The concept of a day-to-evening lip color has been around for almost a century, but have you noticed that it also tends to dry out your lips?



The reason behind this is simple: Longwearing lipstick uses polymer films to fix and seal the color, and these films that have the tendency to harden and stiffen on your lips after awhile.

So what's the solution? Since lips may feel dryer with a high pigment load on the lips, it's best to alternate with sheer or low-pigment products to help retain moisture. You can also stick to lip products (either in solid stick or liquid form) which contain silicas and silicone polymers.

For long-lasting color, stick to pigments such as Red 22, Red 28, and Orange 5, which actually stain the lips in varying shades of red or pink. Because of the slightly acidic pH of lip moisture, the color will remain long after the actual lip product has worn off.