I think I have no less than 50 lip products in my makeup drawer — from glosses to oils, there’s just something about a tiny tube filled with a wash of color that I love.
What I don’t particularly love about my current lip product collection is most of the shades barely last on the lips. The mass amount of lipsticks and lip glosses I own typically require multiple rounds of reapplication if I want the color to stay on my lips, which is important to me for special occasions — especially ones I know I’ll be wanting to snap a few pictures of myself.
That’s why I was colored more than intrigued when my Instagram feed started booming with lip stain try-ons. The first lip stain to pave the way was none other than the magical Wonderskin peel-off lip stain that goes on blue, dries, then reveals an even pigment that’s meant to last all day. It honestly looked too good to be true.
There are many different kinds of lip stains on the market: peel-offs, markers, oils, and even glosses. The one thing they all have in common is their claims to be long-lasting, smudge-proof, transfer-proof, and water-proof. I put the claims of some of the most viral lip stains to the test by eating, drinking, and even sweating with them on my lips.
Scroll on to see which viral lip stains lived up to the hype, and which ones absolutely did not.
Meredith Holser
I love the marker format of this Covergirl lip stain. It’s super easy to use, and the precise applicator tip makes putting it on a total breeze. It helped me define my lip shape, which I feel is needed most times I want to wear a lip product because my natural lips don’t really have a defined edge.
The color I snagged was Canyon, and I must say, I am obsessed with it. It’s the perfect balance between a neutral, red, and terra cotta shade that I think is super complimentary to my skin tone.
Meredith Holser
Covergirl Outlast Lip Stain, before
Now, onto my first impressions wearing it. As I noted, the marker-like application tip was especially helpful for adding color and definition to the outline of my lips. It boasted an even and smooth wash of color once I was done lining. Disappointingly, it was not as smooth on the actual plush part of my lips. The result looked uneven and I felt like the color I had put on my lip line was a lot darker (which was not my desired look).
The texture of this lip stain didn’t stand out much to me. It simply dried down like a regular marker would — that being said, the lack of stickiness impressed me.
Meredith Holser
Covergirl Outlast Lip Stain, after
The real test, of course, was seeing if it could withstand things like eating and drinking. I wore the Covergirl lip stain to my family’s Christmas dinner, which was chockfull of snacks, apps, main courses, and cocktails.
Unfortunately, the lip stain barely held on through the first round of appetizers. The color had faded mostly from the plush part of my lips, though a few spots around my lip line had completely disappeared. I tried to minimize use of my napkin for the sake of the lip stain test, but there were a few moments I had to reach for it. Every time, I noticed that some of the lip stain had come off along with bits of food and drink. I definitely had to reapply it after dinner.
After a big bout of eating and drinking with it on, I have to rate the Covergirl lip stain a 2/5. While I absolutely loved the color and initial results, it did not keep its promise of being transfer-proof.
Meredith Holser
I was beyond excited to try this lip stain from e.l.f. I had seen several demo videos on social media and loved how smooth the product looked, plus how it stayed on for influencers that put it to the test. A single tube is only $6, too, so the affordability aspect definitely had me hooked.
This pick comes in the unique form of a lip gloss and isn’t meant to dry down at all. While most other lip stains promise a full wash of c
Meredith Holser
e.l.f. Glossy Lip Stain, before
Upon first application, I loved how satin-y the formula felt on my lips. The applicator tip was familiar to use and made putting it on precisely super easy. I decided to let the gloss sit on my lips for 5 minutes or so before blotting it a bit with some tissue (as many creators I saw online did).
While the glossy aspect was blotted away, the color stain wasn’t — amen! The shade Cinnamon Dreamz left an impressively flattering mauve-brown color on my lips. One thing I didn’t like about the first wear was I noticed the product sunk into dry patches on my lips (caused by my anxious habit of picking them — but that’s all just user error).
Meredith Holser
e.l.f. Glossy Lip Stain, after
I wore the e.l.f. lip stain to a friends’ dinner party to test out if it was really long-wearing. After a couple rounds of cocktails and a big feast, there was still a good amount of color on my lips. What stood out to me the most is that the color that stayed was still as even as if I had just freshly applied it — just sans glossy finish.
I was thoroughly surprised by e.l.f.’s glossy lip stain. The color, formula, and performance all lived up to the hype for me! All things considered, I have to grant it a 4/5.
Meredith Holser
This lip stain by Palladio acted much like the one from Covergirl, thanks to its easy-to-use marker format. I tried the shade Mocha Cream and instantly fell in love with how it looked on my lips.
What I didn’t like, however, was how dry my lips felt after applying it. I knew that to keep the color on, I’d have to put up with drier-than-usual lips (the brand says the product works best alone), but it was a major bother to me in the sensory department.
Meredith Holser
Palladio Lip Stain, before
Much like the Covergirl lip stain, this formula from Palladio seemed to sink into the cracks on my lips and resulted in an uneven wash of color over time.
When it came to wearing this lip stain, I must say I was quite impressed with how long-lasting it was. I applied it right before sipping on my morning coffee on a WFH day, and I did not notice any transferring of the product onto my mug at all. I even tried to blot the lip stain on my hand, but nothing came off – which is so great.
Meredith Holser
Palladio Lip Stain, after
After several hours of wear (including a mildly sweaty morning walk), the Palladio lip stain was noticeably faded, but not as much as the other marker lip stain had. At this point, I'm thinking there's no real way to avoid fading, though maybe I just haven’t found my holy grail yet.
I was definitely surprised by the long-wearing potential of the Palladio lip stain. I loved the shade on my lips, though I wished it had applied and settled into my skin more evenly. I was also bothered by how dry my lips got when wearing it, so much so that I was distracted from my day. For this ,I rate the Palladio lip stain a 3/5.
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