Once upon a time, in a quest to find the best long-lasting lipstick, six women picked six different brands and wore them for an entire weekend, noting how well theirs held up under the strain of food, kisses, beverages or lip-smacking.
The brands they tested ranged from premium lines such as M.A.C. and Lancome to drugstore staples such as Revlon.Here's what they had to say:
Jennifer Dobner on M.A.C.: ". . . love, love, love the colors. All of their colors were vibrant and beautiful, with tones of choices to match every skin tone and mood." She noted that M.A.C. makes no claims about a long-lasting lipstick. However, the line's lipsticks are highly pigmented, therefore making the color last longer. Dobner was advised to purchase M.A.C.'s lip liner to use as a base layer for the lipstick. This supposedly increases the stamina of the color. Dobner spent about $26 for both -- the liner and lipstick.
"The lip liner was much like others I had used," she said. "The lipstick itself did feel heavier than some and somehow drier; it had a matte finish, and it felt like a matte finish," Dobner added. First, she outlined her lips, then used the tip of the liner to draw the color to the center of her lips and finally covered them with a coat of lipstick. The application lasted about 2 1/2 to three hours before she needed to reapply. This was because the color had faded, not because it had totally disappeared.
"It lasted pretty well," she said, "even through meals."
"I'm not a huge lipstick wearer, so, I'd say for my needs -- wearing it for church, special occasions or just when I'm going to do an interview and want to look put together for a few hours at a time -- it was a good choice."
Elyse Hayes on Stila's Lip Rouge: It cost $26. Ouch!
"The best way to describe this lipstick's last-ability is to compare it to drinking Kool-aid," she said. "It really stains your lips. Once it dries, the color is on there until you wash it off with soap and water.
"The applicator feels like a felt-tip marker, and the color goes on like a marker as well: it is flat and adds only color, not shine or texture," she said. To remedy the brand's flatness, Hayes followed the salesperson's suggestions and went over her lips with plain Chapstick to make it look a more like a lipstick.
Hayes wore the rouge through her Friday morning workout, her meals, shopping and to work. "Though the layer of gloss wore off," said Hayes, "I still had rosy-colored lips when I went to bed Friday night."
Her only complaint: The color looks a little different on your lips than it does on your hand, and you can't test it on lips in the store. "That is a lot of money to spend without trying it out."
Use it as a base to whatever color gloss you want and everything stays on longer, she advised. With the Stila Rouge, it was easy for Hayes to alter the color by adding other products on top.
On Saturday she used it as a liner and lightly covered the surface of her lips, then added another lipstick on top. "It looked great after eating a hamburger and stayed on much truer than had I used a normal liner."
Jennifer Toomer-Cook on Lancome's Rouge Idole: This is billed as Lancome's extra long-lasting lipstick. She tested it against one of her all-time favorites: Lancome's regular Long Lasting lipstick. Individually, each item costs $18.50.
"There's a big difference in staying power between the two kinds," Toomer-Cook said. "Rouge Idole lasts through the morning good-bye kiss, beverages and into lunchtime." The Rouge Idole became less vibrant as the day wore on and rubbed off after she ate a big meal.
Toomer-Cook wore it to a weekend birthday party and on a trip to see how well the color would do. "It didn't survive barbecued ribs, ice cream and birthday cake," she said. "It did do fine through fruit and a bagel." The Rouge Idole also lasted through a lemonade and a stroll through the hot, humid weather of Washington, D.C.
Like Dobner, Toomer-Cook filled in her lips first with liner to increase the lipstick's staying power. Waiting a few minutes before drinking or eating anything gave it a chance to set.
She also recommended applying the color to clean, fresh lips -- any lip balm underneath would make the lipstick rub off too soon.
"My complaint," said Toomer-Cook of the Rouge Idole, "(is) this stuff dries your lips out if you wear it several days in a row."
Her remedy: Alternate the Rouge Idole and the Long Lasting lipstick.
Anna Oviedo on Covergirl: She purchased Covergirl Continuous Color Creams Self-Renewing lipstick -- try saying that 10 times fast-- at a drugstore for about $4. It stayed on fairly well all day. Even though it faded after lunch, the color was still visible. By 7 p.m., the color was completely gone. "I couldn't see any self-renewing action happening," said Oviedo, "but I was very surprised at how long it lasted."
Anna Gill tested Revlon's Color Stay Liquid Lipstick, which she bought at a grocery store for around $10. "The lipstick had a gloss to it," she said of the product's texture, adding that she felt it was the shine that disappeared and not the color. The Color Stay lasted for about five hours, and the more Gill applied, the more her lips were stained. "They claim that it stays on," said Gill of the promises some companies make of their products, "but it really doesn't."
Marjorie Cortez bought Oil of Olay Fresh Plum long-lasting lipstick for $8.70 at Rite Aid.
"Suffice it to say my Oil of Olay Fresh Plum long-lasting lipstick expired early," said Cortez. "After a round of goodbye hugs and kisses with the family and a few sips of my morning beverage, I could see my darling lips again. By 10 a.m., it (the lipstick) was history.
"This dog did not hunt," she added, "at least not for me."
The bottom line: Nothing lasts forever the way you want it to. No matter how expensive, all lipsticks fade in some way. If it's not the color, it's the texture.
The moral of this fairy tale? Reapply, ladies. Reapply.