The below article is syndicated from Total Beauty. I generally agree with their conclusions on this one. My favorite lip stain happens to be Benefit Benetint. However, the new pen style lip stains are rather nice. I find that Revlon and MAC stain pens tend to work the best. As the article notes, Cover Girl dries up rather fast, as does Maybelline’s stain.  Click on through to see Total Beauty’s results.

High- and Low-Rated Lip and Cheek Stains

See which makeup has Total Beauty readers looking all flushed and rosy-lipped and which ones are big disappointments

This is a TotalBeauty.com make up tips article   Our readers weigh in on which lip and cheek stains are the best and which ones are the worst in their makeup bags. See products

Do you have a favorite lip stain?

Disclosures: Girl Gloss at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page

About the Author: Carleen Coulter

Lip stain is all the rage right now. I always loved using Benetint on my lips, and Revlon’s roller ball version of Just Bitten rocked. Now it seems like pens are the in thing,, which with multiple companies marketing them.  I’ll be looking at Revlon’s Just Bitten Pen version pretty soon.

Maybelline has joined the fray with their own pen lip stain, Maybelline Color Sensational. Below is a swatch of the shade Feelin Rosy, which suits me pretty well.

Maybelline’s pen lip, stain fares much better than CoverGirl’s version for application and wear. It goes on pretty well, with the pen shape being nice for careful application,s and it stains quite well too. It also comes in multiple shades, which is nice. What it lacks, however, is the nice touch that Revlon gave to their new Just Bitten lip pen version, which is the addition of a built in balm. Lip stain needs to dry on the lips, and is not at all moisturizing, so applying a balm or gloss over it is a must.  Of course, carrying a balm or clear gloss is no big deal—I often have both, but having it built in is nice. I will be reviewing the Revlon stain soon.

Maybelline is available at all drugstores and big box stores.

L’Oreal Paris has new infallible shades endorsed by celebrities. The L’Oreal Infallible Stars Never Fail Collection has 6 shades elected by Beyoncé, Andie MacDowell, Diane Keaton, Eva Longoria Parker, Kate del Castillo, and Linda Evangelista.

Below are swatches of Beyonce’s Red (my favorite), Diane’s Tuberose, and Kate’s Plum:

If you haven’t tried L’Oreal Infallible, it comes with a  thick long wear stain with a sponge applicator and also a balm to wear over the stain. This stuff does indeed stick around! I couldn’t get it all washed off of my hand after swatching and still had a tiny bit on after my shower the next day. However, it does wear off lips quicker, and it will feel drying, so the balm is a necessity. Be sure to let the stain completely dry before applying the balm.

MAC has once again assured themselves a place on my best of the year list with their new MAC Pro Longwear Lip Stain Markers, which are part of their Art Supplies Collection.  A year or so ago, CoverGirl came out with something similar, which I liked, but did not feel really lasted well. Here is the previous Cover Girl review: CoverGirl Outlast Lip Stain.   MAC’s lip stain markers are an improvement on that idea.

MAC lip stain markers look and feel much like a standard magic marker. They have a felt-like tip that dispenses lip stain. The stain itself is decent quality. The pigment is good and it wears quite well. I wore mine through a can of diet cola and a light meal with no loss in color. MAC also has released the markers in a variety of shades for flexibility. One note though: Go darker than you think you might want—the lip stain wears fairly sheer.

Below are MAC Lip Stain swatches in Full of Flair, Style Setter, and Purposefully Red (my favorite):

Because they are sheer and light, lip stains are great for a natural look.  Lip stains can feel a bit dry, so I recommend wearing a light gloss over them. Another great use for them is as a layer for creating a long lasting lip look: Apply stain, then lip pencil and then lip color.

the Luna Twilight Makeup Collection has some interesting items with neat packaging. One that really intrigued me was the Luna Twilight Duwop Lip Venom, so I eagerly went out to Nordstrom to see it and fully planned to buy it if I liked it. I ended up coming home empty handed.

The idea of the Twilight Lip Venom is that there is lip stain at the bottom and clear plumper at the top. In theory, you dip the the applicator into the bottom for stain, only in the top for clear plumper, or shake it up to get both. That is it in theory. I had a hard time getting it to work well in practice. When I tried to just get stain, I still ended up with oily plumper as well that washed the stain away. When I shook it up, I had better results, but the stain still sat on top of the plumper, making it hard to get an even stained look. Here it is on my hand which, unfortunately, was as even as I could get it. This is taken outside in natural light after it dried.

