Seriously, Lily Collins, your ex-beau Zac Efron must be kicking himself for missing out on this © Lancôme
You know, I’ve always thought of lip gloss as a sort of cosmetics lesson in cosmic impermanence – nothing really lasts forever.
Be as that may, stretching out a tube of your favourite lacquer, especially in this time of economic duress, doesn’t have to be an exercise in futility.
To be sure, you’re not going to eke out an entire day’s mileage with these tips – and frankly, nothing short of industrial-grade sealant will – but you will, at the very least, get your gloss to last through lunch.
All right, then. In the ephemeral spirit of the product in question, let’s get straight to it, shall we.
TIP 1. Indulge in a 10-minute mouth mask. First trick of the trade: Soften your smackers by giving them a gentle once-over with a moistened toothbrush in the shower.
Here's why. Your lips will grab colour better with a smooth surface, so be sure to prep your puckers by slathering on a generous glob of conditioning balm. Almost as if this were an intensive lip mask, give the salve a good 10 minutes to sink in, then expunge excess with a cotton swab.
TIP 2. Wax is wicked. Balm is well and good, but here’s an incredibly important caveat: Back away from waxy blends. Instead, zero in on products that boast the creamy stuff – we’re talking botanical oils and shea butter.
Key takeaway: You want a product that’s runny like honey for better penetration of microscopic fissures; by contrast, balms that are beeswax-ey will sit on the surface like a water-repellant layer, causing colours to slide off like goo.
Oh, and one more thing. I’ve found that you can do away with lip primers. Most glosses are designed to go onto bare lips, so anything more than a balm beneath is overkill and will, indeed, cause the pigments to slip and slide.
TIP 3. Work with the medium, not against it. Lina Tock, Lancôme Singapore’s National Makeup Artist, says we should embrace the limitations of lip gloss – again, all very Zen, but stick with me.
What she means (I think) is that we should aim for a medium-shine, multidimensional sheen. Take it from the master’s mouth herself: “Apply a darker shade, then blot away excess with a tissue. Next, layer on a lighter shade on top. This will tone down the overall colour while giving you a longer-lasting stained effect.”
Here’s how to put Lina’s advice into practice. First, press your gloss applicator into the centre of your pout, then slide it back and forth in one smooth pendulum-like movement.
Wait a beat, then apply a second coat; switch to a lighter hue this time, if you like. Two coats should give you a flirty flush that’s really rather fetching; three or more will very nearly approach the solid intensity of a creamy lippie.
Once you’re satisfied with your bespoke hue (keep in mind that, like a mood ring for your mouth, most stains will deepen in depth over the course of a day), blot softly with a sebum-absorbing sheet – the oils in glossy formulas are the main culprits of colour slippage.
And viola, a Goldilocks-esque stain that hits the sweet spot between wet and matte, with the added joy of being long-lasting to boot. Well, long-lasting in lip gloss terms, anyway. Time to pucker up!