A really great shade of lipstick has the ability to give the wearer confidence and allows her to feel feminine and beautiful, but is wearing lipstick something you should be doing every day, especially if your lips are dry and prone to chapping?

It’s no secret that lipsticks and lip stains can be very drying, especially matte finishing products, but that doesn’t mean you need to ditch the lipstick for good and all you need is a good moisturizing balm. You should be exfoliating your lips before applying lipstick to remove all dead skin cells and leave your lips feeling softer and smoother, this can be done using one of the many products that are on the market, like sugar scrubs.

The way you prep your lips before the application is an important step, but it should not be the only one, and care should be taken when removing lipstick, too. According to StyleCaster, ditch the tissues which could potentially dry out your lips even more, and use a lipstick remover or vaseline, which will moisturize your lips at the same time as removing the pigment.

When wearing lipstick there are also smarter choices that you can make, and knowing that the sun and other elements can dry out your lips should be a deciding factor in the lipstick you use. It’s advisable to choose a shade that has an SPF of 15 and higher, and if you are choosing a lipstick without protection then be sure to wear lip-friendly sunscreen.

If you still feel that the lipstick you’re using is too drying, then change it for a sheer or glossy formula, or try out a tinted lip balm (which often includes vitamin E and shea butter in the formula) or lip gloss. According to WebMD, if you’re seeking color that lasts then give the gloss a miss, but if you want a product that is more moisturizing that lipstick then this could be the solution.

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