Test Driving 24-Hour Longwear Makeup
Photo: Donna Trope/Trunk Archive
When my editor asked me to put 24-hour makeup products to the test, I was slightly dumbfounded. “Wait,” I thought. “Why would anybody want to wear makeup for 24 hours straight?” Still, I was game to find out. I sought out makeup meant to last all day and all night—here’s what happened.
On the first day of my test, I wore L’Oréal Paris Infallible Eyeshadow in Always Pearly Pink ($7), which promised “up to 24 hours of wear.” Its texture was smooth: not quite creamy, but silkier than a powder shadow. On my lids, it gave off a slightly frosty sheen that was very Elsa-from-Frozen. The sparkle was still going strong at the end of the day (which, in truth, made me nervous to wear it overnight). After a night of sleep, however, the shimmer was still there, but it was no longer a Look, if you know what I mean. It was time to take it off.
That was okay, though, because it was time to try Maybelline’s Color Tattoo Pure Pigments in Pink Rebel ($7), a loose powder shadow. It was softly pearlescent on its own, but I was skeptical of any powder’s ability to stay put. So I layered it over its creamy sister product, Color Tattoo Leather in Vintage Plum ($7). Biff, bang, pow — the pigment intensified, and it refused to budge. My oily lids made the shadows crease a tiny bit at the end of the day, but everything still looked good. The makeup was a little smudged the next morning, but it was very Joan Jett (a good thing in my book).
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It was time to venture into lips. CoverGirl Outlast Lip Color ($8) promised up to 16 hours of color, so I went for it. The two-step application process was easy (first the color, then the balmy top coat) and the color lasted well past my morning tea. By lunchtime, I had a little wear, but nothing too bad — and by evening, the color was still there. The downside? The formula was a bit drying, so I had to reapply the balm frequently.
At the same time, I was wearing Tarte’s Amazonian Clay Blush ($26), which aimed to keep my cheeks rosy for up to 12 hours. The finely milled powder was easy to blend, and a little went a long way — the compact seems as though it would last for at least a year of everyday use. And the color stayed all day, too, even on my oily skin. It didn’t quite reach 12 hours without fading, but eight hours of solid wear is good enough for me.
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After experimenting with long-wear makeup, one thing is clear: Modern formulas are generally far more impressive than those from 10 years ago. This stuff stays put. If you’re hoping for a full 24 hours of even wear—through sleep and work and sweat—it may be time to adjust your expectations. (There’s a reason the claims say “up to” 24 hours.) But in the real world, where most of us take our makeup off at the end of the day, it’s not a bad way to go.
