Makeup Monday: Long-Wearing Lipstick

It’s Makeup Monday and I’m here to preach the gospel of lipstick (especially long-wearing lipstick that lasts all day). If you’re a long-time reader of my blog, you’ve heard me rant about this before but I simply must insist that all women wear lipstick. Really. Unless you’re fourteen and have naturally red lips you really ought to be wearing it every day.  It makes your face look brighter, your skin look clearer and lights your smile right up.

If you’re not a regular lipstick wearer, there are few things that seem as daunting as walking up to the makeup department. Why are there so many colors and why do some cost $2 and some cost $25?  Honestly, there’s not that much of a difference. Yes, fancy brands use better pigments but it’s not a big deal. Mostly you’re paying for a wider selection of colors, especially colors that are very current. But cheapo brands are getting better every day. Don’t be afraid!

Most companies make sheer lipstick that is kind of like the training wheels of makeup. I currently like Revlon Lip Butters (Fig Jam is a nice pinkish brown that would suit most caucasian complexions. If you’re a lipstick coward this is a great place to start).  I use these later on in the evening when my lips are feeling dry and my long-wearing lipstick is needing a little oomph.

Every single morning I put on long-wearing lipstick and that carries me through most of the day. Gone are the days when you have to reapply lipstick after every meal and each time you leave the house. No wonder so many women hate to wear the regular stuff! Long-wearing lipstick seems scary (“what if I mess up?”) but after you get the hang of it you’ll be in love. Put it on in the morning and look lovely until bedtime. What could be dreamier?

Strangely the luxury brands don’t make super-long wearing lipstick; you’ll have to stick to drugstore brands (yay! They’re cheaper!)  Long-wearing lipstick is my number one favorite cosmetic item. I simply would never go without it. I currently wear Maybelline Super Stay. I’ve done not-very-scientific tests involving putting different brands on my hands and seeing how they wear throughout the day. The victor by far is Maybelline Super Stay. It stayed on my hand without budging for over 24 hours. The absolute worst was the Revlon Colorstay. Even on my hand it started smudging immediately and wearing off after about three hours. L’Oreal makes a decent version that lasts pretty well too.

It’s hard to tell what colors will look good without actually wearing them on your lips. My skin has warmish undertones and my lips are naturally quite pink so I know that all colors will seem pinker on my lips than on my hand. You’ll learn these things about yourself the more you wear lipstick. If you want to try some Maybelline Superstay but are nervous about colors, try Forever Chestnut. It’s one of the paler colors and is a neutral pinkish-brown that looks like the color of your tongue. I imagine this would be a good fit for most Caucasian women.

If I’m in the mood for red lipstick, I won’t wear it except in a long-wearing formulation. Regular red lipstick smears all over the place, smudges on anything your lips touch and looks hideous after about three hours. I’ve found that Everlasting Wine (Maybelline Super Stay) is perfect with my coloring and will last all day. It’s the only red lipstick I would dream of wearing to church (Sunday is typically my longest and most intense day and involves a lot of talking).

If you’re new to the world of long-wearing lipstick, let me give you a few tips:

1. Practice applying it in front of a mirror in good light. But don’t put it on in the car while you’re at a stoplight. Ask me how I know!

2. Your lips need to be a smooth and dry. I brush my teeth right before applying lipstick and brush my lips as well. Your toothbrush is great at getting rid of dead skin! Make sure you dry your lips throughly!

3. Buy some makeup remover. This will take off your lipstick at the end of the day or in case you make a mistake.

4. Have a square of toilet paper handy. Darker colors need blotting, especially around the edges, and this stuff dries fast.

5. Before you decide that you hate a color, wear it all day. It will look different in all kinds of light and it’s a good idea to get other people’s feedback. A lot of times a new lipstick will make you feel like your lips look like a neon sign, but as you go throughout the day you’ll get a dozen compliments. So just relax and let people give you feedback before you decide that your new lipstick is no good. (Just don’t ask a man. They’re dumb when it comes to makeup.)

 

15 thoughts on “Makeup Monday: Long-Wearing Lipstick

  1. I am going to try the Maybelline Super Stay. I tried the Revlon stuff and HATED it. Same for the Cover Girl. I gave up after those two fails, but maybe Maybelline will be a good one for me. I love wearing read lipstick, but not hooker red (as I call it). I wear MAC’s Spice It Up, which is kind of a brown/red without being too brown.

  2. All right, you’ve convinced me to give this a go. I tried the Revlon kind, but I felt like it zapped my lips. I’m prone to dryness anyway, and it really exacerbated the dryness. I’ve been using gloss when I am in public, but then my husband won’t kiss me! Haha

    1. I’ll use various chapsticks alternating with the gloss that comes with it. That seems to help the dryness and it isn’t as obnoxious as the included gloss. It does affect staying power, though.

  3. You are so right about the other long-last lipsticks. Awful! I just started using Maybelline Super Stay 14hr and it is the best. The “Never Ending Nude” is a really nice neutral.

  4. Lipsticks, especially long-wearing ones, seem so dry to me even wearing lip balm underneath, so I tend to stick to gloss. Is that teenager-ish of me? Uh oh…

  5. You cannot wear lip balm UNDER the super stay Lipstick. that makes it come right off!
    A gloss does not look teen-ager-ish, it looks YUMMY and glamorous. But chap-stick looks more natural. I love the Victoria’s Secret BEAUTY RUSH gloss. Very moistening, and doesn’t make the long-lasting lipstick wear off any faster.

    Believe this Blog!!! I met a wonderful, attractive mom at her daughter’s wedding reception last week, who looked ten years older and dowdier than she should because she has always refused to wear lipstick. Ladies, lipstick is no longer a sign of a brazen hussy!

    If you want to go the REALLY Permanent route, get your lips tattooed in your very best color! I did, and I LOVE it! The color tones down 50% in a few months, but it still lasts for years. After 6 years now, I have to touch up the color when I’m going fancy, or need a definite red or definite violet-pink to go with a certain outfit. In those cases I use the long-lasting lipsticks Hilde wrote of above.

  6. While I still can’t believe that anyone would WILLINGLY not wear lipstick, I guess some people really don’t like it. But I have to think that’s because of how awful traditional lipstick is. Once you try the all-day kind that you can eat with, kiss with, exercise with, etc and it still looks great, what reason is there to not wear it?? I really don’t know. I LOVE it. And I honestly can’t think of a single woman who I’ve ever thought, “she should NOT wear lipstick” about, while I think that dozens of times a day about women who wear other make up but no lipstick, or no make up at all.
    I also have to throw in a good word for Covergirl Outlast. It’s still my favorite. I think it lasts longer than the Maybeline equivelant. Natural Blush is a nice, neutral shade that looks like you have naturally full, pink lips.

  7. I’m from Vermont, and we just don’t do make-up here. To say I’m a make-up novice is perhaps an understatement. But you’ve convinced me to step out in faith. Here’s the thing. My lipstick (and I went out and bought the Super Stay) is wearing off by lunchtime. Am I doing something wrong? I make sure my lips are completely scrubbed and dry…

  8. Ok, I picked up Forever Chestnut, tried it out, and it stayed on ALL day! It didn’t come off on my water bottle; it didn’t wear off after lunch; it was still there after dinner. Unbelievable! Thank you for sharing this. I never would have tried it without your post. I now have 3 shades and am ready to go back for # 4. Thanks Hildie!

    Just one question, do you ever use lip liner with it?

    1. I don’t wear lipliner. I get a pretty good outline with the lipstick itself. I doubt any lipliner would last as long anyway. Glad you’re liking the lipstick. So proud of you for trying something new. That can be so scary!

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