Lip stains are becoming the new “it” makeup item– but there have already been some amazing budget friendly and drugstore lip stains available for a while now! With so many options, it can be hard to figure out which lip stain is best for you– do you prioritize pigmentation, wear time, comfort, or price?
I tested six popular affordable lip stains– including one new release– to show you how each performed through eating and wearing for 9+ hours. Plus, all of these are both vegan and cruelty free lip stains!
e.l.f. Glossy Lip Stain
$6 at Target, Ulta, Amazon, e.l.f. Cosmetics
After two weeks of testing, the e.l.f. Glossy Lip Stain officially became my favorite drugstore lip stain. This has a thin, lightweight feel and offers sheer color that’s still vibrant. With Mango Seed Butter in the formula, it feels very moisturizing on the lips and starts out with a glossy finish.
A few hours into wear, the gloss dries down to a soft matte finish that’s transfer-proof. You may get a little bit of pigment settling around dry patches, though it’s not dramatic and easy to smooth out by applying lip balm on top of the color. Adding lip balm or gloss on top doesn’t mess with the color at all, and is a great way to add more moisture throughout the day (though on its own, it’s still comfortable and not drying).
I wore the e.l.f. Glossy Lip Stain for 9 hours and through one meal, and the color stayed looking incredibly even without a ton of fading. This became my goldilocks lip stain, offering me the right balance of comfort, color and longevity– and for the lowest price out of this entire list!
Milani Color Fetish Hydrating Lip Stain
$11-$13 at Ulta, Walmart, Amazon
Another incredible drugstore lip stain for dry lips is the Milani Color Fetish Hydrating Lip Stain. With Hyaluronic Acid and plant-derived Squalane in the formula, it gives my lips hours of moisture, and I don’t feel the need to reach for lip balm nearly all day. See swatches of all shades in this range in my review here.
This is another gloss-to-stain option, where you start out with this beautiful glassy lip look that dries down to a transfer-proof finish in a few hours. I don’t feel like these accentuate the texture of my dry lips at all– in fact, I think the stain smooths them out while nourishing my lips.
After 9 hours and a meal, I was left with a very pretty wash of color that stayed relatively even. Be careful about over-applying these, though, as too much product will cause the color to feather. If you stay within your lip lines, you won’t have this problem.
Frankly, the Milani Hydrating Lip Stain used to be my #1 until I tested the e.l.f. stain, which knocked it out of the lead because of the price. Very similar performance, but a huge difference in cost.
Covergirl Outlast Lip Stain
$9-12 at Amazon, Walmart, Ulta
The Covergirl Outlast Lip Stain is a bit of a departure from all of the glossy lip stains trending right now. This one comes in a pen-style applicator with a felt tip for you to draw on the color. Use it as either a liner, or fill in the entire lips!
The consistency of this stain is much thinner and more liquidy than the others on this list. It’s also a little tricky to apply, because the stain fades a bit as it dries. You’ll want to apply a thin, even layer and let it completely dry before building up the color. If you layer it before it dries, you will end up with dark/even areas. Additionally, applying too much product can keep the stain from setting completely, and the outer layers of color may end up transferring.
Unlike the glossy formulas, this dries down to become transfer-proof immediately when applied in a thin layer. It’s incredibly pigmented, almost with the color payoff of a lipstick. The finish is satin matte and not completely flat or dry looking, which was also forgiving on my dry lips. While I didn’t find this hydrating, it also didn’t feel too dry and could be topped with lip balm as well.
I was able to test the Covergirl Outlast Lip Stain longer than some of the others, and it still looked incredible after 11 hours of wear. The stain was very strong and looked pretty even throughout. The only thing I wasn’t a fan of was the fact that this red shade ended up leaving a more fuchsia stain– it was much more bright pink at the end of the day.
ColourPop Fresh Kiss Glossy Lip Stain
$9 at Target, Ulta, ColourPop Cosmetics
Back to the glossy lip stains (seemingly the most popular type of stain right now), the ColourPop Fresh Kiss Glossy Lip Stains have been around for a while now without much fanfare. While I like how they look, there are a few caveats.
I actually love the look of this lip stain freshly applied more than any other on the list. It’s got nearly opaque, even color that feels super lightweight with a pretty glossy finish. The formula is infused with guava and lychee extract and feels hydrating on the lips, smoothing over my texture.
