Bright lips are a great way to put a little pep in your pout, but when the color starts to fade, it just doesn’t have the same punch. In order to keep your bright lipstick from dulling throughout the day, try these tips for a fade-free look (and day).

Prep your lips
Try putting a little bit of water and brown sugar on your toothbrush, suggests Los Angeles makeup artist, Annie Tevelin of SkinOwl. Exfoliate the lips with the toothbrush and sugar to make sure your lipstick doesn’t have any dry skin to cling to (if there’s shedding skin, you’re lipstick will follow).

Blot a little bit of translucent powder on your lips to act as an adhesive and hold your color for an extended period of time. Don’t use your regular face powder, as the color will dull or change your bright lipstick’s hue, Tevelin says.

You may also want to use lip priming products underneath lip color, such as Too Faced Lip Insurance Lip Primer or Urban Decay Lip Primer Potion, to both brighten and intensify the color being worn and increase the longevity of the color sans fading, running, or creasing, suggests Grace Mahoney, bridal hair and makeup artist and owner of Blushing Brides.



Buy for durability
Look for and use lip products that are made for lasting substantially longer than usual. Glosses and sheer lip products don’t tend to do the trick for longevity and bright lip appearances. Stains, stain/gloss combos, and matte lipsticks are excellent for this, says Mahoney.

Create a lip that lasts
Lindsey Rivera, a freelance makeup artist in Los Angeles, advises applying one coat of lipstick and then blot. “Sometimes, I’ll carefully pull a tissue apart and place it over the lips and then powder over the tissue, this helps to set the first coat. Next, I apply the second coat, and they’re good to go. The best way to ensure your lip color lasts all day is to choose a formula that’s long-lasting.”

Seal the look
Finish off the look with a lipliner that matches your lip color. When using brights, lining your lips in the same color as your lipstick can get messy. Instead, opt for a lighter shade of the bright color chosen. Apply after your lipstick, blot your lips, and reapply for a maximum hold all day long!

For maintaining bright red lips (which are the trickiest to prevent fading and bleeding from), the quirky makeup trick of mixing Jell-O powder with water and applying it with a Q-tip to your lips before putting on your red lipstick or gloss will create a long-lasting stain as a base and keep red lips bright and fade-free all day long, says Mahoney.