How Can You Make Matte Lipstick Last Longer?
You know how there’s that old saying, don’t kiss and tell, well I’ve got a few things to tell you about that kisser. So if you’re ready to take a beauty tip or two, you’ll see there is a way to keep that matte lipstick you love looking absolutely gorgeous all day long.
Some days you want to rock a shiny lip gloss and go on your merry way. Other times you might prefer that velvety, sophisticated look you get with a matte lip. If you’ve made an attempt before, and it looked anything but smooth, you may have missed a critical step in the matte lip order of operations. Not to get too mathematical about it, but just like you have to solve the operations inside the parentheses before moving on to exponents, there are certain things you should do before applying a lipstick with a matte finish. So let’s get on with the lesson – the lipstick lesson, that is.
If you’ve had trouble getting your matte lipstick to stay put, you’re like most women (or people who wear lipstick). Maybe your mouth was too dry for matte lipstick, or your lips were chapped, or the lipstick found an escape route via the fine lines above your mouth. Whatever held you and your lips back is no match for the well-informed matte lip maven you’re about to become.
With a little more information and experience under your beauty belt, you’ll achieve the perfect pout. Are you ready for some simple life hacks that will make your lipstick last? From insights on skincare to advice from makeup artists, you can take some of the tips below to get a look for your lips you’ll love.
1. Exfoliation – lose the dead skin
If you attempt to apply a layer of lip color over a mouth that’s parched and peeling, you’re doing it wrong. Unless it’s a balm with a slight tint, it won’t end well. And a matte will just end up a mess. You don’t want to slather lipstick on without first exfoliating and moisturizing your mouth. If you weren’t aware you needed to exfoliate your lips at all, now you know. You may have actually done it without thinking about it. If you’ve ever let a face scrub work its way across your lips, or used a washcloth to remove some dead skin from your mouth, you’ve exfoliated.
Some gentle face scrubs are probably fine for doing double duty as lip exfoliators. However, there are certain concoctions that are especially made for your mouth. They make sure to moisturize as they exfoliate so as to not further irritate the area. There are several DIY lip scrub recipes out there that use some combination of coffee, honey, sugar, and other such ingredients.
If you don’t like the mess of a do-it-yourself project, and want a quality lip scrub you can count on to slough off skin and prime your pout for the next step, Viviane Woodard’s Delicious Sugar Lip Scrub is the answer. As Mary Poppins says, a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, so even if you’re a little hesitant to try a lip scrub, it’s actually a rather sweet treat, and just the “medicine” your mouth needs. And, to borrow another saying from the same lovely lady, your lips will look “practically perfect in every way.”
2. Moisturize with a balm or mask before adding makeup to the mix
If you want to make your matte lipstick last all day, there are still some more steps to take. As mentioned above, it’s a little more task-intensive than using a glossy lipstick.
So, before you apply lipstick, you’ll first need to moisturize. In fact, keeping your lips moisturized is much easier than trying to nurse them back to health after they’ve become excessively dry, so try to make moisturizing part of your regular skincare routine. If you haven’t been on top of this, there’s no better time to start than right now.
Moisturizing ingredients are generally classified into three categories: emollients, humectants, and occlusives. To be more specific, emollients like aloe vera and shea butter soften and smooth the skin by filling gaps between skin cells and flakes with their oils. Humectants attract water into the outermost layer of the skin from the layer immediately underneath as well as from humidity in the environment. Glycerin and hydroxy acids are examples of humectants. Occlusives form a protective layer on top and lock in the moisture. It’s important for your lip balm or mask to contain emollients and humectants, since a lipstick is likely to contain the occlusive ingredients that will keep that moisture sealed in.
You can apply a lip balm as often as needed, or a lip mask to deeply moisturize overnight. The Rose Lip Mask works wonders as it melts from a creamy balm into a nourishing, silky oil that saturates your mouth with moisture. It contains shea butter, coconut oil, and castor seed oil for softening, as well as alpha-hydroxy acids, which fight the free radicals in the environment that can damage the skin. Products such as these can bring much-needed nutrients and keep lips hydrated.
3. With primer and liner you’ll look even finer
While lip primer and lip liner may not be absolutely essential to make your lipstick last all day, they can help it last longer and create a more precise, clean look, respectively. Similar to when you’re painting a room in your house, primer creates an even surface on which to work, and helps the color from being completely absorbed. It can help lipstick stay right where it should – sitting pretty atop your lips, and not falling through the cracks.
When you line your lips, it can keep your lipstick from creeping outside your lip line onto the area around your mouth. For long wear of your look, apply lip liner to help it stay put and not stray.
