How to Do Ombré Lips: A Step-by-Step Guide

What are ombré lips?

Ombré lips is a lipstick look that uses two colours to create a softly diffused, gradient look. This is usually achieved with a darker shade of lip liner and a lighter shade of lipstick that subtly blend into one another.

This two-toned lipstick trend is a modern twist on the classic 90s matte lipstick look of nude matte lipstick and brown lip liner. For contemporary ombré lip looks, colours either complement one another or offer a high contrast. The final gradient lip look can be kept matte or finished with a shimmery gloss.

1. Choose your colour combination

Before you dive in with your ombré lips, you’ll need to choose your shade of lipstick and lip liner. Lancôme Australia’s Beauty Director Lara Srokowski shares her tips for finding the perfect two-toned colour combination:

“Start by deciding if you want two shade variations of one colour – like two different tones of reds or nudes – or if you want two opposing colours. This could be a dark brown lip liner paired with a red lipstick for a more contrasted gradient effect.”

Below are some of our favourite colour combinations for ombré lipstick.

1. Ombré red lipstick – two shades of red (with the same undertone) and the darker option as your liner. One of our favourite vivid red lipsticks is the L'Absolu Rouge Drama Matte in ‘160 Light My Rouge’.
2. ‘Cherry cola’ or ‘vampy’ ombré lips – red lipstick and dark brown liner are used for this look. Our brown lip liner pick is the Lip Idôle Lip Shaper in ’62 Morning Espresso’.
3. Nude ombré lips – use a dark nude liner with a lighter nude lipstick, such as the L'Absolu Rouge Drama Matte in ‘217 Nude Shot’, to create a nude gradient.
4. Berry ombré lips – pair mauve or pink lipstick (like the L'Absolu Rouge Cream Lipstick in ‘888 Kind Of Sexy’) with a complementary darker liner for a rich, berry take on the ombré look.

If you’re not sure which lipstick shades will work best for your skin tone and undertone, try our virtual makeup try-on tool.

2. Prep your base

A smooth, hydrated lip surface is fundamental to any ombré lipstick look because you’ll need to do some blending to achieve the proper gradient effect.

As part of your skin prep for makeup, you may find it beneficial to lightly exfoliate your lips first. You can do this with either a dedicated lip scrub or a soft-bristled toothbrush. This can help slough dead skin cells that collect on the surface.

Then, finish with a nourishing lip balm of your choice. Allow it to fully absorb into your lips before applying any lip makeup products.

3. Line your lips

The basis of your gradient lips starts with your lip liner, so you’ll want to seek out a highly pigmentated formula that also offers great blendability for a soft diffusion of colour. And our creamy matte Lip Idôle Lip Shaper is up to the task! This waterproof, longwearing lip liner is perfect for crafting precise lines while maintaining lip comfort.

It’s important to take this step slowly – and you might find it easier to work in sections. Trace your bottom lip line, move to the cupid’s bow, then line the corners.

4. Softly diffuse your lip liner inwards

Perfecting the ombré lip look is about mastering the subtle transition of colour from your darker liner shade to your lighter lipstick shade. As you’re lining your lips, you can gently diffuse it by using a lighter touch as you bring the liner closer to the centre of your lips.

Alternatively, you can finish lining your lips as normal, then take a small lipstick brush or a smudging brush to subtly blend towards the centre of your lips. While this can be done with a cotton bud or the tip of your finger, a brush is going to give you more precision. The centre of your lips should stay relatively bare – this is where you will apply your lipstick.

5. Apply lipstick in the centre of the lips

Take your lipstick and apply colour to the centre of your lips. Your lip liner should be mostly diffused already, but you’ll want to blur the lipstick and lip liner colours together for a more seamless gradient. Here, you can either lightly blend with the tip of your finger or press your lips together to disperse the pigment. You can also reach for your trusty brush again to smooth out any obvious lines between the inner and outer lip areas.

6. Keep it matte or strive for shine

Now that you’ve created a flawless gradient between two lip colours, you can either keep your ombré lipstick matte – or finish with a swipe of lip gloss or balm.

For a touch of iridescence, we love finishing with our Lip Idôle Squalane-12 Butterglow™, which offers buildable colour, flattering shine, and lasting hydration. We suggest choosing a complementary shade and applying a thin layer to keep your ombré lips intact.

Before you create your own ombré lipstick look, it’s important to get your makeup base just right. Next, discover our expert tips on how to apply liquid foundation.