There seems to be million makeup trends circulating the internet at all times, but one that we found extra intriguing was the newly trending “gym lips” trend. Coined by Kelli Anne Sewell, celebrity makeup artist and content creator, the name of this trend hit her after she applied a subtle lip combo before a workout and posted it to her Instagram.
“I think people like feeling like they’re part of something and people like doing a no-makeup look,” she says. “I don’t think anyone had given a lip combo this name, but now people seem to have transformed it to mom lips or airport lips.”
What are gym lips?
“Gym lips was just a lip combination I started to wear when I’m wearing basically no makeup,” says Sewell. “I’d put on my Supergoop Glowscreen SPF 40 ($36), brush up my brows for the gym and, while I liked the way my lips look overlined, I was finding that when I overlined them with the lip liners I’d use for a full face of makeup, they would look totally overdone.” Adding that the contrast was too much on her almost-bare face, she set off to find a lip liner that was essentially the exact shade as her natural lip color for a more subtle look. “When you use a lip liner that’s the exact same shade as your lips, it blends really well and still gives you that appearance of fuller, plump lips.” The two liners she prefers are from NYX and Kevyn Aucoin.
Once a your-lips-but-better liner is applied, the next step is applying a sheer lip treatment, like the Laneige Lip Balm ($17) or The Lip Butter Balm ($23) from Summer Fridays on top.
How did this term take off?
With 163K followers, it’s not difficult for Sewell to get a trend started, but she says the term’s catchiness is what made it take off. “It’s just something casual and I thought it sounded catchy. I remember posting on the way to the gym. I told my followers ‘It can just be our little secret—the gym lip.’ At the time, I thought it sounded funny and I still do. I think people like feeling like they’re part of something and people like doing a no makeup look. It’s anytime you want to look like you’re not wearing makeup but for it to feel elevated.”
What are the essential products needed to achieve gym lips?
The influencer says you need a liner that matches your exact lip color in order to achieve the trend. “I think this trend is happening because it’s not like you have to get a specific lip product that’s sold out everywhere because TikTok sold it out. It’s a little challenging for everyone to find a lip liner that’s right for you. It can be drugstore or it can be splurges. And then you need to pair the liner with a lip treatment. It can be some simple like Aquaphor or Chapstick—whatever!”
