#personally I'd skip the collagen

[fattributes]

Coconut Cloud Smoothie

[darklovecat]

My Pouty Sans-Juvederm Routine

I am fond of pouty lips and I personally prefer mine to be juicy, lips are a symbol of femininity and beauty and allure, and I love nothing more than covering my lips in heavy coats of plumping lip gloss before stepping out and there's no way I could leave the house without applying a very light layer of of capsaicin ointment (common vasodilator used in lip plumpers) or my trusted and all-time favorite Lip Plumper.

I have created a routine for myself to for enhancing the shape and color of my lips and I use this routine pre-makeup or on its own for an extra boost of volume while maintaining a natural and subtle look. The results are natural and I'd recommend them for obvious short term and subtle long term results, I use this routine weekly and it works for me.

As always, this is what worked for me and it's what I do, I would recommend you do your own research and make sure you know what you are doing and it's appropriate for your individual needs before following these steps, it's one of my ways for when I need to enhance my lips and accentuate their shape and color.

I prep my lips with a focus on hydration.

For starters, you need a very smooth and moisturized surface, this won't work with chapped or dry lips. You want to prevent any damage, the skin of our lips are very delicate and the thinnest part of our bodies so make sure your lips are properly hydrated. To physically exfoliate your lips, you can easily make your own peeling at home with honey and sugar to slough off all of the dead skin, and I also use a toothbrush to gently remove dead skin cells. My lips are always soft because I have incorporated more hydrating products into my daily regimen and before I go to bed I make sure that my lips are properly moisturized for an extra boost of hydration and improved texture so that I can wake up in the morning and do my makeup on smooth canvas. I always keep a spray bottle with water handy and use it before I apply any hydrating products on my skin or lips, it has worked wonders for me as I feel it activates and helps my lips better absorb the products and pull the moisture from the water. I spritz my lips with water and hydrate them by applying a very generous amount of hyaluronic acid and/or glycerin serum and really massaging them all over my lips to provide deep hydration.

I dermaroll my lips.

I have been using dermarollers for several years now for various purposes, and I have noticed excellent results. I know that dermarollers have sparked some controversy and people have raised concerns about their safety, fretting about how they could cause infections or permanent damage to the skin. I would never use one on my facial skin and would strongly advise leaving that to a professional, but I particularly enjoy using them on my lips and or for doing my microneedling treatments. Prior to use, I ensure that my dermaroller is free of bacteria by disinfecting it. Never skip this step as you want to keep it free from germs so sterilize before each use to prevent infections. I always use the smallest needle size possible, which in this case is 0.25, and I think it is way more gentle on the lips and less irritating compared to bigger sizes. The principle behind dermarolling your lips is that micro-tears are created on the lips or skin during the process, which triggers the body's natural healing response and produces more collagen. I roll my dermaroller over my lips both horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. My lips are not that sensitive to the dermaroller since the needles are tiny and I try to be as gentle as I can.

I slather some more hydrating serums and lock it all in.

My lips become slightly red after I am done with the dermarolling, I'm used to this whole process and the needle size is rather small so my lips aren't that sensitive anymore. I want to encourage and speed up the growth and healing response, the post-care routine is equally important as the actual steps so in order to promote faster healing and encourage growth, I generously apply hyaluronic acid serum once again. Then, I use an occlusive like La Neige Lip Sleeping Mask or good old Vaseline to seal in the serum in order to speed up and facilitate the healing response.

I Follow My Lip Care Regimen.

Dermarolling my lips has worked wonders in making my lips appear fuller and I increase blood flow to my lips with my lipcare regimen that consists of regular massages, exercises, special ointments, physical exfoliation, SPF lip balms, diluted essential oils and icing just to increase circulation, stimulate the blood flow to my lips and protect them from environmental factors. This routine in combination with a separate lip makeup routine makes my lips get that red plump bee stung look that I so love.

Cat.