staining lip balm. I want it.

October 15, 2018 4:01 PM

This is one of those "recommend a product within these parameters" questions. I have a couple of these wet n wild lip balm stains. I love this product, but need more colors, as they only have one color that works on me, and this product isn't easy to find in stores near me anyway. Recommend me other lip products that (1) apply straight on, not with a wand (2) don't feel sticky on (3) feel like lip balm/sheer lipstick, ie are not drying, and are relatively forgiving in the application but do (4) leave a decently long lasting stain of color.

I don't mind paying for a fancier brand than wet n wild, if it's a place that has testers or will take returns. Ideally you tell me where to buy the thing you're recommending. I can get to a MAC store and a Sephora if necessary; most west coast drugstores; and various department stores.

I'm familiar with the long lasting liquid lipsticks. That's not what this is. (Those do work, and I have several, but they're matte, so need to be applied very precisely, and they take a little while to set, and they feel super drying.) What I want goes on like a fairly sheer lipstick, but the color doesn't wear off like sheer lipsticks do, even after the balm wears off.

I find stuff on wands is always stickier and fussier than I like, so prefer to avoid those.

I know you guys know all the unusual brands. Hit me!

posted by fingersandtoes to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (27 answers total)

Fresh lip balm has about 10 colors and all are usually in store at Sephora. It has a very emollient texture that is a matter of personal taste, but there’s usually minis you can try if you don’t want to invest in a full size.
posted by matildaben at 4:12 PM on October 15, 2018 [4 favorites]

I also came here to recommend Fresh. I love the Rose colour, which looks very natural on me, but they have a ton of choices. Big fan.

I also love the tinted burt's bees lip balms, which are the non-mint ones and have a ight tint. they are wonderful as well.
posted by hepta at 4:35 PM on October 15, 2018 [2 favorites]

Sephora currently has the Fresh Rose lip balm in their online points store, if you have some those burning a hole in your pocket.
posted by asphericalcow at 4:45 PM on October 15, 2018

Response by poster: can you specify which Fresh product is a staining balm? That's really the kicker here. I have plenty of tinted balms that don't stain... thanks!
posted by fingersandtoes at 4:50 PM on October 15, 2018

Best answer: Revlon Balm Stain. I like the shade Honey.

Seconding Burt's Bees tinted lip balms (they come in a stick the same size as the original Burt's Bees). Tint does not last as long as Revlon.
posted by Red Desk at 4:53 PM on October 15, 2018 [10 favorites]

Best answer: I know you said no wands, but I have to say that Etude House Dear Darling Water Tint Gel is a miracle. It applies very easily and it wears for 8 hours. I can apply clear or colored balm over it during the day and it makes no difference in the wearability. And it's not drying at all, pretty forgiving in the application, and doesn't feel sticky at all.
posted by elsietheeel at 4:56 PM on October 15, 2018 [2 favorites]

I wouldn’t say that the tinted Burt’s Bees lip balms are staining, but they come in a tube like a chapstick so you can carry it in your pocket/purse and reapply often without a mirror.
posted by Weeping_angel at 5:08 PM on October 15, 2018

Best answer: I like burts bees, and I love fresh (I have 3 different colors), BUT I don't really feel like either of those choices STAINS per se, ie lasts for a very long time (what I picture when I think of a stain).
posted by bookworm4125 at 5:09 PM on October 15, 2018 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: yeah, to clarify, what I'm looking for is staining lip balm. I have several of those burt's bees, they're nice but they don't stain at all. I envy you folks for whom that's enough pigment but it's nowhere close for me.
posted by fingersandtoes at 5:14 PM on October 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I love Sephora Rouge Shine lipstick. Very important: it has to be the Rouge SHINE, not Rouge Cream or Matte. It's called a lipstick, but I find the Rouge Shine is more of a tinted balm--very much the texture you are looking for. And, once the balm wears off, it leaves a very nice stain behind.

If you can find a colour you like, they're well worth it (myself, I am a bit disappointed at their colour selection recently).
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:21 PM on October 15, 2018

Best answer: YSL makes a lovely, long wearing glossy stain. Check it out at Sephora!
posted by teragram at 5:27 PM on October 15, 2018 [2 favorites]

I have liked Crazy Rumors' HibisKiss line, but you're probably not going to find them in the real world. The color is subtle but I've found it does last quite a while.
posted by darksong at 5:57 PM on October 15, 2018

Best answer: I, too, am always searching for a good balm stain. The Dear Darling water tint, alas, does not work at ALL on me -- goes on patchy, and wears right off, leaving a lovely red line around the outside of my lips, and nothing else.
posted by sarcasticah at 6:39 PM on October 15, 2018

Best answer: I like Clinique's Chubby Sticks -- more online, but I also like Glossier Generation G lipsticks..
posted by kylej at 7:27 PM on October 15, 2018

Best answer: I bought an Essence lip balm at Ulta the other day (link). It's definitely more lip balm than lipstick, despite the name on the package. I put it on in the morning and my lips are stained the rest of the day. It also comes in two other color-changing varieties, which I haven't tried because I already own the Lipstick Queen colors they are supposedly dupes of. This has more color payoff than the LQ balms anyway. Definitely worth the $3.50.
posted by Fuego at 9:58 PM on October 15, 2018

I love Carmex! I just finished one balm and I will purchase two more to be sure I won't miss out on it.
It's like a lipstick, but it's very hydrating, tinting in just the right amount. Sheer Berry Tint is my favorite
posted by FancyNancy at 11:31 PM on October 15, 2018

Best answer: I think people are missing the stain portion of this question and focusing on the balm portion. I took have this WnW lip stain you have and agree it is amazing all day. I agree with the previous posters suggesting the Essence Kiss Unicorn and the Revlon Matte Balm Elusive.

