this a technique that fundamentally changes your lips or makes them look super juicy? No, but it is a lesson in what a proper contouring technique can do for you. So in that sense, it's still a win for me.