Top Tips for Rocking Lipstick with Braces

When I got my Invisalign 3 months ago, I truly thought I’d be ditching my lip color for some time. I mean, we are pretty much always wearing masks anyway, right? But the thing is, I never really feel like my makeup look is complete when I don’t finish it with some sort of lip color. Luckily, I’ve found a few ways to manage where I can still wear lipstick with braces.

1. Choose your shade carefully

Depending on how you feel about your braces, you can choose to bring attention to your mouth or not! Since I chose Invisalign, I don’t really mind people looking at my mouth, but I do understand that some people are nervous about it. If that’s the case for you, I would recommend choosing a nude or neutral lip shade. One of my personal favorites is NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shade, Toulouse. Remember, neutral kind of depends on skin tone too, so keep your own personal skin tone in mind when picking a shade!

For those who have clear braces, or Invisalign, you’re probably a little less shy wearing lipstick with braces and don’t mind wearing a bolder lip. If that’s the case, any shade you pick will be fine for you. Want to go a rich red? Great, go for it! For those of us willing to bring some attention to our lips, keep reading, as the upcoming tips will be helpful for keeping those vibrant colors off our braces.

2. Pick a transfer-proof formula

The problem with Invisalign especially is that any lipstick I put on kept transferring to my aligners and would smudge all over them, sometimes making me look like my mouth was bleeding. Ok, maybe red lipstick wasn’t the best choice when trying to figure all of this out. Anyway, that’s where this tip comes in. I had to find a transfer-proof formula. This is usually going to come in the form of a liquid lipstick or lip stain. These dry down and don’t leave your lips for hours. This means once it sets, you really can forget it.

Transfer-proof lipstick suggestions

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

This has been one of my favorites for a long time. Its so cheap and lasts a really long time. Don’t let the word “Cream” in the name fool you, this stuff dries down to a matte finish that isn’t going to transfer!

3. Go For a matte Shade

Matte shades are, in general, going to move around a lot less than satin shades. Yes, they’re less comfortable, but they’re also not going to get all over your braces. I would also stay away from lip gloss and any colored chapsticks when wearing braces, as I’ve noticed those can really transfer all over your teeth. I’ve also noticed the more matte the lipstick is, the less likely I’m going to have to worry about it getting all over my braces during the day, so that’s a win for me!

4. Blot Your Lips After Applying

The next tip is to always blot your lips after applying your lipstick. If you’re going with a lip stain or liquid lipstick, you don’t really have to worry about this much. For those, I typically wait until they’ve completely set before putting my aligners back in. For those of you with metal or clear braces, try not to move your lips around until the formula sets. If you are wearing a lipstick, however, you do need to blot the excess off after application to keep it from transferring to your braces throughout the day.

To blot your lips, take a tissue and fold it in half. Then press it between your lips for about 5 seconds. Do that 2 times and you’re set! Another tip I like it is to take a tissue, place it over your lips and then dap some translucent setting powder over your lips to really lock in the lipstick and keep it from getting all over your braces.

5. Take Great Care of Your Lips

One of the most important tips to wearing lipstick with braces is to make sure you take great care of your lips. Braces can often leave you with chapped lips and matte lipstick is just going to amplify the dryness of your lips. Here are my best tips to making sure your lips:

Use a lip exfoliator before applying your lipstick

If your lips are already looking a bit flaky, a lip exfoliator can really do the trick! Elf actually has a really affordable option that I really love. It’s so awesome because it is in a lipstick tube, so it makes it really easy to just slap on and take off.

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Wear a lip mask to bed

Lip masks can really help rejuvenate your lips if they’re flaky and dehydrated. One of my favorites is Laneige Lip Mask. Formulated with hyaluronic acid and loaded with minerals, you’ll wake up with refreshed, hydrated lips that are soft to the touch.

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Use chapstick whenever you aren’t wearing lipstick

Hydrate!

Braces can really make your mouth dry out a lot easier. I noticed ever since I got my Invisalign, I have had to drink a ton more water just because my mouth always feels so dry! Try to keep up with the recommendation of 11.5 cups for women and 15.5 cups for men.

Getting braces doesn’t have to be the end of your relationship with lipstick! With these tips, you should be rocking your favorite lipsticks without having to worry about them transferring or calling attention to areas you don’t want to be noticed.

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