Pucker Up! All You Need To Know About Gym Lips!

by BR Kellie

Have you ever read about a trend and literally found yourself squinting at the words, trying to figure out what the heck they mean? This happened to me recently when I saw 'gym lips' trending. Gym lips? Like, lips that go to the gym? Lips that exercise? Lip exercises? Cue my brain imagining myself placing my lips on a bench and then puckering up and down. Lip bench-pressing, if you will. Naturally, one had to investigate further to find out if gym lips was in any way related to my lip exercising daydream, or something else entirely.

So, what are gym lips, how do we get them, and do we want them? I stretched my eye muscles and found out...

What are gym lips?

The term 'gym lips' was coined by makeup artist Kelli Anne Sewell and came about when she wanted to make herself look a little more done up before hitting the gym, but didn't want to look like she had on a face full of makeup. Her solution? She applied a lip liner that looked like her actual lip colour, then applied a lip treatment on top - and just like that she'd created a barely there but beautiful look. A look that she says is 'effortless, flawless, snatched with out “trying”'. As tends to happen these days, TikTok caught onto the idea and a trend was born.

What work does one need to put in to achieve gym lips?

The beauty of this look is in the simplicity. All you need is to find a lip liner that is as close to your natural lip shade as possible and a nourishing lip treatment - like a balm or lip mask. NOT a gloss. Then you simply take the lip liner and slightly overline your lips in order to create a fuller look, then pop the lip treatment on top to give your lips a nourished but juicy appearance.

Is this a case of no pain but lots of gain?

To be honest, if you're not confident with a lip liner or overlining your lips, this might not be the look for you. Other than that, I think it's a look anyone can rock! Once you've found a lip liner in your lip's shade and mastered overlining your lips (and this look is great because it doesn't require the over-the-top overlining that might look great on Insta but looks fake in real life), all you need is a hydrating lip treatment and you're good to go with a natural, but lush lip that pops!

Are the results worth the effort?

What I love most about the gym lip is that when combined with a quick brow tidy and a lashing of mascara, it's an easy way to look a little more pulled together - whether you're going to the gym, to the grocery store, to school pick up, or to your local cafe for a quick catch up with friends. Best of all? There's no actual gym in sight.

So, my lovelies, is gym lips a look you'll be trying? Or will you be skipping this gym routine? Get chatting below!