The latest text in a group chat with a few of my beauty editor peers reads: “Can we stop pretending that lip liner stains are good?” I get it. While TikTok’s beauty enthusiasts would have you believe they’re the best thing since sliced bread — sculpting and staying put for hours on end — those videos are often edited and carefully curated. From drugstore launches to luxury versions, most lip liner stains I’ve tried apply patchy, suck the moisture out of my lips, and flake off by midday. Not even the viral Huda Beauty Lip Contour Stain could convert this naysayer.
But I’ll eat my words, because a new launch from Summer Fridays — my favorite lip care brand — is changing everything I thought I knew about this notoriously finicky product.
What is Summer Fridays’ Flushed Lip Stain, and what are the benefits?
Just this week, Summer Fridays unveiled its Flushed Lip Stain, a long-wear pen that works as both a lip liner and an all-over stain. The range includes six shades, from Almond, a soft neutral brown, to Plum, a deep berry hue.
What immediately sets this liner apart is the angled felt-tip nib, which makes sculpting and defining lips a breeze. Unlike other pens, it’s not scratchy — you can even create a full lip look by applying it all over, then topping with a swipe of gloss.
Besides the unique shape, Summer Fridays claims that the formula is transfer-proof, buildable, and non-drying. The latter caught my eye, especially because most pen liners are so drying, they make my lips feel tight and itchy. But this one doesn’t, thanks to a handful of smart skincare ingredients.
First, aloe vera gel, which I’m convinced gives the pen more slip, preventing it from snagging. Then there’s panthenol, a skincare ingredient that dermatologists rate for boosting hydration and supporting the skin barrier, essentially the outermost layer of skin that keeps good stuff in (like moisture) and bad stuff out (like bacteria). Since lip skin is thinner than elsewhere, these plumping, moisture-locking ingredients are especially welcome.
Summer Fridays Flushed Lip Stain, $22
What makes the Summer Fridays Flushed Lip Stain special?
This is the sort of product that makes me want to earn a degree in cosmetic chemistry to understand why it works so well. Unlike others, it’s not immediately soaking wet, so it doesn’t run, drip, or require a futile clean-up operation. Instead, it’s so precise that it feels almost like using a pencil liner to trace my lip line. That said, there are a few seconds of blending time. Some lip stains dry instantly, but I use my finger or a fluffy brush to blur this slightly for a natural, lived-in effect rather than harsh lines.
For a seamless lip look, I recommend pairing the stain with a gloss or balm in a similar shade. My favorite combos are Almond with Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Hot Cocoa, or Rosette with Glow Recipe Glass Balm in Blackberry Bingsoo. Adding a gloss or balm on top further blurs the lip line, making lips look naturally defined, not obviously drawn on.
I’m a big tea drinker, and the only thing that transfers onto the mug is the gloss. On me, this stain stays pretty much intact for around six hours before I even think about topping up, and I can still see the ghost of it at the end of the day. Happily, I never need to scrub to remove it; I use Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water on a cotton round and swipe gently. The micelles — tiny molecules that act as surfactants — dissolve and lift the product away effortlessly.
What to know about Summer Fridays Flushed Lip Stain
• Available in six shades to suit all skin tones: Almond, Plum, Mocha, Maple, Rosette, and Slipper.
• The transfer-proof formula is buildable, depending on how opaque you want it.
• Features a soft, tapered felt-tip nib for precise application.
Is the Summer Fridays Flushed Lip Stain worth it?
My makeup bag is a dumping ground for lip liner stains that have disappointed me, but these have their own special jar. On days when I know I won’t have time to keep my lipstick topped up, I apply this all over and finish with a balm, which gives a satin-like lipstick effect.
To really get the most out of a lip liner stain like this, prep is key. My lips are always the last step in my makeup routine, so before I even start, I apply a thick layer of moisturizer (or eye cream — trust me, it works!) to soften them. When it’s time to line, I use a tissue to blot away as much as I can, and that’s when I go in with the product — applying it to lips that are naked but moisturized. (I’m a firm believer that moisturized lips hold onto pigments far better than parched ones.) Lip balm or gloss can be a little too thick, and in this case, the pigment might not cling as well.
Lastly, I’ve found that these stains dry out far less quickly than others, but I like to store them upside down, so the formula is always ready when I go to line my lips.
Where can you get the Summer Fridays Flushed Lip Stain?
You can buy the Summer Fridays Flushed Lip Stain from summerfridays.com and at sephora.com. And for those who take their lip liner as seriously as I do, the stain is also available in an Essential Lip Kit, $52. You can build your bundle with a stain, the Soft Line Lip Liner (the pencil version), and a Lip Butter Balm — all housed in a cute button case.
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