If you are looking for a hydrating lip product, our list of the best lip stains can help you out. Unlike lipsticks, lip stains are not wax-based but gel or liquid-based. So, lip stains can last longer on the lips and don’t get smudged easily. The colors stay on your lips for hours, even after the water base evaporates, so you don’t have to worry about reapplying. With an airy, light texture, these stains are available in multiple shades to give you a subtle touch of color to brighten your look. You can also use them to highlight your cheeks and eyelids, making it a versatile product. With the benefit of a lip balm and tint in one, these lip stains prevent your lips from drying out or cracking for an even, smooth finish. So, explore the various options to choose a suitable shade for your makeup kit.

17 Best Lip Stains

1. Best For All: Revlon Balm Stain – Honey

This lightweight lip stain not only gives the perfect flush of color to your pout but is also a moisturizing balm to keep your lips soft and supple at all times. It’s enriched with a triple butter complex of coconut, mango, and shea butter. Your lips get an iridescent shine and a pearly shimmer with this one-of-a-kind lip stain. It contains pH reacting pigments for a personalized shade of lip stain. Available in 8 different shades, it comes in the form of a chubby, retractable crayon, and doesn’t require a sharpener, which makes it very convenient to use.

2. Best Lightweight: L’Oréal Paris Rouge Signature Matte Lip Stain – I Rule

  This product has the rich color of a liquid lipstick with the “barely there” feel of a lip stain. This lightweight, matte lip stain features a precise applicator that lines and shapes your lips perfectly. It doesn’t have a sticky or cakey texture and is highly pigmented, giving long-lasting matte color that enriches your lips with a plush and even coat of color. The lasting color impact of this lip stain makes it ideal for use through the day, especially as you feel you have no makeup on. Here’s a video to help you understand the product better and make an informed choice.

3. Best Long Lasting:  Golden Rose Lip Marker – Burgundy

  This long-lasting lip stain stays on for hours, and its water-based formula is enriched with aloe vera and vitamin E, so your lips never dry out. It gives a natural finish to your lips and has buildable coverage depending on how bold a lip color you want. The applicator has a unique chisel tip which precisely outlines your lips and also fills them in with color minus streaking. Its transfer-resistant and smudge-proof formula ensures that the lip stain stays on for hours together. And it’s safe to use as it’s dermatologically-tested, and as a plus, is never tested on animals. It gives you the color and shine of lipstick and lip gloss without any added stickiness.

4. Best Smudge-Proof: Palladio Lip Stain – Nude

  This smudge-proof and long-lasting lip stain will probably change the way you view lip stains forever. It is enriched with natural botanicals like aloe vera and coconut oil to keep your lips supple and hydrated. Powerful botanical extracts like limonene nourish your skin and keep it soft and smooth. It’s also infused with antioxidants like vitamins A, C, D, and E. The chisel tip marker allows you to outline your lips with precision and then fill them with color without streaking or bleeding. You can also build up the color for a bolder look. You can wear this lip stain alone or blend it with other shades to create your own unique color. Its waterproof formula won’t dry out your lips and will keep the color intact for as long as you want. It’s safe to use as it’s 100% paraben-free, gluten-free, and cruelty-free. Click on this video to learn more about the features of this product.

5. Best Water-Weight: Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain + Balm – Twilight

  This lip stain with water-weight formula is made with real fruit extracts and stains lips for a sweet and sensuous pucker. This 2-in-1 lip stain and balm is a fantastic way to color your lips, especially if you are done with your lip color fading, feathering, rubbing off, or flaking. Its felt rollerball tip allows for a precise application and delivers rich color, while the translucent balm moisturizes and nourishes your lips and gives them a soft and subtle shine. Once the lip stain dries, you can build it up depending on how intense you want the color. This lightweight lip stain is transfer resistant and doesn’t streak or smudge. It comes in 9 other shades as well and each one features its own fruity flavor and scent.

6. Best Transfer-Resistant: Passioncat Twist Velvet Tint – Poppin-Pink

  This lip stain has a vivid color payoff and brightens your lips with rich and intense color. It’s so long lasting that it stays fresh through the day for up to 16 hours, in spite of eating or drinking. Matte on the outside, smooth on the inside, this lightweight and velvety formula doesn’t dry out your lips. It’s transfer-resistant formula doesn’t leave those embarrassing stains on glasses and cups, and these days, on masks. This lip stain’s cushion tip applicator gives full coverage to your lips, as well as a gradation effect to make your lips look fuller and plumper. It comes in a reusable package in 14 different shades, so it’s good for the environment too.

