7 Best Lip Stains for Long-Lasting Pigment—From Brunch to Bedtime

1. Best Cult-Classic Lip Stain: BENEFIT COSMETICS Benetint Cheek & Lip Stain

For many of us, our very first memory of lip stain is this little red bottle from BENEFIT COSMETICS. The brand’s best-seller doubles as a cheek tint and continues to go viral again and again due to its sheer, buildable formula that packs a pigmented punch. Our biggest tip for using this formula? Go in with a light hand—just a few dots will do—and blend out by quickly tapping your fingers over top of the product. This formula will last so long on your lips, you may need makeup remover to wipe it off at the end of the day.

2. Best Hydrating Lip Stain: FENTY BEAUTY Poutsicle Hydrating Lip Stain

This nourishing lip stain just hits different. Featuring an oil-in-water innovation with hydrating squalene (a close relative of squalane), this product helps lock in moisture to keep your pout feeling soft and smooth all day. We love reaching for it when we want the juicy shine of a lip gloss with the comfy moisture of a lip balm.

3. Best Glossy Lip Stain: E.L.F. COSMETICS Glossy Lip Stain

At this point, what hasn’t E.L.F. COSMETICS perfected in the affordable-but-actually-amazing makeup game? To no one’s surprise, this transfer-proof, smudge-proof lip stain is a lip-perfecting powerhouse (and one that you can pick up at any drugstore, no less). It’s one of the best lip stains thanks to its glossy finish that dries to a sheer, soft-matte color that feels weightless on your lips for hours of wear.

4. Best Peel-Off Lip Stain: SACHEU BEAUTY Stay-n Peel-Off Lip Liner Stain

Hello, color payoff! We really underestimated the pigment of this stain the first time we applied it (cue us frantically trying to blot some color off before heading out the door). To use it, you apply it around the perimeter of your lips, then wait 10 to 20 minutes for it to dry. Once it’s dried, you peel off the film to reveal your new lip color. It’s one of the most long-wearing stains we’ve tried to date, and it’s even formulated with hyaluronic acid and vitamin E for extra lip-loving benefits.

5. Best Lip Stain Marker: R.E.M. BEAUTY Practically Permanent Lip Stain Marker

If you’re looking for a matte finish, we love this cruelty-free, long-wearing pick from Ariana Grande’s R.E.M. BEAUTY. The marker tip makes it effortless to apply, so you can trace the edges of your natural lip shape or simply sweep it across the center of your pout for that popsicle-lips effect. The formula also includes glycerin to help keep it feeling comfy throughout the day.

6. Best Vegan Lip Stain: SERAPHINE BOTANICALS Long-Lasting Creamy Lip Stain

This creamy formula is made with a combo of vegan emollients—like pomegranate, lingonberry, mango, and raspberry oils—that hydrate and nourish lips to create an almost plumping effect. You can also layer up the color by blotting your lips with tissue between each application; that way, you get the pigment of a liquid lip without the drying side effects.

7. Best Double-Duty Lip Stain: HUDA BEAUTY Lip Blush Creamy Lip & Cheek Stain

If you’re a fan of the blurred lip trend inspired by K-Beauty influencers, this product is our go-to for achieving the look. There are five gorgeous, buildable shades to suit any skin tone and undertone, and all you need are a few dabs on the center of your lips (blended out with your fingers) for an effortless pout. Another great option for creating that casual-but-chic lip look is the Velvet Lip Tint from Korean beauty brand PERIPERA, though we’re partial to the HUDA BEAUTY formula, which has hyaluronic acid powder and coconut extract to make it ultra comfortable and lightweight.