A stain is usually pigment suspended in alcohol. You brush or smooth on the stain. The alcohol evaporates and leaves the pigment behind. On skin (lip or other), this means that there's no oil or emulsion to aid the transfer away from your skin, so it stays longer. Staying power is good, but drying is bad, so there sort of has to be a balance, especially on the lips, since they produce no oil of their own and the alcohol actually pulls moisture out. If I wear lipstain I but a balm or gloss over the top of it.
There are several different formulations. Many are liquid. Benetint is the consistency of water and comes in a bottle with an applicator brush like a bottle of nailpolish. I've also used a lipstain (what can be used for cheeks can be used for lips and vice versa) that was thin but not watery that came in a tube with a felt-tip applicator like a pen (Urban Decay, not recommended). The plus side to the watery stains is that you start with a very, very little and then build up coverage to the intensity you want. And a little goes a LONG way.
There are also gel formulas that are closer to a creme, but still very sheer. The pigmentation is there, but it's not as dense so that you can again get buildable coverage.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2007-11-07 01:50 am (UTC)There are several different formulations. Many are liquid. Benetint is the consistency of water and comes in a bottle with an applicator brush like a bottle of nailpolish. I've also used a lipstain (what can be used for cheeks can be used for lips and vice versa) that was thin but not watery that came in a tube with a felt-tip applicator like a pen (Urban Decay, not recommended). The plus side to the watery stains is that you start with a very, very little and then build up coverage to the intensity you want. And a little goes a LONG way.
There are also gel formulas that are closer to a creme, but still very sheer. The pigmentation is there, but it's not as dense so that you can again get buildable coverage.