Let’s be honest, having dry and chapped lips is one of the most frustrating situations. There’s just something about a moisturised, full set of lips that makes you look so put together. Adding a layer of chapstick on top of dry lips doesn’t truly hydrate them. Instead, chapsticks just leave on a greasy layer on top of the chapped skin and that is not a cute look. So what can you do to thoroughly hydrate your lips? Follow this easy 3 step lip care routine to get soft and plump lips:

1. Exfoliating Scrub

To get rid of the rough texture that is caused by dryness, it’s important to remove all the dead skin AKA exfoliate. The first step to getting soft and plump lips is exfoliation. Exfoliating your lips will give them a smooth and even texture. This, in turn, will make your lipstick go on much better. You can create your own lip scrub with simple ingredients from your kitchen or you can purchase one. Just make sure your lip scrub has a physical exfoliant (like brown sugar) so that it can thoroughly remove any dead skin.

2. Moisturising Mask

After you’ve exfoliated your lips, they’ll have a smooth and even texture and they’ll be ready for hydration. The second step in this routine to get plump lips is a lip mask. A lip mask will nourish and hydrate your lips and it’ll do a much better job than chapstick. If you’re looking for a DIY lip mask this is one recipe I swear by:

  • 1/4 tsp of coconut oil
  • 1-2 drops of peppermint essential oil

I mix these two ingredients and apply it on my lips after exfoliating them and leave it on 15-20 minutes. Coconut oil needs no introduction since it’s been widely talked about and appreciated for its endless benefits. Peppermint essential oil will slightly plump your lips and make them look fuller. If DIY is not your thing and you prefer purchasing your beauty products, these lip masks are definitely worth splurging on:

Laneige Berry Lip Sleeping Mask

Laneige Berry Lip Sleeping Mask | (Source: www.amazon.in)

ETUDE HOUSE Cherry Jelly Lips Patch

ETUDE HOUSE Cherry Jelly Lips Patch

Kiehl's Buttermask for Lips

Kiehl’s Buttermask for Lips

3. Plumping Gloss

After your lips are hydrated and moisturised it’s time to make them a little fuller. You can do this step with the help of a lip gloss with ingredients like Hyaluronic acid. What they do is temporarily make the appearance of your lips fuller. Some plumping glosses like the Glamglow Plumprageous Gloss Lip Plumper Treatment have ingredients like ‘Capsicum Frutescens Resin’ which is derived from peppers. These ingredients cause a tingling sensation on your lips and temporarily make them appear plump. One thing to remember when it comes to these glosses is that less is more. Here are some plumping glosses that’ll help:

Glamglow Plumprageous Gloss Lip Plumper Treatment

Glamglow Plumprageous Gloss Lip Plumper Treatment

Dior Addict Lip Maximiser

Dior Addict Lip Maximiser

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lip Volumizer

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lip Volumizer

Repeat this routine once or twice a week to keep your lips soft and plump.

Follow @missmalinibeauty on Instagram for more updates.