Overlip: K-beauty’s Secret to a Perfect Plump Pout
Put the lip plumper down, and pick up a lip pencil for this trend — just not your standard lip liner. The (blurry) overlip technique is K-beauty’s newest way to get a soft and plump pout. Blurring the lines of cute and sultry, this makeup trend volumizes any lip combination by lining and then diffusing the edges of the lip. EnVi decodes everything you need to know about the makeup trend taking over Korea.
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Decoding the Overlip Trend
As opposed to the ‘90s-inspired defined lip liner making waves in recent years, the overlip technique gives the appearance of plump lips by grazing lip liner just above the natural lip. But this is not a regular lip liner. To build volume without a garish harsh line, people are using K-beauty products.
The Korean beauty industry has long honed in on the overlip technique to achieve plump lips with an au naturel aesthetic — remember the gradient overlip trend of 2019? The fondness for this makeup technique influenced the biggest Korean cosmetic brands to try their hand at making the ultimate overlip lip pencil. Leaving behind the lip wing and lip lift techniques, this product gives the perfect blurry finish, while still offering some definition.
The pencil used for the overlip look is large and round, designed to be an unerring tool. These rounded pencils hug the contours of the lips while offering an ultra-blendable finish. Brands like rom&nd have even introduced a brush in the pencil to help blend any hard edges. Needless to say, these chunky liners are all the rage in South Korea. Neutral pink, peach, and nude have been shades people gravitate towards the most.
Beauty lovers abroad are also catching up, quickly adopting this makeup hack and the K-beauty star product. However, if you can’t get your hands on a rounded lip pencil, do not fret. A traditional lip liner paired with a fluffy lip brush can help achieve the look you’ve probably seen on stars such as TWICE’s Momo, LE SSERAFIM’s Yunjin and (G)I-DLE’s Minnie.
How to Get the Overlip Look?
Need some help recreating the look? Some makeup artists opt for softening the natural lip line before creating a new one, so a first and optional step is to tap on a thin layer of foundation on the lips. Then, create a faux border by grazing the outer edges of the top and bottom lip with the jumbo pencil. Use the incorporated brush or a cotton swab to blend the edges if needed.
Finally, fill the lips with lipstick or lip tint, coloring within the lines. The look can be left with a matte finish, or topped with a lip gloss for a healthy, shiny finish.
Pro tip: If you’re feeling experimental, draw a straight line just above the cupid’s bow, for a full lip look.
Shop the Trend
Chubby lip pencils are the true power players when sketching out a blurry, soft lip line. Team EnVi never leaves you hanging, so here are some product recommendations for you to slay the trend.
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Smudger
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Detailer
Lip Pencil
Lip Pencil
Interested in more K-beauty content? Discover the K-beauty brands taking the world by storm here.
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