Most people think of only lipsticks when asked of a cosmetic item for their lips. And this was the case for a very long time, but things have changed now. Lip glosses and lip stains are the other two categories of lip products that have been giving lipsticks a tough competition of late. Let us look at a comparative analysis of lip glosses and stains to understand which one is best suited for your requirements.

A lip stain may be defined as a certain type of dye that is used to stain the lips for longer periods of time. On the other hand, a lip gloss is a gel-based substance that is slightly sticky in nature. A lip stain is a water-based lip product which usually comes in different forms such as a marker, gel or liquid and might contain alcohol at times in order for it to dry fast. Lip glosses are usually alcohol-free.

Lip stains are known to be the longest-lasting lip products with some of them lasting up to 24 hours and coming off only when cleaned with a make-up remover. They hardly need any touch-ups throughout the day. Lip glosses, on the other hand, do not last long enough. You might need to re-apply them 2-3 times a day in order to achieve a long-lasting effect.

The drying agents present in a lip stain can often make your lips look chapped and dehydrated, leading to wrinkles and fine lines being more visible. On the other hand, lip glosses keep the lips moisturized throughout the day which make them the most suitable choice for individuals with dry or chapped lips. Their waxy base gives a moisturizing effect to the lips for many hours at a stretch.

As far as differences between the formulae of lip glosses and lip stains are concerned, the former contains medium to very low pigmentation since it is a less intense lip product. The latter, on the contrary, have a very high concentration of pigments and fall under the category of intense lip colors.

Lip glosses are extremely easy to apply and they usually give the wearer a more natural yet bright and feminine look. Lip glosses that come with glitter can also be effectively used to achieve a lustrous look for the lips. In the case of lip stains, they give a more matte effect to the lips and also come in various bolder shades. They can be used to define the lips perfectly and their application needs a lot of precision as well as patience since they dry up quickly and don’t come off easily once dried.

Both, lip glosses and stains come in a variety of shades which makes them a perfect go-to option for people across all skin tones. Lastly, each one of us has different choices and something that suits one person might not necessarily end up looking good on someone else. Hence, you really need to go out there and try things to figure out what works best for you.