When Laura Mercier announced in her ads that she was going to launch lip stain products, I was not to keen. Lip stain = dry lips. I cannot blame it, because if it has too much moisturizer then it cannot stain your lips. The color would just fade away too easily, not stay on your lips and make them stained.

But the thing is, I am a makeup sucker so buying another lip stain won’t kill me—only my wallet . In order to welcome the fall season, I bought the one in Mulberry. I was turned off a little bit by the pot because that meant I had to look for a wipe whenever I’m done applying it on my lips.

I hauled anyway and surprised at how I underestimated this cute little thing (biasa aja sih, nggak cute-cute amat, wong packagingnya lempeng-lempeng aja). I dabbed it with my finger (nng… aku lap pakai tisyu, atau meper di jok, ya?) and right away I could feel how soft it glided on my lips. I fell in love then and I still do. The color is not too much, just a perfect red-plum-brown, and it’s so easy to blend. And the biggest thing that makes this one a keeper? IT DOES NOT DRY OUT MY LIPS! Sorry for shouting but I finally found what I had been looking for in a lip stain!

LM lip stain contains just enough moisturizer to keep you lips soft and not flaky, the key to beautiful, colored lips. Also, the balmy texture keeps the color when it is supposed to be—on the lips, not on the teeth. Other lip stain products that come in lip gloss style actually multi-task as tooth stain. I hate it if lip color travels around like that! And that color stains so much that it is so difficult to remove it from your teeth. Yuck!

Oh oh, did I say lip gloss style? That thing deposits too much color too. Remember, it should be just a stain. So I’d say that the pot style is another winning factor. Use your finger, dab it on your lips, and voila.. bibir bernoda merah pun kini kau miliki. Yeah, you can use lip brush if you think you are too hygienic to use your finger, but if you’re not careful, you would apply too much color.

Another use of this wonderful product? It serves as a great lip base. Don’t you just hate it when your favorite lipstick disappears so easily? It’s ok if you’re wearing nudes or soft pinks, but reds? So, try to apply red lip stain under your red

With this product, your lips do not scream RED as the color is subtle and they don’t look too wet either. Just YLBB—Your Lips But Better.

They also come in Mocha (warm wearable brown), Peach Glaze (neutral peach), Scarlett (rich, classic red), Shy Pink (delicate pink-brown), Sugar Violet. $20 at sephora.com

Image: lauramercier.com