12 Best Lip Stains That Won't Budge, Smudge, or Smear

Tester Feedback: "I can't emphasize enough how buildable this tint is," commerce editor Sarah Han says. "I prefer a full-on look, as you can see in my photos, but this tint of watery formula is also perfect for a popsicle-inspired stain that's popular with K-pop stars." She points out that the cap isn't the most ergonomic, but the color payoff is well worth it.

Key Ingredients: Sweet cherry oil | Who It's For: All skin types and tones | Available Shades: 8 (Note: Four additional shades, including Natural Sienna, are exclusive to dior.com)

Best Full-Coverage: Nars Powermatte Lip Pigment

Why We Love It: Garner raves about Nars Powermatte Lip Pigment, telling Allure its lightweight texture is "dreamy" and doesn't dry out your lips. "Once it starts to wear off, which will take a while, it leaves a beautiful wash of color behind," she adds. The three-time Best of Beauty Award winner comes in 20 full-coverage shades, including Don't Stop (pictured above), and is boosted by moisturizing and hydrating ingredients.

Tester Feedback: "I'll be honest, the Nars Powermatte in Thunderkiss [Editor's note: This shade isn't available anymore] was sitting in my lipstick drawer for quite some time before I decided to give it a try, and boy, am I glad I did," says shopping market editor Angela Trakoshis. "This matte lipstick isn't a traditional lip stain, but its super-pigmented formula does not budge even while eating the greasiest slice of pizza." Makeup bag staple made easy.

Key Ingredients: Dimethicone, hyaluronic acid | Who It's For: All skin types and tones | Available Shades: 20

Best K-Beauty Lip Tint: Peripera Ink Velvet Lip Tint

Why We Love It: Who else remembers the days when you couldn't scroll through your social feed without Peripera's Ink Velvet Lip Tint making an appearance? Whether you apply it full-on or as a blurred lip stain look, this long-wearing formula became one of the most popular beauty products on the world wide web for its velvet-like matte finish and impressive color payoff.

Tester Feedback: Han's desert island lip stain might have to go to Peripera's formulas. They're incredibly affordable (you can build a collection without feeling too guilty!) and last the entire day. "Touchups are very minimal even after heavy meals," Han attests. "The wear is super comfortable, despite how long-lasting the formulas are," she says, though she notes that she preps her (very dry) lips with a clear lip balm and wipes away the excess before applying the lip tint.

For a dewier, lip gloss finish that you'll often see on K-pop idols, Han urges you to try the Ink Mood Glowy Tints, which are spiked with glycerin and lily and witch hazel extract for added hydration.

Key Ingredients: Dimethicone | Who It's For: Anyone who wants a long-wear formula that's affordable | Available Shades: 27

More Peripera Lip Stains We Love:
- Peripera Ink Mood Glowy Tint, $10
- Peripera Ink Airy Velvet Lip Tint, $10

Most Unique: Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint

Why It's Worth It: Milk Makeup's Cooling Water Jelly Tint looks good enough to eat (please don't), but there's more to this bouncy tint than its gelatinous form. It delivers a surprising amount of pigment and can be used as a blush or cheek tint in a pinch. This solid lip stain is non-drying, thanks to ingredients like vegan collagen and aloe vera.

Tester Feedback: "Each swipe feels cool to the touch and leaves behind a pigmented wash of buildable color that's guaranteed to never budge, fade, or smear," says Allure commerce writer Jennifer Hussein. "If you want to blend it out or use it as a blush, you better work fast, because once its formula sets in place, it's not going anywhere."

Key Ingredients: Aloe, vegan collagen, seawater | Who It's For: All skin types and tones | Available Shades: 4

Never Goes Out of Style: Benefit Cosmetics Benetint Cheek & Lip Stain

Why We Love It: A list of lip stains wouldn't be complete without this classic. These days, K-pop stars are helping Benefit Cosmetics's Benetint Cheek & Lip Stain make a comeback, tapping this on the center of their lips before hitting the stage to make their lips look more luscious. Plus, it won't wear away no matter how strenuous the choreography is. While the original Benetint is the most popular shade, several others are available, such as Gogotint (a bright cherry red) and Playtint (a cheery hot pink).

