“What I love about lipstick,” Bobbi Brown tells me, “is that it’s easy, it’s quick, and it just makes you feel polished.” The beauty entrepreneur knows a thing or two about the category—she has been formulating the makeup staple since 1991, the year she unveiled her first-ever products–a 10-strong lineup of brown-toned lipsticks–to Bergdorf Goodman in New York under her then eponymous brand Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.
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Fast forward to 2026 and her newer venture, Jones Road, where Brown remains a clean cosmetics pioneer, is staying true to her roots with a line of easy-to-use, makeup heroes that break the internet with each new innovation—lipstick included. So who else to ask how to make your lipstick last longer?
“My approach to creating a lipstick is, first of all, looking at formula,” she explains. “Formula is everything, because if it’s not a flattering formula, it’s never going to look good.” As for the color-ways, “I always make sure there are lip-tone colors. I always make sure there’s a red, an orange, a pink, a deep and a burgundy.”
How do you find the right color for your lip tone? How do you find the right texture? What are common lipstick application mistakes? And most pressing of all, how do you give your lipstick longevity? Brown reveals all below.
In this article:
Step One: Choose a Lipstick Shade and Texture
When choosing a lipstick, Brown says it comes down to three things. Firstly, your personal style. “If you are someone who loves a bold lip, it doesn’t matter if it works with your skin or not, that’s your color. Do you like a neutral color? Do you like bright colors? Do you like dark colors?”