Tips to Wearing Long Lasting, Red Lipstick

I love wearing red lipstick, and my friends always ask me how I keep the pigment so rich, even after I eat. I used to tell them, "its magic." They never believed me. So here I am now, sharing this with the world. I have seen this technique before, and I gotta say, it totally works.

Before working with lips, make sure the skin is hydrated and moisturized (but dry... no moisturizer or lip balm residue should be on the lips, otherwise, the liner/lipstick won't apply or stay on very well).

I often use a lip scrub like once or twice a week to keep the lips looking soft and smooth.

Make sure that before you put on anything, you start with a base of primer. It will really help with the overall application and wear time of the lipstick.

I have gone through a few different brands of lip primers, but I have to say, the one by Urban Decay, or or Mac are my favorites. MAC helps with filling those tiny lines in your lips, but urban decay will keep the color on their longer... at least, for me it works that way. For this example, I am using the Urban Decay Ultimate Ozone Primer Pencil.

Fill your lips with liner. When lining your lip line, I find that not pulling the lips taught helps keep a better shape. Use lots of short strokes when lining the lip, and then go ahead for the big long strokes when filling it in. I like to color in the entire lip as opposed to just lining it.

I often apply lipstick from the tube if I have lined the lips before hand. When I touch up, I often use a lip brush. A pro tip: use a separate brush for your reds because no matter how diligent you are in cleaning your brushes, the red just stains, so I just have a lip brush dedicated for my red lipsticks.

Once you have on a nice coat of lipstick, blot the excess pigment away.

Reapply another layer of lip pencil all over the lip. (this will stain the lip, prevent feathering, and keep the color on, even after eating)

Then blot....again.

And then to finish the look, apply another coat of lipstick. If you want an added pop of shine, apply red gloss to the center of your lips. Avoid coating the entire lip to prevent any added bleeding or running of the gloss.

I have a darker Asian skin tone, and I always get asked what I use on my lips. If you have olive or yellow in your skin, red shades that have a blue undertone work best. Stay away from orange based reds as they just don't have the same classic red/dramatic look as they do on pale/pink toned skin.

My all time favorite red lipsticks and glosses are as follows:

Primer: Urban Decay or MAC lip primer
Liner: MAC in Brick
Lipstick: Make Up Forever- Rogue Artist Intense (#42), MAC Matte Opera (#A94)
Gloss: MAC Driven By Love (#AA3) This has a candy shimmer in it that creates a rich red that looks amazing in the sunlight
Liquid Lipsticks- Kat Von D- Outlaw, Sephora (#01)

THESE ARE MY NEW OBSESSION. The long wear stay in unmatched in my book. They stay on all day and require almost no maintenance. You don't need to blot once you have applied your coat. Apply primer, liner, liquid lipstick, let it set, and you're free to go!