Lip tints are definitely one of the best lip products you can ever get, and they’ve definitely become an essential in any beauty lovers’ makeup collection. Korean lip tints, in particular, are well-loved for their long-lasting colour, shiny gloss, and comfortable application.
Lip tint versus Lipstick: What’s the difference?
Lipsticks are made with wax, oils, and emollients that rest on the surface of your lips after application. The formulas are opaque and go over your lips completely so the natural colour of your lips is usually concealed.
Lip tints are gaining popularity because of their thinner texture. They feel more comfortable on the lips because it is more lightweight than lipsticks. The emollients that hold the formula together dry out faster, leaving behind a “stain” on the lips that are translucent, which means that it can look more natural, since your natural lip colour can show through.
So should you go for lipsticks or lip tints? Ultimately, it’s about understanding the look that you want to create and your personal preferences.
Best Chinese & Korean lip tints to try
Some of the best formulas for no-fuss, long-lasting colours are coming straight from Seoul, thanks to K-beauty brands. And there’s a slight difference between Korean lip tints and Western lip tints. The former leans a little more sheer and watery, while the latter has more opacity for fuller coverage.
If you are new to lip tints and not sure what’s hot, check out our recommendations of the best lip tints that you should add to your makeup pouch right now. Let’s begin with Korean lip tints!
1. A’PIEU Water Light Tint
Infused with floral and fruit extracts to keep your lips moist and nourished, this Korean lip tint adheres smoothly so that a nice colour stays on throughout the day. Shade RD03, in particular, has been frequently touted by beauty bloggers as a perfect dupe for Yves Saint Laurent’s Vinyl Cream Lip Stain #407, so you know that this product is definitely worth trying!
A’PIEU Water Light Tint retails on Qoo10 at S$9.50.
2. LILYBYRED Bloody Liar Coating Tint
This lightweight lip tint from new Korean brand LILYBYRED is enriched with rich pigment that lasts all day, and many beauty junkies love how this tint makes puckers look juicy and glossy. Touted to be smudge-proof and comfortable to wear on your lips, LILYBYRED’S Coating Tint is one of the top-selling products in Korean drugstores these days, so be sure to get one of these ASAP!
LILYBYRED Bloody Liar Coating Tint retails on Shopee at S$10.50.
3. BBIA Lip Water
Some lip tints don’t spread evenly on the lips, which can leave an uneven and ugly stain. BBIA Lip Water ensures that this does not happen, thanks to its water-gel formula that applies thinly and uniformly to the lips.
You will love the watery texture and glistening finish it provides, which does not feel sticky on the lips at all. Of course, its high colour intensity and long-lasting staining power are also widely praised by users.
BBIA Lip Water retails on Shopee at S$9.50.
4. Etude House Dear Darling Water Gel Lip Tint
Source: Little Porcelain Princess
If you’re looking to create a gradient lip, you’d definitely want to buy this lip tint from Etude House. This super-pigmented tint is touted as a long-time favourite among Korean women. To add to its accolades, the Dear Darling Water Gel Lip Tint was awarded the 2017 Soko Glam Best of K-beauty Award winner.
In a K-Beauty world dominated by lip tints, to be recognized as one of the best tints in the market is truly an amazing feat. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s one of the most affordable lip tints on this list. Who says good quality must come with an expensive price tag?
Etude House Dear Darling Water Gel Lip Tint retails in all Etude House stores, Shopee, and Lazada at S$8.90.
5. Peripera Ink The Airy Velvet
Peripera has been established as one of the best Korean lip tint brands since their game-changing watery lip tint released many years ago. They’ve since released a range of tints in glossy and matte formulas in a variety of MLBB (my lips but better) shades.
Ink The Airy Velvet is one of Peripera’s latest additions to their tint products – a cream lip stain with a matte-like finish that is so lightweight, it applies and wears like air. It also contains cotton seed oil, green tea seed oil, and mango seed oil to keep your lips comfortably hydrated and perfectly tinted throughout the day.
Peripera Ink the Airy Velvet retails on Lazada at around S$7.90.
6. Château Labiotte Wine Lip Tint
Sucker for cute packaging? You’ll definitely love this lip tint that comes in mini wine bottles. This beautiful, moisturizing, and deeply-pigmented lip tint is actually formulated with premium Wine Extract imported from France, so you even get a taste of real alcohol in your daily makeup routine – sweet!
Château Labiotte Wine Lip Tint retails on YesStyle at S$14.90.
7. 3CE Tattoo Lip Tint
3CE lip products are highly-coveted, and their lip tints are no different. Its super long-lasting power makes sure that a vivid colour adheres to your lips the whole day. The Tattoo Lip Tint also promises comfortable application, thanks to oils that hydrate your lips and make them shine.
