How to Rock Bold Lips All Night Long

     Some people wear bold lips all the time. Some women don't wear any makeup but a swipe of red lipstick everyday and they look incredible. I. Can't. Do. That. I wear a darker lip color about once a semester (I don't think I'll ever stop measuring the year out in semesters) but it takes a lot of effort. I feel so self conscious with a dark lip, and I'm constantly worried about whether or not it's wearing off, or smudged, or on my teeth. Over the years I've developed a sure fire method for applying darker lip colors and setting them so they last through the night. One thing to remember is that matte lipstick formulas will last longer than glossy lipsticks. I prefer to go with a matte or slightly satin finish and top with a small amount of gloss if I want to go really glossy. Gloss will ALWAYS cause your lipstick to breakdown faster, so keep that in mind if you need the lip color to last a really long time. Now, let's go through it step by step. I'm using a beautiful deep burgundy color. I know it's not traditionally a spring color, but I'm craving burgundy lips right now, so I'm going to go with it.

1) Prep your lips

I like to use a lip scrub to get rid of any dry flakies. You can make one with some kind of oil (olive, coconut. almond, etc.) and salt, sugar, or brown sugar, if you don't want to buy one. A lot of times I just scrub my lips with my toothbrush and leftover toothpaste after I'm done brushing my teeth. Once you've scrubbed, apply a good lip balm and let that sit while you do the rest of your makeup. Once you're ready to start on your lips, wipe off the lip balm and apply a lip primer. My favorite is MAC Prep + Prime Lip.

2.) Line your lips with a long-wearing lip liner that is close the same color of your lipstick

I'm using a Milani brand lip liner for this tutorial. It's not a super long lasting formula, but I really like this product and I haven't found another lip liner that matches this lipstick to replace it. Line your lips following your natural lip line, unless you want to make slight corrections. If you have one side of your lip that's slightly different than the other side, you can subtly correct it by overdrawing your natural line, but just slightly. ONLY make minor adjustments. Now isn't the time to completely change your lip shape. I know, it looks totally chola, but it'll get better.

3.) Use a lip brush to apply a light layer of the lipstick

Fill in your entire lips with the lipstick, making sure to blend the lipstick in with the lip liner. We don't want a repeat of the 90's folks, blend it all together.

4.) Blot the lips with tissue

Blot down the lipstick with tissue. You will end up with just a heavy stain of lip color all over your lips.

5.) Use powder to set the stain.

This step is a little tricky, but pull apart 2-ply tissue to get 1 layer. Hold the tissue on top of your lips, and push a translucent setting powder over all of your lips. This will help to set the stain and lock the next layer in place.

6.) Apply a second layer of lipstick

Grab you lip brush again and apply an even layer of the lipstick. This is going to be your final layer. Brush on an even coat and make sure your edges look smooth. Blot lightly again if you feel like you put the color on too heavy.

7.) Clean up your edges if you need

Go in with a full coverage concealer or your foundation and a flat concealer brush. Smooth a small amount of the product along the edge of your lip line if you need to make it more precise. Set your concealer with a light layer of powder.

All done! This is how you make a bold lip last. I've done this with a matte formula and had the lipstick stay pristine through an entire meal. YMMV. Especially if you don't use a truly matte formula. Just carry the lipstick with you and touch up as needed directly from the lipstick tube. You will probably only need to touch up around the inside of your lips, as that's where the lipstick wears the most. I paired this lip with an easy gold eye look. After I shot this tutorial I went to a party and ate BBQ and only had to touch up once. Got a full 8+ hours of wear out of this application. Leave a comment below if you have any questions!