Lip stain pens and bug spray
The niche beauty categories that matter to me right now
Hi all! Happy Friday!
Once a month, my friends at M Booth, a communications agency, send a report of all the beauty terms people are Googling. When I was at Refinery29, these reports often inspired a story (or story refresh) to meet the trend moment. Nowadays, I use these reports for industry research. But this week’s was kind of interesting…
Many of the current search trends make me want to throw my phone down a garbage disposal (labubu nails! hotdog nails! Are people okay?). But others — like ‘lip stain pen’ and the ‘best mosquito repellent’ — make a lot of sense. It’s a million degrees, which means your tinted lip balm will melt in your purse, so switching to a lightweight lip stain is a good idea, and have you heard about the ticks this year? Get thyself a bug spray!
Here are mini guides to lip stains and bug spray. My market-editor heart can’t help it.
Best lip stain pens
These are the best lip stains that will a) not melt in your bag and b) keep your lips looking flushed for hours without drying them out. They’re not all pens because lip stain pens are a bit of a novel category tbh. The water tints are way more common. But whatever you do, please don’t succumb to the weird blue peel-off stuff on TikTok.
Huda Beauty Lip Contour Lip Stain: This is the best lip stain pen, hands down. With a slightly slanted felt tip, it looks and feels like a Magic Marker for your lips. You can use it to line (or overline) or for all-over lip color. The colors are sheer but can be layered to go darker, and they last longer than my unsharpened Pillowtalk crayon. I’ve been using the two lightest pink shades — Rosewood is my favorite. I know it will eventually dry out, but for right now, I’m very into it.
Benefit Benetint Liquid Lip + Cheek Blush Stain: My dear friend Meredith introduced me to Benetint when we were studying abroad like ten years ago, and I still use it to this day. The consistency is very watery, so I don’t like applying it in a car because it will spill and stain your jeans or the leather car seat (this happened to me recently). But it works! A tiny drop of color turns my whiteish lips a nice shade of flushed pink for hours or a couple of drinks. You’ll just have to go to the bathroom to look in the mirror and make sure you stay on your lip line.
Clarins Water Lip Stain: When I started at R29, I noticed these tiny popsicle-colored Clarins Water Stains on every beauty editor’s desk, usually next to a Caudalie mist. Instead of a doe-foot, this one comes with a brush applicator, like the one you’d pull out of a nail polish. I’m not super loyal to it, but I get her appeal. She’s French.
E.l.f Buildable Stain For Lips & Cheeks: At $5, you can’t beat that E.l.f. Bentint duuupe. It’s very cute and extremely throw-in-your-bag-able.
Violette_FR Lip Nectar Hydrating Lip Stain: I’ve been hearing a ton of beauty-editor chatter about this Lip Nectar by Violette_FR. I haven’t tried it, but I’d love to — the reviews are fantastic and the campaign images are made for a moodboard.
Best mosquito repellent
Bug sprays, I have less experience with. But my sister found two ticks on our yellow lab Willow when we were in Maine last week, which has me motivated to check myself constantly. If I were shopping this category like a beauty editor, these would be my picks for clean, simple, and non-offensive options that don’t give ‘we’re going camping,’ but more like, ‘we’re going to happy hour, our table is outside, and I heard the bugs are bad and also am low-key terrified of Lyme disease.’
Kate McLeod The Bug Balm: Kate McLeod told me about this bug “balm” at an event a few months ago, and I remember thinking, That’s so smart. It feels like the most thoughtful version of bug spray: the pleasantly subtle smell, handy stick compact, skincare ingredients that leave your legs and ankles moisturized, and the packaging covered with hand-painted bees and butterflies.
Kinfield Deet Free Repellent: This actual bug spray looks a little like a face mist, but that’s kind of why I like it. It’s not an eyesore.
Mimikai Mosquito & Tick Repellent Spray: This is not just bug repellent but tick repellent, which edges it forward in my book. More than just repelling insects, its ingredients offer protection from the diseases bugs carry.
Heretic The Entomologist Insect Repellent: Love this huge industrial bug spray. The branding reminds me a little bit of Homecourt cleaning supplies. (Fun fact: Douglas Little, the founder of Heretic Parfum, created that Goop candle, so I’m sure this smells specific.)
More stuff I’ve saved this week:
A brave story about giving birth two months early. And of course, because it’s written by stylist Allison Bornstein, the most fashionable postpartum recs are included.
Abercrombie’s bra-free collection is so good, specifically this dress.
Kale couscous with pita chips is the lunch I want every day of summer.
Feed Me Classified is where NYC creatives should look for jobs. I have it tabbed rn.
I love this mantra.
Happy weekend. I hope the bartenders are ready for the incoming requests for Diet Coke with a champagne floater.
Love,
Megan