We all love a good lip color, but nothing puts a damper on a gorgeous, bold lip than having lipstick feather or bleed. While lip products can vary in texture (from matte to high shine), there are some foolproof ways to keep your application flawless and kissable all day. To get date night-ready lips (just in time for Valentine’s Day!), we chatted with editorial makeup artist Mary Irwin to find out her favorite expert hacks, so you can finally kiss lipstick bleeding goodbye!
What Is Lipstick Bleeding? 
As we get older, lipstick is even more likely to find its way off our lips and onto the skin around our mouth. Repeated actions like pursing your lips (hello, duckface!) can cause the skin around the mouth to start developing vertical lines, giving our lip color a place to wander. Habits like smoking, sun damage, or even using straws can aggravate the concern, according to Irwin. The more pronounced the lines, the more like it is for lipstick to bleed into them. Varying lip finishes, formulas, color selections, and ingredients can also contribute to lipstick bleeding or feathering. Irwin says, “A glossy formula is not as stable on the lip as a cream formula. Matte lip formulations are the least likely to bleed color.”
Tricks to Mask Lipsick Bleeding 
If your lipstick has already gone to the dreaded bleeding or feathered-zone, Irwin advises us to, “Take a clean q-tip and run it around the outside of the lip line where you notice the color. Then take a little line filler and massage it outside the lip line. Follow up with concealer on a brush to define the outside of the lip line to really define the lips and also cover up any remaining color on the skin.” Another insider secret used by Irwin for a beautiful lip application? Lots of layering! She says, “Fill in the entire lip with a liner, then lip color, then blot with a tissue, and fill lips in with color again. Finally, separate a two-layer tissue into one layer. Cover the lips with it, and using a powder brush, pat translucent loose powder over the lips.”
Preventing and Stopping Lipstick Bleeding 
In terms of preventing lips from feathering or bleeding, Irwin says, “I’m a huge believer in a great skincare regimen, and this includes treating the area around the mouth just as delicately as you would the area around the eyes.” Priming the lips and surrounding area can also help lock your lip color in all day. Irwin says, “Make sure your lips are hydrated and don’t have any flakes, but also aren’t super glossy, either. Pat in any excess balm before you put any color on, and make sure you apply a treatment around then lip line. A great waterproof lip liner filled all the way in the lip makes a wonderful base for long-wearing color.”
To address concerns around the upper lip that could easily distract from your favorite lip look, consider a targeted lip treatment, like Dermelect’s Smooth Upper Lip & Perioral Anti-Aging Treatment. Uniquely developed to combat the appearance of unwanted upper lip discoloration, vertical lip lines, and laugh lines, it is an essential for both Valentine’s Day and beyond! Irwin says, “It is a great multi-use skincare product! It also works as a line filler to help hide lip area issues while treating them.”
Formulated with ultra-moisturizing and volumizing hyaluronic filling spheres, Irwin says the ingredient, “helps to hydrate and plump fine lines from dehydration.” Collagen is another one of its skin-transformative ingredients, which Irwin says, “helps to improve texture and lines long-term.” Its formula also includes powerhouse ingredient, retinol, which Irwin says, “resurfaces the skin, renewing and refreshing the lip area.” All-in-all a comprehensive solution for all lip concerns!
Bisous and Happy Valentine’s Day from our Dermelect family! How do you address lipstick feathering? Do you have questions for us on lip care? Send us a message on Instagram or Facebook – and let us know!
