How to achieve a full-looking lip like makeup artist Sam Visser

In partnership with YSL Beauty

The Internet is obsessed with lip liner techniques. And I get it – what’s not to love about a pout that’s full, pillowy and contoured but in a believable way? There’s plenty of ways to get there, but who better to educate than one of beauty’s most in demand makeup artists?

Sam Visser, who is an industry icon, as well as the global makeup artist at YSL Beauty, has painted basically every iconic pout: Bella Hadid, Alex Cosani, Dua Lipa, Kate Moss… He famously loves to take his time when doing makeup, but at his recent Melbourne masterclass, Visser shared a five-step method for contoured lips that is surprisingly easy to re-create (and I should know – I tried it).

Below is everything we learned at the masterclass including lip liner tricks (valuable), and how to layer light and dark shades for volume and dimension (basically a makeup optical illusion).

Step one: Apply lip balm

No one wants their lips to look dry or flaky. Visser made a note that he always starts a lip look with a little bit of balm (nothing too rich or glossy).

Step two: Line your entire lip

The first step is to line your entire lip with your liner of choice – shade wise, go for something that matches the colour of your all over lipstick look. As for application, you can either trace your existing lip contour, or over-line for a fuller finish. Visser made a point to call out that this decision is a personal one; some of us like an overlined look while others don’t. Choose your own adventure.

YSL Beauty Lovenude Kiss Shaper Lip Liner

Step three: Contour the outer corners

Now you want to take a slightly darker liner and sketch the outer corners of your lips the create dimension. Visser explained this almost contours the lip, building on the existing shade so you get a fuller-looking finish. You can also trace a small amount under the centre of the lip to create a fake shadow.

YSL Beauty Lovenude Kiss Shaper Lip Liner

Step four: Fill in the entire lip with lipstick

Now you want to take your all-over shade and fill in your entire lip straight from the bullet, ensuring a nice opaque layer of colour.

YSL Beauty Lovenude Lip Blusher

Step five: Add a lighter shade

Finally, take a slightly lighter lipstick shade and pat it into the centre of the upper and lower lip. This steps gives the illusion of light reflection, delivering on that full, pouty look but in a believable way.

YSL Beauty Lovenude Lip Blusher

Step six:

The final step is arguably the most important: take some concealer and a flat brush and trace around the lips for a clean, precise finish. This way, you still get the full, blurry lip but the shape really stands out (like highlighting or as Visser pointed out, it has the safe effect as a fresh brow shape or hair cut).