Unlike traditional lip glosses or lipsticks, lip stains are designed with one goal in mind: long-lasting just-bitten colour. And achieving that flush of colour — whether that’s a your-lips-but-better hue or something bolder — is the key to perfecting that coveted no-makeup-makeup look.
While lip tints and lip stains are often referred to interchangeably, there are some key differences worth noting. Lip tints are lightweight and often come in more subtle hues, available in water or gel formulas. Lip stains, on the other hand, are a bit more heavy-duty. With long-lasting pigment, lip stains are great for no-fuss colour with little to no need for touch-ups during the day. Depending on what you need for the day, a lip tint or lip stain will be more suitable.
Nonetheless, with the plethora of formulas out there, finding a lip stain that actually lasts the entire day (and some more) can take a bit of trial and error. Many lip stains claim to provide all-day colour, but are nowhere to be seen by lunchtime, while others stain the lips a bit too well. Somewhere in between is the sweet spot for us — enough stain power for minimal touch-ups (if any) throughout the day, without having to rub your lips raw at the end of the day to get the colour off.
From viral-favourites like Wonderskin to affordable finds from Benefit, we’ve found the best lip stains to add to your everyday no-makeup-makeup routine that you won’t regret.
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