7. Best Water-Based: Covergirl Outlast Lipstain – Saucy Plum

  This water-based liquid lip stain gives your lips a subtle flush of color that lasts for hours without the stickiness and heaviness of an ordinary lipstick. This cult-fav lip stain comes with conditioners that smooth and soften your lips, keeping them in perfect pucker form. Its precision applicator gives a pen-like definition to your lips— so it can be used very easily and conveniently. This lightweight lip stain keeps your lips looking freshly made-up for hours, nor does it transfer to cups, glasses, or clothes. It doesn’t smudge or bleed, so you don’t have to worry while eating or drinking.

8. Best Paraben-Free: theBalm Creamy Lip Stain – Salut

  This glossy lip stain has a unique flexible formula of polymers that starts as a shiny gloss and ends as a lip stain. In short, it starts as a lip gloss, then gives you the rich pigment of a lipstick with a creamy and rich texture, and ends as a lip stain. This highly pigmented product doesn’t dry out your lips, instead keeps them soft and supple and lasts for the better part of the day. To top it, this lip stain is safe to use as it’s paraben-free, and is never tested on animals.

9. Best Oil-Infused:  L’Oréal Paris Brilliant Signature Shiny Lip Stain – Be Outstanding

  This oil-infused lip stain has a unique ultra thin formula and gives a high shine to your lips. This versatile product gives you the glossy finish of a lip gloss, the long-lasting wear of a lip stain, and the bold color of a liquid lipstick, without leaving your lips feeling heavy or sticky. At the same time, it does not dry out your lips but leaves them feeling moisturized and smooth. High gloss polymers combine with vibrant pigments to provide a shiny and bold color, which leaves a bare lip sensation. It comes with a precision applicator for easy application, and the color doesn’t feather, smudge, or bleed, so you always have that just-applied look. This lightweight lip stain gives your lips vivid color in a single swipe and is available in 12 shiny shades.

10. Best Avocado-Infused: Sephora Wild Wishes Cream Lip Stain Set

This limited edition lip stain kit consists of 6 shades— iconic red, powder pink, mauve, warm rose pink, dark berry, and black cherry, for ultra pigmented lips. The avocado-infused formula of these lip stains is comfortable to wear and long lasting. This color gives high coverage and is silky, gliding on smoothly with a beautiful matte finish. You no longer have to worry about dry, flaking lips as your lips stay hydrated and supple. These 6 full size lip stains, with their range of colors and smooth wear, make an ideal gift for all occasions.

11. Colorgram Thunderbolt Tint – Romance Tok

  This red lip stain comes with a dewy, glossy tint and offers soft and seamless application. It’s formulated with aloe vera and rosehip oil to hydrate and soothe your lips and has a striking color payoff. It’s infused with argan oil and completely coats your lips with moisture, keeping your lips soft and supple. This long-lasting lip stain has a new concept of tinting that gives a natural look to your lips. This perfect fixing tint doesn’t smudge, bleed, or feather after applying, so you always have that picture-perfect look.

12. Pephuca Six Colors Red Wine Lipstick Set

Rich in pigments and heavily saturated, this set of lipsticks in six shades gives its users a flawless glitter finish. It has a unique arrow applicator for easy application, and the color can last up to 12 hours upon application. These lipsticks are rich in wine extracts sourced from France and give a moisturizing and matte effect without flaking or giving you a dry feeling. You can also use it to achieve a gradient effect. Pros

Lightweight and non-sticky Can be applied by hand Offers multi-dimensional shine Suitable for any occasion Waterproof

Cons

May not be easy to remove Colors may slightly differ from those advertised

13. Clarins Water Lip Stain – Red Water

  The unique watery texture of this red lip stain glides smoothly over the lips, providing intense hydration and nourishment. It has a long-lasting and non-transferable color, so it doesn’t bleed, feather, or smudge. It’s infused with organic and hydrating aloe vera, and organic raspberry water that keeps your lips moisturized and free of dry, flaky skin. This lip stain is also enriched with an anti-pollution complex that protects your lips from pollution and environmental aggressors. The brush soaks up just the right amount of color and perfectly fits the shape of your lips for a convenient and comfortable application.