When selecting a liner, choose something that matches your lipstick. If you’ve skipped the primer, you can apply lip liner first around the edges, and then actually fill in your entire lip. This gives the lipstick something to adhere to and will make your lipstick last longer. If you prefer not to fill in the whole lip, you can draw little lines and smudge them just a little with your finger. Then, when you’re applying lipstick, it will have that staying power you’re seeking.
Make sure you bring your liner along with your lipstick in your makeup bag. With matte lipstick, touch-ups aren’t entirely avoidable even with perfect application.
4. Let there be lipsticks
From a classic red velvet to a toned-down nude or pink, you can choose whatever color you and your lips love. Matte lipstick is trendy again, so take what you know and put it to use. If you don’t know what you know and need to read through all of the above again, feel free. There are also endless tips and tutorials to guide you through each step, so you can follow every trick that makeup artists use just by watching and learning.
Now that you know how to have lipstick stay in place and a trick or two to achieve that long-wear look, we can move onto the next step of actually applying lipstick.
Because matte lipsticks are high in pigment and low in moisture, the color really pops. It also means that if you put on more than one layer, you might make it appear cakey and you can unintentionally dry out your lips. This means you’ll want to be careful and get it right the first time through. Remember there’s no rush, and with the way your lips will look, you may want to be fashionably late and make an entrance. Just be sure to go slow and spread it on nice and smooth.
You can do your lipstick application by using a brush, or just smoothing it on your lips straight from the tube. If you do opt to use a makeup brush, rub the brush across the lipstick in the tube and carefully apply the color inside the lip pencil outline. If you have a brush you love it may feel like you can control the application better. However, you may not get as deep or intense a color this way. If you want really rich and intense pigment, applying straight from the tube ensures that the color won’t be spread too thin.
There seems to be an unlimited supply of free tutorials that will show you how you can mix together your own lipsticks or other beauty products. If it sparks your interest, you can make your own liquid matte lipstick at home by following the steps in this video:
If you’re not feeling so DIY these days, no worries. In fact, why strike out on your own when the perfect option already exists? This Luxury Matte Lipstick is sophisticated, smooth, and surprisingly soft. If you want to go bold with a daring red, wear the Marilyn and you’ll feel like a million bucks. Its velvety finish is formulated to last. Plus, being cruelty-free and vegan makes it a charitable choice.
5. Bonus round: A few more makeup tips for your lips
We could send you on your merry way with what you already know from reading all of the above. However, there are a few more ways to ensure a lovely lip and make your lipstick last all day.
Translucent powder is one way to set your look or add a velvety finish to just about any lipstick. To do this, simply grab a tissue and pull apart the layers. Place one layer of tissue over your lips and apply powder over the tissue, allowing a little to come through. You can also opt to just blot your lips with a tissue and skip the powder completely. If you do blot, just remember not to put the tissue between your lips. Instead, let your lips relax and gently press the tissue against them.
Here’s another fun trick: use a highlighter that you might usually reserve for your cheeks and apply it on the center-bottom of your lip to create an effect of fullness. It gives you a bit of extra glam. If you don’t have a highlighter available, you can dust on a smidge of a light, shimmery eye shadow instead. Again, these are just extras, and not essential in any way.
If you thought concealer was just for dark circles under your eyes or the occasional blemish, think again! To accentuate your lip line, you can smooth a concealer right along the ledge. Just be careful not to creep into the lip itself, or you’re kind of defeating the purpose of that clean line look. Concealer, used in the right way, with a steady hand, creates a lovely contrast.
Finally, if you enjoy the eye-popping pigment you get with a matte but wish to soften it up or add a little moisture and shine, you can always grab that gloss and give it a once over. It’s all up to you!
Since you’ve perused this post about how to make matte lipstick stay in place and stick around all day long, we’re not about to leave you without any leads. You can experiment with all the various aforementioned ideas and explore products that are bound to please by checking out Viviane Woodard’s entire line of lip care. You’ll find lip masks, plumpers, treatments, scrubs, and of course several matte lipstick options. We already mentioned the Some Like it Hot shade aptly named Marilyn, but there’s also the soft pink Sophia, or the beautiful burgundy called Ava.
As with all Viviane Woodard products, they’re all cruelty-free. Many are also vegan and gluten-free if that’s an important deciding factor for you. Whatever products you choose, you now know what to do!
For over 60 years, Viviane Woodard has represented “The Purity of Skincare”. We are the leading beauty brand for water-based skin care products and promote the importance of good skin hydration. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest for skin care tips, product discounts and more.