Long-Lasting Lipsticks

Lipstick stains on coffee cups, clothes and even a loved one could be annoying. But there's a new generation of lipsticks that are promising you'll never have a lipstick-stained coffee cup again.

CBS MarketWatch's Susan McGinnis took a look at lasting lipsticks, to see if they hold up to their manufacturers' promise that they can last all day. It is a high bar to clear, because kissing has come a long way.

Since the dawn of lipstick-time, women have wanted one thing: for their lipstick to last.

That's what a new generation of long-lasting lipsticks is promising: The manufacturers claim their lipsticks won't come off – eat, drink, talk or kiss -- until you take them off.

At Glamour magazine, beauty editor Andrea Pomerantz has been testing and studying long-lasting lipsticks for years.

"I think it's a major revolution for women," says Pomerantz. "I'd almost put it really up there with tampons, or the birth control pill, or a dishwasher. This is really something that can change your life."

Once known to be drying and lacking in color choices, Pomerantz says long-lasting lipsticks have come a long way.

"Before, if you'd spoken to women, you'd say, 'What is your dream product?' And they'd say, 'A lipstick that lasts through a cup of coffee. A lipstick that won't come off on my glass,'" says Pomerantz. "This is really a dream come true for women."

The latest batch of lipsticks seems to have some staying power when it comes to profits for the makers.

"The lipstick category has been growing fast, and one of the drivers one of the key drivers of the growth is the long-lasting trend," says Carrie Bonner, an industry analyst from Kline & Co. Cosmetics.

That growth has helped Procter & Gamble, which came up with the first long-lasting lipsticks years ago. Their brands still stack up against the competition. Covergirl's Outlast and Max Factor's Lipfinity were among the best performing in a test by the Good Housekeeping Institute. And that is the kind of rating Procter & Gamble senior scientist Gillian Briggs likes to see.

"We set out to develop a lipstick that would last for 10 hours through food and drink," says Briggs.

So what makes the lipstick last so long? Scientists came up with what they've dubbed "Permatone."

"Permatone is a mixture of pigments -- that's what gives the color to lipstick -- and flexible polymer mesh," says Briggs. "The pigments and the mesh, together, form a semi-permanent color coat on your lips."

But just how long do long-lasting lipsticks really last? And how do they feel on the lips? To find out for sure, CBS MarketWatch's McGinnis tested some of the top-selling lipstick brands.

L'Oreal Color Endure: The package doesn't say how long it should last, but it does say it should last through eating, drinking and kissing. It instructs to apply and allow to set. A few minutes after applying the lipstick, McGinnis kissed a glass and a bit of the cosmetic came off. McGinnis then kissed her son without leaving a mark on his face. About 6 hours later – and a chicken Caesar salad for dinner – the L'Oreal lipstick was pretty much gone from McGinnis's lips.

To test a few other brands, McGinnis enlisted the lips of some Early Show staff members.

Max Factor: The manufacturer says its lipstick lasts up to 10 hours, which The Early Show found to be true.

Clinique Stay The Day Lip Colour: The manufacturer says its lipstick lasts up to 10 hours, which The Early Show found to be true.

L'Oreal Endless Eight Hour Lip Color: The manufacturer says its lipstick lasts up to 8 hours, but the staffer at The Early Show said it only lasted 4 hours.

Not all of the lipsticks lasted as long as their packages promise, but all the volunteers reported that the lipsticks did last longer than their regular lipsticks.

Cosmetics makers say to look for more improvements in long-lasting lipsticks, as well as the long lasting concept applied to all kinds of makeup, from lip liners to foundation.