The Best Lip Prep So Your Lip Color Stays Put

Nothing is more horrifying than doing a midday makeup check and discovering your lip color is feathering, cracking, or clinging to dry patches. Then you’re stuck ruminating on how long your lip color had been looking like that and who all has seen you. But fortunately, embarrassing lip color flubs don’t have to happen. Prepping your lips properly beforehand can save you from the stomach drop when discovering awkward, migrating lip color. Ready to become a lip color expert? We’re going over how to prep your lips properly, so your color looks its best and actually stays put.

Why Prep Matters

You wouldn’t paint a wall before applying primer. The same goes for your lips. Because even the best lipsticks can't work miracles if your lips are flaky or dehydrated. And ironically, a lot of "long-wear" formulas actually make dryness worse, not better (hello drying ingredients like alcohol), so the very product promising all-day staying power ends up sabotaging itself by the second hour. Lip prep is what breaks that cycle. It gives your lips the foundation to hold color in place.

The Pre-Lip Color Routine, Step by Step

Three simple steps that only take a few extra seconds are all you need before applying your lip color to get the most out of your wear.

Exfoliate

Find a gentle, natural lip scrub (sugar scrubs are a great option) and begin your lip prep routine by gently exfoliating away any flaky texture. This step is crucial in making sure your lip color doesn’t cling to any dry patches. You’re also setting up a clean slate for the next step.

Hydrate

Next, hydrate with a lip balm and give it a minute or two to fully absorb before you apply any color. Then, blot off the excess. This part is easy to skip, but it makes the difference between color that grips and color that slides around all day. Plus, who wants to feel like their lips are screaming for water as they go about their day?

Pro tip: do other parts of your morning routine while the lip balm settles. Style your hair, feed the kids, or do whatever else needs doing. You'll give your lips ample time to absorb as much lip balm as possible while tackling other parts of your to-do list. Multitasking for the win!

Treat

This step is optional, but we're big fans of it: instead of using lip balm before applying color, opt for a lip oil like our Lip Serum. The Henné Lip Serum absorbs quickly and deeply, so you not only have hydrated lips, but lips that feel nourished and are primed for perfect color application. Your lips will feel great and your lip color will stop sliding around.

Rethink the Lip Color Itself

Here's the real secret to perfect lip color, though it's less about adding more steps and more about picking a smarter formula in the first place: switch to a lip color that's hydrating by nature. Our Luxury Lip Tints hydrate your lips while giving them a wash of color, so you can go all day without reaching for lip balm every twenty minutes. They're also completely natural, so you never have to worry about drying, synthetic ingredients sneaking into the formula and undoing all that prep work you just did.

We still recommend prepping your lips before applying our tints (you can’t go wrong with extra lip care!), but if you're short on time and skip these steps every now and then, your lips aren't going to suddenly fall into a cracked, dehydrated mess.

A Simple Lips-First Routine Makes for Great Lip Color

Exfoliate, hydrate, treat, color. That's really all it takes. Great lip color starts long before it ever touches your lips, and the right formula makes the whole routine that much easier to stick with. Perfect lip color really can be that easy.