SWATCH SUNDAY #2 | LIP STAINS
I go through various phases with my cosmetics - sometimes, I use exclusively lip glosses for months at a time before turning on a dime and focusing on various shades of red lipsticks. I can't explain what draws me to certain items at specific times, but I'm suddenly reaching for my lip stains again.
I like to use lip stains in lots of different ways: as a sheer wash of color, as a base color for an ombre, or layered for a lasting lip look. Because of their versatility and staying power, I tend to pick up lip stains whenever I can find them on sale. They also have a bit of a short shelf life, so they won't sit in your collection too long.
This isn't my entire lip stain collection - just a slice. I'll be sure to share more in the future. But, for now, here's a look at lip stains across several price ranges and brands, in order of least expensive to most expensive.
KLEANCOLOR
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| Photo courtesy of KleanColor Cosmetics |
Although KleanColor brand products are available online for $3-10 per item, they are sold at beauty supply stores for $2-5 and select items can even be found for just $1 at www.ShopMissA.com, one of my favorite beauty supply secrets. Over a year ago, I purchased their entire Mmmuuuaaahhh!!! lip stain collection and I've been using them intermittently ever since. Some of my most-used shades are starting to dry out, but AMAZINGLY, these babies are still kicking! I thought I'd better swatch them before they kicked it for good.
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| Photo courtesy of KleanColor Cosmetics |
The packaging is pretty utilitarian - they look exactly like markers, right down to the felt tip applicator. There's nothing fancy about that, but it certainly makes application a no-brainer.
These lip stains do not have shade names listed on the packaging. Instead, they are numbered 1-12. So, I've swatched them below and included both the number and shade name in the caption.
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| Left to right: 01/Cotton Pink, 02/City Pink, 03/Rose Jam, 04/Cherry Spell, 05/Melon Tango, 06/Honey Soda, 07/Candy Orange, 08/Floral Summer, 09/Rose Sand, 10/Berry Mix, 11/Nude Tease, 12/Scarlet Pout |
For a dollar, I'm very pleased with these! Visit the KleanColor website or ShopMissA to purchase these.
TIP: To help your lip stains last, apply on clean, dry lips and store up-side-down with the lids tightly closed.
TKO
I can't find out much about this brand online, however I know it's a German brand and it retails for $2-4 per lip stain. I picked these up in a set of 6 for $10 from Amazon to see how they worked out.
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| Left to right: 906/Coffee Stain, 905/Natural Stain, 904/Coral Stain, 903/Rose Stain, 902/Pink Stain, 901/Berry Stain |
First off- these were pretty dry, even on the first use. There was decent color payoff, but they didn't last more than half an hour or so, tops. I would NOT recommend purchasing these, even for a very low price. My standards weren't very high, and I was still left feeling underwhelmed by the staying power.
MAYBELLINE
Spoiler alert! These are my favorites of the bunch. I found these stains about a year ago at Dollar Tree and purchased every shade I could find (there were ten). I've found these to be downright juicy when applied, and they haven't dried out over the course of a year of use.
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| Left to right: 05/In the Buff, 15/Wink of Pink, 25/Feelin' Rosy, 35/Blushing, 45/Bitten Berry, 55/Plum Flushed, 65/Cranberry Crush, 75/Cherry Pop, 85/Bit of Brown, 95/Touch of Toffee |
These are, once again, marker-style stains. I've heard some negative reviews about that, but I find this design to be mess-free. It also allows for pretty precise application. There's a great collection of colors in this line, none of which is a dud for me. That's a major win for me, as a woman of color. But really, it's the wonderful formula that made these a stand-out favorite.
Bottom line, these were the best of the bunch, so these are my favorites of the week. I did not list these at the lower price range because they don't typically retail for $1. Definitely search online (I believe these are discontinued) if you're a fan of lip stains. I think you'll really enjoy these!
Check out my YouTube video for lip swatches of these stains.
STILA
These are the priciest of the bunch, at a retail price between $10-20 each in their day, and they have the most unique applicator - a firm, shaped tip.
These were excellent. They went on and stayed put beautifully. The liquid tends to thicken (versus dry up) over time, and if you depress the tip repeatedly, you can reactivate it (i.e. send a fresh bit of stain to the applicator). Truly, these don't dry out - you can really continue to use them until they're empty. I do really like the shades, but in my opinion, they didn't apply quite as smoothly as the Maybelline stains (they were a bit patchy). Still a great purchase, especially since they were discontinued and available for $20 for the set of 6. Check around on eBay if you're dying to try these, but they're not worth spending a ton of money for.
Final ratings:
1. Maybelline
2. Stila
3. KleanColor
4. TKO
Thank you for reading! Please feel free to share your experiences with these stains below.
See you next time! :)
