ForeverWed Bridal Beauty Expert

Dear Suzanne:

My fiance' doesn’t like lipstick very much, and he doesn't want me to wear lipstick during the ceremony because it might rub off on him when he kisses me.  I think he is afraid of looking silly with some of it smeared on his lips.  I really don't want to go without any lip color, especially on my wedding day.  Is there a way to make this a workable situation, can lipstick be applied in a way that it won't smear when kissing?  Thanks!

Lydia

Dear Lydia~

Good news!  There is new technology in lip color application that just hit the stores this year, and is completely non-transferable from lips once applied.  The trade name is called Permatone, which is a new kind of polymer that, when applied, allows lip color to remain resistant to contact, food oils, and water when worn.  Permatone forms a color "mesh", that moves with the skin and allows it to breathe.  It's completely resistant to blotting, rubbing and kissing, and does not bleed or feather on lips.  The application is a two step process, first applying the liquid lip color with the sponge tip applicator and allowing it to dry completely (resulting in a very matte look).  Then, apply the glossing stick over the lip color to give it a moist shiny look.  It claims to last up to 8 hours from initial application, requiring only touch ups with the glossing stick to restore the shine.  Permatone is being marketed by both Cover Girl and Max Factor, and each line has it's own distinct selection of colors.  Cover Girl produced "Outlast", and it comes in 26 shades, while Max Factor has "Lipfinity" which comes in 20 shades.  There are also two other companies that produce this kind of lip color technology, LipSense, and Lip Ink, and information about both of these can be found on the Internet.

Personally, I have used both Outlast, and Lipfinity, and while there are benefits to both as mentioned above, there were also some drawbacks I experienced.  Indeed, the color did not smear one little bit from rubbing, kissing or blotting, however, I found both products to be quite drying to lips after a few hours, and I certainly didn't get the 8 hour wear that the product claims.  The average wear time is about 3 1/2  to 4 hours before both products started to peel a bit from the edges of the lips, and I found it annoying to have to keep reapplying the glossing stick on a fairly frequent basis to keep it fresh looking.  Both of these products do not layer well should you decide to mix colors, and the results of layering can feel quite thick and pasty to the mouth.  If you have dry or chapped lips to begin with, these products are not a good choice for use with this condition. 

I would suggest a compromise for your situation: select either brand mentioned above for the ceremony part of the wedding so that your fiance' will have peace of mind that your lip color will not rub off on him as he kisses you in front of the audience of guests.  Then, I would switch to a conventional emollient lip color in the same shade, and use that as a touch up for the remainder of the festivities so you won't have to worry about your lips feeling dry by the end of the event.

Dear Suzanne:

I have been troubled with flaky skin recently and I am getting married in a little over a month.  I have tried different skin care products and moisturizers but nothing seems to help alleviate the problem.  I don't want to have the look like my makeup is peeling off my skin, but I am stuck as what makeup products to use on my wedding day for this.  Help!

                                                                   Karen 

Dear Karen~

Flaky looking skin can be caused by several factors, either internally, environmentally or both.  My first suggestion would be to visit a dermatologist to rule out any medical causes or allergies that might be affecting your skin's condition.  It is obvious that your skin has a level of hyper-sensitivity that is accelerating the shedding process, so your doctor can best determine if this is truly pathological in origin and needs professional treatment.  The doctor may prescribe a skin care regimen to help clear this up, and if so, be sure to follow this thoroughly for best results.

On the other hand, you may simply have a dry-sensitive skin condition that can be characterized by redness, chapping, peeling, and dry patchy spots, especially if you have been exposed to an excessive amount of weather elements like cold, wind, or even the sun.  Even our environment is full of pollutants that can aggravate hyper-sensitive skin to chap and peel.  Also, hormones, emotions, and stress are not always a friendly mix added in to these skin conditions and can excaberate the problems you are experiencing.  I would suggest that you limit your skin care regimen to only the basics and treating your skin very gently.  Use emollient type cleansing products, and use only lukewarm water to rinse skin thoroughly and pat dry.   Make sure your moisturizer has an extremely effective sunscreen (broad spectrum UVA and UVB) in it, because you need to do all you can to protect your skin from solar radiation, a major factor in skin irritation from the environment.   Sometimes a change in how we handle skin greatly improves its condition.   I would also suggest that you use a very gentle exfoliater (one that contains jojoba wax beads only) once a week to help remove the excess peel (dead skin cells) that is visible, so that skin will look and feel smoother. Keep your skin on a schedule, and minimize any kind of extreme exposure.