Lipstick Tricks That Can Save You Money & Create Luscious Lip Looks

I think lipstick is one of those things that can instantly make you feel more pulled together, sexier, more alert, or whatever look it is you’re going for. You can even transform your daytime ensemble into an evening look just by adding a pop of color to your lips. Here’s some great tips on how to make your lipstick last longer, use up that tube of color languishing in your drawer because you didn’t quite like the color, create a plumper lip without costly injections…and more, all saving you a bit of money.

1. EXFOLIATE –

– Exfoliating your lips will remove dead, chapped skin, leaving you with a smooth finish that can help your lipstick last longer. There are tons of lip exfoliators out on the market ranging from $10 to $25 and higher but you can easily make your own for pennies, using products you probably already have in your kitchen. Simply mix a bit of olive oil, coconut oil, almond oil or shea butter with some sugar or sea salt and spread on your lips. Gently rub and rinse. Your lips will feel marvelous. Some people suggest using a soft toothbrush or clean disposable mascara wand but I find my clean finger and warm washcloth is more gentle and easy.

2. MAKE IT LAST LONGER –

There are several ways you can help make your lipstick last longer, which means you won’t have to apply it as often. There are actually tons of different tricks women swear by but here are a few that I’ve personally tried with excellent results.

– Apply lipstick. Hold a tissue over your mouth and then lightly dust translucent powder over it. A very fine amount of the powder will transfer through the tissue to your lips, locking in the color.

– Apply lipstick then blot which will remove any excess oil. Apply a second coat of lipstick.

– After outlining lips with liner, fill in lips with the same liner. Apply gloss or petroleum jelly for a glossy yet subtle sheen that lasts or apply your favorite lipstick in a similar shade, which will adhere to the liner.

– After applying lipstick, stick your clean printer finger in your mouth, wrapping your lips around it. Pull your finger out. Excess lipstick that might have ended up on your teeth is now on your finger.

– Before taking a sip of liquids from a glass, wine being my beverage of choice, discreetly lick your lips.

3. CHOOSING COLORS –

As with most things in life, one thing might work for one person and not work for another. Choosing the best lipstick shades for your complexion, skin type, color, will ultimately boil down to what you prefer.

– To find the best reds for your skin tone…blue-based reds look great with fair complexions, orangey reds pair well with olive complexions, and darker complexions look great with burgundy reds.

– Makeup artist Bobbi Brown swears that the best lipstick shade for anyone is a shade or two darker than your own natural lip color.

– To help make yellow teeth appear whiter, use lipsticks with more blue undertones like plums, pinks, wines and violets. Avoid hues in orange, brown and coral, which can make teeth look even more yellow.

– Patting concealer or foundation over your lips prior to applying lipstick will help the color look exactly like it does in the package since you’ll have a neutral palette to begin with.

4. NUDES –

– Choose a nude lip color that is one shade darker than your skin tone.

5. RESHAPE YOUR LIPS –

Wish your pout was plumper or your lips fuller? There’s no need to go under the knife or get injections with these easy to do tricks…

– Reshape your lips by first applying foundation or concealer over your lips. Next, trace just slightly outside your natural lip line with a lip pencil, which will make them appear larger. *There are very few people who can pull off a really dark lip line with a light lip color, just FYI, so opt for lip color and liner in similar shades.

– For plumper looking lips, apply a lighter shade of lipstick or gloss, (concealer or highlighting cream works great too) to the middle of your lips.

A FEW MORE FUN TIPS & TRICKS TO TRY…

– For some reason, it’s never my cheap or not so loved lipsticks that break but rather the ones I really love or spent a ton of money on, which unfortunately isn’t always one and the same. But you can reattach a broken lipstick easily, which of course will save you money, with this simple trick. Using a tissue to hold the broken lipstick with, wave a lit match or lighter under the broken piece. Once it’s melted a bit, place it back on the base and swivel it down to reattach. Put in refrigerator for about 30 minutes, uncovered. Should be as good as new.

– I’ve been doing this since I first began wearing lipstick. Scrape out the last bits of your lipstick with a cotton swab and mix with petroleum jelly or lip gloss.

– If you’re like most women, chances are you have a tube or two of lipstick that once you got home and on your lips, just didn’t look that great. You can toss it, which would be a total waste of money or just mix it with another shade until you get the color you love…not only saves you money but now you have a customized, one-of-a-kind shade.

– Lipstick stains can be easier to remove if you spray the fabric first with hairspray (NOT on dry-clean only items.) Spray stain, let sit for a few minutes, then dab and wash as you normally do.

– If you’ve applied your lip liner with a too heavy hand and ended up with harsh lines, simply soften a bit with a clean finger.

– Help soften aging lips with creamy lipsticks and softer colors, avoiding matte looks and super glossy shine.

– This is one of my favorite tips, which I use especially when traveling and want to travel light. For a creamy cheek color use your favorite lip color, making sure you blend it in well.

– Broken eyeshadow can be mixed with petroleum jelly or balm and applied as a lip color…that is if the shadow is in a color you’d use on your mouth.

– To keep lipstick from feathering, apply clear makeup primer around your mouth before applying lipstick.

– When wearing bold reds, go light on your makeup and eyes. If a smoky eye is more your look, ease up on the lips and go more neutral and lighter.