The Viral TikTok Red Lip Hack Creates The Ultimate Lived-In Glam
TikTok beauty trends can be fleetingly relevant, or teach you hacks that you will love for the rest of your life. And while we're not entirely sure what can make or break a trend yet, we're appreciative of the beauty hacks that have stuck around long enough to become staples in our makeup routines, the latest of which happens to be a flirty red lip (and as we know, a red lip is always a good idea).
The red lip hack that has recently gone viral involves picking up pigment from your favorite red lipstick with the tip of your index or middle finger — whichever is more comfortable — and slowly, delicately dabbing it onto your lips. The genius behind the technique? None other than renowned makeup artist Pat McGrath, whose looks have graced many a runway and whose makeup brand is as successful as ever (even helping Taylor Swift maintain her ethereal glow on a sweaty world tour). The result of this hack? A lived-in glam look any rockstar girlfriend (or the adopters of their aesthetic) would be jealous of. Thankfully, this pigmented yet messy red lip is one of the easiest TikTok hacks to recreate, and we can tell you exactly how to do it.
From fingertip to lip
If you want to remain true to the Pat McGrath approach to this bold red lip, you'll want to use only your fingertip for application. In this version of applying lipstick, the actual lipstick does not touch your lips, nor does any other beauty tool (except a brush and concealer for cleanup purposes, after).
For those who have ever felt intimidated by a bold lip, this technique is perfect because you won't risk it getting messy with a straightforward application. Instead, you'll want to touch your steadiest finger onto the product — weird feeling, but you get used to it — and once you've picked up enough product, begin softly and evenly dabbing the pigment across your lips. When you've covered all your bases, start blending with quicker dabs or slow and steady strokes for more even coverage.
Easy, right? And if you're scared of going straight from lipstick, to finger, to lips, try rubbing some lipstick on the back of your hand and picking it up from there, rather than straight from the product. This should provide more control and a slower color buildup.
The brush alternative
While Pat McGrath's viral red lip hack is unconventional in its form of application and neglects the use of traditional beauty tools — it's simply done with a confidence she's earned with her years of experience — you may also achieve this simple, messy glam with a lip brush or a repurposed eyeshadow brush.
For a similarly bold, messy red lip, grab your densest eyeshadow brush and pick up the pigment from your favorite red lipstick directly onto your brush. Then, with sure strokes fill out your lips until you have an even, sheer coat of color. Keep building up the pigment until you reach the boldness you want, and then blur the edges with your finger for an optional but stunning blurred finish. And the cherry (red) on top of this perfect look? Add just a couple of dabs straight from the lipstick onto the center of your lips to create a gradient — this gives it the lived-in, end-of-the-night look we all strive for.