Have any of you had trouble at a makeup counter - what did you do about the situation? Has anyone found a great location that is especially helpful with tips and sales? Please share in the comment section.
I’ve been asked about makeup tips by some friends, as none of them could figure out how my lipstick lasted most of the day and didn’t wind up on mugs and silverware. I’m putting it out here because I know there must be a woman who is going through trial and error out there, and she doesn’t have someone to turn to for help because of shyness or shame. This one’s for you!
If you’re interested in some good products, here are some recommendations from me with some ideas on how to handle your lipstick. I could go on and on about makeup, but instead I’ll keep it short and sweet by focusing on one topic.
A caveat before we begin: these recommendations may not all apply if you are still receiving eletrolysis and have the raw upper lip to prove it. Hang in there - it will end eventually.
If you are having trouble with lipstick application, such as having it go on rough (and not lasting at all, no kidding, right?), “bleeding,” or “feathering,” part of the problem is cracked skin, which means you need better moisturizing throughout the day and especially at night. Age can also be a culprit in widening those fine lines, particularly if you have smoked for a time. Technique and products can change that.
After you exfoliate as much as you can (follow the orders from your professional), apply a moisturizer (be careful of chemicals that can aggravate acne, and again follow your professional’s orders before you try anything here). Then apply a concealer over the top of your lip. Foundation tends to be too liquidy and hard to control in this area. Application is key, so unless I can control, I don’t use it. Even something like Bare Escentuals powder foundation won’t help this area in prepping it for color that stays. Concealers and “wrinkle fillers” are basically “pancake base” and/or some combination of fillers and moisturizers, often in a tube shape of some sort for spot fixes, like undereye circles and blemishes. There are also some other interesting products that can give you a smooth canvas that I’ll review below.
This is a very good product to use for your base prep, but pricey:
philosophy unplastic surgery topical wrinkle filler
Perricone offers a similar product for this need. Beware of Perricone converts: they tend to be cultish in their adoration of the product, and hey, it’s for a reason.
N.V. Perricone Pore Refining Concealer
Physicians Formula and Prescriptives also have good concealer products that are cheaper at regular drug stores, some of which have good return policies specifically for cosmetics. DuWop has an item called Reverse Lip Liner that you can use before or after lipliner/lipstick application to “buttress” the color inside your lipline without “feathering.” Mac has two products that could help here: one is lip and lid prep, as the same thing can happen with the crease in your eyelid, and another is Photofinish, which is great alone or with foundation for full-face coverage or area treatment. eBay has some great deals on MAC products, though they are not always guaranteed for purity, and they come in small sizes - worth it if you just want to try, though you could also do that at a MAC counter.
After you prep your base in whatever way works for you, apply lip liner. You’ll know whether to go inside your natural lip line or just outside of it. Clowns are scary, and practice is the only way to get it right. I’ve bought the cheapo Wet ‘n Wild lipliners for $.99. That’s great if you want to try out colors, but they tend to crumble during application, go on unevenly, and look grainy after a half hour. Yeck. The pigments are also not very well-blended, so you get different (often unflattering) color and sparkle effects depending on the light.
MAC’s line of lip pencils/liners is pretty good:
MAC Lip Pencils
I’m also a Clinique fan because of the way the color looks on skin and how long it lasts (same with the eyeliners, FYI):
Clinique Lip-Shaping Pencil
The name “Avon” might bring images of your neighbor peddling to your mom, but it’s decent, quality stuff with fairly good staying power. I personally am still not a fan of the color selection, but if you can find one that works for you or like to blend colors, it could work, especially since it’s reasonably priced:
Avon COLOR TREND Lip Liner
Philosophy is also a good line. I haven’t heard of people with even very sensitive skin having any kind of reaction from their ingredients:
philosophy the supernatural lip pencil
I’ve heard raves about the Shiseido line, though I haven’t tried it myself:
Shiseido Lip Liner Pencil - 11 Mauve-Brown 1g/0.03oz
You can either fill in your lips with the lip pencil, which is what I do, or you can apply lipstick, which will need more reapplications throughout the day.
If you want to apply only pencil, dab in some more color and take a little bit of clear gloss to help swirl the color around your lips with a lip brush. If you want to apply lipstick, forego the gloss and apply the lipstick with a brush.
Either way, you should have a good lip brush to keep color inside the lines and to get an even application. The goal is to blend the lipliner seamlessly into your lip color overall; some people go for the two-toned look, but I’m not one of them. The brush also gets color into fine lines in your lips, so the look is smoother.
Make the investment in a decent brush, and it will last with good cleaning. Don’t go for the cheapest one in the drugstore, if you can avoid it; those bristles break easy and swish in all different directions as you work the color.
H2O Plus Retractable Lip Brush
philosophy tools of the trade lip brush
Some products combine my recommendations in one spot for you:
Shiseido The Makeup Lip Palette 5 Color Lip Palette and Lip Brush
I leave my color matte for the most part. If you want shine on top of your color, go for a gloss that isn’t too gooey and viscous-looking:
MAC LipGlass Lip Gloss
You also might want to try a “lip-plumping” gloss before you apply lipstick/lip liner and after your color application if you need more fullness:
philosophy big mouth lip plump
Avon BEYOND COLOR Plumping Lip Gloss
If this makeup tutorial has helped you, please let me know, and I’ll keep posting on this topic.