14. Au Naturale Lip Stain – Marsala

  This lip stain is made of natural ingredients like castor seed oil, jojoba seed oil, organic hydrogenated palm oil, cocoa seed butter, shea butter, and vitamin E. This product with ethically-sourced ingredients is designed to nourish, hydrate, and soothe your lips and has a rich color payoff. This deep mauve lip stain is formulated with EcoCert mineral pigments and contains no animal by-products, nanoparticles, synthetic preservatives, paraben, gluten, fillers, dyes or toxins. It’s 100% vegan, natural, and cruelty-free too!

15. Superface Matte Lip Paint – Girl Crush

  This high impact, matte lip stain is long lasting, keeps the lips moist, and stays on all day. It has a high definition color and can be used by itself for a subtle finish, or with lipstick for a frosted, gradient effect. Its lightweight formula gives vibrant color with a minimal amount of product. You can eat or drink in peace without the fear of smudging, creasing, flaking, or the color transferring. Easily blendable, you can create an ombre effect without worrying about your lips drying out. A single layer of this lip stain gives a red-pink shade and suits both warm and cool skin tones. This Korean beauty product is paraben-free, gluten-free, and is never tested on animals.

16. Kyda Four Colors Lip Tint Stain Set

The Kyda lip tint stain set includes four lip stains with bright textures and can also be used as a blush or eyeshadow. If you are worried about applying a lip stain fearing that sweat may hamper your look, this lip stain has got you covered, as it has properties that make it last all day long. Made of high-quality ingredients, the lip stain offers a multi-dimensional effect. Pros

Suitable for all skin tones Vegan-friendly and cruelty-free Hydrates and moisturizes Non-sticky and waterproof Comes in a gift-ready packaging

Cons

May have a peculiar smell

17. Unny Club Talk That Tint – Hohenzollern

  This liquid lip stain offers soft and smooth application with a silky texture. It doesn’t dry out your lips or leave a sticky feeling on your lips. This highly pigmented matte lip stain gives intense color to your lips and has a long-staying power. It’s infused with avocado oil, apricot seed oil, rosa canina fruit oil, and vitamin E that keep your lips nourished and supple. This peach colored lip stain is smudge-proof and doesn’t bleed, feather, or flake. Its long-lasting moisture formula and creamy texture is as good as using a lip balm. It has a high-gloss, glass-like tint that keeps your lips glittering, and creates a layer on your lips so that there is no moisture loss or roughness. Its no-shine reversal texture provides a matte finish after it’s fixed. It’s flattering on all skin tones and is available in 5 shades. Now that you have been through our review of the 17 best lip stains, let us give you a few guidelines to follow when choosing one for yourself, so that you get that perfect blend of color and moisture for luscious lips.

How To Choose The Right Lip Stain

Decide what you need

You need to decide whether you want a lip stain with a creamy finish, matte touch, or with a shimmer, or a frost finish. If you want one just for moisturization, a soft-touch lip stain would make sense, but if you want a long-lasting lip stain, then a matte lip stain would do a better job. A shimmer and frost lip stain makes your lips sparkle and glisten.

Choose the right shade

Bright lip stains make your lips look bigger, while darker shades of lip stain make your lips look smaller. For a fair complexion, a nude or a soft mocha, peach, or pale pink lip stains work wonders. For a lighter medium skin tone, you can try red, fuchsia, peaches, and browns. For a darker medium skin tone, copper, brown, and cranberry color look good, and for a dark skin tone, dark reds and a wine color work great.

Check the ingredients

It is very important to check for any harmful ingredients before you buy a lip stain as they may cause harm to your skin or you may even be allergic to them. Avoid buying lip stains that have parabens, retinyl palmitate, and tocopherol acetate in them.

Shelf life

Always check the manufacturing date and date of expiration before you purchase your makeup. Generally, most lip stains have a shelf life of 3 years. It’s always a good idea to go for fresh products manufactured in the same year to enjoy using them for the maximum time.

Avoid non-transferable lip stain

Lip stains that claim they are non-transferable tend to dry out the lips. If you really want a non-transferable lip stain, make sure it has hydrating properties. A good lip stain should moisturize your lips and keep them healthy.

Why Trust MomJunction?

A fashion enthusiast and passionate writer, Poulami Nag creates intriguing content on beauty, fashion, and personal care products. She brings in her experience and interests to curate a list of the best lip stains for her readers. These lip stains are hydrating, skin-friendly, and long-lasting to make you look gorgeous. Poulami has compared multiple products across the market to find the best ones for you. She has also considered user reviews to offer you an unbiased opinion.

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