If there’s one beauty question most people have, it’s how to make teeth look whiter. After all, a yellowed smile is hardly the key to a good first impression. If your teeth have been stained due to coffee, red wine, smoking, etc. and you haven’t had them professionally whitened or are just in a pinch, there are a few makeup tips and tricks that will help you out instantly.
Wear the right lip color
You may remember learning in school about how certain colors react when paired with other colors. For example, blue and orange/yellow are across from each other on the color wheel, therefore blue tones tend to cancel out yellow or orange tones. If you’re looking to cancel out the yellow or orange on your teeth, you need to wear lip colors that carry a bit of blue in their hue.
This doesn’t mean wearing blue lipstick! Simply stick to lip colors that have blue undertones rather than orange or brown, which tend to bring out yellow, orange and brown colors on your teeth. Berry-hued pinks, plums and reds are great options. If you prefer to go with a more natural look, be sure to lean toward a light pink and away from peach—again, peach will pick up the unflattering colors on your teeth.
Give yourself a sun-kissed glow
Giving your skin a golden glow affects more than just your complexion. Applying bronzer or even a self-tanner to your face makes teeth appear whiter in comparison.
Don’t forget the eyes
You may not think that eye makeup could improve your smile, but it turns out that wearing purple, green or blue eye shadow will deflect yellow from the teeth. Also, darkening the eyes with shadow and eyeliner will help bring the focus up to your eyes rather than down to your smile.
Smooth on some Vaseline
Applying a thin layer of petroleum jelly to your teeth will not only make them look shinier, it will also help prevent further staining from coffee, wine and other beverages.
So, dig into your makeup bag and start exploring different colors and techniques to figure out which shades work best in terms of making your smile appear whiter.
