What is the best, most long lasting wax? What is the best thing to use to apply it? Are pastes better than liquids?

No wax will last longer than a month or two. Foam applicators are best to apply by hand. Pastes are more durable than liquids.

If you want protection go with paint sealer - http://www.topoftheline.com/tolae/16ozmaxpains.html

So a paint sealer is a type of wax?

It's not wax at all, that's what makes it good. It's a Polymers

sealants are synthetic where as waxes are usually natural carnauba based products. No matter which wax you use it will diminish much quicker than a sealant. Carnauba waxes typically give a more wet look but sacrifice durability whereas sealants are more clear and crisp looking but last much longer. With wax you will be lucky to get 3-6 weeks of full protection where with a sealant you can get 8-12 weeks or longer (up to 6 months) with the use of a QD (quick detailer). You could go with a sealant / carnuaba combo product and get the look of carnauba wax with longer durability

Eric

using polymers is the way to go for long lasting sealed paint , infact i was in the research and devoulopment of a paint sealant called pear guard. Carnubas are organic based and break down (decompose) so reapplications are necessary however they are easier to use and involve less paint prep to get the wax to set in the paint. Carnuba also is very trouble free to use and forgiving (unless its a cutting compound)

by the way , there are synthecic waxes out there too , some of which are still using a mix of carnuba with the polymers. Wierd huh?