In the past we have all been obsessed with making our lips look larger, our lip color staying on for days, and drawing on some else's idea of what a perfect pout should look like. I say ENOUGH already! Ladies there is NO set standard of the perfect lip. Lips are beautiful small, large, thin, thick, bow shaped, crooked and uneven. It is what makes us unique. It gives us character and quirkiness and yes, sex appeal! There are a lot of great new lip products on the market today, and the good news is they focus more on enhancing our already perfect pouts and less on changing them. Lip liners are my first issue. I can't stand most colored lip liners, and they have been abused for years. Women have used them to draw on lips they don't have, correct unevenness that would other wise look really cute, try and keep lipstick in place for 24 hours or more, and seal in gloss only to get "ring around the mouth" in a few hours. Now colored liners have their place. If you absolutely hate to reapply and you want to keep lipstick in place for a long time than I suggest using a colored lip liner to trace your natural lip line, soften the edge with a Q-tip for a natural look and then fill in the lips. Now swipe an exact matching lipstick color over it for a long-lasting look. Stay away from the longwearing lipsticks because they only dry out your lips, causing chapping and parching, so use this trick instead. For anyone else there are great new liners available. For women who have the bleeding lipstick issue there are clear and skin tone lip liners that seal in lipsticks and glosses without ever giving you the "ring around the mouth" look. There are great shimmering highlight lip liners that, when traced around the outside of your natural lip line, enhance your lips and bring them up to their full potential. This is the only way, in my opinion, to make your own natural lips look their fullest. Lip injections and burning lip plumpers are ridiculous. You see all these inflamed and unnatural looking lips that appear painful, not pretty. The new lipstick, lip balm and lip-gloss combos are fantastic. They are a wonderful 3-in-1 product offering color, moisture, and shine all in one easy application. They come in great shades and you can find one for every budget. Sheer lipsticks are also fantastic. These lipsticks are a great way for women to experiment with new colors and trends: because of the sheerness of the color they will look right every time. There are even lip colors now that make your teeth look whiter: you can get a brighter, whiter smile with an easy swipe of gloss. The actual shade is the reason for this because it contains special color pigments, i.e., blue undertones that make teeth look their whitest. Nutrients, antioxidants and other yummy skin treats are also showing up in new lip formulas. It's about time we focus on the health of our lips and not the size of them. Now let's apply that to every aspect of our beauty.

1. Sally Hansen Invisible Lip Liner available at drugstores everywhere
2. Guerlain Divinora Lip Pencil in "Cupidon" available at www.sephora.com
3. Neutrogena MoistureShine Soothing LipSheers available at drugstores everywhere.
4. Laura Mercier Lip Kisses with SPF 15 available at www.sephora.com
5. Revlon SuperLustrous Shiny Sheers available at drugstores everywhere.
6. Body and Soul Sheer Lipsticks available at www.bodyandsoul.com
7. Benefit California Kissin' Smile Brightening Lip Shine available at www.benefitcosmetics.com
8. Sally Hansen Smile Brightening Lip Treatment available at drugstores everywhere.
9. Almay HydraColor Lipstick available at drugstores everywhere
10. Bourjois Docteur Glamour Intensive Moisturizing Treatment available at www.sephora.com

Have a question you want Carmindy to answer? Email her at newsletter@carmindy.com

Debbie Jackson writes:
I would like to know the name of the spray foundation that you use on the show. Also, what is the cream shadow that you use under the brow and the inside corner of the eyes?

Carmindy:
I use either Era Spray Foundation or Sally Hansen Airbrush Makeup. For the highlight under the eyes and on the inside corners I use either Benefit Highbeam or a shadow like NYC Sparkle Eye Dust.

Carly Buck writes:
I love what I see on What Not To Wear. I have very pink, uneven skin. It is a little bit dry on my cheeks and forehead. What products do you recommend to even out my skin tones and to moisturize and exfoliate with? I love watching you and I visited your website. I've learned so much by reading your tips and watching your techniques. All the best

Carmindy:
Carly, if your skin is really dry, try a moisturizing foundation like Shiseido Makeup Hydro-Liquid Compact Case that will cover and re-hydrate at the same time. Always give your skin a good scrub with white sugar every other day to stay flake free, then moisturize day and night. Apply the moisturizing foundation with a non-latex sponge by stippling it onto the skin, not pulling or dragging it.

Amanda Russell:
I was wondering if you had any tips or product recommendations for covering up tattoos and birthmarks. I am getting married in October and I have a birthmark that won't be covered by my dress. I am very fair skinned, and this quarter sized birthmark is very dark brown. Also, one of my bridesmaids has a tattoo on her chest that she desperately wants to cover up. Unfortunately, the dress she's wearing will only cover a small part of it. Please help! Thanks so much.

Carmindy:
No worries, it can be covered! The key is to get serious about concealing the problem. I recommend trying the Cinema Secrets Ultimate Foundation Palettes. This is a thick long lasting concealer/foundation that will hide any birthmark or tattoo. For the tattoo, first stipple on a more orange shade and then cover that with the perfect match to your skin tone. The orange will erase the tattoo by counteracting the bluish tones of the ink. For your birthmark, stipple on a more yellow shade followed by your natural skin tone. Remember to dust with a translucent powder to set the makeup and have it last all night long.