Let's talk about lips

I'd toyed with the idea of lip enhancement for years. We live in an age of perfected pouts and flawless faces thanks to the beauty gurus of social media and from friends to followers, I'd seen some pretty good results when it came to lip enhancement. So, as the possessor of pretty flat lips, I wanted to try it out myself. There's something about a pillowy pout I'd always loved the look of on other gals, it's feminine and a subtle enhancement of your natural beauty – when it's not done OTT of course. I mean, ily Kylie, but it's definitely all about enhancing what's already there for me. So last week, running on a few hours sleep after my late return from Berlin, I headed down to London to visit Viva Skin Clinics to finally try it out and I couldn't be happier with the results.

The best thing for me about my freshly enhanced pout is that they're still very much my lips. Same shape, just a touch fuller and my previously uneven lip line more perfected. My top lip no longer disappears when I smile, they're a perfect base for a coloured lip and in general, make me feel a touch more confident.

On the day, I headed to Viva Skin Clinic's Dental Art Studio in Old Street to meet the wonderful Dr. Rupert who would be doing my procedure. As well as being a talented cosmetic doctor, he's the loveliest guy who made me feel so comfortable and put my nerves at ease as soon as I got there (even though I was late!). We had a consultation beforehand and agreed on a minimal 0.5ml of Juvaderm for my first lip enhancement procedure to create the natural look I was after. As my bottom lip was already fuller, we decided on a little more up top and Dr. Rupert said he'd use those injection points to create a deeper cupids bow for me as well.

In terms of pain, I felt virtually nothing! We used an anesthetic cream that totally numbed the area and I only felt a minimal couple of pinches on my bottom lip and nothing on the top. So if, like I was, that's something you're nervous about – don't be, the procedures is over so quickly as well.

without/ with lip colour

You can see from the before and after's shot on the day (below) there was an immediate improvement to my uneven lip line and though much fuller, they still held my own natural shape. There was some slight swelling afterward, but not enough to stop me attending a restaurant launch back in Bristol that same evening! It can take up to a week (today, when I shot the images with the red lip) for the swelling to totally go down, but I'd say mine were completely settled the following evening.

Now they've settled, they should stay this way for up to six months and then, I'll be heading back to Dr. Rupert for a little top up. I may even be tempted to go even a little bit more fuller next time, but for now, I'm totally in love with my newly enhanced lips and can't thank Dr. Rupert and Viva Skin Clinics enough for a great experience from start to finish. You can visit their website for more information and their complete range of cosmetic treatments here.