Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (2024)

TL;DR

TheBenefit Cosmetics Benetint Lip and Cheek Tint is our top pick lip stain. It gives off a vibrant wash of color as a lip stain or a blush. For a more affordable pick, consider the Etude House Dear Darling Lip Tint, which stacks up well compared to its pricier counterparts.

We lovelipstick andlip gloss, but sometimes neither product fits the bill, especially if you want serious staying power. When youreallywant to keep your lip color around, reach for a lip stain. What makes lip tints and stains different from other lip coloring products is the lightweight texture,according to celebrity makeup artistMisha Shahzada. “Lip stains often come in gel and cream forms, which offer longer wear, less application, and don’t transfer as easily as lipstick or lip gloss,” she explains.

There are a surprising number of great lip tints and stains out there, so we did our research andtested dozens of the top-rated ones. We wore them in our everyday lives, eating, drinking, and blotting our lips. We considered their finish, shade range, and feel and tapped an expert makeup artist for her favorites before ranking the best-performing formulas for this list.

What We Like

  • Delivers lots of pigment

  • Doubles as a blush

  • Buildable

What to Consider

  • Easy to apply too much

Finish: Natural | Size: 0.20 oz | Shades: 6

No list of lip stains would be complete without the lip stain: Benefit’s Benetint Cheek & Lip Stain. The formula’s six hues deliver a smudge-proof flush of color (and subtle glow) to the lips and cheeks that will look like you were born wearing it. It’s a favorite of editors, beauty gurus, and pro makeup artists alike, thanks to its super strong color payoff.

We loved how it amplified the look of our natural lips, giving them a punch of pigment that works for everyday wear and fuller glam moments. It is buildable, but we didn’t need more than a swipe or two to achieve the color payoff we wanted. The formula itself is relatively lightweight (but never watery). It creates a wash of color that sticks onto the lips with minimal transfer, rather than a glossy topper or creamy lipstick that needs to be reapplied. It is easy to apply too much, though, so take it slow. You may even want to blot the color in with your fingers for more control.

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (2)

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (3)

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (4)

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (5)

What We Like

  • Super affordable

  • Juicy color payoff

  • Sets nicely

What to Consider

  • Very runny while applying

  • Color looks different on the skin

Finish: Natural | Size: 0.3 oz | Shades: 5

Take one look at the Dear Darling Lip Tint, and you’ll be transported to your childhood days of slurping down fruit juice with a slight tint of grape or raspberry left on your lips. While the formula is slightly more viscous—and, obviously, inedible—it has the same effect.It has a runny consistency—the texture looks and feels like colored water. But, once it dried down, it instantly altered our lips' color effortlessly, without any stickiness or feathering. Take your pick between five juice-inspired pigments; just be aware that the color in the bottle isn’t the color that shows up on your lips. We tried the Orange Ade shade, which appeared more nude-orange in the flesh.

Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (7)

What We Like

  • Long-lasting formula

  • Leaves lips super smooth

  • Super pigmented shades

What to Consider

  • Harder to remove

Finish: Natural | Size: 0.17 oz | Shades: 8

Reach for this pick from Dior if you want a lip stain that’ll stay in place for 10 hours while looking natural and feeling weightless. The tinted ink adds a healthy (but still tasteful) dose of color that lasts through drinking, sweating, and kissing without budging an inch. Upon application, the tint has a mild minty scent and goes on fairly watery (not goopy or runny, though!) but settles into the lips nicely without irritation or stickiness.

"I’m a big fan of the Dior Addict Lip Tint, as it feels like a very sheer lip gloss but stays on for hours,” says Shahzada. We are, too. The gorgeous fresh and natural shades—including beige, raspberry, vibrant coral, and intense plum—are all wonderfully pigmented and designed to complement all skin tones.

What We Like

  • Feels like a nourishing lip balm

  • Plenty of pretty color options

  • Creamy and smooth

What to Consider

  • Multiple swipes needed for noticeable color payoff

Finish: Balmy | Size: 0.06 oz | Shades: 13

Though it has a thin consistency, this creamy lip tint is the perfect cross between a hydrating lip balm and a tinted stain. When we swatched it, we were surprised at how thin it was and how little color initially came off, but once we got more acquainted with the formula, we fell in love with its sheer-buildable wash of color. (You’ll have to swipe a few times to achieve a noticeable color difference.) Also nice: Its texture is smooth and doesn’t clump.

