Now that wearing a face mask has become the ‘new normal’, I’ve come across many people bemoaning the fact that there is no more point to wearing lipstick, or any lip colour.
For one, it’s covered by your mask, so what’s the point?
Second, lip colours will transfer onto your mask, and it smears and makes a mess.
But you know what? I still wear lip colours, especially lipstick. I feel naked and unfinished without a slick of lip colour, so let me tell you how I manage, and the types of finishes I pick to avoid smearing 🙂
Wear a tinted lip balm or very sheer lip colour
One way to ensure that your lips don’t dry out under your mask, and to have a hint of colour on your lips to brighten your complexion, is to wear a tinted lip balm.
I find that tinted lip balms don’t transfer as much onto your mask, and even if it does, it won’t cause a mess on your face when you remove your mask.
Tinted lip balms also serve a dual function, in that it protects your lips and keeps it from drying out. Wearing a mask is very drying to your lips, so it’s beneficial to keep them moisturized.
My personal picks for tinted lip balms are the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Lip Colour or the Bobbi Brown Extra Lip Tint. If you want a touch of luxury, get the Cle de Peau Beaute Lip Glorifier which is very nice too.
RELATED READING: I’ve been using a lot of tinted lip balm of late and these are my favourites READ HERE
Wear a matte lipstick to avoid transfer
Matte lipsticks are still the rage, and while I’m not the biggest fan of matte lipstick, I understand now how they can come in useful.
A matte lipstick tends to stick to your lips better, and have less transfer. This is true when you do the coffee cup test. Matte lipsticks have fewer emollient ingredients, so the product does not slip around and transfer so easily.
I have found that many brands of liquid matte lipstick tend to stick to lips like glue. There is little to no transfer, and the colour does not fade as quickly.
The downside is that it can be drying on your lips, and more so under a mask.
When I want a bolder lip colour, I wear one of the matte lipsticks I am comfortable with. My picks for a matte lipstick are the Bobbi Brown Luxe Matte lipstick, the Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet, Rouge Allure Ink, and the Rouge Allure Liquid Powder.
The problem of course, is that a matte lipstick is drying, and when you wear it under a face mask, it is even more so. So, this is a challenge for me. Fortunately, I don’t wear makeup very often, so it isn’t something I have to deal with very much.
Avoid wearing lip gloss
While I still wear the odd glossy lipstick under my mask (I’m a rebel and I flirt with danger, what can I say? 😛 ) I have avoided wearing lip gloss because it is just far too messy.
The trick to wearing a more glossy or creamy lipstick under your mask is to try to ensure that the portion of your mask that is near your lips doesn’t smush against your lips. With a surgical mask, you can pull it a little, so it ‘tents’ where you lips are.
You can of course, take the easy way out, and go without wearing any lip colour at all 😀 But really, where’s the fun in that? 😉
Do you wear lipstick when wearing a facial mask?
When I put on makeup, I do. If I’m wearing a disposable mask, I just dispose of it after I’m done with my day. If I’m wearing a reusable mask, I pop it in the wash. Either way, it doesn’t bother me, as long as I don’t end up smearing lipstick all over my face LOL! 😛 What about you?
Paris B
I wear a bright lipstick everyday even when I am not leaving home. It’s my way of normalising this crazy world. It also helps me get in the “work” mode. It doesn’t bother me that the mask goes over because I’ll toss the mask into the wash. If the lipstick has smeared, then it can be tidied up. I NEED WHAT I CAN TO BRIGHTEN MY DAY UP BECAUSE I AM GOING BATSHIT CRAY CRAY CRAY!!!!! ????
I wear lip tint because those suckers give a good colour payout and it doesn’t budge. I’m using one from Tony Moly which is a water based tint so it feels comfortable and doesn’t feel dry on the lips, and this coming from someone who have a fairly dry lips! I usually don’t reach out for it very often (up to the point where I thought I would never be able to finish the whole tiny bottle) because I love my lipsticks but with this ‘new’ normal, lip tint feels like the way to go for me, and I might get myself a new one soon.
I usually forget I’m going to wear a mask and put on lipstick.
Fortunately, hasn’t been too much of an issue!
Definitely prefer color!
Welcome back Ms Paris ! Lipstick queen !!
Strange as it sounds, I actually wear more lip colour and bolder coloured ones too, whenever I am going out with mask. I would wear the wrong colour choices once or twice under mask before tossing them; bolder choices that I feared drawing too much attention I also had fun wearing underneath the mask. It’s like dancing or singing in the car, it is only shocking to the unfortunate folks who looked but hey, they really should be focusing on driving instead of peeping into other cars :p
Ditto on the matte lipsticks that I would have otherwise avoided. I am pleasantly surprised by ysl slim matte, Charlotte tilbury matte revolution, Tom ford matte and Laura mercier Velour sticks. All of which I didn’t purchase, they came free from my other purchases 🙂
Is it difficult to wash reusable masks which have been stained with lipstick? I have stuck to using surgical masks when I go to work and wear makeup but I do feel bad about the environmental impact. Also, there is a chemical smell in surgical masks made worse over wearing time after it interacts with my natural breath, :/
I toss it in my washing machine and it washes out. However, I must say that I just skip the lip makeup these days haha