#Crystallips is the totally over-the-top Instagram beauty trend we're obsessed with
Search #lipart on Instagram and you'll find a handful of glitter-laden, rhinestone-encrusted lip looks hashtagged #crystallips. It's a trend that started late last year, but continues to gain momentum.
Makeup artist and major social influencer Vlada Haggerty (who has 670k followers on Instagram) has been posting snaps of her hair and makeup artistry to Instagram since 2012. And while her crystal lips are getting a lot of attention, neither Haggerty nor her lip art are new to the spotlight. Opinions abound about whether the youngest of the Kardashian crew, Kylie Jenner, ripped off Haggerty's melting lips look for the packaging of her Kylie Lip Kits in 2015. The controversy put Haggerty on the front page of every major women's publication.
In September, celebrity makeup artist Pat McGrath shared a pic of glitter and rhinestone lip art created by Haggerty using McGrath's products and the #crystallips trend took off. "I drew a lot of my inspiration from Pat McGrath," says Haggerty. "I think crystal lips are so popular, because it combines two of our favorite things: beautiful colors and sparkle!" Haggerty's favourite of her crystal lips looks? Her tribute to Salvador Dali's Ruby Lips Brooch.
Around the same time, makeup artist Johannah Adams, inspired by a piece of gold-dipped crystal jewellery, posted an image of her own crystal lips. While many of her posts received over 1,000 likes, her crystal lip art got more than 10,000, so she created more, including this amethyst geode-inspired look.
Search #crystallips now and you'll find a collection of geode and jewellery-inspired lip looks, including Adams' Frozen look, Haggerty's Fabergé egg look and makeup artist Genevieve Jauquet's heart-shaped op-art gems.
Dare to wear this look in real life? There are YouTube videos, of course.
Want something a bit more realistic for every day? We asked Toronto makeup artist Shira Ben for her tips.
"As cool as it looks this look is definitely one that's hard to wear in real life for two reasons," says Ben. "One: We lick our lips a lot and ingesting glitter and rhinestones isn't very appealing. Two: Touching up regular lipstick is hard enough. Having your lip gems fall off halfway through the day would be a bit of a drag. This trend is probably best left for editorial and runway purposes."
She says that if you're looking to try something out of the ordinary, try lining your lips with a glitter eyeliner. "This adds a bit of bling without being too much."
Try...Tarte Tarteist Pro Glitter Liner
...or Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner
For mega shine, Ben suggests Sephora Collection Ultra Shine Lip Gel. "These really amp up the shine and there are a few available with metallic finishes, which means glitter in the gloss!"
Finally, turn any lip look into crystal lips with this Glitterati Lip Coat from Stila.
