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How do you keep your lipstick and/or from feathering?

For me, lip liner is usually all that is necessary! There are also some lip primers on the market that may help! Reverse lip liner can be useful (clear lip liner placed outside the actual lip line). 🙂

— Christine

46 Comments

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erica Avatar

I use a lip scrub. Got the Lush Bubblegum one but for sure you could make your own for much cheaper. Then I use a lip liner to fill in lip. Top with lipstick. I pat it one. If I am wearing lipstick though. I have been using liquid lips lately. They keep your lips in place:)

Nancy T Avatar

Definitely lipliner! That’s numero uno, plus exfoliating seems to help with lipstick longevity overall. I do use MAC Prep & Prime under many lipsticks just out of habit, but I know it’s also effective at preventing bleeding. But I also have a problem I inherited from my Italian grandfather, upper lip peach fuzz, which I get rid of because that fuzz can cause lipstick to bleed! So I tweeze it or carefully cut it down with baby safety scissors.

Anne Avatar

Same here. Usually just lip liner or added UD Ozone for times when I really need things to stay in place and I’m good to go. I also just like wearing lip liner as lipstick a lot as it’s much lower maintenance.

Donya Avatar

I was ready to stop reading until i came to yours. At 52, i have never had any issue with this. Not to brag, though. I have plenty of other much harder issues to tackle. As i age, I can definitely tell when a woman has smoked by lip aging.

Fran Avatar

I actually expect lipstick not to feather without my having to do anything special to prevent it! Wearing it over a lip primer (MAC Prep & Prime for lips) works better for me than lip liner or reverse lining. Plus, with reverse lining, if I put it on over base/powder it can be detectable, and I don’t always remember to put it on between base and powder. If I put it on before my base, it doesn’t work. For me, lining is more about when I want a sharp edge on a bright/deep shade. But it’s easier just to blur the edge (very) slightly with a flat cotton bud if I’m in a hurry than to fuss over perfect edges.

For me, feathering is usually grounds for returning a lipstick, but if I really love it otherwise, and it’s unique in some way, and wearing it over primer fixes the problem, I’ll keep it.

Kylie5 Avatar

If I use invisible lip liners it is always visible as a white line
Is this what you mean? So I have to put on the liner between foundation and powder ? Would Love to get an answer because I have nearly all invisible liners that exist and have always the Same Problem with the white line and always thought the liner is not good.
But if the Problem is that I put it on After powder I Could use them. I have a lot of beautiful lipsticks I do bot use because of feathering.

Fran Avatar

Kylie, I have not really figured it out yet. It’s actually possible to use some of them all over your lips like a primer (Urban Decay Ozone can be used that way). I’m having pretty good luck preventing bleeding at the corners (with the formulas that happens with for me) by applying MAC Prep + Prime lip primer to my lips before applying my lipstick.

Melissa Avatar

Actually I need some advice on feathering! My dark liquid lipsticks feather ALOT, and I need some recommendations…
I know that UD ozone lip pencil is great but is it effective with liquid lipsticks? The make up artists I talk to all say different things :/

Dayana Avatar

Hey 🙂 I have the Ozone from UD. I get A LOT of feathering and bleeding without lipliner especially for darker or brighter shades. With the Ozone, I still get those things but less so I wouldn’t say it’s 100% effective. Maybe my lips are defective who knows haha

Melissa Avatar

Hey thanks for your input! I will try the ozone pencil then 🙂 Don’t worry it’s not just you haha! ALL my dark shades feather on me…but liquid lipsticks tend to be faster 🙁

Aj Avatar

I use a reverse lip liner most of the time b/c I end up using the few lip liners I own as a lip color than to line my lips. I really like the Milani Anti-Feathering Lip Liner and I personally think it’s comparable to Too Faced’s.

Eileen Avatar

Lipliner and common sense! LOL At 71, I have a number of vertical lines radiating from my lips. A lipliner in a creamy, but not greasy, formula does the trick when it comes to holding my lipstick in place. I’m partial to Guerlain’s lipliners because they glide on, stay put, and match either my natural lip color or the range of lipstick colors that I favor.

Common sense also comes into play. It’s important to be mindful of just how emollient the lipstick, gloss, or balm actually is–the more slip it has, the more it will tend to migrate. Also, the type of lip treatment we use (if any) will affect how well the lipstick clings to our lips without moving. And then there’s always reality: I’m 71 and as much as I might love the look of certain products, I have to accept that I have some deep verticals lines so those products might not work for me no matter what I do.

Katherine T. Avatar

At night, I dab creams and retinols on the skin around my lips, then add a moisturizing lip balm on my lips. That helps minimize wrinkles and fine lines that can cause lipstick bleeding. I exfoliate my lips regularly with gentle scrub from toothbrush. With darker or bolder lipsticks, I will use lipliners. I prefer lipsticks that aren’t too runny or slippery. A lip brush is great too, but I’m usually too lazy to use one. And SPF lip balm is a must, to prevent sun damage, and fine lines/shriveling that can cause lipstick bleeding.

RJ Avatar

This will sound ridiculous but I had to finally look up what lipstick feathering actually meant because I guess I don’t really experience it! I do, however, somehow accidentally eat off whatever I have on within an hour or two, so maybe that’s why. Even things that get reviewed as lasting 4+ hours – nah. Gone on me in a few even with liner and primer. I don’t know what my problem is?! I always take whatever product I’m using for the day with me because I know what’s going to happen sooner or later lol.

LauraA Avatar

I have the same problem. I’m guilty of rubbing my lips together a lot which basically eats my lipstick away! I find that filling in my entire lip with a really good lip liner helps. I recommend MUFE Aqua liner or Dior. Also, a good stain will give you some color for several hours!

Sally C Avatar

I am heading into my 70’s in 6 months. I use concealer around my lips. I dot it on and then use a finger to rub it vertically into all those” wisdom” lines I have around my mouth. I usually forget about the lip liner. The concealer works very well. I had a MUA ask me why I didn’t have lines around my mouth!

Hilda Avatar

MAC Prep n Prime for lips, the best! And I wear Red lipstick most of the time, I always keep 2-3 on hand so I never put my lipstick on without it.

Debbie Avatar

I use an old toothbrush to exfoliate, then I bake my lips while I do the rest of my morning routine. When it is time for makeup, I put foundation on followed by a tin application of powder then I apply lip pencil, a thin coat of lipstick, blot, then a bit more powder and a second thin coat of lipstick and powder and a third blot.

Carolannf Avatar

I find the best for me is ‘no bleeding lips’ that I buy at Sephora.. it is a wax pencil you outline the lips with. I find this better than just using lip liner.

Reena Avatar

After u apply colorl, I trace around my lips with a brow fix wax pencil (NYX or Anastasia) Try to do it without lifting the pencil from your skin bc the color gets on the tip and if u continue, you might look like Bette Davis in “Whatever Happened tinBaby Jane?” Wipe the tip if lip color gets on it if you have to re-trace or lift the pencil.

Carmen Avatar

I’ve tried clear lip liners, and lip primers and they never work. I also don’t care much for actual lip liners because I can’t find ones that work with the lipsticks I like. I also don’t have much definition to my lips so I don’t line them.

RMW Avatar

I use face primer and some foundation or powder, and then use a lip liner the same color or close to the lipstick shade I am using. 🙂

Andrea Avatar

I use Bite Beauty lip primer! It’s a clear lip primer/liner that you can use outside your lips as well! I have never had my lipstick feather with this liner!

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