I tested three lip stains that stay put for hours – budget option is the top pick
MAKE-UP is going retro, and new felt tip-like lip stains have transported me back to my teens.
Their precision tips and free-flowing ink, which stays put for hours, make them an all-in-one lip product. I put three to the test . . .
BUDGET
Rimmel Lip Ink Pen, £9.99 for 1.7ml, superdrug.com: This was the first to cross my desk, and I didn’t think much of it initially.
Fast-forward a week, and I realised I had been applying it most days between meetings to make me look more polished.
It’s weightless on lips, and lasts hours – even through back-to-back cuppas.
The packaging and the nib itself are near-identical to a typical felt-tip pen.
The colour intensity varies between shades, with the darker hues being more pigmented. But whichever you choose, you have enough time to blend it out before it sets.
This takes top spot, for sure.
MID-RANGE
Made By Mitchell Modern Melt, £7.20 (usually £12) for 0.6g, beautybay.com: The rounded tip reminded me of a mini bingo dabber and I wasn’t sure what to expect of it.
I thought I wouldn’t be able to draw a precise line around my lips – but was wrong.
The shape of the nib means it carries colour more evenly, so I got the best lip line of the three I tried – although the formula is weirdly sticky.
I don’t mind, as I tend to apply a lip balm on top anyway, but it’s something to consider if that would put you off.
Because the nib’s sides are bevelled, it’s not quite as quick to fill in your whole lip, but the time added is negligible – and it’s by far the most pigmented of the three.
LUXURY
Stila Calligraphy Lip Stain, £18.40 (usually £23) for 0.67ml, boots.com: Despite having tried hundreds, if not thousands, of lip products over the years, I’ve never seen anything that looks like this.
It’s flat, as if a normal felt-tip nib had been squashed, which means you can get a super-fine line.
I have an unsteady hand, so this proved more of a curse than a benefit – but for anyone more skilled, it’s a great feature.
You then rotate the pen in your hand and use the thicker side to cover a larger area – genius. Best staying power of the three.
PICK OF THE WEEK
GENIUS skincare brand Starface made spot stickers cool with their stick-on stars – and now they are taking aim at the rest of our routines.
Starface Star Wash + Salicylic Acid, £12.99 and Star Cream + Salicylic Acid, £12.99 both launched this week, and are the perfect side-kicks for anyone with spot-prone skin.
Shop now at starfaceworld.co.uk.