If you’ve ever caught your reflection after indulging in a glass of pinot noir or noshing on a handful of dark red cherries, you’re unintentionally familiar with the concept of a lip stain: weightless, juicy lip color that doesn’t transfer or fade. Numerous makeup brands have attempted to bottle that effect in various formats, including markers, swipeable stains, multipurpose liquid tints, and even peel-offs. Although we found, in our testing, that these products don’t always live up to their hype (some stains claim to last up to 12 hours but faded in half that time), they’re ideal if you want lightweight, durable color that’s generally lower-maintenance than lipsticks or lip glosses.To find the true greats, I evaluated 61 lip stains, and I tried 44 with the help of Wirecutter’s beauty experts. And then I sent our nine favorite stains to a diverse panel of 13 testers. After much drawing, swiping, and lining (and using plenty of makeup remover), we discovered a tenacious marker, a glossy, swipe-on standout, and a drugstore staple with an extensive shade range.