Get ready to see 'halo lips' everywhere in 2026, including on your own face, because they're actually easier than you might think to create with just a few products. Katie Jane Hughes, the incredible makeup artist behind some of Dua Lipa's most lush lip looks (in addition to countless other glorious makeup moments), just taught us how...

The 'halo lips' trend

“You’ve got two lip lines by the way," Hughes told followers in a TikTok video. "One of them is a whiter halo around the mouth, one of them is pigmented like your lips are. Don’t play in the pigment, play in the halo."

"Go outside of that pigment part and go into the volume part," Hughes encourages. "Play in the volume, it’s way more fun, it’s way more full and voluptuous and juicy. The pigment part is, in my opinion, the safe zone, so if you want to be safe, play in the pigment. If you want to be fun, play in the volume.”

We definitely want to be fun, hence the fact that we're breaking down every step of Hughes' guide right here...

What are 'halo lips'?

Hughes' 'halo lip' technique is no doubt something she's used for years to leave her clients' lips looking as full and pillowy as possible, but in this specific tutorial, she was working on decoding a few hacks that she guessed might go into the signature lip looks created by Nina Park (another truly amazing makeup artist, who expertly paints the faces of everyone from Zoë Kravitz to Mia Goth and Lily James).

Have a look below at the types of hazy lip colours we're referencing...

How to create 'halo lips'

Here's Hughes' breakdown, step by step. It might sound like a lot of steps, but it only calls for six products: a cream bronzer, a nude lip liner, a lipstick, a powder, a fluffy brush and a darker lip liner. Here's what we'd recommend grabbing per category to build out the ideal 'halo lip' kit. Of course, shades are dependent on your skin tone and desired aesthetic...

Step 1: Cream bronzer around the lip
“I think there’s a bit of a cream bronzer situation going around the perimeter of the lip. I think that that is there to create this soft halo-y look," Hughes explains, buffing the product into the voluminous 'halo' line of the lip with a small brush. The cream bronzer Hughes reached for was a little on the cooler side for a more natural effect. We think the Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Bronzer in 'Amber' ($54 at Sephora) would work perfectly, but tailor your choice to your face and the look you're after. It may technically be designed for adding definition to the nose, but the Patrick Ta Precision Dual Ended Nose Brush ($47 at Sephora) is also great for adding shape and colour to lips. Use one side for this cream contour application, then the other for blending and blurring the lip colours later.

Step 2: Lip pencil layered on top
After buffing cream bronzer mildly into the lip edge, Hughes says to “take a pencil that’s basically going to do the same thing but more defined." She explained that "the reason that it’s going to go on more defined is because it’s more of a targeted application because it’s a pencil versus a brush. A brush is always going to make something go on quite sheer and diffused, as the diffusion is coming from the bristles because they will splay out when it touches your mouth. This [pencil] is going to apply it in a concentrated way." As for the colours to use, Hughes confirms that "obviously the tone of this first contour product is depending on the type of lip." A pinky-nude colour is always safe if you're sampling the look for the first time. The Merit Signature Lip Liner ($38 at Merit) is all about soft definition, making it the ideal option for a hazy halo effect.

Step 3: Powder the perimeter
“I’m going to put a little bit of powder to set and control where this goes and what this does, and also it’s going to make it look softer and like it’s just part of that person’s face," Hughes noted, adding a dusting of powder around the lip line. The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish ($76 at Charlotte Tilbury) is always reliable for its longevity and hazy finish.

Step 4: Buff lipstick in with a fluffy brush
“I think the lip colour starts always on the inside of the lip, where the lip kind of opens as opposed to at the edge and I think [Park] creeps toward the edge of the mouth [when applying] so that those two colours start to blend together.  I’m going to pick [the lipstick] up with a fluffy brush and apply it that way first, just to start creeping the colour close to the lip edge until I get a nice merging of the two colours.” As for your bullet, it's hard to beat the Gucci Beauty Rouge à Lèvres Voile Sheer Lipstick in 'Lilla Tawnie' ($72 at Sephora), especially for a blown out lip look. This is also where your Patrick Ta Precision Dual Ended Nose Brush ($47 at Sephora) makes a return.

Step 5: Powder again
"I think there’s a little bit of powder around the lip edge to again, make it look soft and fluffy."

Step 6: Lip liner inside the hazy halo line
“Then I’m going to go in with a lip liner. I’m going to use a warm kind of nude and not go right to the edge of the mouth, more so stay inside of that colour, even though I can’t see it, I don’t want to commit to that edge because I want that fluffy edge to remain. This is also a good time to not sharpen your lip pencils if you want to create this kind of lip, because if you sharpen your pencils, you’ll get too sharp of a line. I’m staying within the lip edge in the lip realm so that I don’t disturb that fluffiness that I’ve created with those other products.”

Step 7: Smile for seamless lip colour
“I think that she gets her clients to smile so that she can make sure that the colour is blended and smooth, because she’s a meticulous makeup artist," Hughes added, trying the trick herself. "She likes perfection as we all do, and I think that she wouldn’t send a client down a red carpet with lines in their lipstick when they smile.”

Step 8: Blur with a brush
“[To finish], you can always go back to this brush and just further blur while holding the lip taut so that you’re getting that control in the lip as opposed to if your lips are just loose," advises Hughes. "You have to sort of freeze the mouth when you’re painting it if you really want to have control.”

Step 9: Add a contrast colour within the halo
“I’m just going to use a tiny bit of a darker brown just on the inside of that lip, because I want that fluffy border to contrast a little more." We advise grabbing a deeper shade of the same Merit Signature Lip Liner ($38 at Merit) for the final step.

Step 10: One final blur
"And then I’m just going to take the brush that has that [lipstick] on it and just blend it in, so that there’s a bit more of a contrast at that lip edge, but that fluffy lip edge is very much on the outside of the defined lip colour.” 

Step 10: Pack your touch-up kit
Don't panic though, you won't need every product. "If this was a client and I’d done their makeup, I would send them on the road with [lipstick] and a small powder," says Hughes.

Main image credit: @katiejanehughes

Chasing more makeup advice? Here's how to get in on the 'butter skin' trend...