(This kind of stain is apparently the provenance of 14 year old girls... and us.)
posted by DarlingBri at 2:26 AM on October 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

I don't know where you are located, but the best product for this is a Spanish-made Camaleon Magic Colourstick (not Basic Colourstick). I have the coral (perfect red with a tinge of orange), and the yellow (which magically turns into a hot pink color). These last forever and are hidrating and not fat all flakey.
posted by maca at 3:32 AM on October 16, 2018

CoverGirl Outlast lip stain has a marker-like applicator. It definitely lasts most of the day, but doesn’t really have any moisturizing properties like a balm. However, when I have the occasion to fancy my face, I’ve found this plus an application of a clear balm (I like Smith’s Rosebud Salve or Burt’s Bees ultraconditioning balm) to work well for me.
posted by stefnet at 5:05 AM on October 16, 2018

Ah, sorry! On the pure tint front, the Benetint products from Benefit are true tints, and have (for me) great staying power. This is the basic tint, and sometimes (I can't find one right now but Sephora/Ulta may have it) they have specific lip versions with no applicators, just tubes.
posted by hepta at 6:17 AM on October 16, 2018

Best answer: Jordana's Twist n Shine Balm Stains. Inexpensive, VERY similar to WnW's Balmstains, and...they do stain a little bit. Available at most Walgreen's, or from Jordana's website. I live in WA state, and see them about quite often.

In my experience the Revlon Matte Balm and Lacquer Balm do NOT stain. They're nice enough, the color is good and the application is good, but their staying power is questionable, especially compared to the Balm Stains themselves (the original colors, which were indeed stains, not only tinted/colored balms.)
posted by Tailkinker to-Ennien at 7:56 AM on October 16, 2018

Best answer: I started googling a product I just heard about that I thought might work for you (Lipstick Queen in Medieval; I do not believe it will stain enough), and found this blog post, which also includes another product that might have real promise. Balmyard Beauty's Baby Love Balm Cheek & Lip Tint.

In particular:

... this is VERY pigmented so once you've put it on your lips it's difficult to get rid of the rest. You can't massage it into your cuticles like a Glossier or Kiehl's, and you really wouldn't want to wipe it on a pair of jeans, even if you hate those jeans. It'll definitely stain! It even stains your finger, even after washing!

Downsides: I think you have to buy it online (or in Napa or at the Goop store in Santa Monica); it costs $32 and apparently can't be returned; beauty reviews are a cesspool of fakery and bought-off bloggers. But I've now done a bunch of reading about this, so I'm passing it along!
posted by purpleclover at 3:25 PM on October 16, 2018

Best answer: 2nding the YSL glossy stain (the specific product called Tint in Oil)- it does have a wand, but it's really easy to apply, super comfortable on the lips (it's glossy but not sticky or goopy), and the stains last forever. The colors are hard to tell just from looking how they'll turn out - what looks like a sheer pink gloss turns into a bright magenta, for example. I've loved every color I've purchased, though!
posted by jouir at 8:00 PM on October 16, 2018

Best answer: I know this says it's already been answered but I wanted to mention Pixi cheek gel (can get from Target) and Benefit Posie tint . The Pixi gel can be applied directly from the tube, and it's advertised as a blush stain, but I use it as a lip stain because it's the perfect natural flushed color for lips. Also Benefit's stains do come with a small wand for application, but I LOVE Posie Tint. It's the prettiest pink color, spreads easily, and I find that once applied, the color lasts a long time. Benefit's lip stains come in other colors too.
posted by koolaidnovel at 6:09 AM on October 17, 2018

I like the Peripera brand but they come in wands :(

It Cosmetics Je Ne Sais Quoi Hydrating Color Awakening Lip Treatment in Rose is something I just bought! It's apparently a much more affordable dupe of the FRESH lip balms, but not stains :(
posted by yueliang at 2:37 AM on October 20, 2018

Best answer: From Elle magazine: I Tried 15 Lip Stains And These 9 Are the Best Ones
posted by purpleclover at 5:18 PM on October 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Coming in WAY LATE because I have just discovered one that I LOVE and wanted to recommend. It's this at Sephora, the mood color thing is bunk but I have two of them and they are GREAT. They are super moisturizing (and I am the kind of person who puts vaseline on my lips about a thousand times a day) and the color lasts FOREVER (and I am the kind of person who has to reapply lipstick multiple times a day). Like I put some on the other night, ate dinner, was out with friends, maybe reapplied once just for lip balm reasons, put vaseline on at least 8 times, and still had a little tint the next morning. The Blackout color is hot pink on me, but Late Night is a nice pink that I can wear to work.
posted by leesh at 8:31 AM on December 12, 2018