Do you love the look lipstick can give you? It’s a great part of any makeup routine that can brighten your face, making you look radiant and beautiful. However, the thing with lipsticks is that it can be a struggle to keep them looking fresh. On a daily basis, you bite your lips, take a bite of some snacks, eat lunch, sip coffee – and it would need lots of touch-ups and reapplication. There are lots of smear-proof and long-lasting lipsticks that promise to stay for hours, but sometimes they still budge. One brand that can offer a unique staying power is LipSense.
What is LipSense?
LipSense by Senegence is a long-wearing, smear-proof, water-proof, kiss-proof, budge-proof lip color that wears up to 18 hours. It’s different from conventional lipsticks because it comes in Senegence’s patented super-adhesive lip color formula that molecularly bonds to the lip. It is worn with a shea butter sealing top gloss that permeates through the color to hydrate the lips while keeping the color on. Their products are vegan, cruelty-free, GMO-free, wax-free, and gluten-free.
The LipSense of lip colors and glosses is quite expansive. More than 70 shades of the LipSense Long Lasting Liquid Lip colors are available, plus several topcoat gloss options. And because of the two to three-step layering process gives you the option to combine different colors and create uniquely different shades and combos.
The lip colors from LipSense also contain cosmetic-grade alcohol, which has two benefits: it exfoliates your lips and prevents the buildup of bacteria in the product tubes.
LipSense Kit
LipSense has three products that work together, so first-time users will need to purchase them on their initial purchase. The LipSense kit comes with a color, gloss, and remover. You will choose a shade and apply it in three thin layers, allowing each one to dry for a few seconds in between. Then, seal it off with the gloss, which also hydrates your lips. And at the end of the day, the Oops Remover will remove the lipstick off you. You can also use the remover to touch up any mistakes.
LipSense Application Process
The key to achieving LipSense’s long-lasting abilities is partly because of the layering process. Here’s how to apply LipSense lipstick:
- Prepare your lips by cleansing them. Remove any lip balm or other leftover products.
- Start by applying Lipsense lip color in three thin coats. Senegence recommends three coats of lip color (two for lighter shades). Allow each layer to dry for a few seconds in between. To apply, angle the lip color wand along one side of the cupid’s bow, then swipe out to the corner of the lips. Then, do a quick swipe along the bottom lip.
- Finish with a top coat gloss to seal in and hydrate the lips.
- Clean up any mistakes using the Oops! Remover.
The good thing about LipSense is that even if you don’t get the first layer right, most of the lip colors are so opaque that you can easily make corrections with the next layer. Any out-of-line mistakes can be fixed with the Oops Remover.
Besides fixing mistakes, the Oops! Remover can also be used to remove the lip color at the end of the day. But it’s not absolutely necessary. Regular soap and water, as well as standard makeup wipes, work just as well. However, the Oops! Remover will certainly come in handy if you travel a lot or if you frequently apply lipstick on the go.
What are LipSense Formulas Like?
LipSense Long-Lasting Liquid Lip Color has a liquid lipstick consistency, only a little thinner and runnier. Also, it’s quite sticky because of the product’s adhesive ingredients. After a full two to three color coats (plus a gloss topcoat), the wear isn’t the most comfortable. But if you apply the thinnest and least amount of coats possible – while still giving you full coverage – you can get a weightless wear feeling.
One important thing to be conscious about is that all LipSense lip colors contain cosmetic-grade alcohol to prevent the growth of bacteria in the tubes. This can cause an unpleasant, tingling, or burning sensation if you have chapped, wounded, or dry lips. To prevent this, it’s important to take extra care of your lips and keep them smooth and moisturized. If you have sensitive skin, you probably would like to avoid this product or use it occasionally.
Now for the topcoat – its primary purpose is to seal in the lip color, but it also provides a healthy dose of hydration that supposedly penetrates the lip color to reach your lips. It can also be used alone if you like, to moisturize and shine your lips, as it is formulated the same way as a balm. All glossy topcoats (except matte) provide these benefits, but probably the most hydrating gloss is the Glossy gloss, which comes with all starter kits for that reason.
What to Love about LipSense
1. It stays put.
This is an obvious one, but it’s a huge deal for lipstick wearers. You can put on your LipSense before you head out the door and know that it’s going to look just as perfect at the end of the day as it did when you first applied it. You may need to reapply gloss when you need a little moisture on your lips, but the color won’t budge.
