how to stop your lipstick from bleeding


Ugh, the dreaded lipstick bleed and what to do about it. Aging can be so fun.  Elizabeth aka The Vintage Contessa brought up the subject the other day on her blog and so I thought I'd address it here too. Is there nothing worse than putting on some pretty lippy and then an hour later you take a glance in the mirror and that pretty color is now migrating up and out to every line around your lips? The darker the color and deeper the lines the worse the situation can be. You can wipe the color away but the color still lingers.  So what to do? Luckily I work with 3 professional makeup artists and they all shared their #1 tip with me!





Step 1.  Start with a clean face and lips.  Apply a lip conditioner such as Sothys Universal Smoothing Lip Filler.  At $18, this product is amazing guys.  We have several of these types of product for sale in the store but this one is THE best.  It is formulated with silicones and texturing agents that smooth and fill the lips.  It's transparent so you apply the pencil to your lips and also apply it beyond the lip creating a barrier that stops the bleed. .





Step 2.  Apply your favorite lip color.  Here we are using Sothys Lip Rouge 241.  




Step 3.  Blot the color with your fingers or a tissue.





The blotting creates more of a stain look which I think is perfect for daytime.




Without blotting leaves a classic lipstick look which I really love too.  So what do you think?  Do you have any tricks up your sleeve?  Do share because we are all in this together.  x


48 comments

  1. Oh when does this joy kick in? I have just now realised why older women want dresses with sleeves, no matter that I workout, the crepey flesh is falling off the bone. But we're here and that's all that matters!

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    1. oh tabs it's like a domino effect. first the upper arms, then the knees, lines, lines, lines everywhere! lol and you are right, just being here is all that matters. :) x

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  2. I have not had this issue yet...one tip I discovered to make sure my bright lipstick does not get on my teeth is to make an O with my mouth after applying lipstick stick my finger in and pull it out. Sounds weird I know but any lipstick that woul transfer to the teeth is now on your finger. !
    I will make note of that product...we are all in this together! Thank you Janet.

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    1. you are lucky leslie. you have such beautiful skin! yes, i've known of that trick for awhile too. thanks for reminding me! x

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  3. Hahaha, I'm half appreciative, half depressed after reading this...just kidding. I am going to try this because that lipstick blead is awful! Thank,you for this!

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  4. I have never had this issue...however my bleeding red lips are all over the faces of my grandchildren..I love to leave kisses on them!

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    1. lucky you! i have that same issue - especially with the new baby! x

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  5. Oh Janet, after reading this I quickly enlarged a photo to check for "bleed"! Now that I've recovered (!) I've given it some thought. I find that a lip pencil gives me an outline which helps me keep the lipstick to the lip - the lip itself doesn't have lines so it's only when it strays off-lip that lipstick bleed occurs. I hope that makes some sense!

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    1. yes that makes perfect sense. the lines around my lips are quite deep so i get a lot of bleed. it sounds like if you had to enlarge the photo to see yours you are ok.:) lucky girl! x

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  6. I love these tips ! I feel that you, Janet, are way ahead of me/us being as you are in the profession of skin care, and I am always so excited when you post these tips, including your favorite make up etc. Can you give us some tips for foundation - as I age I seem to be having a lot of trouble finding a foundation that doesn't show up all the lines, etc....do you have a favorite ?? Thanks again for a lovely, enjoyable blog...

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    1. thank you patricia. i think we are actually going to do a foundation post next. my co-workers are excited to help us! x

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    2. Would love this to continue. I tried the BB you recommended in the archives from Physician's Formula, but thought it made me look to plastic-toned. My husband said that I looked like a mortician's corpse who had sweated - not nice. Thanks for these tips.

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    3. oh my that is not good! that bb cream has really good coverage and is a great sunscreen but you have to be very light in its application. a tiny bit goes a v long way. i swear that tube never runs out!

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  7. I always use a neutral colored lip liner, they seem to work really well for me.

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  8. I always use a neutral colored lip liner, they seem to work really well for me.

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    1. they used to work for me but i guess my lines are deeper b/c they were no longer working! thanks for the tip! x

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  9. CHAP STICK was suggested on my POST and I have to say IT WORKS FOR ME!!!!!Rub on lips and AROUND The lips top and bottom!!Wait a minute or TWO then apply lip liner and your favorite color..............I have had AMAZING RESULTS!Now, I must confess I am using ITALIAN CHAP STICK.Just because I have it............XX
    WHAT FUN To be on YOUR BLOG!!!
    THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH...............XX

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    1. glad that is working for you and thanks for the inspiration for this post. :) x

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  10. Many thanks Janet. Wish we could get it here! I use a Dove brand lip moisturiser which does help, but if I apply it just before putting lipstick on the colour doesn't adhere properly and comes off easily. I'm trying applying a light dusting of face powder after first coat and then reapplying another coat of lipstick. It helps. But there's still a little bleeding - and I do like reddish orange lipsticks - or bright pink! Worst colours probably for this problem. But still. PS Also use a lip liner, mostly.

    So true about getting older. Better than the alternative though. Carpe diem and think young - not on our increasing decrepitude! Pammie xxx

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    1. pammie next time you are in france you can get the sothys.:)

      in the meantime can you get your hands on some simple type chapstick? The Contessa says that what she is using with great results. You need something that will create a barrier and fill in the lines. try that and see if it helps. x

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    2. Many thanks, Janet. Will be there next month so will hunt it down. French women must also use this product/technique because of all the red lipstick so many wear.

