The Best Techniques for Making Lipstick Last Longer

A strong lip colour can elevate and tie any look together but, even as a fundamental makeup product, there is still confusion around how to get lipstick to stay on all day.

Armani beauty’s luxurious lip colours provide the best long-lasting lipstick coverage in a range of different finishes. Tailorable to you, our wearable formulas are available in cream or liquid forms, with matte, satin and vivid colour finishes. Whatever your makeup preference, full coverage or natural sheens should all be long lasting.

Healthy, moisturised lips are the starting base for long-lasting lipstick. From there, our expert-approved application techniques will keep your pout in check for hours. Whether you want vivid, longwearing colour for a workday, an event or a balmy night out, read on to explore our step-by-step process for how to make lipstick last longer.

Types of long-lasting lipstick

There’s no need to sacrifice individual style in order make lipstick last longer.

Our lips are especially sensitive areas of skin, and the modern generation of lipsticks are formulated with nourishing ingredients to ensure your lips stay hydrated – all while providing the staying power you need.

For the best long-lasting lipstick, choose between the following variations:

• Matte lipstick - Characterised by its high pigmentation and matte finish, matte lipstick can achieve bold beauty looks in just one swipe. Opt for this style when you’d like lips to be the main feature of your makeup look. Lip Maestro Lipstick provides intense, buildable coverage with a velvety texture that stays in place all day. This matte long-lasting lipstick provides eight hours of comfortable wear.


• Vivid colour - Bright, vivid lip tones are a timeless and eye-catching statement for any makeup look. But, to preserve the vibrancy of your chosen colour, each formula needs to be supported by nourishing ingredients. Lip Power, Armani beauty’s range of vivid, long-lasting lipstick, is made with a unique combination of oils to ensure each shade stays on your skin throughout the day.


• Satin finish - Perfect for daily wear, satin lipsticks provide a natural sheen alongside a translucent wash of colour. Lip Maestro Satin Lipstick’s groundbreaking formula delivers the vibrant colour of a stick lipstick, the care of a lip balm, and the wear of a liquid lipstick.

How to make lipstick last longer in 5 steps

Though many people think lipstick application starts and ends with the product, knowing how to get lipstick to stay on comes down to the health and hydration of your lips. For a flawless approach to long-lasting lipstick, we’ve compiled our five-step routine below:

1. Exfoliate your lips to remove any dead skin cells.
2. Hydrate and prime your lips.
3. Line your lips to prevent lipstick from bleeding or feathering.
4. Apply multiple thin coats of lipstick.
5. Set your lipstick with a setting powder.

Read on as we unpack each tip to make lipstick last longer.

1. Exfoliate lips

Making lipstick last longer starts with a smooth, well-prepped base. In this sense, exfoliating your lips is an essential step: it will help remove flaky skin and soften rough, uneven texture. This is also particularly useful when applying lipstick for dry lips.

Simply use an exfoliating scrub on your lips a couple of times per week to gently exfoliate the area. If you’re not sure how to exfoliate, we suggest using a soft tooth brush to rub against your lips in a circular motion. A light touch is needed here to avoid breaking the skin.

2. Hydrate and prime

In the same way that a skincare routine and primer prepares skin for foundation, hydrating and cleansing products for lips ensure your lip colour sits on skin properly.

To make lipstick last longer, opt for a moisturising lip balm to nourish the lip surface before going in with any makeup. Follow with Luminous Silk Hydrating Primer to create the perfect, moisturised canvas and give your lipstick an extra touch of staying power.

3. Line your lips

As another form of primer, lip liners are one of the most important application tips to make lipstick last longer. For the best results, we recommend filling the entire lip in – the formula acts as a barrier between your lips and lip colour to prevent transfer or absorption.

Opt for a lip liner shade that closely matches your lipstick, or you can channel more of a 90s look by using a lip pencil one or two shades darker than your lipstick and applying only around the edge of your lips.

4. Apply several thin coats

Next, apply your lipstick finish of choice. Rather than a single swipe, you can make lipstick last longer by ‘blotting’ thin layers of the lipstick onto your lips, building up to the colour vibrancy of your choice.

After swiping colour onto your lips, press them together to seal the product in. Then, blot your lips with a tissue to remove residual product and prevent buildup. For a cohesive makeup look, we suggest dabbing your lip colour onto your cheeks, too.

5. Set your lips with powder

Our final tip for how to get long-lasting lipstick is to finish with a setting powder.

Loose or pressed face powder reduces the appearance of shine and helps to further conceal imperfections. To apply onto lips, use the Powder Brush, which is specifically designed for powder textures. Shake any excess of the brush, before dusting a light layer over your lips and skin.

Now that you’ve perfected the art of how to make lipstick last longer, find out what colour lipstick suits you best.