Trending 11th February 2019 by Valerie Loftus

Shift-Proof Your Make-Up: The Best Lipsticks To Get The Shift In

Always leaving your beloved's face smeared with lippie? The solution is within.

While Valentine’s Day is certainly a time for lots of kissing, trying to avoid getting lipstick all over your significant other’s beautiful face is a year-round problem.

Now, some might argue that kissing off your makeup is all part of the fun, but if you need to look in any way presentable (or you don’t want people to know what you’ve been up to) you need to make smart choices with your lip colour. And even if the only thing your mouth is doing this Valentine’s Day is sinking into a gigantic burger, you’re going to want to keep your lipstick off your chin, aren’t you? I’m sure some of you are thinking ‘JUST GO WITHOUT’ and well – over my dead body. You get with me, you’re getting my lipstick too. You’re just not going to eat it, if I can help it at all.

There are a few things you can do to kiss-proof your make-up – some pre-shifting make-up hacks, if you will. Matte lipsticks are your only man, first of all, because anything shiny will slide straight off you and on to them. And absolutely no gloss, because no one deserves a sticky kiss. A good lip liner will act as a base for the colour, after which you’ll want to put on your lipstick, blot, reapply, and blot again to build staying power. As an extra step, you can place a tissue over your lips and lightly dust them with translucent powder to set it all. And if you want to really lock it in, old-fashioned lipstick topcoats like Lipcote still absolutely do the job (but it’s worth noting that they can be quite drying and therefore not everyone’s cup of tea).

You may as well start with a lipstick that’s designed to last, but where to begin? Liquid lipsticks are known for their longevity, yet bullet lipsticks are generally more comfortable – so I tested a mixture of both to see how they fare. Don’t say I never do anything for you.

MAC Matte Lipstick, €20

Stands up to: The very tiniest peck

Almost every woman owns one of these, but can they survive a bit of smooching? Some shades are drier than others (Ruby Woo, I’m looking at you) and can stick around a little longer – but for the most part, the creamier MAC mattes are gonna be all over your date’s face faster than you can say ‘Candy Yum Yum’.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick, €32

Stands up to: A kiss on the cheek (but be ready to wipe it off)

Matte Revolution is hands down my favourite lipstick formula of all time (OF ALL TIME) – they’re creamy and matte and so, so comfortable, but I already know I’d never go near my boyfriend with one on. They can survive eating and drinking just fine, but I know that I’ll be wiping his face for the rest of the evening if I attempt to lob the gob.

Essence Colour Boost Liquid Lipstick, €3.59

Stands up to: Light smooching

This liquid lipstick feels almost invisible on the lips, which is always very pleasant, and you’re well able to land a few kisses without leaving a mark. However, if things were getting hot and heavy, the jig would be up fairly quickly.

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick, €21

Stands up to: Gentle canoodling

You can reassure your OH that there’s no need to fear for their face after a few kisses with this one – but if you’re planning on doing some prolonged shifting, it’s definitely going to transfer. The shade range is brilliant and the formula is very comfortable, so two out of three ain’t bad. Just maybe save the serious kissing until you get home, okay?

Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink, €14.99

Stands up to: A full shifting session

Maybelline are NOT messing around with this one, which comes in a rainbow of amazing colours, from nudes and reds to dramatic purples and pinks. It lasts from morning to night, through meals, drinks, and yes, kissing. Some people claim they’ve even slept in it and woken up looking flawless (though we can not condone this practice, of course).

Rimmel Provocalips, €8.99

Stands up to: Pretty much anything

The name is apt, considering this stuff could survive the apocalypse. On one end, there’s your liquid lipstick, while on the other, you have a gloss/balm to apply over the top – this is key, because the colour would be quite drying otherwise. This stays on so well I almost struggled to get it off, so it’d be well worth your while to have one in your make-up arsenal for weddings, date nights, work events, and basically any day you don’t want to be constantly topping up your lipstick.

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