When Katseye made their debut last June, they immediately found themselves in the spotlight. Timed around their official debut, Netflix released the documentary Pop Star Academy: Katseye, and people were hooked from the start.
It’s been less than a year since then, and the girls have already made their mark. People have been obsessed with their latest record Gnarly (it’s even become a trending audio clip on Tiktok). And while I admit that the track has been living rent free in my head since its release, what I’ve truly been obsessed with is Sophia’s look in the Gnarly music video.
In the video, Sophia Laforteza, the group’s leader from the Philippines, sported a juicy lip combo that I can’t put out of my mind. The pink, plump pout became a small fixation for me, and I went to BeautyTok to do some digging. Turns out I wasn’t the only one who was captivated by Sophia’s lip combo.
Ahead, discover how to recreate Sophia’s stunning lipstick combo on yourself, along with some of our best recommendations for perfecting the look.
The Liner
Start by over-lining your lips with a lip pencil. Choose a lip liner that’s just a smidge darker than your intended lipstick shade. This not only adds depth and dimension, but also creates a nice contrast that’s reminiscent of Y2K-style makeup. When done right, over-lined lips helps to build volume, even on thin lips. The key to this is to keep the line sharp and thin everywhere except above the cupid’s bow and around the corners of the lower lips. If you’re after a more subtle finish, you can feather out the line slightly before moving on.
A signature Sophia lip is a bright baby pink, so for the lip liner, we recommend reaching for something like Kosas’s Hotliner Hyaluronic Acid Contouring Lip Liner in Beyond. With hyaluronic acid and konjac root in its formula, the liner is ultra creamy, satiny and comfortable on the lips. It even comes with a small brush that can be used to softly blend out the pigment.
The Lipstick
Next, the lipstick. To achieve that eye-catching pink tone that Sophia wears on her lips, you’ll need a lipstick that’s balmy, hydrating and vibrant. Use the bullet to fill in your lips, lightly swiping over your liner for a soft blend (without undoing your precise liner efforts).
While Sophia does enjoy her cool-toned pinks, she’s not afraid of warmer colours like corals and peaches either. No matter if you’re cool-, warm-toned or neutral, for lipstick, we love the formulation of Chanel Beauty’s Rouge Coco Flash, for its smooth, gliding texture and flash finish. The two shades we recommend are Freeze, a soft pink, as well as Sunset, a burnt orange-red hue.
The Gloss Topper
Now, here comes the section that will transform the lip look. There’s a reason why Sophia’s lips always look so luscious and full. Beyond the balmy textures of her lipstick, she never forgets to finish the look with a multi-dimensional topper. Sophia has been loving Glossier’s Lip Glaze, the gloss created in collaborated with the girls of Katseye. The high-shine lip gloss comes in six shades (each inspired and worn by a Katseye member), and Sophia’s colour is a cool-toned pink shade called Chilly. Spread Chilly generously over the lips for a glass-like finish that not only volumises but also amps up the glam factor.
If Glossier is too hard to get your hands on, don’t fret. Try this one from Fenty Beauty, for instance. The Gloss Bomb Oil Luminizing Lip Oil ‘N Gloss in shade Miss Jellyfish is a stunner. The product boasts the functions of both a lip gloss and a lip oil, naturally nourishing your pout with each use. Plus, the lilac-toned shimmers create such a distinct sparkle that is hard to find elsewhere. You can focus the topper on the top of your cupid’s bow, and along the fullest section of your bottom lip, for a pronounced 3D effect. Trust us, the results are life-changing.
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