Why Lupita Nyong’o’s Lipstick Always Looks So Good

She may be one of the biggest up-and-coming actresses today, but Lupita Nyong'o can add one more skill to her expansive repertoire: She wears a bright lip like nobody's business. I had just accepted that I'd never be able to get my pout as good as hers, because sometimes it's easier to recognize these things and move on rather than dwell. That is, until Nick Barose, her makeup artist, decided to reveal the exact secret behind the Lupita Lip — yes, he's a very generous person.

So, what's the pro tip? "My favorite thing to do is run a clear wax lip pencil along the edges of the lips to prevent the color from running," he says. Barose uses Lancôme's Le Lipstique in Clair, which works on all skin tones and lip colors. "It creates a perfect, precise edge for the lipstick to stay put, but without the harsh line that you'd get if you used a lip liner that was the same color as the lipstick."

So, there you have it. An invisible, yet well-defined, edge is the secret to happiness perfect lipstick.