Tester Feedback: Trakoshis has a fun alternate use for this ultra-popular pick. "For years, I have seen Benetint everywhere but it wasn't until recently that I decided to take TikTok's advice and add it to my routine — but not in its traditional way," she says. "Instead of applying this stain all over my lips, I use it as lip liner and it literally creates the most beautiful flush of color that lasts all day with zero transfer.”

Who It's For: Low-maintenance looks | Available Shades: 6

More Lip Stains We Love:

Best Sheer Finish: Clarins Water Lip Stain

Why We Love It: Claire loves the Clarins Water Lip Stain's transfer-proof formula comprised of 77% water and its slightly sheer finish. Key ingredients in the Best of Beauty winner include soothing aloe vera, moisturizing glycerin, and antioxidant-rich camellia sinensis leaf extract (a.k.a. green tea). Red Water (a candy-colored red seen here) is one of three fun shades.

Editor Tip: This glossy lip stain has serious staying power. The brand even ran a clinical trial before launch and the testers noted that it stayed put even after hours wearing a surgical mask. In that same trial, testers noted that it lasted 300 kisses. So go ahead, smooch away — this one is lover-girl-approved.

Key Ingredients: Aloe vera, glycerin, green tea extract | Who It's For: Anyone looking for light coverage | Available Shades: 3

Best Watery Formula: Fenty Beauty Poutsicle Lip Stain

Why We Love It: We already expect nothing but the best formulations from Fenty Beauty but the Poutsicle Lip Stain is so good that we just had to give it an Allure Best of Beauty Award in 2022. It has a soft, doe-foot applicator that seamlessly delivers an even layer of color. On that note, Poutsicle has a lightweight, barely-there feel and pigmented wash of color that you expect from a tint with the added benefits of moisturizing, lip-softening squalane.

Editor Tip: Swipe a layer of the Gloss Bomb Ice Cooling Lip Luminizer (a 2023 Best of Beauty Award winner, no less) on top for a plumping effect, if you're into that.

Key Ingredients: Squalane, glycerin, dimethicone | Who It's For: All skin types and tones | Available Shades: 6

Best Glossy Lip Stain: YSL Vinyl Cream Lip Stain

Why We Love It: While many lip stains offer translucent or watery finishes, the YSL Vinyl Cream Lip Stain is highly pigmented, resembling a weightless liquid lipstick. The ultra-shiny formula (hence the name Vinyl) is easy to apply. Once it wears off, your lips will still have a subtle, natural tint.

Editor Tip: Since this is a more opaque lip stain than other options on the list, perfect your pout by creating a dramatic cupid's bow by pressing the pointy part of the applicator on each side of the bow to create an over-emphasized shape. Then, use the flat side of the applicator to glide the gloss from one corner of your mouth to the other.

Key Ingredients: Dimethicone, synthetic wax | Who It's For: Anyone who wants more coverage | Available Shades: 4

More YSL Lip Stains We Love:
- YSL Nu Lip & Cheek Tint Balm, $29
- YSL Tatouage Couture Velvet Cream Matte Liquid Lipstick, $45

Best Multitasker: Huda Beauty Lip Blush Cream Lip & Cheek Stain

Why We Love It: While many formulas on this list can technically be used on the cheek, the Huda Beauty Lip Blush Cream Lip & Cheek Stain is designed to be used as both from the get-go. Whether you want a touch of rouge on your lips, cheeks, or both, this ultra-light stain has you covered — without fading or smudging throughout the day, might we add.

Editor Tip: This hydrating lip stain is also spiked with hyaluronic acid to ensure your skin stays soft and smooth as you wear it. It delivers a semi-matte finish that looks natural and blurred, without feathering.

Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid | Who It's For: All skin types and tones | Available Shades: 5

Best Lip Oil: Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil

Why We Love It: The beauty of Rare Beauty's Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil is its gel-to-oil formula. This lightweight lip stain (pictured here in Wonder, a rose mauve) applies like a gloss and has a shiny, nylon-like finish that won't smear or smudge throughout the day. Rest assured that it won't be sticky, just slick.

Editor Tip: This tinted oil also contains conditioning ingredients like jojoba and sunflower seed oils to leave lips impeccably smooth for as long as you wear it. It's also a gentle lip plumper, thanks to dimethicone and squalane.

Key Ingredients: Jojoba oil, sunflower seed oil | Who It's For: All skin types and tones | Available Shades: 8

Most Versatile: Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipstick

Why We Love It: Makeup artist Brittany Lo is a "huge fan" of the Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipsticks. Its non-sticky, transfer-proof formula is enriched with avocado oil, which adds moisture to your lips, thus preventing them from drying out.

Editor Tip: The inky lip color is available in a whopping 72(!) shades, including matte and metallic finishes, so whether you're someone who goes for a more natural lip look, or you're partial to dramatic pigments, you'll find something here.

Key Ingredients: Avocado oil | Who It's For: All skin types and tones | Available Shades: 72

Best Affordable Lip Stain: Etude House Dear Darling Water Gel Tint

Why We Love It: Etude House's Dear Darling Water Gel Tint could withstand a zombie apocalypse if you ask Allure contributor Sable Yong. And you'll have plenty of product to hold you over because a little bit of the pigmented, gel-like formula goes a long way. Not to mention, it's budget-friendly enough that you might as well drop all 10 gorgeous shades into your cart.

Editor Tip: The pigment is super long-lasting, so Yong likes to blend it into her lips with a cotton swab to prevent the formula from staining her fingers.

Key Ingredients: Soapberry extract | Who It's For: All skin types and tones | Available Shades: 5

More Etude House Lip Stains We Love:
- Etude House Glow Fixing Tint, $14
- Etude House Fixing Tint, $14

Frequently Asked Questions

Before you apply lip stain, keep these tips in mind. Especially if you have dry lips, "a lip mask or light, clear lip balm will help even out your lips' hydration levels, prepping them for a more even application," makeup artist Andrea Claire says. She also recommends using a lip liner as a base, which helps extend the stain's wear time.

Once you're ready to apply your lip stain of choice, Claire recommends drawing a "V" at the bow and outer corners of your lips and a "U" towards the bottom. Then, connect the dots, fill in the lips, and voíla. For a natural-looking finish, makeup artist Genevieve Garner advises tapping the product directly onto your lips using your fingers. For a more saturated look, Claire recommends applying the stain straight from the tube.

To seal the deal, both Claire and Garner suggest laying a one-ply tissue over your lips before dabbing a small amount of translucent powder on top.

Before reviewing any makeup, we ask questions about a number of factors: What ingredients are in it? Does the brand offer a wide shade range inclusive of consumers with all skin tones and undertones? Is it safe for readers who have sensitive skin or wear contact lenses? Is it on the affordable side or more of a splurge? Is its packaging consciously designed or needlessly wasteful?

For our review of the best lip stains, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, and professional makeup artists to review the products. This ensures our testing base spans different skin tones, genders, and dermatological conditions. We considered each product’s performance across four primary categories: ingredients, wear and longevity, packaging, and shade range. For more on what's involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.

A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors — in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon — is essential to reaching that goal.

After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the "best” for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.

More lip products we adore:

• 13 Best Tinted Lip Balms That'll Complement Your Everyday Makeup Looks
• Ooey Gooey Lip Products Are Having a Moment
• Allure Best of Beauty Awards 2023: Lips
• 16 Best Red Lipsticks Your Makeup Bag Needs, According to Allure Editors

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