How to Apply a Lip Stain Pen So It Lasts All Day

A lip stain pen is liner, lipstick and stain in one object. The tip draws the edge, the ink fills the lip, and once it has set it stays where you put it: through coffee, lunch, a kiss. Here is how to apply the Sweenly Lip Pen so the edge is sharp and the color lasts, and how to take it off at the end of the day.

Before you start

Lips should be clean and dry. If they are flaky, a quick pass with a soft toothbrush or a scrub the night before helps the color lay down evenly. Do not apply balm right before: the ink needs a dry surface to set on. If you want hydration, put it on after, as a gloss.

Step 1: outline with the tip

Start at the cupid's bow and trace the natural contour of your upper lip, then the lower lip from the center outward. The felt tip follows the line on its own; you are guiding it, not fighting it. Keep to your natural line the first few times. Once you are comfortable, you can draw a hair outside it for a fuller look.

Step 2: fill in

Fill the lip with short strokes from the outline toward the center. One coat gives a soft, tinted effect that looks like your lips but better. A second coat, once the first has set, gives a bolder, fuller color. You choose the intensity.

Step 3: give it thirty seconds

Keep your lips slightly parted for about 30 seconds while the ink sets. Do not press them together right away: that is what smudges the edge. After that, it does not transfer, and there is nothing to touch up.

With gloss or without?

Without gloss, the finish is a soft, blotted stain. With the Sweenly Gloss on top, you get a glassy shine without the stickiness, and the oils keep the lips comfortable through the day. Both work; it is a matter of mood.

How it fades

The color fades evenly over the hours, from the whole lip at once, without leaving a harsh outline. You do not get the "liner left behind" look you may know from pencil and lipstick.

How to remove it

Your usual makeup remover, a bi-phase or an oil-based one, on a soft cotton pad. Hold it on the lips for a few seconds, then swipe gently. Micellar water works too. No scrubbing.

Choosing a shade

Go with what you are naturally drawn to. A shade close to your lips (Bubble, Plush, Deep) for a nude effect; a deeper one (Sassy, Cherry, Mocha) for character. When in doubt, slightly deeper almost always flatters. And if you want two or three on rotation, the Lip Pen Bundle gives you one free when you buy two.