If there’s one term that has defined beauty aspirations of late, it’s the so-called “clean-girl” aesthetic. A quick scroll through TikTok reveals that this effortless-looking “no-makeup makeup look” is most commonly characterized by dewy skin, sun-blushed complexions, barely-there eye makeup and bushy brows in their most lawless form.
Kelli Anne Sewell, a celebrity makeup artist and content creator based in New York City, has popularized a new step in the clean-girl routine: a pout-enhancing trick that she’s dubbed “gym lips.”
“Gym lips [were] just a lip combination I started to wear when I was wearing basically no makeup,” Sewell told HuffPost. “I’d put on my Glowscreen and brush up my brows for the gym. I like the way my lips look when they’re over-lined, but I was finding that when I over-lined them with the lip liners that I would use for a full face of makeup, my lips would look totally overdone and there was this super stark contrast to my... no-makeup-look.”
Her solution was using a toned-down liner the exact shade of her lips to slightly over-line her natural mouth contours, then adding a glossy, nourishing lip-treatment over the lips to help blend everything together. The result, according to her was, “fuller, plump lips, perfect for anytime you want to look like you’re not wearing makeup, but still want to feel elevated.”
Sewell acknowledged that she’s not reinventing the wheel when it comes to minimalist makeup. But if you want to try out this look for yourself, she stressed the importance of using products that work best for you, and most specifically, finding that essential lip liner that mimics your natural lip color as closely as possible.
“I think this is why this trend is happening, because it’s not like you have to get a specific lip product that’s [unavailable] everywhere because TikTok sold it out,” she said.
Keep reading for some of Sewell’s favorite products that she uses to get “gym lips,” like a creamy long-lasting lip liner from the drug store and a buttery balm that plumps and relieves parched lips.
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