Blake Lively Admits She Went to Extreme Measures for Plump Lips in High School

Blake Lively wearing a white dress and blazer and smiling at the camera in front of a marble wall

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 29 October 2024

Let's face it, when it comes to achieving the perfect makeup look, we've all tried some questionable tricks. But Blake Lively's recent social media revelation proves that even Hollywood's most glamorous stars have their own beauty horror stories.

The actress took to Instagram on Monday, Oct. 28 after the 2024 CFDA Awards to give fans a closer peek at her stunning beauty look, which was created by makeup artist Carolina Gonzalez. While showcasing her perfectly plumped lips—achieved through the trendy Gen Z technique of using eyeshadow instead of lip liner—Lively couldn't help but reminisce about her own teenage beauty misadventures.

"You wash off your makeup & accept that you are a millennial girl who, in high school used to wear lip gloss with alarming amounts of chili peppers inside for a plump because we were THAT committed to bad ideas," the star confessed in her Instagram Story.

She added, "Turns out eyeshadows are way less painful than Carolina Reapers."

A closeup of Blake Lively's face with plump lips and a caption that says she used a "shadow lip trick to make your lips look huge." — Lively showed off her plump lips in a before photo.

A picture of Blake Lively wearing a strapless top and no makeup with writing talking about how she used lip gloss with peppers in it as a teenager — After washing off her makeup, the actress admitted that she used to rely on some "bad ideas."

The Gossip Girl alum concluded the post by thanking Gonzalez "for not turning my mouth into an episode of Hot Ones," referencing the viral YouTube show where celebs spill about their lives while eating progressively hotter wings.

I did a bit of TikTok research on the topic, and one creator noted that she's been using the eyeshadow as lip liner tip lately and says it "lasts way longer and looks way better." Consider me intrigued.

For those curious about recreating Lively's pain-free pout, Gonzalez used Armani Beauty's Lip Power Long-Lasting Satin Lipstick in shade 106 contoured with the matte shade 207. The soft makeup provided the perfect accent to her all-white Michael Kors ensemble for the CFDA Awards, which were held at New York City's Natural History Museum.

Blake Lively standing on a staircase wearing a white skirt with a slit and white blazer — Lively glowed in a white Michael Kors look.

Her dress featured a ribbed white top and sparkling sequined skirt with a high slit, and she wore an oversized white blazer over her shoulders.

This year marks the first time in a decade that Lively has attended the affair, and she made sure to wow with a massive Lorraine Schwartz diamond pendant along with a sparkling bracelet, earrings and rings from the designer.

The Deadpool & Wolverine actress kept the glitter going with crystal-studded naked Christian Louboutin heels and bouncy curls to go with her pumped-up pout.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.

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