How to Apply Lipstick the Right Way
by Caitie Kelly
Lipstick has been used, in various forms, for millenniums, but the struggle to make its color last has, seemingly, existed for just as long. Solutions have included the pots of red ocher that were often buried alongside mummies in ancient Egypt, to ensure a russet-lined smile well into the next life, and the potent mercury-laced vermilion mixture that was applied to rosebud effect in the Elizabethan era. Why go to all this trouble? Perfectly tinted lips “make you look finished and polished like nothing else can,” says Jenn Streicher, a makeup artist and founder of the New York beauty boutiques Scout and Duchess. Here, a guide to applying lipstick like a professional.
For the sake of easy application, The Lip Bar’s Nonstop Liquid Matte ($14) — which comes in 21 bold tones, ranging from brick red to orchid purple — goes on like a gloss at first, as does Violette’s Petal Bouche Matte ($28), whose final texture Streicher compares to that of “a rose petal.” But to the makeup rookies she encounters at her stores, she recommends Madame Gabriela’s Manuka honey and plant-oil-infused collection of lipsticks, ($35), which have a satiny balm-like feel.
Read full article by Caitie Kelly for The New York Times Style Magazine here