Kiss and make up: How to master the art of smudged lipstick

It’s this season’s easy-peasy beauty trend

In the red: models backstage ahead of the Preen by Thornton Bregazzi show (Getty)

If you’re the type of person that lives for precision when it comes to your beauty look, you may want to divert your eyes, because this trend is seriously messy.

This season, intentionally blurry pouts, a la grunge beauty icon Courtney Love, were seen all over the runway in a bid to modernise the classic red lip. All smeared and stained for that “just been snogged” look, the edges were faded and centres were darkened – it bucked pretty much everything we believe in when it comes to make-up application. But, where the catwalk leads, we shall follow.

The most literal of looks was spotted on the runway at Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, where legendary make-up artist Val Garland applied layers of lipstick before smudging to create a halo of colour.

“It’s about kissing and snogging. This girl goes clubbing, she’s confident and she loves kissing,” Garland told Vogue. “I’m using Mac’s Lip Mix and smudging out the line, using a larger brush and buffing it out, and then applying gloss within the lip line but not outside it.” The make-up maestro was also responsible for similar looks at Giambattista Valli and Roland Mouret.

Topshop Unique Autumn Winter 2017 (Getty) (Getty Images)

While the latter saw several models sport a blurred lip in the prettiest of pinks, Garland adopted a dark berry pout with soft edges at Giambattista Valli, while the skin was kept bare, fresh and dewy. Admittedly, this isn’t a look many of us would be brave enough to sport IRL, but on the runway, it did prove wearable.

Lipmix in Magenta, £15.50, Mac Cosmetics

At Topshop Unique for example, make-up artist Lynsey Alexander echoed the theme with a red pout inspired by Nineties party girls. But, instead of spilling over the lines of the lip completely, the colour was lightly buffed for a worn-in and understated finish.

Matte Multiple in Siam, £25, Nars Cosmetics

A lip trend that takes less time and can be tackled by beauty buffs of any level, the best way to approach this look at home is by picking your favourite vibrant shade, applying to the centre of your mouth and patting outwards using your finger for a just-kissed look.

Nyx Professional, Lip Cream Lipstick Palette in Plums, £10, Boots

Givenchy, Le Rouge Lipstick in Framboise Velours, £26.50, Feel Unique

Charlotte Tilbury, Hollywood Lips in Dangerous Liaison, £24, Cult Beauty

Buxom, Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipstick in Wandress, £15, Cult Beauty