Long Love Lips

Like color? You'll love the new lipsticks

Don't ask Sara Boom how many tubes of lipstick she owns. She's not entirely sure.

"I have so much lipstick," Boom admits. "It's so much fun to wear."

The 24-year-old Sioux Falls woman has been puckering up with shades of pretty pinks, fuchsias and reds since she was in seventh grade - "ever since I became aware of what makeup was."

Lip gloss is fine, Boom says. "It's so easy to wear and so shiny."

But lipstick can transform your whole look, she says. "It's such a great way to add a punch of color to your face."

These days, Boom's not alone.

Lip gloss - our preferred, barely-there default color for the past 10 or so years - is so yesterday. Our vintage friend the lipstick is strutting her way back to our kissers in a bevy of cool, creamy nudes and corals.

But that doesn't mean she's not bringing some heat along.

The super-chic are loving this season's a-little-bit-lustrous, a-little-bit-opaque oranges, and by the time fall rolls around, our pouty puckers will be popping with shades of persimmon. This is especially true if we take our cues from the fall 2011 runway favorites: Diane Von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta and Betsey Johnson.

"The consumer just wants to exhale a bit," says Karen Grant, vice president and senior global industry analyst at the NPD Group. "Coming out of the recession, it seems consumers' thirst for color and play was being reawakened."

Last week, NPD reported that sales of "prestige lip products" - any lip product sold in department stores - were up 7.2 percent, from $172.6 million in January through April last year to $185 million for the same period this year.

Even more surprising, NPD also reported that sales of lip color - that's lipstick only, not gloss - were up 11.2 percent, from $82.7 million in the first four months of 2010 to $92 million this year.

"For years, everyone was going with the bare lip, the nude lip, just a bit of shimmer," Grant adds. "Now the new colors and textures are making lipstick cool again."

Clothes for this season are pushing the trend, with bold color combinations such as pinks and oranges and turquoises and yellows the most popular. And fashion's recent love affair with all things 1940s pinup - pencil midis, vintage pin curls, dotted shirt dresses - is a driver as well. All these looks require a full, retro lip.

It was the February launch of MAC Cosmetics' Viva Glam Gaga 2 - inspired by Lady Gaga - that really got our attention. According to NPD, MAC has been the No. 1-selling lipstick this year, followed by Lancome's L'Absolu Rouge, Clinique's Long-Lasting Soft Shine Lipstick, Lauder's Pure Color Lipstick and Chanel Rouge Coco Shine.

Tips on Lipsticks | Lip Pencil, Lip Gloss & Lipsticks in India

Lips are the most attractive feature on any women’s face. These are the frame to that beautiful smile. You just need to add color to that frame and you can make any man your slave. Every woman loves to wear lipstick and wants it to last long.

However, it can be very frustrating for women when they see their lipstick fades and flakes. Women look for a formula that that stays put for longer time, feels wonderful on their lips and adds glamour to their face. They don’t want to reapply their lipsticks after every two hours. The good news is that there are a few techniques that can help your lipstick last longer.

Here are some magical tricks on how to apply lipsticks that lasts longer without leaving an ugly mess behind: