The best drugstore lip stain is trying to buck trends. For one, it's trying to do the impossible: put a dent on the dominance of lipsticks. Did you know that up to 900 million tubes of lipstick are
sold every year? That's a lot. While lipstick can make most women feel confident about themselves, it does come with several headaches. Namely, the cost.The best drugstore lip tint is guaranteed to stay on your lips, rather than smudging itself on everything you come in contact with and it also has a more budget-friendly price. Let's take a look at some of the best drugstore lip stains on the market right now and considerations to make throughout your search.
Why a Lip Stain Is Not Lipstick
Lipsticks typically offer a wide range of color selections and consistency. You can get just about every color you want in shiny, matte, or creamy finishes. These cosmetics often use a mixture of oils and waxes, and pigments to do its job, while emollients keep in lipstick it moist.On the other hand, lip stains use a watery base or a gel. It uses synthetic and natural dyes to deliver the color to your lips. Lip stains are smudge-proof, helping it to stay on your lips for as long as 18 hours or longer. The lipstick comes in a twist-up tube that makes application easy but is not flexible enough. On the other hand, lip stains can take a variety of forms: gels, roll-ons, or tubes.
Lipstick, Lip Stain, Balm, Sheer, and Others
Lipstain is not lip gloss, which can come off rather quickly and does not provide long-lasting sheen and color to your lips. Lip gloss is perfect for those with dry lips. It hydrates your lips and can make it glossy as well.Then you have lip balms. A product that was initially used to heal chapped lips, there are now lip balms that are tinted. Lip balms usually give you shiny lips with a satin finish. Your lips can get protection from harmful sunlight, and it contains vitamin E or shea butter, both of which softens your lips. Lip balms are often see-through and do not provide full-color coverage. Further, you have lip liners. You use this if you want a dramatic effect for your lips, while also making sure that your lipstick, lip gloss, lip balm, or lip stain stays in place.
The Problem With Lip Stains
Overall, lip stains usually last longer than lipstick and other similar products, so it makes sense to use it if you are looking at a long day ahead of you, and you don't want to be often retouching. Most people choose to use lip stains because it lasts long without you having to maintain it throughout the day. But that is also its biggest downside. You would need to make sure that you apply lip stains correctly because it dries quickly and it does not come off easily. In fact, you might need to use makeup remover when you want to take it off at the end of the day. Lip stains often have alcohol in it, making it set as soon as it touches your lips. The alcohol also causes your lips to be drier than usual, so be sure to pair it with lip balm to help keep moisture levels up.
Some Tips on Using the Best Drugstore Lip Stain
You now know that a lip stain can dry your lips so you might want to put lip balm first before getting the dye in, especially if you want a bold color. You should also choose the right lip stain color. One of the best ways to achieve a natural look is to make sure that the color you select flatters your looks rather than making your lips stand out like a sore thumb.For those with fair skin, you will do well with corals and nudes for an elegant look, or you can choose red for a bold lip statement. Do not use burgundy. Those with pink undertones will benefit from a natural palette of corals, orangish-red, and pink. Meanwhile, those with yellow undertones will want a red with blue base tones, as well as bronze or nudes. People with olive-toned skin are lucky because they look good in just about any lip stain color. Finally, those with dark skin will want to get corals and reds.
Tips To Make Your Lip Stain Last For Hours
Moisturize Your Lips
Lip stains are a great way to enhance your natural color and jazz up your makeup look. But as their consistency is very thin, these cosmetic products can highlight your lip's natural texture and shine a light on your insecurities. Before applying your best drugstore lip stain, exfoliate first to remove any dry pieces of skin that can affect your lip's texture and ruin the overall look. Apply a natural lip moisturizer with no added fragrances or chemicals before bed to keep your lips moisturized the next day.
Use a Lip Liner
The main benefit of a lip stain is that the color lasts all day and you generally get a larger choice of shades than with lipsticks. However, the application process can be less precise, meaning you'll encounter difficulties contouring your lips. Invest in a lip liner in a similar shade to the lip stain (opt for a lighter shade if you're unsure). This helps to frame your lips and prevent your lip stain from bleeding, too.
Apply With a Lip Gloss
If you're not quite ready to commit to solely a lip stain, you can use this cosmetic product as a base before applying your lip gloss. As lip stains have a long wear, even if your gloss rubs off after a few sips of a drink, your lip stain and color will remain. Alternatively, you can coat with your favorite lipstick to prevent any blotchy patches as the color fades.
