NYX Lip Lingerie Liner Stain and the Stain Liners That Stay Put

NYX Lip Lingerie Liner Stain and the Stain Liners That Stay Put

The NYX Lip Lingerie Liner Stain lines and tints at once, so the shape stays even after the gloss is gone. Here it sits with the long-wear liners, lip stains and glosses that make a lip last through dinner.

Toni Ko was 25 when she started NYX in Los Angeles in 1999, with a loan from her parents and a small line of makeup pencils. She named it after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night, and built it on a simple idea: makeup that looked and worked like department store makeup at a drugstore level. Pencils were where it began, so it makes sense that one of its most talked-about recent launches is a liner. The NYX Lip Lingerie Liner Stain lines like a pencil and then sets like a stain, which means the outline stays even after you have eaten, talked and worn off your gloss. Send Nudes is the soft nude in this edit.

The rest of this row is long-wear lip liners built for the same job. Kulfi Lassi Lips in Chori Chori is a rose mauve that works as a liner for about six hours, then fades into a stain. Laura Geller Lasting Love in Mauve sets to a transfer-proof tint. The felt tip Lip Tint in Rosewood Trace draws like a pen. Urban Decay Lip Toy has a brush tip for stain color. MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Color Pencil in Completely Sepia is a soft nude pink, Dior Rouge Dior Contour in Icone is a rosewood that helps lipstick last longer, and the Estée Lauder Double Wear lip liner is made to stay in place.

A quick test: line, wait a minute, then press a tissue to your lips. A good stain liner leaves the shape behind.

Tear-off flyer collage over a close-up beauty photo, reading Take a lip that stays, with NYX Lip Lingerie Lip Liner Stain in Send Nudes, Kulfi Lassi Lips Staining Lip Liner, a felt tip lip stain liner, Benefit Benetint Pocket Pal and Dior Rouge Dior Contour Lip Liner
NYX Lip Lingerie Liner Stain

Stain and long-wear lip liners

Lip stains that outlast lunch

If you want color that lasts without any lipstick at all, a lip stain is the answer. These dry down so they do not smudge onto cups or collars.

MAC Lustreglass Stainglass in Posh Pit is a warm rose brown nude that lasts up to twelve hours without transfer. Kulfi Lassi Lips Matte Blur Lip Stain in Masala Soda is a rose brown that never flakes. VIOLETTE_FR LIP NECTAR in Dahlia Noir is a warm plum with a nectar-like shine. Benefit Benetint Pocket Pal in Dark Cherry is a stain on one end and a clear gloss on the other, which makes it the ideal travel lip. Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil Stain in Affection starts glossy and leaves a muted berry tint. YSL The Inks in Brown Ignition is a glossy brown nude stain. Pepper Pout Sweet Spot in Brunch and Huda Beauty Lip Contour Lip Stain in Berry Brown round out the row.

Pairing tip: wear a stain with the same-tone liner from the first row. The liner defines, the stain fills in, and they fade together evenly.

What I would skip: applying a stain to dry, flaky lips. It grabs onto the dry patches and looks patchy. Scrub gently and use a thin balm the night before.

Lip stains

Glosses to wear over a stain

Stains can feel a little flat on their own. A clear or sheer gloss on top brings back the shine, and when it wears off, the stain is still there underneath.

NARS Afterglow Lip Shine is a comfortable gloss with a mirror finish. CHANEL Rouge Coco Hydra Gloss adds hydration and a high shine. Hourglass Unreal High Shine Lip Gloss is a cushiony gloss that looks lovely over a deep stain. Lancôme Juicy Tubes is the classic, glossy and very shiny. sara happ in Ballet Slip is a soft, sheer pink. Edward Bess Deep Shine in French Lace is a sheer nude with a lot of shine. Jillian Dempsey Lip Gloss in Plush Nude has no stickiness and no sting, and SAINT JANE Luxury Lip Shine in Bliss is a soft, sheer color.

How to use them: let the stain dry for a full minute before adding gloss. If you rush it, the gloss lifts the stain and it smears.

What I would skip: a thick, sticky gloss over a stain for a long day. It moves the color around. Pick a lighter gloss, or reapply only in the center.

Glosses to wear over a stain

How to make a lip last

Start with the NYX liner stain and a clear gloss. Line and fill your lips with the liner, let it dry, then add gloss on top. That alone will last you through a long lunch. For evenings, add a stain from the middle row in a deeper shade, and keep the gloss in your bag for touch-ups. The best long-wear lip is one that fades evenly, so pick a liner and stain in the same tone family, and you will never have that awkward ring around your lips again. A small pencil sharpener in your bag keeps the liner tip neat for touch-ups.