I've recently come to realize (and admit) that I am a forgetter. I forget to do laundry, I forget my bank account balance, and I always, always forget I'm wearing lipstick. And as someone who has a penchant for white button-down shirts (they're the foundation of your wardrobe) this is particularly dangerous. I often get home and find MAC's Ruby Woo smeared across my collar.

This cannot be an uncommon problem—which also means that there's probably a solution beyond Post-It noting your desk to remind yourself of the stain on your lips (lest it become stain on your clothes). Perhaps it was due to some fifth sense involving makeup and tutorial needs, but TV makeup artist and Rouge New York co-founder, Rebecca Perkins, reached out rather fortuitously a few weeks back with a solution.

She wrote: “For lipstick transfer, or really any aggressive pigment such as Manic Panic dye on skin, rub a bit of Barbasol shaving cream on it until it picks up the color of the stain. Wipe it off. However, to get lipstick out of clothing, patiently dab, DO NOT RUB, the spot with a Wet Ones wipe. Afterward, mist with Evian Mineral Water Spray and let dry,” she said.

To prove it, I got messy with Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso (a very messy, personal favorite) and an old t-shirt. After a bit of grunt work with a Wet One and a lot of inquisitive looks from my roommate, the stain was lifted 98-percent out and the t-shirt was saved from the donation pile for another week.

—Morgan Von Steen

Photo by Tom Newton.

After you spot treat, wash with care using this really luxe laundry detergent.