To kick off our special dating series, I’m going to cut right to the chase: a girl needs to be careful when choosing her date-night beauty products. Nothing can ruin a great conversation better than when your lipstick decides to make an appearance on your teeth, or if your date is too busy looking at his reflection in your shiny forehead to respond to your questions. Then there is, of course, the danger of smudging your gloss during that end-of-the-night kiss. Here are three secret weapons to prevent makeup mishaps!

Kiss On the Cheek

I hate taking the time to apply my makeup, only to have it running off of my face a few hours later. I tend to lean toward tinted moisturizers instead of foundation, but they don’t always stick with me for a long time. My suggestion? After applying your base of tinted moisturizer or foundation, go over it with a light dusting of Bare Escentuals newest product: Love Matte powder ($28). This stuff will suck any oil right off of the surface of your skin, leaving you with a pretty face without the rear-view mirror forehead.

Kiss Goodnight

Tsk tsk, better not be the first date! Even though lipsticks and glosses might look luscious and smell pretty, they can get messy really fast when another person is involved. No offense, but no matter how attractive he is, he’s not going to look good with your bright red Dior Addict all over his face. Instead, try a lip stain that will lightly tint your lips without the mess. I really like the $7.50 drugstore favorite, Cover Girl Outlast Lipstain (I wear a pink color called “Coy Coral”!). Not only does it last a long time, but the packaging is awesome — the applicator looks like a felt-tipped marker, and you “draw” the color on.

Makeout Sesh

Uh oh, looks like the ol’ makeout queen is at it again. Not to worry though, we’ve got you covered. For anything and everything that you want to stay in place, try using Benefit’s She Laq ($30). It’s a clear liquid that you can sweep over anything — eyeliner, mascara or lips — to keep it sealed. The bottle even comes with different brushes to use! No more raccoon eyes for you after this!

Stay out of trouble, and stay tuned for the rest of our dating beauty tips this week!