By Gina Daugherty
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Endless. Outlast. Forever. It can be tough out there for a woman afraid of commitment, or even for those looking for it.

Lipstick makers are smacking all over about their long-wear colors. They promise workdays free of reapplication and nights of Lipfinity ... and who doesn't want that, whatever it is.

Well, we'll just see about that.

I decided to wear-test five brands of long-wear lipsticks available at department and drugstores. I chose one from each major brand: L'Oreal Endless, Cover Girl Outlast, Revlon ColorStay, Max Factor Lipfinity and Maybelline Forever.

The results are based on four tests: talking, kissing, eating and drinking. They were then ranked by price, ease of application, amount of drying and flaking, and removal of residue.

Without further lip service, the results:

Cover Girl Outlast ($7.64)

This is about as hard-core a lipstick as you can get. Once it's on, there's no turning back. Not for the fainthearted or those afraid of commitment. Outlast comes with a tube of color and a moisturizer topcoat - which you will need. It feels and smells not unlike drying paint before you apply the topcoat. (Wait until color dries before moisturizer application - about two minutes.)

My only complaint about Outlast is the use of a wand to apply the color, which I find more difficult than a tube. I sometimes have a hard time staying in the lines (I guess I should have paid more attention in kindergarten), which is why I spent last Tuesday with the right side of my upper lip a little bigger than the left.

Talking: I was able to blab my way through morning interviews, past afternoon phone conversations and into evening discussions about my day.

Kissing: Craig (my husband) didn't even know he was a test subject. And Outlast didn't sell me out.

Eating: The gyro is no match for Outlast. Not even a speck on the napkin. I did, however, reapply the moisturizer after lunch.

Drinking: No prints on coffee mug or straw from lunch.

Removal: After a long day, Outlast did start to flake. Otherwise, scrubbing with soap and water is necessary for removal. Like I said, it's hard-core.

The real winner: I did note that if applied late enough at night, you could wake up in the morning still looking fabulous - at least lip-wise.

Max Factor Lipfinity ($8.99)

Very similar to Outlast in its application. It also comes in two parts with a color tube and a moisturizer stick. Again, not a big fan of the applicator stick, but just as hard-core in its long-wear coverage. The moisturizer is soothing and it doesn't have quite the paint smell and feel of the Outlast.

Talking: Lipfinity lives up to its name, blasting through long meetings with flying colors.

Kissing: Again, an unsuspecting Craig is none the wiser.

Eating: Plowed through morning granola bar and lunch without smearing. Did reapply moisturizer topcoat, for good measure and glossy post-lunch look.

Drinking: Nada on the cup or straw.

Removal: Lipfinity did begin to flake after the long haul. It does require scrubbing with soap and water for removal, so be sure to make no mistakes during application. The package recommends using the Max Factor Remover for Long Lasting Make-up or an oil based make-up remover.

Added advice: Not for the woman who likes to change her look from office politics to office party. Lipfinity is for the woman who loves commitment from her lipstick.

L'Oreal Endless ($7.49)

I applied Endless at 9:15 a.m. and noticed it rubbing off on coffee cup, food and everything else. It looks like regular lipstick, is applied like regular lipstick and acts like regular lipstick. The gloss was gone within an hour, but the stain did hang on until lunch.

Talking: Gloss goes quickly, but color lingers.

Kissing: Caught myself wiping a faded print of Perfect Plum off Craig's cheek. He's beginning to wonder where all this affection is coming from.

Eating: Smudge marks, smudge marks everywhere.

Drinking: No cup or straw is safe from lip prints.

Removal: Wait long enough and it will come off on its own.

Added info: Easy to apply and you could use the reflective, gold metal top as a mirror.

Revlon ColorStay ($6.39)

By 1:30 p.m. Endless is over and I have applied ColorStay.

ColorStay has a matte finish and there is no gloss or moisturizing balm to smooth it out. The color stain does last about three hours, but hardly what I would call "colorstay."

Talking: The more you talk, the drier your lips get. Could really use a moisturizer with this one.

Kissing: Leaves a faint print. Not something you'd want to wear for a long make-out session.

Eating: Doesn't come off so much on food, but eating definitely breaks it down.

Drinking: Faint prints on cups and straws.

Removal: A good hard swipe with washcloth and water will get it off.

Of consideration: Might want to use the moisturizer from Outlast or Lipfinity to add gloss.

Maybelline Forever ($6.29)

Forever goes on silky-smooth and doesn't need a moisturizer. It also comes off on just about everything. Perfect for the woman who likes to change lipstick colors throughout the day. Lasts "forever" if you think of forever as a few hours, as in: "This meeting is taking forever."

Talking: You can talk your way right through forever.

Kissing: Let's just say that mLilac is not Craig's color.

Eating: Prints all over my cake doughnut, er, granola bar, I mean.

Drinking: Smudges on cups and straws.

Removal: Easy enough. Think ordinary lipstick.

Special note: Has a lavender jewel on top of the lipstick tube, making it easy to find in jar full of other lipsticks.

E-mail gdaugherty@enquirer.com.