The stain goes from glossy to a satin matte pretty quickly– it’s thinner than some of the other glossy stains so I found it to dry down more quickly, too. Once it’s set, it’s also lip balm friendly.
My main gripe with the ColourPop Fresh Kiss Glossy Lip Stain is that every time I tested it, it faded unevenly… mostly on my top lip. My top lip wears off much more than the bottom lip, which doesn’t lose too much color at all. So even though I love the color (and how it stains red without turning too pink!) and it wears comfortably, in my case it does call for a touch up if I want to maintain an even appearance.
Sacheu Peel Off Lip Stay-N
You’ve probably seen this viral peel off lip stain on social media… but is it a gimmick? No! This is actually one of my go-tos for travel, but it does have a learning curve (that’s worth it!).
The consistency of this lip stain straight out of the tube is thick and sticky. You’re meant to apply it, let it dry completely (about 15 minutes), and peel it off to reveal a long lasting stain underneath. Despite the photos above, I usually use this stain as a lip liner, or as a base under lip gloss for a color boost. I never wear this lip stain on its own, but I did for this test so you could really see the color wear. The reason for this is because I find it hard to apply to the entire lips evenly due to the thick formula. You certainly can, it’s just a little bit trickier. See how I normally wear it in the video below:
Personally, I also feel that it just looks better when topped with a gloss, lip oil, or just plain lip balm.
When you peel off the dried layer, the stain left behind is transfer-proof right away. It’s not glossy and doesn’t really add a layer of product on top of your lips so much as the color actually sinks into your lips. Prep is key with any stain for the best and most even appearance, but especially with this one. Exfoliate with a simple sugar and oil mixture, and add some moisture before application.
The formula has hyaluronic acid and vitamin E, and while it doesn’t feel like it dries out the lips, it doesn’t offer the long lasting moisture that the glossy formulas provide on their own, which is another reason I feel like you should layer this under another product.
Above you can see that after 11 hours and two meals, the Sacheu Peel Off Lip Stay-N is still very strong and pretty even as well. The little quirks of application are worth it, in my opinion. As mentioned, I travel with this stain and usually apply in in the morning, then just carry a balm or gloss with me throughout the day.
NYX Lip IV Hydrating Gloss Stain
The newest drugstore lip stain on this list, the NYX Lip IV Hydrating Gloss Stain was already getting rave reviews which led me to include it last minute into this comparison!
While this is a gloss stain like so many others on this list, it has a very different feel on the lips. It’s thicker and cushy— almost similar to a lip oil. It’s not lightweight, but it’s not sticky either, which is a plus. It gives loads of color payoff, and the color range is a lot larger than some of these other stains as well. I love that they offer deeper browns and even a black!
The formula has coconut water, magnesium, and vitamin b12 and they really seem to market it as a skincare/makeup hybrid product. While the stain was glossy, it felt and looked good on my dry lips. Because it’s a thicker gloss, it stays glossy longer than the others… about up until I ate, then the transfer-proof stain was left behind.
While the stain was pretty even, it definitely caught on my dry areas which looked slightly accentuated by the color. Adding lip balm helped smooth out the appearance, but it was a little bit of a let down from a product so heavily geared toward dry lips.
But, after 10 hours and two meals, I was still impressed by the overall stain the NYX Lip IV Gloss Stain leaves behind. Though, the stain definitely leaned more plummy than brown on my skin tone. Still pretty!
Rankings
Which is the best lip stain for you? Below I’ve ranked them by different preferences you may be looking for. Navigate to the tab to see the rankings for that category
Price
- e.l.f. ($6)
- ColourPop ($9)
- Covergirl ($9-11)
- Sacheu/NYX ($12)
- Milani ($11-14)
All Day Comfort
- Milani
- e.l.f.
- ColourPop
- Covergirl
- Sacheu
- NYX
Chapped Lip Friendly
- Milani
- e.l.f.
- ColourPop
- Covergirl
- Sacheu
- NYX
Pigmentation (Freshly Applied)
- ColourPop
- Covergirl
- NYX
- Milani/e.l.f./Sacheu (tie)
Maintains Pigmentation
- Covergirl
- ColourPop/Sacheu (tie)
- e.l.f./Milani/NYX (tie)
Fades Evenly
- e.l.f/Milani (tie)
- Covergirl
- NYX/Sacheu (tie)
- ColourPop
– Miranda
