Having a shock of colour on your lips is what us fashion-forward girls are all about. A striking red pout, a coral smile or a statement pink lip are instant ways to give your look a bit of an edge. But no one wants to say goodbye to their perfect pout as soon as they have their morning latte. What we need are lipsticks that last and stay-put secrets.
Luckily we've got all of them right here. We spoke to Sarah-Jane Froom from BareMinerals and Caroline Barnes from Max Factor to get the lipstick lowdown.
So forget about reapplying after every cup of coffee, if you follow the rules of lasting lipstick you can expect a high impact pout for hours on end.
Caroline says there's plenty of reasons why our lipstick fades away so fast: "Some people naturally eat their lipsticks by rubbing or sucking their lips together without even being aware of it. Others just apply a fine layer and expect it to last all day. We use and move our lips all the time, so you need to apply it in a certain way to achieve the best colour longevity."
Here's how it's done...
We spoke to Sarah-Jane and Caroline, plus we've shared some of our own top make-up secrets to give you the lowdown on getting your lipstick to work that bit harder for you. Lipstick that lasts all day? Easy when you know how!
1. Prep your lips
Sarah-Jane insists on prep and says it's one of the most common steps people miss out - meaning they also miss out on a stay-put pout.
She says: "Firstly lips should be exfoliated, I just use a toothbrush with Vaseline once a week to keep lips soft and smooth, gently buff and you will lose any dead skin and get a lovely smooth finish."
Just like your face your lips also need to be gently exfoliated every so often, in order to keep the skin soft and supple.
If you prefer products there are a few amazing lip scrubs out there. One of our faves is the Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub which is made with real sugar crystals, peppermint and vanilla. Your pout will be left kissably soft and smelling delicious.
2. Give them some TLC
Once your lips are buffed, flake-free and ready for action Caroline says: "Ensure you lips are hydrated by using a lip balm and remove excess oil with a tissue."
The Elizabeth Arden Nourishing Lip Balm SPF20 is a great option as it hydrates and heals, give it a little blot after application as it can be quite a wet formula.
3. Cover up
One top tip from Caroline is to use a foundation or concealer product over your lips before you apply any lipstick or lip liner.
She says it's important to create a good dry base for colour to adhere to. A touch of foundation or concealer, dusted with translucent powder, will do just that.
Just work a little concealer into your lips until they're a neutral shade. Your lips will end up looking washed out but this creates a great base for the lip liner, helping it to adhere to your lips better. Your shade of lipstick will look brighter too.
4. Line the lot
Lip liner might seem a bit nineties but it's the key to having long-lasting lip colour.
Sarah-Jane says: "Lip liner is great for staying power. It will keep a great definition, stop lip colours from bleeding and make colour last much longer."
Make sure you have the same shade as your chosen lipstick and draw around the edge of the lip line. Then fill in the rest of your lips with the liner and blot.
One thing to be careful of? Going outside your natural lip shape. Sarah-Jane sees this mistake far too often - don't be tempted to go over the edge.
5. Select a shade
Now it's time for a slick of lipstick. While you might have just gone straight to your lippy before, now your pout is armed with a perfect surface and a block of lip liner, your lipstick is gonna feel much more supported by these new friends, and much less likely to slip away.
"Apply the lipstick to the centre part of your lips first, then rub the pigment into your lips. Slowly build up the colour gradually pushing it out towards your lip line."
Blot the excess with a tissue.
6. Powder it in place
This in-the-know trick is the best-kept secret behind long-lasting lip colour.
Simply use a make-up brush to dust your lips with some translucent power. Sarah-Jane says you can use a thin layer of tissue (if it's 2ply you can remove one layer) place it over your pout and dust your powder over the top - her fave product for this is BareMinerals Mineral Veil. This will help protect your layers of lipstick and lip liner and will give a touch of texture to help the colour stay put.
7. Layer it up
Next thing to do for a won't-budge slick of lip colour? Repeat step five by reapplying just a lil' extra lipstick, Caroline suggests using a lip brush to perfect your lip shape.
Once your lips are loaded with colour, there's one more thing to remember. A final blot!
Caroline swears by blotting to stop your lipstick from travelling. She says: "The reason you need to keep blotting is to remove any unwanted oil on the lips as this causes the pigment to move around too much causing colour bleeding."
So there you have it - high impact lips that last!
Got another tip for long-lasting lip colour? Tweet it to us @sofeminineUK!