I ended up disappointed, in part perhaps because I had such high hopes for this product. The overall shade of the stain is nice, but I don’t want to battle with a product to get an even color application. You can get a more even look with a standard lip stain. Then, if you want plumping, add regular Lip Venom or your other favorite plumper over it.

Available October 22, 2009, and now available for preorder, the Luna Twilight Makeup Collection offers some great packaging for fans of the Twilight series of books and movies by Stephanie Meyers.

I definitely plan to get the staining lip balm. Who wouldn’t want color, conditioning, and natural sun protection all in one? And, of course, the package is nice.

I particularly like the art on the lip gloss.

This special edition of DuWop Lip Venom also is quite interesting and is something I am eager to try. The top layer is clear DuWop lip pluming oil and the bottom is a rich red lip stain. The products can be used separately depending on where you dip the applicator, or it can be shaken to use both at once for a plumping lip stain with shine—fascinating!

Nordstrom also has their exclusive New Moon clothing and accessory collections available for pre-order. Click the image below to see the collection or for more information.

Note: This post contains an affiliate link. For more please see my disclosure page.

Max Factor is no longer selling in the United States, but it is still available in Europe.  It also appears to still be available at some online retailers. I gave Max Factor Lipfinity MAXwear Lipcolor a try and rather liked it.

This is a dual sided long wearing stain and gloss combo. The stain is thick and full of pigment. For best results, apply it to completely clean and dry lips and let it dry entirely before applying the gloss. The gloss has a nice moisturizing feel to it with no stickiness at all. It was a bit on the frosted side for my tastes though.

Overall, I liked the color of the Max Factor products and I got a couple of hours wear out of this. It did come off quickly, however, with eating and drinking. The MAC Cosmetic Lustre Twins (read previous review) last longer and are still my favorite.

I’m a big fan of lip stain. It gives a more natural look and usually lasts longer than other lip colors. I picked up a CoverGirl Outlast Lip Stain months ago and then forgot to write about it, which is surprising considering that I rather like it!

Outlast lip stain is a stain in a tube with a tip comparable to a felt tip pen. The design makes applying the stain quite easy, which no concerns about getting stain outside of the lip line—something that is rather important with a stain considering that they tend to dry quickly. What I particularly like about CoverGirl’s stain is the multitude of colors available.  Unlike other brands that has only one or two shades, there is something for everyone in the Outlast line.

The downside to this particular stain, however, is that it does not last quite as long as my other favorites (Benefit’s Benetint, Revlon, and MAC). But it is quite affordable and does wear long enough to keep me happy. I love that I have it in a pink shade.

Because it is a stain it can feels drying, so be sure to apply gloss or balm over it.

Sephora Favorites Get Pink’d Pink Lip Deluxe Sampler is a fun way to try out a bunch of lip products—all in pink!

The set contains the following:

- 0.34 oz Laura Geller Lip Strip
- 0.1 oz DuWop Prime Venom
- 0.0676 oz Korres Cherry Oil Lip Gloss in Fuschia
- 0.23 oz Sephora Super Shimmer in Think Pink
- 0.02 oz Stila Cherry Crush Lip and Cheek Stain
- 0.1 oz Smashbox O-Gloss
- 0.09 oz ck Calvin Klein Lipstick in Mesmerize
- 0.26 oz Urban Decay Lipstick in Jilted
- 0.17 oz ck Calvin Klein Plumping Gloss in Bloom

At $37, it is a pretty good deal! Sephopra has a number of other favorites sets out now as well. All of them can be a fun way to try new products!

Lorac Sheer Wash is a rollerball lip and cheek stain. The coverage is sheer and it has great lasting power. The color is a rosy berry shade that is pretty much universally flattering. I prefer stains that come with a rollerball over a brush. They are more portable and are easy to apply.

I love lip tints because they tend to give a more natural look and the color lasts for quite some time. To use a lip tint such as this one, apply a light layer and let it dry. Color can be built up by applying several coats of stain. Top it with a clear or tinted gloss.

The stain can also be used on the cheeks for a natural flushed look.  When using it on your cheeks, be sure to blend quickly before it dries!

Comparison Shop for Lorac Cosmetics