Actress Sienna Miller turned heads at the LACMA Art + Film Gala with a blurred lip look created by celebrity makeup artist Nina Park.
The beauty style marks a departure from sharp, heavily defined lip lines in favour of a softer, diffused contour that gives the illusion of fuller lips.
Professional makeup artist Maria Catala, who founded her own cosmetics brand, explained that the blurred finish requires precise technique despite its effortless appearance. Catala noted that the method is a signature look for Park, who has become renowned among celebrities for mastering the soft-focus lip effect.
Miller has long been regarded as a red-carpet fashion reference, while the annual LACMA Art + Film Gala in Los Angeles regularly draws top international stars from the worlds of cinema, art, and fashion. Park has earned a reputation across Hollywood for her modern, minimalist aesthetic, frequently crafting understated makeup looks for high-profile clients.
Catala pointed out that while the finished mouth can appear improvised, achieving it involves careful planning. The primary goal is to create natural volume without redrawing an entirely different mouth shape.
Cupid bow overlining technique
Overlining has become a popular method to make lips appear larger, but Catala warned that the technique requires steady practice. Beginners often make mistakes that leave lips looking artificial or disconnected from their natural features.
To replicate Miller's diffused lips, Catala explained that individuals should overline only at the Cupid's bow and the center of the lips, while strictly respecting the natural boundary at the outer corners. She clarified that people should extend slightly outside their natural lip line at the center of the upper and lower lip, but never at the outer edges.
The Cupid's bow forms the distinctive double curve at the center of the upper human lip. By focusing the overlining strictly on this central peak and the middle of the lower lip, the technique adds vertical height while keeping the mouth's natural width intact.
Catala stressed that the lip pencil must have a creamy formula so it can blend out smoothly without leaving a harsh, visible line. Following this precise placement allows the lips to maintain their genuine shape while gaining noticeable fullness.
Dual lip liner shades for natural volume
Catala, who is based in Alicante in eastern Spain, revealed another key trick used by Park to create natural dimension. Rather than relying on a single lip pencil, Park applies two or more liner shades to manipulate light and shadow.
The technique mirrors chiaroscuro, the classical artistic method famously used by Italian painter Caravaggio to create volume on flat surfaces through strong contrasts. In makeup, darker tones create the illusion of depth by absorbing light, while lighter tones bring areas forward.
Catala explained that the process begins by applying a cooler, darker liner tone to contour the edges of the lips. This darker shade acts much like bronzer applied to hollows beneath the cheekbones, establishing depth around the mouth.
A second liner in a warmer shade, closer to the natural colour of the lips, is then used to trace over and blend the initial outline. To complete the gradient, lipstick is applied only in the center of the mouth, which visually pushes the central area outward and creates the illusion of fuller lips.
Blending and setting the blurred lip
Once the pencil is properly mapped, careful blending is essential to achieve the soft blur without allowing the makeup to look messy or excessively grunge. Catala recommended using a small, precise brush to soften the edges evenly.
She specifically highlighted the number 14 brush from her own makeup line as an ideal tool for the task. Catala stated that the small brush provides the control needed to blend the lip liner precisely so the blurred effect does not get out of hand.
Another crucial step that makes a major difference is locking the finished look in place with powder. Catala explained that the makeup should be set with a very small amount of translucent powder using a blending brush to ensure lasting wear.
Translucent setting powders are widely used in beauty routines to absorb oils and prevent creamy cosmetics from shifting or bleeding into fine lines. Catala emphasised that the key is using only a tiny dusting, which secures the liner while preserving a soft, touchable texture rather than drying out the lips.
Less product for maximum fullness
Catala made clear that when applying makeup, using more product does not lead to better results. She noted that makeup is often about creating a visual effect rather than piling on heavy layers, pointing to blurred lips as a prime example of this principle.
Her advice for beauty fans is to apply thin coats of lipstick and respect the natural anatomy of their mouth. She observed that understanding where to place product is valuable, but knowing where not to place it is often far more difficult and critical for a clean result.
The blurred lip trend reflects a wider industry shift toward relaxed, lived-in beauty finishes that emphasize skin texture and soft definition. By keeping overlining restricted to the center of the mouth and blending thoroughly, anyone can achieve the volume seen on Miller without altering their natural appearance.
