It seems that lip stains are 2025’s answer to the millennial obsession with winged liner. Billie Eilish uses them and Hailey Bieber’s a fan, which is no great surprise, given all the benefits they boast versus your traditional lipstick.
For those who aren’t in the know, they are designed to leave a residual colour on the surface of the lips and can withstand everything from food and drink to hours of wear.
The make-up must-haves come in myriad consistencies – while some have a lip gloss-like finish, others are more comparable to a felt tip. The best ones, though, are the ones that enable you to forget about your lips altogether, leaving you with a perfect pout featuring a weightless flush of colour.
To achieve this without prompting dryness or patchiness is no mean feat and, as someone who’s definitely guilty of letting my lipstick fall by the wayside, this fairy-tale idea of an all-day tint seemed too good to be true. The question is: Can a lip stain really live up to the hype? Scroll on to find out which formulas are worthy of a spot in your make-up bag.
How I tested
I applied every stain to moisturised lips and left them in situ for about three to five minutes before wiping off the residual product with a wad of tissue. I did this with all formulas, whether or not they left a glossy or moisturising finish, to compare the stains. I also paid attention to factors such as hydration, smoothness of coverage, ease of application and staying power.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
As The Independent’s dedicated beauty writer, I’m well-versed in everything from liquid lipsticks to lip plumpers. I’ve spoken to professionals (such as Lily Collins’ make-up artist) about their favourite lip products and, as a lipstick wearer of old, I know what I’m looking for in terms of a good, long-lasting formula. Be it a premium product or a bargain buy, I’ll always provide my honest opinion in my tried-and-tested reviews and will only recommend products I think are worth your time and money.
The best lip stains for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Nyx Professional Makeup lip IV hydrating gloss stain: £13.60, Amazon.co.uk
- Best budget buy – E.l.f. glossy lip stain: £6, Boots.com
- Best moisturising formula – Fenty Beauty poutsicle hydrating lip stain: £21, Cultbeauty.co.uk
- Best for a red lip – Kiko Milano long lasting colour lip marker: £11.99, Kikocosmetics.com