3CE Tattoo Lip Tint retails on StyleNanda’s website at US$15 (shipping fees apply), as well as Shopee at S$14.89.
8. Innisfree Vivid Creamy Tint
If you prefer soft creamy textures over water-based tints, try out Innisfree’s Vivid Creamy Tint. It creates a moisturising, water-retaining shield coat over the lips so that you can have vivid, smooth, and voluminous puckers all day. It also comes in different shades of red, pink, and orange, to fit all moods and makeup looks!
Innisfree Vivid Creamy Tint retails in all Innisfree stores at S$16 and Shopee.
9. CLIO Mad Matte Tint
Can’t decide between full and ombré matte lips? Why not do both with CLIO’s Mad Matte Tint? This tint allows you to do so easily, thanks to its combined oil-infused formulation that ensures lasting, high colour payoff. It also contains porous powder that prevents your lip colour from smudging, and lips from drying. If you are looking for a MLBB shade, this product’s shade range does not disappoint.
CLIO Mad Matte Tint retails on Shopee at S$18.90.
10. LANEIGE Two Tone Tint Lip Bar
LANEIGE is arguably the K-beauty brand that put ombre lips in the spotlight. This tint bar combines the features of a lip tint and balm so that you get beautifully-coloured and well-moisturized lips at the same time. If you are a fan of Korean actress Lee Sung Kyung, you may be excited to know that she is not just a LANEIGE ambassador, but also the one who conceptualized this unique lip tint.
LANEIGE Two Tone Lip Bar retails in all LANEIGE stores, Lazada, and Tangs at S$32.
11. Aritaum Color Live Lip Tint
If you love bold lip colours that come with an unbeatable glossy finish, Aritaum’s Color Live Lip Tints will do just the trick.
This Korean lip tint comes in ten gorgeous shades of pink and red – each one provides high colour intensity and buildable coverage, so you can use just one swipe for a just-bitten colour, or apply a few layers for a truly intense look.
Aritaum Color Live Lip Tint retails on Shopee at S$4.
12. MEMEBOX I’M MEME I’m Tic Toc Tint Lip Cashmere
Source: olix.vn
Forget drying lip tints that make your lips feel icky over time – this popular lip tint from Korean drugstore brand MEMEBOX I’M MEME is so moisturising that it feels like a lip balm with a soft matte finish.
You will love the MLBB colours that look and stay fresh for long hours as your lips stay smooth and hydrated throughout the day.
MEMEBOX I’M MEME I’m Tic Toc Tint Lip Cashmere retails on Shopee at S$21.79.
13. MISSHA Wish Stone Tint (Water Gel)
Pretty packaging aside, this lip tint from MISSHA actually comes in three finishes – water gel, oil, as well as velvet. If you want glossy lips (which is currently in-trend) and a light, hydrating texture, we highly recommend opting for the water gel formula.
The unique formula also ensures that the bright colour stays on for long even if you eat oily and greasy food, while keeping your lips moisturised and smooth.
MISSHA Wish Stone Tint (Water Gel) retails on Shopee at S$10.62.
14. ETUDE Dear Darling Water Gel Tint Ice Cream
How adorable is ETUDE’s ice cream-shaped lip tint? One of the most popular lip tints around, this pigmented, gel-like formula goes a long way, so blend out a tiny amount for a stain that lasts for hours on end. Minerals and vitamins from soapberry extract in the formula also make your lips look moist and hydrated all day.
ETUDE Dear Darling Water Gel Tint Ice Cream retails for S$9.90 at Shopee.
15. Perfect Diary ReadMe Matte Lip Tint Liquid Lipstick
Housed in a chic, rectangular tube, Perfect Diary’s matte lip tint delivers vibrant colour and even coverage for a smooth finish. Its weightless formula is non-sticky, yet it keeps the lips hydrated all day. You can even swipe this on your cheeks and blend it out for a gorgeous, natural-looking flush that lasts.
Perfect Diary ReadMe Matte Lip Tint Liquid Lipstick retails for S$16.90 on Shopee.
16. Colorkey Lip Gloss Long-lasting Lip Tint
If you prefer a glossy finish, you’ll love Colorkey’s highly moisturising formula. It creates plumper lips and wraps your pout in a nourishing coat of lightweight plant oils. You’ll be left with translucent colour that stays put for hours.
Colorkey Lip Gloss Long-lasting Lip Tint retails for S$7.90 on Shopee.
17. 3CE Blur Water Tint
This watery gel formula goes on smooth for a soft-focus and transfer-proof finish. The moisturising lip tint sits on your lips comfortably, so you’ll feel comfortable all day and won’t experience any stickiness, even when you go in for touch-ups. Even better, it comes in a range of gorgeous milk tea-inspired shades.