Make Use of its Versatility
Did you know that lip stain is a great multitasker? Add some color to your cheeks if you're out of blusher. This is a great way to limit your makeup in your cosmetics bag and create an overall cohesive look.
How We Chose the Best Drugstore Lip Stain
To compile this list of the best drugstore lip stain options, we scoured the various listings on Amazon, while also taking into consideration the opinions of credible blogs and resources such as Allure. You do not have to spend too much on the best drugstore lip stain as the main benefit of these products is their cheap price range.
The Best Drugstore Lip Stain You Can Buy Right Now: The 5 Candidates
Decide for yourself, which is the best drugstore lip stain for you. Here are your choices.
Revlon Lip Balm Stain
With 12 color options, the
Revlon Lip Balm Stain can paint your lips in such shades as prismatic purple, honey, starry night, and mystic magenta. This product is a lightweight lip stain that does not dry your lips.The moisturizing action comes from the combination of shea butter, mango, and coconut butter that you can find here. It also has shimmer pearl to make your lips look healthier and blinged up. The Revlon Lip Balm Stain has a chubby crayon form, so you can easily apply it to your lips. You don't have to sharpen it.
This product gets an average rating of 4.2 stars out of 5.0 from more than 950 reviewers on Ulta, where 82.6 percent of customers left a review with 4.0 stars or higher.
Rimmel Provocalips Lip Stain
The
Rimmel Provocalips Lip Stain promises that your lip color will stay for up to 16 hours. This lip stain is kiss-proof and will not rub off that easily. Your lips will also feel moisturized.Reviewers on the company's own page give this an average rating of 4.5 stars out 5.0. They gave 4.7 stars out of 5.0 for value for money, and 4.6 stars out of 5.0 for effectiveness and quality.
Maybelline New York Superstay 24 2-Step Liquid Lipstick Makeup
As the name suggests, the
Maybelline New York Superstay 24 2-Step Liquid Lipstick Makeup can't seem to decide what it is. But that's a good thing. It's advertised as a liquid lipstick, but it has the smudge-proof and long-lasting quality of a lip stain. Additionally, it has the moisturizing powers of a lip balm.The secret is the company's Micro-Flex technology that allows you to eat, drink, and kiss with the lipstick on your pucker. Maybelline claims that lip color will stay on through 120 sips, 200 bites, and more kisses than you can count.With close to three dozen shades to choose from, you will undoubtedly love your lips more with the
Maybelline New York Superstay 24. It has a slightly higher rating of 4.1 stars out of 5.0 from more than 3,000 reviewers on the company's website.
Stargazer Semi-Permanent Lip Stain Pen
A kiss-proof, semi-permanent, and waterproof lip stain pen,
this Stargazer product allows you to color your lips and then forget about it for the rest of the day. It comes in 11 colors, including maroon red, tawny port, and deep red.One of its selling points is that it is effortless to apply. It comes in a marker-like packaging that makes you think of the Stargazer Semi-Permanent Lip Stain Pen as a Sharpie for your lips.A comparison article on the Daily Mail Online gives this lip stain a score of 9/10, noting that it's extraordinarily long-lasting. The writer even notes that you would need three makeup wipes and some elbow grease to remove it from your lips.
Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain
A cross between a lip stain and lip balm, the
Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain will hydrate your lips while keeping it beautiful. This product goes on your lips smoothly with a sheer stain.It comes in seven colors, including Rock N Rouge, Nude Chic, and Candied Coral, among many others.
Effective Ways to Remove Lip Stain
One of the disadvantages of lip stain is that it's difficult to remove. Its stubborn consistency means you'll have to rub at your lips to eliminate any trace. But there are safer (and less painful methods). The most effective and gentle way is to apply oil to your lips and this won't strip any natural moisture and oil from your mouth. Vaseline is a great option.Apply the petroleum jelly to your lips and leave for five minutes so it can grab onto the stain. When the time is up, gently wipe away with a tissue or soft cloth. If the stain is still visible, gently brush your lips with a toothbrush and repeat these steps. Finish with a moisturizer for aftercare treatment.
Add the Best Drugstore Lip Stain to Your Beauty Arsenal
The best drugstore lip stain you can buy right now will not replace your lipstick. But it will be a good alternative for those days when you are busy and cannot attend to maintaining your pucker makeup. And it does not rub off, giving you a whole-day color cover.Hassle-free, affordable, and long-lasting. What more can you ask for, right? Do you have your favorite lip stain or own any brands we haven't referred to above? Share your thoughts and feedback with us in the comments.