perfect lips even after i kill a man

January 5, 2016 9:47 AM

I absolutely love the CoverGirl Outlast Lipsticks (this kind, with the wand and the separate moisturizer). I love a good deep red noir lipstick. But they only offer a few colors, and I want more choice!

I often end up using just a little to stain my lips, but it still lasts all day. When I do a full-saturation bright-red lip, it doesn't smudge everywhere or disappear when I drink tea or kiss people.

The Maybelline and Revelon versions didn't work for me (too drying or goopy). Is there a nice high-end version of exactly this product, that works just as well? At MAC, or at Sephora? I'd like deeper reds, a bright orange I can mix in, etc. I'm not looking for traditional lipsticks, though I've heard (as here) that a serious prep process can make them last a long time.

posted by you're a kitty! to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (22 answers total)

I think you might enjoy trying the Liquid Lipsticks by Anastasia of Beverly Hills, Kat Von D's Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks, and Stila's Stay All Day Liquid Lipsticks. Make sure you've exfoliated your lips first before using, then apply the lip balm of your choice to lock in moisture. These three formulas dry almost immediately so they're pretty unforgiving if you don't have a steady hand, but they genuinely do stay all day and have lots of colors to indulge in.
posted by Hermione Granger at 9:52 AM on January 5, 2016 [3 favorites]

Oh, more to share:

Velour Liquid Lipstick by Jeffree Star
Ultra Matte Lips by Colourpop (super, super affordable cult classics)
Lips by Dose of Colors
Long Lasting Liquid Lipsticks by OFRA Cosmetics
Lip Couture by LA Splash Cosmetics
posted by Hermione Granger at 9:55 AM on January 5, 2016 [1 favorite]

Also here's a good article detailing some of the better high end liquid lipsticks. I've never tried the Laura Mercier or YSL varieties but they look really nice, too.

Also, it's gonna be hard to find a dupe of exactly the product you're currently using because most of these brands tout moisture being part of the liquid lipstick and not needed separately.

I... I have done a lot of research on this topic...
posted by Hermione Granger at 9:58 AM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]

The Kat Von D liquid lipsticks are great. You might also check out Hourglass' liquid lipstick.

If you want something a little more moisturizing and slightly less (though still) long-lasting, Fyrinnae's lip lustres are really nice, and they also have liquid lipstick (though I haven't tried those). Their color section is really great.
posted by snaw at 10:04 AM on January 5, 2016 [1 favorite]

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in the Beso shade is my absolute go to long wear, comfortable, perfect red. My husband likes it and calls it the "expensive kiss proof stuff", since I wear red lipstick every day and in general my lipsticks are not kissproof. He knows if I'm wearing "the expensive kiss proof stuff" we're GTG. Obviously it wouldn't survive a proper makeout session, but we can sneak some kisses without it showing. I wore it to a dinner party and I had a woman come up to me at the end of the evening to ask if I had tattooed the red on to my lips. She honestly thought it was a tattoo because it stayed on despite eating a three course meal and drinking, and she was shocked when I said it was lipstick and immediately asked for the name. Highly HIGHLY recommended.

Sidenote: I was able to buy it at my local drugstore (Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada), so it is sometimes available in not speciality fancy dancy places.



For non-liquids, I have found the NXY matte lipsticks to be pretty fabulous and quite long wear. Another fav, especially the "true red" and "perfect red" shades.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 10:05 AM on January 5, 2016 [4 favorites]

Another vote for Stila Stay All Day in Beso. It stays. All day.
posted by asockpuppet at 10:12 AM on January 5, 2016 [1 favorite]

I am partial to the Chanel and Laura Mercier versions, but I had to go through a bunch of colors to find ones that worked for me. The Chanel are the longest lasting lipsticks I have. Like, it's still on in the morning and I have to work to get it off kind of staying power.
posted by dpx.mfx at 10:15 AM on January 5, 2016

It's funny you should ask. I was vexed by the lack of similar products in extreme colours and was specifically looking for something black. I came thisclose to asking a similar question last week.

The only formulation I could find for black lipstick was one-part (no balm included) liquid-to-matte. It was pure useless. MUA Velvet, but I've had similarly crap results with the Bourjois one-step liquid which everyone raves about, so I figured that all the one-step liquids were probably shit, and wrote off the entire product category for a bad job.

But then, having watched many reviews, I ordered a black LA Splash liquid which arrived today, and which I unwrapped at work. I haven't tried it on my lips yet, but I did try a test on my fingertip, then on my wrist. LA Splash do your bright reds too, of course.

Here's what I did:

On my (recently-moisturized, but as dry and clean as I could get it without washing my hands) fingertip I placed a glob straight out of the tube. I then waited six minutes. Either because of the underlying moisture or because I applied too much or both, it smeared away at the touch of my hand and disappeared completely when I rubbed it.

I tried again on my (non-moisturized) wrist, scraping the excess off the wand, and waited another 6 minutes. It's still there. After another few minutes I took out the Maybelline 24h lipstick I have with me and swiped the balm over it. It's still there. I've rubbed the colour patch lightly and it's weakened a tiny bit, but not that obviously. So I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll be able to keep my lips moisturized throughout the day, which wasn't a feature I was expecting from this product. I thought I was going to just have to sit and listen to the crackle of my lips drying to a crisp as the day wore on. But maybe not!!!