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (10)

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (11)

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (12)

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (13)

What We Like

  • Great alternative to lip gloss

  • Not tacky on lips

  • Lightweight, long-lasting formula

What to Consider

  • Can be a bit watery

  • Not ideal in hotter climates

Finish: Glossy, natural | Size: 0.20 oz | Shades: 4

If you want a lip stain that stands in for a lip gloss, you’ll adore this one from Clarins. It’s undoubtedly a fantastic alternative, especially since it has a glossy finish sans stickiness or color fading. We loved how comfortable this formula felt on the lips, even after a few hours. It’s a great choice for those who don’t love the feeling of lip gloss or don’t like having to reapply lipstick continuously. It can get melty in hotter temperatures, so that’s something to remember if you live in a warmer climate.

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (15)

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (16)

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (17)

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (18)

What We Like

  • Offers a natural, semi-matte finish

  • Smoothing and plumping

  • Outstanding color payoff

What to Consider

  • Can feel tacky

Finish: Semi-matte | Size: 0.19 oz | Shades: 3

A smoothing and plumping matte lip tint sounds like it could never exist, but this one from Victoria Beckham Beauty proves it’s (somehow) possible. With a natural, highly pigmented color, all you need is one swipe—and maybe a slight touch-up after lunch—to get you through the workday and onto happy hour. It’s unlike anything else we’ve tried, and we owe it to the product’s plumping, blurring, and smoothing capabilities. It can feel tacky on the lips, so that’s something to keep in mind if you don't love lip products that can feel sticky.

Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (20)

What We Like

  • Easy to build up

  • Glides on smoothly

  • Comes in colors that flatter all skin tones

What to Consider

  • Takes a while to set

Finish: Glossy | Size: 0.16 oz | Shades:6

This pick has a formula that applies like a gloss and stays put like a stain, aka, the best of both worlds. Its water-based formula, lightweight gel texture, and long-lasting tint are packed with moisturizing ingredients that feel soft on the lips (never sticky). It builds nicely, so you can layer on as many coats as you want to achieve your desired result. The cherry on top: It comes in six shades—in pink and red variations—that look fabulous on all skin tones and natural lip shades. Note: It takes a few minutes to set, so you must practice patience here.

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (22)

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (23)

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (24)

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (25)

What We Like

  • Versatile and buildable

  • Enhances the look of natural lip color

  • Juicy and jelly-like formula

What to Consider

  • Can be slightly tacky

Finish: Glossy, Natural | Size: 0.17 oz | Shades: 5

With names like Cherry Spritz and Berry Colada, you might not think this stain would look the most natural—but you’d be wrong. It’s the product’s smooth, slick formulation that captured our hearts. Like most of the other products on this list, it goes on wet and dries down to a jelly-like consistency that enhances your lip's natural color. Depending on the color you choose, the lip stain can be built up to a more vibrant color payoff, but it’s natural enough for daily wear, too. Our only complaint: It can be somewhat tacky, but this wasn’t a deal-breaker for us.

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (27)

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (28)

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (29)

  • Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (30)

What We Like

  • 27 shades available

  • Creamy but weightless

  • Like pigmented paint, but for lips

What to Consider

  • Not buildable

  • Not much room for error

Finish: Matte | Size: 0.14 oz | Shades: 27

Paint your lips into works of art with this super-pigmented lip stain from Peripera. The adhesive formula fills in the curves of your lips with a smooth, silky finish and insane color payoff. The thick, viscous texture is like paint (aka doesn’t feel like a lightweight lip gloss) and dries down for a weightless, mattified finish. It’s not drying, though; in fact, it’s velvety and creamy. The formula comes in 27 shades—the most expansive shade range on this list—and each vibrant stain will last despite drinking water, coffee, or tea.

