How often do you walk out the door with a perfect red pout only to find by lunchtime you have only a hint of color left? Instead of reapplying multiple times throughout the day (after breakfast, after lunch, before a meeting — it’s exhausting just thinking about it), we’ve got five tricks to turn any shade into a long lasting lipstick that sticks around all day.

Stick To More Pigmented Shades
The softer the shade, the faster it will fade. Bright and dark colors last longer because they have more pigment. MAC’s bright shades, like Embrace Me, have rich pigments that last for hours — so long, we’ve have to scrub the color off at day’s end.

Condition Your Lips
Even if the color lasts, your lips can become dry and chapped. To prevent dried out lipstick, condition your lips before applying color by using a lip balm or Estée Lauder’s Lip Conditioner . The shea butter and vitamins C and E hydrate and smooth lips for perfect application, and the conditioner can be applied over lipstick later in the day.

Always Apply Lip Liner
Lip liner works well as a primer because it has a waxy base that lipstick can adhere to. Fill in the entire lip, not just around the edges. You can also use colored lip liner to tweak lip colors that aren’t perfectly flattering. One of our favorites is Clinique Quickliner For Lips , which never needs to be sharpened.

Blot, Blot, Blot
After applying one coat of lipstick, blot with a tissue and then paint another coat. The blotting eliminates any oil on the lips that could work as a barrier.

Finish With Powder
To keep lipstick from slipping, lightly coat lips with translucent powder or a similarly colored powder blush or eye shadow.