What are your tips & tricks for long-wearing lip color?
It’s in the prep and set-up, for sure! One of the easiest ways to get longer-lasting color is to apply a lip liner underneath the lipstick or gloss, which acts as both a primer as well as the last line of defense in actual color. A lip primer can be useful, too, but I do find that lip liner gives the extra layer of color, which tends to be more visible for longer. I would tend to stick to more satin and matte lipsticks over glossier ones if I was really looking for stellar wear.
— Christine
My biggest tip is Elizabeth Arden lipstick primer – I think it’s called Lip Fix. It is such a great product. It makes matte lipsticks feel comfortable and look less dehydrating. It keeps lipstick from “travelling” outside my lip margins (making lip liner unnecessary). It is just a fabulous product. The other item I like is Lise Watier’s Virtual Lip Liner – an invisible/colourless lip liner that keeps lipstick from “travelling”. Other companies have since come out with similar products but I think Lise’s is the best of the bunch.
Second the lip liner and satin and matte textures 🙂
Prep lips: Exfoliate, if needed. Use a lip primer or a non-oily lip balm underneath. (If using balm, let it soak in and blot off the excess).
*Use a liquid lipstick that fully dries down. Line around lips after applying lip color.
OR
*Bullet lipstick: Prep. Apply matching lipliner all over lips. Blot if really bright or red. Apply lipstick. Line around lips after applying lipstick. For super-long staying power, blot lips, add a light coat of translucent powder, and re-apply lipstick.
This cannot be stressed enough, it’s all in how good the surface is that you’re working with. I keep my lips moisturized day and night. Exfoliate before applying any lipstick. I always apply MAC Prep & Prime lips before applying a matte or satin lipstick! afterwards I line my lips with the corresponding lip liner to the lipstick I intend to wear. This gives me better where time then one might expect. But it is lipstick or lipgloss after all, so it will wear off no matter what eventually. I’m happy if I get 4 to 6 hours out of a matte lipstick.
The formula and staining power of the lipstick plays the most important role. Best part? I always like a good matte or satin finish, I never was into creamy or glossy finishes. A good lipstick that actually stains the lips and doesn’t move around due to too much creaminess will stay put or at least fade elegantly.
Using (reusable) straws is a must for people like me who drink lots of water in small sips. Otherwise, the lipstick would be all over my bottles, cups and mugs.
Using a lip liner under your lipstick helps a lot. Even more, there are so many great lip liners you don’t even need to apply lipstick on top.
Also, forgot a great hack that helps staining (I assume everyone knows this trick by now): apply lipstick, blott with a tissue (some even dust powder over the tissue), reapply lipstick. Locked down complete!
Great tip! Thanks!
I am really searching for a product that keeps my lips moisturized. I love the laniege sleeping mask. I constantly repurchase
I realize I just have to forgo the liquid lippies. They just emphasize the lines in my lips and make them dry and crusty.
I love MAC and Pat McGrath those are the ones that I seem to get a nice smooth wear out of and they don’t really make my lips peel .
Lip liner and a lip gloss (pat mcgrath) seems to be my go to at this point
But a good thing for the blog would be all the lip masks and moisturizers
I just make sure my lips are moisturised day and night and that’s about it. I only go for creamy, hydrating lipsticks – never mattes or lip glosses.
It’s all about Mac Prep & Prime for me – smooth surface, helps lipstick last, doesn’t interfere with color the way lipliner does. It’s a HG product for me.
I’m always moisturizing my lips, day and night, so they are in good form to begin, but sometime I forget to properly remove the foundation from the edges of them, after I apply it to my face and if so I end up with dry lips. So I need to remove that and apply a bit of balm.
I don’t fill in my lips with liner, I don’t know why but I don’t like that habit, I feel it changes the colour of the lippie.
So, if I’m applying a bullet lipstick I use an old school method of dabbing it with a square of toilet paper and then you can either apply a loose powder directly and apply a second coat of lipstick; or pull back one layer of the tissue you used to dab the first layer away, lay that over your lips and powder the tissue, it filters some of the powder, like a sieve, so you don’t get clumps of powder–or too much.
Saying that, I’m using less and less paper products these days and stay away from makeup wipes now (as an example), it’s just too much waste.