Long-lasting Lipstick

Posted by getlippy beauty on 01/09/2008

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Wondering why you bothered to put lipstick on at all this morning? Here's how to have it last so long you'll be sick to death of it by the end of the day...

Blotting lipstick

Matte lipsticks last longer but feel drier, so bear in mind that a shiny lip colour is more likely to slide off than one with a flatter finish. But many long lasting lip colours now come with a separate shiny top coat, giving you the best of both worlds. Try Max Factor Lipfinity Colour and Gloss £8.99, or Revlon Colorstay Soft and Smooth Lipstick, £7.99. Their moisture content evaporates shortly after they've been applied, leaving behind a locked-on coat of pigment and silicone.

While lip pencils give the groomed, grown-up look that's set to be so popular this winter, a line that lingers long after the lipstick has worn away is one of the world's worst beauty crimes, so choose a shade that's lighter rather than darker than your lipstick, or one that's the same tone as your natural lip colour. Applied before or after your lipstick, it will stop the colour from bleeding over your lipline.

Once you've defined your lipline, use the pencil to fill in the rest of your lips. Then apply your lipstick over the top (using a lipbrush makes less lipstick go further, and ensures an even coat) blot with tissue (gently, or it'll smudge) and reapply another coat of lipstick. This might be enough, but if you're still finding it hard to make your lipstick stick, you can repeat the process once more.

Setting with powder works well, but can feel dry and look a bit dusty - give it a try and see if you like it. If not, stick to blotting, or try a liquid lip coat. These are a bit of a last resort as they can feel quite tight, but they certainly work. If you're taking the powder route, try brushing it on through a single sheet of tissue, so as not to over-apply.

Using your lipstick as a 'stain' gives a casual, bitten-lip look, and is less likely to bleed than an all-over coat of colour - just use your finger to dab and press a tiny amount of colour onto your lips, concentrating on the centre area. Or try liquid colours such as BeneFit Benetint Lip & Cheek Stain £21.50.

Covering your lips with a light coating of foundation or concealer, followed with powder will give your lipstick something to hang onto, but you may feel over-done, and the colour might not look as 'true' as it should.

Gorgeous as it is, lip gloss just wasn't designed to stay put, and the more you load on, the more it'll just slide off. A light application of lipbalm beforehand, blotted off with a tissue, will help your gloss to stay in place, as will covering your lips with a layer of clear or colour co-ordinating lip pencil.