Each season always seems to bring alot of beautiful deep and rich tones in lipsticks. Meaning, we try to find a way to keep them on. While soft, lip tones are always in, it's the more deeply pigmented lipsticks that are difficult to keep on without feathering and fading. Nothing a few quick tips and tricks of the trade won't help.

The Rub Test

To figure out if a lipstick is going to stay on in the first place, do the rub test first. Before buying a tube, run the lipstick across the back of your hand. How did it go on? Very slippery? Greasy? Did alot of lipstick go on your hand or just a little?

The more wax a lipstick has, the shinier and greasier the lipstick will be. And the harder it will be to keep it on. Wax loves to melt, especially in heat, so if it's a hot day, creamy lipsticks take a beating. With a lot of wax, it means that the lipstick isn't 'stiff' enough to keep the pigment on. If it smears on your hand, it will smear on your lips as well. Better bet: find a lipstick that glides on but leaves only a good layer of pigment behind.

Are you needing moisture for dry lips? You'll get better results in applying a Vitamin E stick or lip balm in the evening before you go to bed, and sticking to just lipstick in the morning. You'll get better results. Remember, skin care products affect your skin, makeup enhances it. Avoid the lip balm underneath lipstick unless you're dealing with a very matte lipstick. If you don't need it, you won't end up with 2 layers of wax that you have to keep on. Find a happy medium that offers slight moisture, goes on without being too slippery, and doesn't have a ton of wax that wil only bleed and feather off.

The matte lipstick dilemma.

Do you feel like you have to get a matte lipstick for long lasting results? Not really. Matte lipsticks have the reputation of drying out your lips, thus making you lick your lips more. This causes your lipstick to wear off more, especially in the center of the mouth. Go for a happy medium.

Prepping

With newer formulations in lipsticks now, you really don't need to layer on the foundation and powder before lipstick anymore. Here are a few new ways to keep lipstick on longer.

1. Apply your matte control lotions on lips as well. The Shine Control products and Liquid Powders works on the face to calm oiliness, and it also gives a great base for lipstick without being too heavy or cakey.

2. Lip pencils........well, they really don't keep lipstick on, since both lip pencil and lipstick are made out of wax. Just keep your lip pencil nude in color, like a soft brown, and use to line and define the mouth shape instead. Focus on getting a better lipstick, rather than trying to keep a bad one on.

3. Apply with a lip brush. Yes it's true. When applying directly from the tube, you really are applying about 5-6 layers of color. About 4 layers more than you really need. A brush applies 1 even layer that stays on a lot longer. In this case, less really is better.

4. Blot........but with your lips closed. Press Kleenex over your lips, as if you're kissing the tissue. Lightly press your finger all across the lips. When you remove it, you'll get a definite "lip kiss" on your tissue. When blotting this way, not only do you blot off excess in the center of the mouth, but along the edges of the lip line as well. This is usually where your lipstick bleeds anyway. If you blot the old-fashioned way of 'biting' the Kleenex, you omit the much needed lip line itself.

After blotting your lips, lightly take a small eye shadow brush, and brush loose powder over lipstick to set. On top of this, you can apply your lip gloss in the center of the lips. Powder applied after lipstick will keep lip gloss on longer.

To even out lips and make them look perfect, as well as keep lipstick on longer, apply a concealer pencil, or concealer with a brush around the edges of the lipstick. This will help clean up any lipstick smudges, as well emphasize the lips.

Lighten up any lipstick shade by dotting a concealer on the bottom of the lower lip under your lipstick. Instant lightness as well as a new-found shade.

CREDIT BYLINE: Article written by E. Von Freudenberg, Editor of The Beauty Newsletter: http://www.beautynewsletter.gq.nu. For a free subscription, email BeautyNewsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Ms. Von Freudenberg is also a top celebrity makeup artist whose work has been seen in Allure, W, Rolling Stone, Paper, Detour and many more. Von Freudenberg Ent. © All Rights Reserved.