I love the look of lip gloss. I admire it on others but in spite of many trys I've not used it on a regular basis myself. True, it looks great when I put it on, especially if I take the time to line my lips first. But some time in between the plies and the grand jetes at ballet class, the lip gloss performs a vanishing act. It fares no better out of class. One minute my lips are shiny and moist with color, the next time I cheek they're faded and dry. No matter if it's a drug store or high end brand, the result is the same.
That's why an ad for Maybelline's new SuperStay Gloss caught my eye. It was advertised as lasting for twelve hours and that was more than long enough for me. I made a quick stop at CVS, which in my area has a fantastic cosmetic department, and quickly choose ruby red from a wide array of colors. Then I took another look and realized that its staying power was due to a two step process,much like the one required with some mascaras where you prime the lashes with one substance and then add color with a second.
At home I found that this one works the opposite way. You use one end, which is a sponge, to apply the color . Think thick paint with a matte finish. The instructions say to wait two minutes before applying the top coat of colorless gloss. As I've said many times before I dislike any makeup that requires a two step process and the two minute wait wasn't getting any points from me either. As it turned out, the wait wasn't all that bad because I reversed the way I usually apply makeup, which is to do my lips last and instead started on them first, topping them with the colorless gloss (which is applied with a brush) after I had done my eyes etc.
When I was finished,I felt like I had a lot on my lips, and when I tried to rub them together to sort of smooth and spread things out, nothing moved. No matter,I took this as testament to the product's staying power. However after class when I peered closely in the mirror, I found that, my lips while they were still quite red, looked faded and worn and the gloss was greatly diminished. Could I have licked it off during one of those pirouettes I'm still trying to master?
Good I saved my receipt! I see that Cover Girl now has a similar product that promises 16 hour staying power. Maybe I should try it.
Cheers,
Barb
