Written by Lilit
What’s up, ombré? Coming to you straight from Australia (by way of Novato, California), beautiful blogger Lilit of Makeup and Macaroons shows how to create a fantastic makeup effect in three simple steps.
Ombré is everywhere — ombré eyes, hair, and even ombré nails.
But what exactly is ombré? And can you do it to your lips?
Ombré is French for an effect with a gradual colour transition from light to dark; for example, with hair, when the ends are deliberately lighter than the roots. Notice I said, “deliberately,” and not the usual “I can’t be bothered with it” regrowth.
And yes, you can do it to your lips. In fact, here’s how!
You’ll need…
- 1 x dark lipstick — I used MAC Up The Amp ($14.50 US; $36 AUD)
- 1 x light lipstick (or concealer) — I used one of my favorite lighter colors from a local Australian brand Innoxa Matte Lipstick in Peaches & Cream ($14.95 AUD) because it creates a concealer-like effect
TIPS: I think it’s better to use fairly opaque lip colours for this effect because you want to get enough coverage both with the first dark layer, and then again with the light layer on top. So, ladies, set aside those Rouge Cocos for this look.
Step 1: Apply the darker, opaque lipstick straight from the tube
And I’d suggest leaving the lipliner alone for this, unless you’re going for a ’90s throwback look.
Step 2: Apply the lighter lipstick (or concealer) in the middle of your pout
Step 3: Blend
Using your finger, blend the lighter colour into the darker one, while being careful to leave the edges darker than the middle.
Optional Step 4: Add a clear gloss
An optional step. For more of a modern edge, add a clear gloss on top.
And you’re done! I hope you enjoyed. 
Written by Lilit
Lilit was born in Armenia but has lived in Australia for more than 20 years. She started her blog, Makeup and Macaroons, to save her husband from having to listen to her explain the benefits of MAC lipsticks over every other brand, and why a girl can never have too many peachy blushes. She and her husband both travel a lot, and their favourite places to go are off the beaten track, especially in South America — basically, places where you don’t need makeup at all, not that that stops her from bringing an entire suitcase filled with it (and adding more along the way).
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That is really cool and unique! I LOVE the ombre nail look (the hair… I once saw a funny tweeter say “ombre hair is just a fancy excuse for not dying the roots” LOL it’s hard to master properly). Thanks for sharing this post
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Thanks for the post! I been hearing about doing this for hair but for lips is absolutely awesome. I’m gonna try this out tonight when I go out.
I did this years ago for a concert…. But it was to see Marilyn Manson, so I used black and blood red.
Oooh that would have looked quite fierce no doubt!
such an informative post… Thank you
LOVE this! i’ve been toying with doing an ombré effect on my hair but i think i’ll stick to nails & lips until i’ve made a decision :p.
great post, lilit!
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Me too, toying with idea of getting hair ombred but worried that by the time I makeup my mind it will not longer be hip and I’ll look like a tragic reject from 2011.
Well done! I would love to see how this looks with a dark red lipstick as a base … I guess I’ll have to try it out myself
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Ooo, this looks like it’ll be pushed into a cool over-the-top direction if you used a slightly darker lipliner too!
Ada recently posted … Monterey Bay: CANDY FOREVER
very pretty!! never thought of doing an ombre effect on the lips…definitely going to try this!
I don’t think I’ll do this look. It’s like a flashback of the dark lip liner and lighter lipstick look. Might be fun for Halloween though.
There is that risk, but if you use 2 colours fairly close to each other you should be fine. Or as you said, save it for Halloween!
This is super nice! It looks nice, I’ll be trying it out, but since I’m not too adventurous I might pick two colors that are closer :0 I’ve been playing around with ombre-ing my hair, might as well do lips too! Haha
Thanks for having my post up Karen, and thanks so much everyone for your comments. It’s definitely one of those looks that you want to go easy on otherwise you’ll look like you escaped from the 90s. To keep it modern the colours, should be only about 3 shades different from each other. xo
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Beautiful look Lilit! So weird, I just stumbled across your blog yesterday (and loved it!) and now here you are on MBB! Twilight Zone moment!
He he he I’ve got the Twighlight Zone theme song in my head now!
What a cool look!
This was a great post! I will definitely be trying this with different colors and seeing which ones work the best
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LILIT!!! Very impressed by your guest post.
I rock an ombre-almost lip sometimes… I find a bright pink lipstick with an orange centre looks particularly cool.
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Clare, only you can rock bright pink with an orange centre and look cool! Totally need to try it!
Fun! I can’t wait to try this.
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I love it! It gives the lips so much more dimension
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WOW, never thought of ombre lips! Good on you, Lilit!!!!
Wow, such a great colour combo! What a neat idea.
totally stunning .. :)very good post Lilit ..
Awesome post, Lilit! ~fan of your blog for months now
Hi Sarah, nice to see you here!
I love this look! I would never have thought of that on my own. I’m totally coveting the Australian brand.
This is awesome! I love it Lilit
That is cute, but just so you know: ombré isn’t a french word. We have ombragé, but that was a totally different meaning, and ombrer but it’s a verb. Ombre is a noun but that means shadow, ombré doesn’t exist
How interesting, thanks for the clarification!
The French word for “an effect with a gradual colour transition from light to dark” would be “dégradé de couleurs”. I know French vocabulary isn’t the point at all ;))
Love your bright/awake eye look! What colors did you use?
Hi Nicole, I used inglot shine e/s #40 (dark purple) all over lid then MAC phloof (frosted white/cream) in the inner corner of my eyes and brow bone. Also instead of using pencil eyeliner I smudged a little bit of black e/s (some random one, Jordana perhaps) in the lash line.
Usually I hate tricks like this, but this really looks beautiful and like it would be easy to do and wear. Lovely and unique.
Hmm, even with related lipsticks this stlil swerves dangerously close to dark lip liner and lighter lipstick. Still, your execution is very good.
hehe, i’ve done this with a light and a medium blue based pinks a while ago <3 it's pretty, looks good on you