Tired of never seeming to get the perfect lipstick? Or sure, the color looks great. But once you get it home, and really get the chance to try it on, it just never seems to, well, you know. Stay on! Here are some tricks of the trade that can help before you make your beauty purchase.

The rub test

   To figure out if a lipstick is going to stay on in the first place, do the rub test. Before buying a tube, run the lipstick across the back of your hand. How did it go on? Very slippery? Greasy? Did a lot of lipstick go on your hand or just a little? The more wax a lipstick has, the shinier and greasier the lipstick will be. And the harder it will be to keep it on. Wax loves to melt, especially in heat, so if it's a hot day, creamy lipsticks take a beating. Did a lot of lipstick end up on your hand? That means that the lipstick isn't 'stiff' enough to keep the pigment on. If it smears all on your hand, it will smear all off your lips as well.

The matte lipstick dilemma

   Do you feel like you have to get a matte lipstick for long lasting results? Not really. Matte lipsticks do have the reputation of drying out your lips, thus making you lick your lips more, and causing your lipstick to wear off in the center of the mouth. Go for a happy medium.

Prepping

   With the newer formulations in lipsticks now, you really don't need to layer on the foundation and powder before the lipstick anymore.

   Here are a few ways to help keep lipstick on longer:

Super Matte

   Apply your matte control lotions on lips as well. Like Shine Control products work on the face to calm oiliness, it also gives a great base for lipstick without being too heavy or cakey.

Lip Pencils

   Well, they really don't keep lipstick on longer, since both lip pencil and lip stick are made out of, well, wax. Keep your lip pencil nude in color, like a very light brown, and use to line and define the mouth shape instead. Focus on getting a better lipstick, rather than trying to keep a bad one on.

Apply with a lip brush

   Yes it's true. When applying directly from the tube, you really are applying about 5-6 layers of color. About 4 layers more than you need. A brush applies 1 even layer that stays on a lot longer. In this case, less really is better.

Blot

   But blot with your lips closed. Press Kleenex over your lips, as if you're kissing the tissue. Lightly press your finger all across the lips. When you remove it, you'll get a definite "lip" on your tissue. By blotting this way, not only do you blot off excess in the center of the mouth, but along the edges of the lip line as well. This is where your lipstick bleeds anyway. After blotting your lips, lightly take a small eye shadow brush, and brush loose powder over lipstick to set. On top of this, you can apply your accent color in the center of the lips, or lip gloss. Powder applied before gloss will keep gloss, cream and frosted colors on longer.

   To even out lips and make them look perfect, as well as keep lipstick on longer, apply a concealer pencil, or concealer with a brush around the edges of the lipstick. This will help clean up any lipstick smudges, as well emphasize the lips.

   Lighten up any lipstick shade by dotting a concealer on the bottom of the lower lip. Instant lightness.

   Here are some great lipstick tips that we makeup artists use specifically for photography. Try them out, they'll work for you as well!

   Have an old greasy lipstick you don't want to toss out? Use as cream blush instead. Or, change the consistency of it. Scoop out your lipstick and apply to a small plastic pill box, or a small tin container. Pop in the microwave for a few minutes, or light a candle to it. The trick is to add heat so the lipstick starts to melt a little. Then, leave out to cool, or throw in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes. What this does is harden the lipstick to a new consistency. The heat 'melts' some of the wax,and then the cold hardens the lipstick so it will go on not nearly so greasy!

   Have a too blue based lipstick? Mix a dot of yellowy concealer into your lipstick, or apply a yellow based loose powder on clean lips,and apply lipstick on top. There will be just enough warmth in the product to take the edge off a too cool/blue shade.

   Want to update your lipsticks to the new cool blue based tones? Apply a navy blue eye pencil, or eye shadow on lips and apply your lipstick on top ....just a little will do and you'll have a new shade.

   A soft brown eye shadow applied on lips first will darken any too light shade.

   Make your own fall color by mixing blue eye shadow and red blush on your lips. Apply a lip balm on top and you're set. The most fun part is that every time you try this, you can experiment and get a different version every time.

   Use your shimmer highlighter sticks from spring/summer to highlight lipsticks. Apply on a clean mouth first, and then your dull lipstick on top. An instant frosted fall shade.

   The color for fall is the 'bitten' lip look. Just take your rosy blush and apply dry on lips. Apply your Vitamin E stick on top for a lip blush. Gel cheek colors work great for this too.

Discuss this article with other readers by clicking here.
--------------------------

Elke Von Freudenberg
Elke Von Freudenberg is a top editorial makeup artist and hair stylist,based in New York and Los Angeles. Her clients include Calvin Klein, Paul Mitchell Hair Systems, Aveda, Rolling Stone Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Allure, Neue Magazine.

Editorial Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist | Los Angeles, New York
Online Portfolio: http://portfolio.gq.nu/
The Makeup Video Collection: http://elkevonf.hypermart.net
The Beauty Newsletter http://beautynewsletter.gq.nu/