      Will be going first to Antibes, one of our fave places - I remember how you enjoyed it! Pammie

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  11. Trish McEvoy's "Flawless Lip Primer" works for me. I find it much easier to apply than lip liner pencils, and there's no need to color match since it's colorless.
    http://trishmcevoy.com/p-69-flawless-lipprimer.aspx

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    1. thanks little redwing. it sounds like the same principle as the sothys. x

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  12. No makeup for me, thank god.
    I can't do makeup either because I do not have a steady hand and my applications would look a whore having a stroke with zig zaggy lines.
    I would love to know your recommendations on lip moisturizer/chap stick. I use Carmex even though my beauty school teacher called it "lip crack" which was funny because she was from northern Ohio so she had a slight accent and it sounded like "lip cr-A-ck"

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    1. lol.

      can you get your hands on jack black (the comedienne has a skincare line!)? he makes an excellent lipbalm for men but tons of women use it too.

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  13. I've found more nude colors are flattering the older I get and always use lip liner as a base and then go over with lipstick.

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    1. yes, i bet you do. i think that is what led me to this post bc i was trying to figure out a way to wear my favorite colors in a stain fashion so the color wouldn't bleed or be so bright. thanks!

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  14. Thanks to you and Contessa for these tips. The lines around my lips look like I am a smoker, though I have never in my life!!I love bright lip color and will try these suggestions!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena
    Featuring Artist Scott McBee

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    1. mine too karena! i have smoker lines too and that isn't fair! x

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  15. Hi Janet
    Even as a young teen and when I was in my twenties life would bleed, it was all the oils in it that tended to sleep off the lips to the creases no matter the age. My trick was condition the lips with good old Vaseline yes even the big famous makeup artist vouch for it this I do at night... Now I have to say the cheaper the lip liner it seams the more wax in it and truly this is why chap stick works for the contessa. A wax base keeps anything from moving away from the out line. So a lip liner close to the lip colour, never a darker lip liner that shows up darker then the lips..... We don't need to be reminded by any and everyone who sees us saing that they know where are LIPS are we don't need to out line them?

    A wax base cheap lip liner lined ever so slightly above the edge of the lips and then fill the lip in and blend then add the lip stick or lip stain, or gloss and it stays put, but the matte finish lipsticks are the best for less slippage to where ever the lip color wants to end up.

    My 23 year old daughter even puts chap stick on her lips to help the color of the lip stick stay true and lasting. You matte that Chapstick into the lips then apply lips.

    I have a bit of a lazy trick, I put lip colour on and blot and wipe off this stains and coats the whole lip, reapply and the lip color stays in place.

    Your product sounds great but the cheap discount of chap stick is the way to go!

    Xx
    Dore

    Ps. Beautiful lips here girl friend !!

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    1. thank you dore! it sounds like you and quite a few others have been using it with great results. so good to know!

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  16. Good tip! I tend to wear nudes alot so the color bleeding doesn't look as bad. But I need to venture out of my nudes and try more pinks and reds. So I'll give the darker shades a try with this useful tip. Many thanks.

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    1. thank you debra. i always try nudes but they just don't look good on me! x

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  17. My trick before long lasting lipstick was invented, which I still do when I want bulletproof lips: 1. Thin layer of foundation. 2. Lipstick applied with a brush, then blotted. 3. Thin brush of translucent powder. 4. Final layer of lipstick. It will last until tomorrow morning.

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    1. it even lasts through meals mags? that's incredible! x

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  18. I put on my lipstick in the same manners as Mags and find it lasts a long time. My trick for not leaving rosy lip prints on my cups and glasses is to discreetly flick my tongue over the rim where I'll be drinking and it creates a little barrier so lipstick won't adhere to the glass. A tip I read in Cosmopolitan years ago that actually works!

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  19. I use Peter Thomas Roth Unwrinkle Lip product (morning/night) and have found that it works very well at plumping lips so that they don't look so "line-y." I then put a layer of Carmex over my lips to moisturize, blot, use a lip liner in a soft rose, which I blend onto my lips to completely cover and then top with a soft lipstick in a matching color (I think it might be Too Faced). Then I use an Estee Lauder gloss just in the middle of my bottom lower lip and a dot on each side of the V in my top lip to make them look fuller. (nowhere near the edge though). It's a bit of work, but worth it. I can refresh with a little Carmex during the day if needed.

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    1. great tip. the sothys lip pencil also erases the lines so they must be similar. if it sticks all day and doesn't bleed then it's worth that extra effort! x

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  20. I don't have this problem (nor the lipstick on the teeth) - probably it's only a matter of time! At 59, I suppose any day now I'll wake up and the issue will be mine as well. Thank you for the tips, I'll try to store them in my memory bank for when my time comes as well. I so enjoy your blog, Janet. Thank you.

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  21. Drinking from a straw causes "smoker's lines" too. I learned this a long time ago. Also, the cheap lip liner by Wet n Wild works just as well as Estee Lauder's (which I used religiously for years)until I bought Wet n Wild just to try. My lips never bleed when I use it and I don't use primer under it. FYI-

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  22. I don't know if I don't have this, or if I just can't see it. Since 40, I can't see anything up close. Aging is a joy.

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    1. most of my clients come to me for waxing and facials bc they just can see up close any longer! it is a joy....?!

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  23. I find my skin has been looking better and better since my eyesight has been failing.....

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  24. I find that glosses work better these days than lipstick or stains. I use Pure Haven Essentials lip glosses. Love the colors and they are completely non-toxic.

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