Would you try black lips?

Black lips are probably the biggest makeup trend of the season. Beauty directors, bloggers and fashionistas are all asking the 'will you? Or won't you?' question. I must admit I'm a bit of a goth at heart. I'm sure every girl goes through a 'black phase' in their youth, when all their clothes are black. I know I did and sometimes I feel I haven't grown out of it all that much!

I love the current 'glossy goth' trend and really feel 'at home' with it. Lots of lace, black chiffon, little gloves, multi-strand necklaces a bit of leather or pvc and killer heels. I'm really working that look today (more about that later), so I decided to try out the black lip too.

Yves Saint Laurent are really the pioneer of this look. At their A/W '08/09 show models walked down the runway in glossy black wigs and even glossier black lips. You can buy the real thing, YSL Gloss Pur in Black (£17.50) at selected stores now and nationwide from February. A cheaper alternative is Barry M Lipstick in 'lp37 Black' £4.25 or Miss Sporty Perfect Colour Lipstick in 'Extreme Black' £2.49.
I didn't have either to hand today, so you may want to try out this little test before buying. I used a black eyeliner pencil to outline my lips, then gently filled them in. You may find it easier to use a softer, glossier pencil, which will glide on. I then added a clear shiny gloss over the top, to stop it from looking so dry and voila, glossy black lips. My verdict? It didn't look too bad. I suppose with the bright pink hair and pale skin I had a pretty good canvas to work on. It makes your teeth look so white and if you leave the rest of your makeup minimal it can really work. Apparently the YSL gloss can vary in colour from plum to ebony depending on how you apply it, so I may be purhcasing it after all. I think it's important to use a really dark lipliner to give the gloss or lipstick something to hold onto and these are high maintenance lips, but should last longer with that. Failing that, just use an eye pencil like I did.