We put these long-lasting lip colors through their paces to see how they held up against sandwiches, multiple cups of coffee and other everyday lipstick-mussing occurrences
Pros: The texture and the shape of the lipstick make it easy to get a supersharp application sans lip liner. And despite the semi-matte formula, it doesn't leave lips feeling dry at the end of the day -- in fact, testers didn't feel the urge to apply lip balm at all.
Cons: Lasts well through one meal, but if you plan on eating or drinking multiple times without touching up, by the end of the day this will fade.
Pros: It's hard not to swoon over the smoldering shades of red in this collection (we're on a mission to collect them all). They apply like a dream, and never, ever leave lips feeling dried out or uncomfortable. Lipstick transfers a bit to coffee cups, but manages to stay intact throughout most of the day.
Cons: Without lip liner, color starts to bleed into fine lines after a few hours, especially with the vampier colors like Jill's (pictured). The brighter colors fared a bit better.
Claim: Opaque, full-coverage that perfectly defines lips
Pros: This mineral-pigmented lipstick won us over with its insane color payoff, easy application and hydrating-yet-matte formula that feels like it's barely there. It didn't feather throughout the day, and there was minimal transfer onto our cups.
Pros: Bright, stunning colors that are ultra flattering to wear. They also smell like a French pastry shop. Colors are comfortable to wear and easy to apply.
Cons: If you have dry lips, you may notice more fading, so be sure your lips are properly prepped.
Claim: "Lasts for hours"
Hours before fading: 5*
*Testers were torn. One editor with chapped lips reported that this began to fade badly enough that she wanted to reapply or remove it after five hours. For the rest of us, it lasted up to seven hours.
Pros: It goes on like butter and dries to a beautiful matte finish. While the saturation of color decreased over the course of the day, the pigment remained. Plus, it fades evenly and the edges remain sharp.
Cons: Hard-pressed to find a negative, editors did note that it transfers to utensils and coffee mugs. In other words, if we were going to an event where we wouldn't want to leave lipstick marks on glasses (or on the cheek of Alexander Skarsgaard -- hey, a girl can dream), we'd leave this one at home.
