Bold lipstick can mean more than an elegant dress. Without it you might feel almost naked. You wear it as a statement of your identity, when you want to impress, when words aren’t good enough. A perfect bold lipstick makes you feel classy and fierce with the power to lift your mood like no chocolate can.
But it doesn’t stay in place. What then?
When a lipstick makes you insecure because it needs constant touch-ups, beautiful shade just doesn’t cut it. Feathering, bleeding, call it whatever you like. The pigment runs into the fine lines around your lips because of your dry skin, product formulation or inadequate application method.
Don’t lose hope yet. Before you abandon your lipstick in a scary, dark place, here are 7 life-saving ways you can prevent feathering.
1. Exfoliate your lips, always
Dry and chapped lips make your lipstick look messy and uneven.
Always scrub your lips. Just like you’d clean and prepare your face for makeup, you need to remove dead skin cells from your lips and moisturize for best results. I like using EOS for lip care and usually make my own lip scrub (as it’s really cheap and easy to make).
Exfoliate and moisturize your lips. Remove your lip balm with a tissue.
2. Use a lip primer or prime with a concealer
If you don’t have a lip primer, apply a small amount of concealer on your lips with a blending sponge. Wait a bit until it sets, then use a lipstick brush to apply lipstick of choice on top.
Dab a primer on your lips and blend well. Any kind of primer should work – lip primer, foundation primer, even an eyeshadow one. Foundation/concealers are great too.
3. Lip pencil – the most important step
Lip liners or lip pencils are a friend of yours that helps define your lips and forms a barrier around your lip line.
When the primer sets, trace your lips with a lip liner and fill them in (use an invisible one or a shade similar to your lipstick). Anything waxy works here, even a highlighting brow or eye pencil.
4. Use lip brush for best results
Next step: apply lipstick with a lip brush.
Thin, flat, small and with dense bristles, lip brushes are perfect for definition and feathering prevention. After you’ve lined your lips, use brush to apply lipstick in a thin layer.
Lip brushes can be rounded, angled, flat at the tip or sculpted/pointed. Invest in one that fits your needs and lip shape, or use any small, flat concealer or detail eyeshadow brush you already have.
5. Invest in a long-lasting lipstick
Blot the lipstick off with a tissue. Apply lipstick again.
Don’t have high hopes of taming tinted glosses or balmy, sheer lipsticks.
If you want a day-to-evening lip color that won’t budge, use heavy-duty lip wear. Very pigmented and long-lasting formulas hold onto your skin better and provide full coverage.
One more thing that increases the chance of feathering is overapplication of color. Remember, one coat is enough.
6. Contour lips with foundation/corrector
Use a precision brush to outline lips with a foundation/corrector, to fix mistakes and prevent feathering.
Lip contouring gives you that sharp, flawless edges. Use foundation or corrector with a precision brush to prevent feathering or erase lipstick mistakes.
After you’ve put on your lipstick, dip your brush in a drop of foundation and draw a line around your lips. Blend the foundation with the rest of your face.
You’d be surprised how voluminous your lips can become when using a concealer that’s a shade lighter than your usual foundation.
7. Blotting technique
Prime your lips with a lip primer, lip liner or concealer. Then apply one coat of lipstick with a brush for precision. Blot it off gently with a tissue. Repeat. After applying a second and final coat of your best lipstick, blot again.
After all this blotting back and forth, set the color with a translucent powder (loose or pressed). Put a tissue (one layer) over your lips lightly. Dust the powder onto the lips with a brush through the tissue.
That’s it!
Bye! 😉