What Is the Perfect Lip Shape? | Harley Street MD (2024)

Female empowerment advocates would agree that the shape of any part of your body is perfect in its own way. Jean Haner, an expert in face reading, even claims that “You were born with the features you have for a reason — every feature is linked to a part of your personality, and they all work together to represent who you are.”

While this is certainly true, many of us remain intrigued about the latest beauty trends and what others find attractive, especially in relation to the shape of lips on both women and men. In this blog, we’re exploring different lip shapes and which are typically considered the most attractive.

What Are the Different Types of Lips?

Full Lips

Full lips are perfectly proportionate, with balanced upper and lower lips that appear plump and pillowy. The shape and volume of a person’s lips play a significant part in the perception of beauty by humans, with fuller lips in relation to facial width being a desirable feature to possess.

Bow-Shaped Lips

Bow-shaped lips are full in size and feature a prominent cupid’s bow, a pronounced dip in the middle of the upper lip.

Heart-Shaped Lips

People with heart-shaped lips also have a pronounced cupid’s bow at the top but may have a sharper bottom lip as well.

Top-Heavy Lips

If you have a heavier upper lip and an unpronounced cupid’s bow, your lip type may be top-heavy.

Bottom-Heavy Lips

When your bottom lip is fuller than your upper lip, this is considered a bottom-heavy lip shape.

Thin Lips

If both your upper and lower lips are naturally slim and have less volume, they likely fall under this category.

Wide Lips

Wide lips are longer, creating a smile that stretches from cheek to cheek.

Downward-Turned Lips

Downward-turned lips naturally turn slightly down rather than up towards the corners.

What Is the Most Desirable Lip Shape?

Perfectly Proportioned

It appears that symmetry is key to a conventionally attractive lip shape, with a survey of more than 1,000 people from 35 countries showing that a strong but mirrored plumpness in the lip was considered the most attractive. These findings are in line with recent beauty trends over the last few years, in which many people have tried to make their lips appear fuller and achieve a 50/50 ratio between the top and bottom lip.

Some people do this by overlining the lips with a dark colour, while others use a lip plumper combined with either concealer or two different nude shades of lipstick. Never try to use objects such as those from the Kylie Jenner Challenge to increase the volume of your lips, as these can make them look unnatural and swollen, even to the extent of causing bruising, sores and blistering.

For an effective lip procedure, it is always best to visit a professional aesthetic doctor who can assess your face shape and advise you on the best way forward.

The Blessed Cupid’s Bow

As well as having a voluptuous look, the most attractive lips often also feature a striking cupid’s bow, which catches the eye due to its sharp points. The cupid’s bow has always been historically attractive, but celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Angelina Jolie have ensured its continued popularity into the present day. The modern woman wishes to show off this natural accent without appearing “fake”, often choosing to accentuate this feature with soft, natural-looking lipsticks in pinks, browns, or reds.

The Golden Ratio

If we follow the Phi Ratio of Beauty, otherwise known as the “Golden Ratio” of 1.618, the perfect lips would be 1.618 times larger than the top lip and 1.618 times wider than the width of the nose. If you’re determined to accentuate your lips, you may find it helpful to keep these proportions in mind.

How to Enhance Your Lips

Makeup Is Your Friend

While the natural way is always best, a little makeup can always help you enhance your look. Why not try and apply a little lip gloss onto the middle of your lips to expand them rather than make them look overdone? Concealer can also be used to hide your natural lip shape, allowing you to use a lip liner for a plumper appearance.

Remember to Exfoliate

If you want to hack your way to fuller lips, exfoliation is the place to start. Dry lips reflect less light, so if your pout is feeling flaky, your lips may appear smaller than they are. To get rid of dry, flaky patches, brush your lips lightly with a toothbrush and try using a specially formulated lip scrub.

Take the Perfect Selfie

With the arrival of Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, there are a hundred ways to share a picture that puts your best smile forward. But what makes the social media gurus stand out in their shots is how they shape their lips in their poses. What used to be the duck face has now moved on to new and improved poses, including the small keyhole look. Imagine taking a selfie whilst pouting, but open your lips slightly to allow for a small gap. This is what looks like a keyhole and can make your lips look shaped without any need for photoshopping or contouring. By simply posing and moving your face to the appropriate position, you can achieve a natural yet fun and flirty look.

Stay Hydrated

When your body is dehydrated, your lips naturally shrivel up and appear smaller. Make sure you’re regularly drinking plenty of water to bring out the best in your lips.

Consider a Professional Treatment

If you’d love fuller lips but can’t seem to achieve your ideal look using natural methods, you may consider professional treatment. The right cosmetic clinic will advise whether treatment is a good fit for you and help you get the lip shape you’ve always dreamed of. Botox injections certainly won’t provide a good look, but hyaluronic acid lip fillers may be a great option. To avoid a disastrous look or permanent skin stretching, you should only ever seek treatment with a certified cosmetic practitioner such as Harley Street MD.

Embrace Your Natural Look

While beauty and style are important in life to give a good impression and make you feel good, it is essential to remember that even if you don’t have the roundest or fullest lips, you are not unattractive.

Be aware that trends are constantly changing — in the 1920s, women were interested in making their lips look the opposite of today’s popular, plump appearance. Ultimately, nothing is more attractive than being yourself, and the perfect lip shape can only truly be obtained with a smile on your face.

If you’d like to speak to our expert about lip filler in London, our professional team would love to hear from you. Get in touch to book a free, no-obligation consultation with our aesthetic treatment specialists, who will guide you through your options and help you achieve flawless results.