3CE Blur Water Tint retails from S$16.80 to S$18.90 on Shopee.
18. MERYTHOD Reel Tattoo Water Lip Tint
This lip tint is said to remain bright and vivid all day, as though you’ve applied it for the first time. It’s waterproof and oil-proof, so you won’t see any fading after a greasy meal. Take your pick from 11 stunning shades.
MERYTHOD Reel Tattoo Water Lip Tint retails for S$16 on Shopee.
Best Western lip tints to try
19. Benefit Benetint Cheek & Lip Stain
Benefit’s rose-tinted lip tint is a holy grail for many beauty lovers, thanks to its kiss-proof and smudge-proof formula. You can easily blend it with your fingers, and it has a buildable texture so that you can have your lips (and cheeks) looking gorgeous with a radiant flush.
Benefit Benetint Cheek & Lip Stain retails in all Sephora stores and Sephora.sg at S$21.
20. e.l.f. Cosmetics Radiant Gel Lip Tint
Just like other products from the famous drugstore brand, e.l.f. Cosmetics Radiant Gel Lip Tint is popular among beauty junkies for costing next to nothing, while delivering top-notch quality.
These watery tints are available in six shades, ranging from soft colours that brighten your lip’s natural colours to darker shades that really stain for long hours.
e.l.f Cosmetics Radiant Gel Lip Tint retails on Shopee at S$10.50.
21. YSL Beauty Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres
YSL Beauty Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres combines the texture and shine of a gloss with the long-wear of a stain for a unique lip product. Boasting a lightweight texture that immediately melts onto lips and does not feel sticky at all, you’ll be sure to have perfect, glossy lips no matter how many snacks you munch on.
YSL Beauty Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres retails in all YSL stores and Tangs at S$52.
22. Lancôme Matte Shaker Liquid Lipstick
If you love your cocktails, you’ll have lots of fun shaking this cocktail bottle every time you apply your lip tint. Lancôme offers opaque and highly pigmented matte shades, all of which dry comfortably on your lips – almost as though you hadn’t applied anything, with only the beautiful colours to prove that you have.
Lancôme Matte Shaker Liquid Lipstick retails in all Lancôme and Sephora stores at S$38.
23. The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain
A close match for Benefit’s Benetint, this lip & cheek stain from The Body Shop promises to give your lips and cheeks a natural pop of buildable colour. Fun fact: Emma Watson is a fan of this lip tint, partly because of the work that TBS does for the environment and fair trade in producing all their products.
The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain retails in all The Body Shop stores at S$24.90.
24. M.A.C Cosmetics Versicolour Stain
Eight hours of shine and stay-true colour? Check. Comfortable application all day? Check. This ultimate fusion of gloss and stain has a jelly-like texture that melts on your lips for a brilliant colour that promises to stay for as long as you need it to.
M.A.C Cosmetics Versicolour Stain retails in all M.A.C Cosmetics and Sephora stores at S$39.
25. Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain
Sephora’s best-selling, high-coverage lip colour glides on smoothly and transforms from a creamy texture into a silky, lightweight stain that stays for hours. Infused with avocado oil, the long-lasting formula promises to feel comfortable, is never sticky, and won’t dry out your lips. The number of shades available is mind-blowing, but it also means there’s certainly one for everyone!
Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain retails in Sephora at S$19.
26. Revlon Color Stay Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain
You may remember using crayons to colour back in your childhood days, and the crayons were definitely much easier to colour with than the pencils. In the same vein, this chubby crayon from Revlon offers easy application of their lightweight lip stain-and-balm for a flush of colour that lasts.
Revlon Color Stay Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain retails at Guardian and Watsons at S$20.90.
Best lip tint application tips you may not know
Prep before you apply lip tint
The intense shade of your lip tints and its finish may emphasise the dryness of your lips. Before you apply a lip tint, use a lip exfoliator to slough off any dry flakes. Then, apply a lip treatment, allow it to rest, and then dab it off gently with a tissue. Now, your lips should be soft and smooth and ready for lip tint application!
Pick the right lip tint
Lip tints come in different formulas and you should choose the one that works best for your lips and style.
If your lips dry easily, go for an oil-based one that helps to nourish your lips while adding colour to it. If you crave intensity, the cream-based ones will deliver the boldness you want. But if you prefer something subtle, look out for a water-based lip tint that gives a more natural look.
Lip treatment is your best friend
Lip tints can dry really fast and you may end up with an intensity or gradient you’re not satisfied with. Instead of cleaning everything off, apply a moisturising lip treatment. This can usually “melt” the formula and make it blendable again. Correct the look, dab off with tissue – and you’re good to go!
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Featured image credit: @etudeofficial and @perfectdiaryofficial on Instagram
