Saturday, 23 July 2022 | 16.9°C Dublin
L ip stains give a pop of colour to your face and have incredible staying power, says our beauty writer
Lip stains are perfect for the hotter months of the year
Fenty Beauty’s Poutsicle Hydrating Lip Stain (€19 via boots.ie)
Charlotte Tilbury’s Tinted Love lip and cheek stains (€32 via brownthomas.com)
Clarins’ Water Lip Stains (€22 via arnotts.ie)
e.l.f.’s Glossy Lip Stains (€7 via boots.ie)
Maybelline SuperStay Vinyl Ink Liquid Lipstick (€12.70 via cloud10beauty.com)
24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils by Urban Decay
It’s fair to say this summer has been somewhat lacking in the sunshine stakes, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been muggy. When the atmosphere gets thick and soupy, I find it hard to get enthusiastic about much makeup. What’s the point in carefully applying a beautiful look when you know it’s going to melt off your face the minute you step outside your front door?
T here are products that are ideal for heat though, and one of them is a lip stain. A pop of colour on the lips, even when worn with nothing else, can make you look flushed in all the right ways. Think youth, and health, rather than praying for the sweet release of air conditioning. They have incredible staying power, so even if you’re perspiring in the heat, or drinking multiple ice-cold drinks, you won’t have to worry about it.
The latest product to go super-viral on social media is (1) Fenty Beauty’s Poutsicle Hydrating Lip Stain (€19 via boots.ie). These guys come in four colours, and when initially applied look like lip gloss. You can leave the gloss to settle in in its own time, or immediately wipe the gloss off to reveal a more subtle stain. The longer you leave the glossy layer on, the more vivid the stain will be. Either way, this colour will last and last. My favourite thing about this product is that it is genuinely hydrating, meaning it’s incredibly comfortable to wear (which can’t be said for all lip stains).
Fenty Beauty’s Poutsicle Hydrating Lip Stain (€19 via boots.ie)
It would be remiss of me to write about lip stains without acknowledging Benefit’s Benetint (€20 via chtralee.com), which blew my mind when I first learned of its existence 20 or so years ago. In fact, the product was first created by Benefit’s founders in 1976 when it was used as a nipple tint for exotic dancers.
These days, most people use it on their cheeks and lips to provide a healthy-looking flush. I have owned this consistently over the last two decades due to its lasting effect, beautiful shade and the fact that a bottle will last you ages.
(2) Charlotte Tilbury’s Tinted Love lip and cheek stains (€32 via brownthomas.com) may not have been designed with the nipple in mind, but they are beautiful products. They are comfortable to wear thanks to the inclusion of hyaluronic acid and vitamin E, and the six available shades are a little more subtle than the Poutsicle options which are brighter than bright.
Charlotte Tilbury’s Tinted Love lip and cheek stains (€32 via brownthomas.com)
(3) Clarins’ Water Lip Stains (€22 via arnotts.ie) also deliver when it comes to a lasting tint. They are incredibly comfortable to wear —you genuinely feel like you’ve nothing on your lips, which is ideal for hot weather.
Clarins’ Water Lip Stains (€22 via arnotts.ie)
(4) e.l.f.’s Glossy Lip Stains (€7 via boots.ie) perform brilliantly given the price, initially performing like a highly pigmented gloss but fading to a stain after a few hours.
e.l.f.’s Glossy Lip Stains (€7 via boots.ie)
If you can’t resist a more in-your-face-lip look, (5) Maybelline recently launched their SuperStay Vinyl Ink Liquid Lipsticks (€12.70 via cloud10beauty.com) which are full coverage glossy lipsticks that genuinely stay put.
Maybelline SuperStay Vinyl Ink Liquid Lipstick (€12.70 via cloud10beauty.com)
I’ve worn this product through meals, chats, drinks and the rest and found it lasted really well. It didn’t feather and the colour remained, but it did become less glossy as the day went on. I’m not usually a lip gloss gal, so the tacky finish of the product wasn’t for me, but I know lots of people aren’t bothered by that at all.
Urban Decay has always been a brand to turn to if you want to have fun with your makeup. They deliver on colour, sparkle and bold looks, and their 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils (€22 via cultbeauty.com) are a good example of that. They come in an extensive range of shades, from black and browns to vivid brights, as well as several finishes, from mattes to shimmers. The formula is easy to use, as the name suggests, and once it sets has excellent lasting power. These can be used as a primer for eye shadow, for precise graphic lines or indeed a smudgy, smokey look. Just keep in mind that they set quickly so you have to move fast.
24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils by Urban Decay
A new launch from Glossier is always exciting. The brand’s products are beautifully designed and packaged, and have a real emphasis on amplifying every individual’s natural beauty. In that context, this launch is a bold step. No. 1 Pencils (€16 via glossier.com) are creamy and soft and come in 10 shades. Within that 10 are a classic black and brown, but most of them are bright shades, including red, lavender, turquoise and yellow. The formula is water-resistant and promises excellent staying power – but you need to work quickly if you want to smudge it or move it around.
A lip flip is one of many popular treatments using injectables these days. It aims to give the appearance of fuller lips, without using any filler. Instead, Botox is injected into the corners of the mouth and edges of your lips.
This causes the muscles around the upper lip to relax, resulting in the lip ‘flipping’ up a little, altering the overall appearance of the mouth. Unlike filler, where the results are immediate, you’ll have to wait a week or two to decide whether a lip flip has done what you want it to do, should you decide to give it a go.
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