One of the many make-up mysteries I’ve discovered over the years is that lipstick, applied to your hand or inner arm to check the color, must be scrubbed off with soap, water, and great effort; yet lip color applied on your mouth vanishes the moment you take a drink or bite of anything. I’ve tried many “color-stay” or “color-last” lipstick and lipgloss products, and have found that the lipsticks are generally uncomfortably hard, don’t go on as easily as they are advertised, rarely feel moisturizing on my lips, regardless of what the package says, and if applied in the morning come off long before noon. The glosses are even worse: if they aren’t sticky or goopy, they come right off. And if they do feel sticky on your lips, it’s uncomfortable, and likely to end up on my teeth.
With Laura Geller’s Lip Stay Duo, I may have finally found an answer to both the mystery and the problem of conventional lip products, and a lip color that will last all day. The set that I bought has two colors: Merlot, a shimmering mauve or burgundy, and Frappacino, a shimmering bronze/neutral that the information describes as caramel-colored. Laura says that these colors work on any skin color, and I believe her. I’m very particular about the colors I put on my lips – no bubblegum pink or oil-slick black for me! But I would, and do, wear both of these.
Each color comes in a double-sided tube. One side holds the color, the other a clear gloss. Laura Geller and her staff of designers created the color part using spheres of silicone which help the color to stay put on your mouth. They suggest that you put the creamy-textured color on as a lip liner first, using just the tapered tip of the built-in applicator, then if you wish, fill in the entire lip inside the line. After a 30 second wait, apply the clear gloss; the gloss is intended to seal in the color and give it a shiny finish. During the day you will more than likely not need to re-apply the color, but you can reapply the clear gloss anytime to brighten up the color and keep your lips moisturized, which is especially important for lips as we get a bit older.
I use the clear gloss over some of my other lipsticks and glosses too. It helps them stay on longer, and gives them a lovely shine. Using just a dab of the clear gloss in the middle of your lower lip instantly makes your lips look fuller. This is important to me as I have kind of thin lips. By using the colored part of these Lip Stay products as a liner, and putting the liner just barely around the outer edge of my lips, I can also increase the apparent size of my lips – but be careful; go too far and you’ll just look like a clown!
I’m an inveterate label reader – I really want to know what I’m putting onto my skin, or into my mouth for that matter. The Lip Stay Duo includes green tea extract, which is full of anti-oxidants which will help improve the texture of your lips and decrease the fine lines, and also an unspecified flavor that still has me baffled but is definitely good. It comes off your lips with a water wash, but still takes soap to get it off your hand!
This is a product I enjoy using, looks good, and the clear gloss can be applied anywhere, anytime, without the need of a mirror. I would recommend the duo to anyone, and give them a 5 star rating. I hope that Laura Geller comes out with more colors, because I’d love to buy them and add to my choices!
