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Tired
of never seeming to get the perfect lipstick? Or sure, the color looks great.
But once you get it home, and really get the chance to try it on, it just never
seems to, well, you know. Stay on! Here are some tricks of the trade that can
help before you make your beauty purchase.
The rub test
To figure out if a lipstick is going to stay on
in the first place, do the rub test. Before buying a tube, run the lipstick
across the back of your hand. How did it go on? Very slippery? Greasy? Did a lot
of lipstick go on your hand or just a little? The more wax a lipstick has, the
shinier and greasier the lipstick will be. And the harder it will be to keep it
on. Wax loves to melt, especially in heat, so if it's a hot day, creamy
lipsticks take a beating. Did a lot of lipstick end up on your hand? That means
that the lipstick isn't 'stiff' enough to keep the pigment on. If it smears all
on your hand, it will smear all off your lips as well.
The matte lipstick dilemma
Do you feel like you have to get a matte lipstick
for long lasting results? Not really. Matte lipsticks do have the reputation of
drying out your lips, thus making you lick your lips more, and causing your
lipstick to wear off in the center of the mouth. Go for a happy medium.
Prepping
With the newer formulations in lipsticks now, you
really don't need to layer on the foundation and powder before the lipstick
anymore.
Here are a few ways to help keep lipstick on
longer:
Super Matte
Apply your matte control lotions on lips as well.
Like Shine Control products work on the face to calm oiliness, it also gives a
great base for lipstick without being too heavy or cakey.
Lip Pencils
Well, they really don't keep lipstick on longer,
since both lip pencil and lip stick are made out of, well, wax. Keep your lip
pencil nude in color, like a very light brown, and use to line and define the
mouth shape instead. Focus on getting a better lipstick, rather than trying to
keep a bad one on.
Apply with a lip brush
Yes it's true. When applying directly from the
tube, you really are applying about 5-6 layers of color. About 4 layers more
than you need. A brush applies 1 even layer that stays on a lot longer. In this
case, less really is better.
Blot
But blot with your lips closed. Press Kleenex
over your lips, as if you're kissing the tissue. Lightly press your finger all
across the lips. When you remove it, you'll get a definite "lip" on
your tissue. By blotting this way, not only do you blot off excess in the center
of the mouth, but along the edges of the lip line as well. This is where your
lipstick bleeds anyway. After blotting your lips, lightly take a small eye
shadow brush, and brush loose powder over lipstick to set. On top of this, you
can apply your accent color in the center of the lips, or lip gloss. Powder
applied before gloss will keep gloss, cream and frosted colors on longer.
To even out lips and make them look perfect, as
well as keep lipstick on longer, apply a concealer pencil, or concealer with a
brush around the edges of the lipstick. This will help clean up any lipstick
smudges, as well emphasize the lips.
Lighten up any lipstick shade by dotting a
concealer on the bottom of the lower lip. Instant lightness.
Here are some great lipstick
tips that we makeup artists use specifically for photography.
Try them out, they'll work for you as well!
Have an old greasy lipstick you don't want to
toss out? Use as cream blush instead. Or, change the consistency of it. Scoop
out your lipstick and apply to a small plastic pill box, or a small tin
container. Pop in the microwave for a few minutes, or light a candle to it. The
trick is to add heat so the lipstick starts to melt a little. Then, leave out to
cool, or throw in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes. What this does is
harden the lipstick to a new consistency. The heat 'melts' some of the wax,and
then the cold hardens the lipstick so it will go on not nearly so greasy!
Have a too blue based lipstick? Mix a dot of
yellowy concealer into your lipstick, or apply a yellow based loose powder on
clean lips,and apply lipstick on top. There will be just enough warmth in the
product to take the edge off a too cool/blue shade.
Want to update your lipsticks to the new cool
blue based tones? Apply a navy blue eye pencil, or eye shadow on lips and apply
your lipstick on top ....just a little will do and you'll have a new shade.
A soft brown eye shadow applied on lips first
will darken any too light shade.
Make your own fall color by mixing blue eye
shadow and red blush on your lips. Apply a lip balm on top and you're set. The
most fun part is that every time you try this, you can experiment and get a
different version every time.
Use your shimmer highlighter sticks from
spring/summer to highlight lipsticks. Apply on a clean mouth first, and then
your dull lipstick on top. An instant frosted fall shade.
The color for fall is the 'bitten' lip look. Just
take your rosy blush and apply dry on lips. Apply your Vitamin E stick on top
for a lip blush. Gel cheek colors work great for this too.
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