One question I am asked most often by women is about stains — not the red wine stains on your favorite sofa or grass-stained couture from an outdoor picnic, but instead the ones you hope will stick around. I’m referring to long-lasting lip stains which manufacturers promise will adorn your pout morning through afternoon.
We’ve all seen the commercials and dreamy celebrities endorsing this lipstick or that one with claims of 12 hours of smudge-proof, kissable, all day lasting shades of the season. Well, my mama taught me to question everything, so my salon partner and I put five top lipsticks to the test.
Our model painted on a different long-lasting lip color each day for five days. Each morning the color was coated onto freshly exfoliated lips after breakfast, with no primer or liner. You might be surprised at the findings of our test, and, wow, do we have a fun job!
The first three lipsticks failed miserably with most of the color coming off before lunch. We won’t disclose those brands here to avoid being sued, but you may contact us for more information. The last two were the best of all and get our award for most long-lasting lipstick all the way through dinner.
We shopped at the local drugstore, filling our basket with beautiful shades seen on Drew Barrymore, Taylor Swift and Halle Berry, deliberately not shopping at department stores or high-end boutiques because we wanted everyone to feel comfortable affording our recommendations.
We loved Revlon Color Stay Ultimate Suede in a nice poppy color called “Finale” for under $10, and Cover Girl Outlast All Day Lip Color in “Coral” for just over $10. Of course, there are dozens of gorgeous lipsticks on those cosmetics aisles, and sometimes you really do get what you pay for when it comes to long lasting.
Keep in mind that most stains contain ingredients which can be a bit drying on the lips; a conditioner is recommended. For the longest color, line the lips, fill in, and apply two coats of your favorite lipstick blotting with tissue between coats. Try our two winners and kiss fading lip color goodbye.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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