It’s important to note that one swipe is all you’ll need. It’s not a bad thing (we love a one-and-done application), but it’s worth mentioning because those with shakier hands or unsteady grips might have a harder time achieving clean, straight lines.

Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (32)

What We Like

  • Can be used on lips and cheeks

  • Matte and transfer-proof

  • A little goes a long way

What to Consider

  • Can set too quickly

Finish: Matte | Size: 0.20 oz. | Shades: 5

Matte and transfer-proof, the Huda Beauty Creamy Lip and Cheek Tint formula is as long-wearing as it gets. Each stain contains hyaluronic acid and coconut extract to provide lots of moisture, which is key for nourishing skin throughout the day. Warning: the pigment is very strong when first applied, but you can definitely layer more for a darker finish. We only had to use minimal product to achieve the tint we wanted, so we can honestly say that one tube will last a while. Similar to the Peripera option, it sets quickly, so it’s great for a swipe on the go. But, you’ll want to work fast.

Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (34)

What to Look for in a Lip Stain

Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (35)

  • Finish: While you don’t have as many choices as you would with traditional bullet lipsticks, most stains either have a matte or glossy finish. However, it’s worth noting that the latter will eventually wear off, and the stain left behind will be matte.
  • Hydrating Ingredients: Like full-coverage liquid lipsticks, lip stains also have the potential to leave the lips feeling dry. Shahzada recommends looking for formulas that have added moisture. “I always suggest a lip tint that contains hyaluronic acid, which helps keep the lips hydrated for longer,” she explains. Another great way to avoid dryness and help lock in color is to apply a thin layer of lip balm once the stain dries down.
  • Waterproof Formula: The whole point of wearing a lip stain is to provide long-lasting color that doesn’t need to be constantly reapplied. While most formulas have longer wear than traditional lipsticks and glosses, we recommend a waterproof formula to ensure your color will last through almost anything.

FAQ

  • How do you apply lip stains?

    Shahzada says there are no rules for applying a lip stain, although she typically applies it from the applicator or her fingertips.

  • How long do lip stains last?

    How long the lip stain will last on your lips depends on the brand of the lip tint and each person’s individual lips (and lip biting/licking habits). It’s worth noting that hydrating formulas tend to last longer than matte options.

  • What is the difference between a lip stain and lipstick?

    According to Shahzada, lip stains and lip tints are a cross between a gel and a cream and are meant to have longer wear than traditional lipsticks. “I usually consider them to be a hybrid of both a lipstick and a gloss but with more longevity,” she explains.

Why Trust Byrdie

Caitlyn Martyn is an associate commerce editor at Byrdie, covering all things beauty and style. She gathered insights and testimonials from our experienced team of editors and in-house lab testers to curate this list of lip stains that grace the lips with beautiful color and last all day (or all night).

She interviewed Misha Shahzada, a celebrity makeup artist based in New York City, for insight into all things lip stains.

According to our Diversity Pledge, 15% of products in our newly published market roundups will feature Black-owned and/or Black-founded brands. At the time of publishing, we were not able to find enough lip stains from Black-owned and/or Black-founded businesses to meet this percentage. If you know of one we should consider, please email us at contact@byrdie.com, and we will evaluate the product ASAP.

Article Sources

Byrdie takes every opportunity to use high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.

  1. Kaur, M., Kaur, A., & Kaur, R. (2019). Coconut extract improves skin hydration and reduces transepidermal water loss in volunteers with dry skin. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 41(3), 249-255.

Make Your Lip Color Last With the 10 Best Lip Stains, Starting at Just $8 (2024)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Geoffrey Lueilwitz

Last Updated:

Views: 6060

Rating: 5 / 5 (80 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Geoffrey Lueilwitz

Birthday: 1997-03-23

Address: 74183 Thomas Course, Port Micheal, OK 55446-1529

Phone: +13408645881558

Job: Global Representative

Hobby: Sailing, Vehicle restoration, Rowing, Ghost hunting, Scrapbooking, Rugby, Board sports

Introduction: My name is Geoffrey Lueilwitz, I am a zealous, encouraging, sparkling, enchanting, graceful, faithful, nice person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.