So I have high hopes for this LA Splash one. Since they cost GBP 15.00 over here, I did not order it lightly. I hope it will last through a not-unreasonably-greasy meal, and if it does I'll be very happy because it also comes in dark blue, and green.

However, as you can see, application is everything.

Can you tell us more about your application technique? It could be a reason why you've had no luck with Maybelline. Here's what I do:

1. Apply balm and leave it while I do the rest of my makeup.
2. Firmly blot away any traces of lip balm with a tissue - but don't scrub so hard that I rough my lips up all over again.
3. Scraping the excess off the applicator, outline the lips as described in that other post you linked to, then fill in.
4. Go around with fish lips for at least 2 minutes while this first layer dries (that is, don't let my lips touch each other, or anything else).
5. Blot with 1 ply of a tissue.
6. Repeat step 3.
7. Go around with fish lips for 10 minutes.
8. Apply the balm.

So this makes the Maybelline last pretty well for me, and if you're applying it differently maybe reconsider your technique in this light. I have also tried the Revlon two-step liquids and also found that they performed well. L'Oréal was an entire waste of my time and I don't recommend that one. BUT HEY. I have an exceptionally difficult time getting even these "24 hour" lipsticks to last, and I think it's just a manifestation of my body chemistry. Mileage always varies.
posted by tel3path at 10:26 AM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]

The Sephora house brand is good, and cheap.
posted by littlewater at 10:27 AM on January 5, 2016

Sephora's Cream Lip Stain stays on pretty well and has a decent color selection.
posted by Maeve at 10:32 AM on January 5, 2016 [1 favorite]

Another vote for the Stila Stay All Day. That stuff needs serious makeup remover to get off.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 10:39 AM on January 5, 2016 [1 favorite]

In ascending price order: The Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick does not budge, but I find it drying. The Giorgio Armani Ecstasy Lacquer is equally budge-proof, but slightly less drying. Guerlain Rouge G De Guerlain L'Extrait is my daily go-to-work lip - excellent adherence and not drying. (But hot damn, 60 bucks for lipstick!)

From what you wrote, maybe a good stain is what you're after. If you are looking for more of a stain, then get thee to the Yves Saint Laurent counter to purchase Volupté Tint-In-Oil - fantastic stuff. It's my weekend lip.
posted by 26.2 at 11:00 AM on January 5, 2016

I came here to endorse the Sephora brand Cream Lip Stain. I find it excellent, and quite nice colors. Very cheap.
posted by easter queen at 11:00 AM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]

Also came in to mention the Sephora stuff.
posted by kmennie at 11:00 AM on January 5, 2016

That Stila Stay All Day stuff really does seem to be love-it-or-hate-it. The colors are nice and bright and the staying power is completely amazing, but on me, it was super drying. I looked and felt like I'd straight up made out with a can of housepaint. Afterward, I was compulsively balming for like a week.

For a drugstore pick, I'm really liking Revlon Ultra HD, which feels pretty smooth and has remarkable staying power. The Gladiolus one makes a good universal red.
posted by mochapickle at 11:38 AM on January 5, 2016 [1 favorite]

I really like YSL lip products, especially the glossy stains.
posted by tealcake at 11:58 AM on January 5, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I've tried the Sephora brand (the one that just comes in one tube, no separate balm) and it doesn't seem to last much longer on me than a traditional lipstick.
posted by you're a kitty! at 12:59 PM on January 5, 2016 [1 favorite]

Lip Tar.

They are switching over their packaging, so you may see the old (looks like a tiny toothpaste tube) or the new (looks standard, lipgloss tube).

I have used Stila. This outdoes Stila.
posted by oflinkey at 1:20 PM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]

I loved the Covergirl one you mentioned for years. Until I found Hourglass. You want to colour in your lips with this first. I find this stays most of the day no matter what I top it with, but if you put this over it, you will have a lip colour that stays on till the next day. Trust me on this, I've tried EVERYTHING!
posted by shazzam! at 1:54 PM on January 5, 2016

I have tried a LOT of longwear lipsticks, and my absolute, hands-down favorite is Makeup Forever's Aqua Rouge. You apply the color first, and then the clear gloss on top (similar to your Covergirl one). You have to be careful when applying, though, because the base color will not budge. I would say that's the main downside - it can be a pain to take off in the evening! I do notice it occasionally rubs off if I eat something super oily, but I think that's just part of the price I pay for disgustingly greasy pizza.
posted by jouir at 2:21 PM on January 5, 2016 [1 favorite]

I love that exact Covergirl lipstick (after years of fancier/organic lipsticks). But I have noticed that the colors on the box/swatches are not particularly true. It took me a few tries to find my holy grail color. Have you tried out a few colors that seem like they might work for you? I suspect that on my skin tone Every Reddy might be noir red. (Toasted almond is alternately almost imperceptible, the perfect hint of color if I blot, or noir beyond noir if I do not.) At $6 a pop, it was worth a few bad guesses.
posted by instamatic at 9:01 PM on January 5, 2016

The Kat Von D stuff STAYS. I had a sample tube and recently used it when playing roller derby. I put it on an hour before the game, played for an hour, and then after, still had to use a remover to get it off. Amazing.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 11:50 AM on January 6, 2016