2. You can wear different shades.
One of the best things about LipSense is you can break out from your comfort zone and wear bold, bright colors. They offer your usual reds, pinks, and nudes – but they also have bold colors like black, blue, purple, bright orange and more!
Here are the lip colors you can wear from LipSense:
- Apple Cider – light peach with a touch of pink, warm, creamy matte
- Aussie Rose – cool, shimmery medium rose pink
- B. Ruby – satin burgundy with a hint of pink
- Be Mine – cool, matte, bright pink-lavender
- Beige Champagne – warm beige with a champagne frost
- Bella – creamy neutral, brownish-mauve matte
- Blackberry – deep, cool, matte midnight black
- Blu-J – cool, true blue with a touch of shimmer
- Blu-Red – cool, matte, bright fire-engine red
- Bombshell – shimmery soft nude with orange undertones and a touch of topaz
- Bravo – delicate, warm, light pink nude with a matte finish
- Brick – warm, deep red with a touch of orange
- Candy Cane – cool, vibrant, metallic pink-red
- Cappuccino – pale, milky neutral with a hint of nude shimmer
- Caramel apple – cool, frosty, rosy red
- Caramel latte – warm, shimmery, medium coral brown
- Cocoa – rich, shimmery, medium warm brown
- Crimson – rich berry red with a matte finish
- Currant – adobe berry with matte finish
- Dark Pink – cool, medium true pink with matte finish
- Dawn Rising – light, warm cocoa with glistening shimmer
- Fire N Ice – cool, frosty dark pink
- Fire-Opal – Iridescent, milky pink pearl
- First Love – matte, light brown with an orange-ish pink undertone
- Fleur de Lisa – bright, shimmery light pink
- Fly Girl – deep warm cherry-red with a matte finish
- Glam Doll – neutral, earthy brown with matte finish
- Goddess – matte, soft pink with a touch of lilac
- Hazelnut – creamy, light brown with matte finish
- Heartbreaker – shimmery rose pink with a touch of coral
- Honey Rose – sheer rose gold with an amber frost
- Kiss for a Cause – shimmering, bold bright pink with a touch of purple
- Kiss Me Katie – subtle, light pinkish peach with a hint of shimmer
- Lilac Lacquer – cool, matte lavender
- Luv It – Light, warm, frosty, bright peachy pink
- Mauve Ice – cool, frosty, pale, barely-there lavender
- Midnight Muse – cool matte deep navy
- Napa – frosty, deep berry pink
- Nude – soft chestnut brown with matte finish
- Nutmeg – warm frosty brown with a touch of orange
- Persimmon – dark adobe orange-brown with matte finish
- Pink Champagne – barely-there pink with a frost finish
- Plum – cool, velvety berry burgundy
- Plum Pretty – warm, rosey, deep copper with a frost finish
- Plumeria – dark hot pink with a touch of golden shimmer
- Pomegranate – shimmering rosy red with a touch of orange
- Pop Art Pink – cool, bright pastel matte pink
- Praline Rose – matte beige with a hint of mauve
- Precious Topaz – warm light brown with a golden shimmer
- Purple Reign – cool, electric pinkish purple with matte finish
- Razzberry – vivid neon raspberry pink
- Red Cherry – muted dark red with a matte finish
- Roseberry – cool muted matte rosy pink
- Samon – bright coral red with a matte finish
- Sassy Z – true pink with a hint of mauve and matte finish
- Sheer Berry – berry purple with a sheer matte finish
- Skyline – light matte blue-turquoise
- Strawberry Shortcake – muted bright pink with a touch of red
- Sugar Plum – sheer mauve pink with a golden shimmer
- Summer Fun – frosted, sheer cool pink
- Summer Love – frosted, sheer warm rosy pink
- Summer Sunset – pink-orange with a coral undertone
- Summer Treat – vibrant watermelon pink
- T.E.A.M. Wicked – smoky deep navy with royal purple and teal shimmer
- Violette – rose lavender with hints of frosty iridescence
- Violet Volt – cool, vibrant deep purple with hints of blue iridescence
LipSense’s gloss also comes in different varieties, such as:
- Bougainvillea Gloss
- Glossy Gloss
- Matte Gloss
- Opal Gloss
- Pink Glitter Gloss
- Rose Gloss
- Sand Gloss
- Silver Glitter Gloss
3. You can make your own shades by layering two colors.
Besides its staying power and myriad choices, one of the greatest things about LipSense is that you can make many different shades just from two colors. Customize and mix and match, depending on how you layer your colors. Just two LipSense colors make eight different shades!