A lipstick sealer is a cosmetic product that is used on top of lipstick to keep it from smudging or transferring onto other objects. By creating a transparent barrier on top of the lipstick, lipstick sealer makes lipstick last longer. Some kinds of sealer can even keep lipstick in place through meals. The purpose of the product is to avoid re-application of lipstick and to avoid situations in which lipstick is transferred onto clothes, which it can stain, or other people, which it can embarrass.
In order to reveal the color of the lipstick beneath the sealer, this product is clear. An exception to this rule is that some brands of lipstick sealer are flecked with very small amounts of glitter or have a bit of a shimmering tone to them. In these cases, the tint or glitter within the sealer is meant to accent the color of the lipstick beneath. However, the most common kinds of lipstick sealer are clear.
Most kinds of lipstick sealer are sold along with the lipstick that they are intended to seal. The lipstick, which is often actually an opaque gloss, is applied with a wand. It is allowed to set for up to a minute. Once the lipstick has set, the lipstick sealer, which is also applied as a gloss, is painted on top.
Some cosmetic companies sell the lipstick and sealer in accompanying tubes. Others sell the product in one long tube with wands at either end: one for the lipstick and one for the lipstick sealer. These tubes have a barrier in the center to keep the two products from mixing.
It is best to use a lipstick sealer along with a lipstick that is meant to be worn under a sealer. Lipstick that is meant to be worn alone may not react well or work with sealer. Usually, companies that sell sealer will indicate what kinds of lipstick within the same product line can be used along with it.
Any color of lipstick can be sealed, but it is most common for the very dark colors such as ruby red and bright pink to be sealed. This is because it is these colors that can do the most damage to fabrics if they are accidentally transferred and are the most apparent if they smudge. There are, however, nude and muted tones of lipstick that are sold along with sealer.