Are you an amateur cosmetics chemist? A do-it-yourself wizard at creating your own lip concoctions that have both shine and durability? Good for you! Layering and mixing your favorite makeup products is a great way to try new looks, textures and shades, and sometimes the end result can be stunning. Be warned, however, that there can be drawbacks to playing makeup mixologist, like muddy colors, a pileup of shimmer and a compromise of the qualities that you like best about a product. What’s more, mixing those cosmetic cocktails can be both expensive and time-consuming.

If it’s been a while since you’ve visited the makeup counter or checked out the expanded selection at your local drugstore, it’s time to dedicate a few hours to trying out some new products. More important than new colors and shades are new formulations! Chances are what you’re trying to achieve by combining two or more makeup products already exists in a single formulation. Mixing shimmer into your foundation? Save time by buying a luminous foundation. Still stuck having to buy two bottles of foundation and blending daily for the perfect match? Look around and you’ll notice that most brands have expanded their shade range to already include your perfect match.

Love long-lasting lipstick but want a creamier texture? Adding lip balm to a long-wear formula lipstick cancels out the last-all-day effect and may make the color bleed. That’s because if the lip balm is petroleum-based, it will break down the lipstick so it’s faded by midmorning instead of sticking around for cocktail hour. Instead, consider one of the new long-wear glosses on the market, or a dual-ended, all-day creme lipstick that has a specially formulated gloss that complements it perfectly -- without sabotaging its staying power.