Photo: Ralf Nau/Digital Vision/Getty Images
Perfectly painted, bold lips scream “Kiss me -- I’m hot,” but leaked, feathery lipstick says “Oh no you’re not.” Eating, drinking and smooching cause even the high quality lip color to lift off your lips, but there’s no reason to give your lips a rest. Protect your pucker with lip primer for color that stays put.
What is Primer
Think of lip primer just like wall primer -- it fills in small cracks, smooths the surface and readies your lips for a blast of color. Lip primer is full of vitamins and protectants to remove loose skin, plump up lips and form a barrier along the edge of the lips to keep lipstick on the lips. Some primers contain a light splash of sunscreen to prevent painful burns, and can be used either with color or alone to keep your lips kissably soft.
Pick a Color
Lip primers come in many colors, from clear to pale pink to rich mocha. Clear primers are the most versatile, so pick up a pot of colorless primer if you wear a variety of lipsticks. If you’re a one-shade gal, choose a primer that is either flesh-colored or just slightly lighter than your lipstick to allow for even blending and to prevent color distortion of your lipstick.
Prime On
Clean up your lips before priming. Steam your face over a sink of hot water for five minutes, or work on your pucker immediately after showering. Dab a little pure sugar on your lips, and scrub gently with a soft toothbrush. Rinse sticky lips with warm water, and dry to remove any stubborn pieces of dry lip skin. Add a drop of primer to a lip brush, and sweep a thin layer over dry lips. Keep the primer just inside your natural lip line to help contain lipstick and minimize color bleeding. Press your lips together firmly, then wipe away any primer outside your lip line.
Cover With Color
Sweep a tube of your fave lipstick over your entire bottom lip, stopping just inside the corners. Close your lips, pursing them together to transfer a bit of color to your top lip. If the color is uneven, add a little more lipstick to the upper lip, blotting your lips on a paper towel to remove excess color. Go around the outer edge your lips with a cotton swab dipped in makeup remover to pull off any lipstick that sneaks past the primer.
