How to Make a Lip Gloss Stain

Co-authored by Amber Crain

Last Updated: October 10, 2022 References

Lip gloss stains look fantastic, but the price tag on them often seems like little much. Luckily, you can make some of the greatest looking lip gloss stains yourself for a fraction of the cost! Not only is this project budget-friendly and fun, but the final products make incredible gifts, too.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Staining with Kool-Aid

1
Choose your color. Kool-Aid comes in a variety of flavors, so you could easily do a different color stain every day of the week if you wanted to! Experiment to see which works best with your skin tone, but this is a general guideline for the colors you can achieve with some of the
- Grape = deep mauve/purple.^{[1]
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- If you want your stain to taste sweet, make sure to use the pre-sweetened Kool-Aid.^{[2]
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2
Dump one Kool-Aid packet in a small bowl. Add a teaspoon of water and stir them together until mixed.^{[3]
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Research source} The final consistency of the mixture should be like a paste, not a liquid.
- If you want to make a smaller amount of stain, spoon a little scoop of the Kool-Aid powder into a small container. A contact lens case is a great miniature vessel for this.
- Add a few drops of water to the tiny scoop of powder and mix and until you get a paste-like consistency.^{[4]
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3
Prep your lips. If your lips are a little flaky and dry, prep them by using an exfoliating scrub first. It is essential that your lips are clean and completely dry. Make sure you’ve removed every trace of other lip products from your mouth before you proceed, since they can get in the way of an even stain.^{[5]
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- If your lips are still a little dry after you’ve prepped them, apply a small amount of lip balm evenly to your lips.^{[6]
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- The stain might be a little less intense if you apply balm first, but the end result will look smooth and even.
- Avoid doing this stain if you have chapped lips. The mixture will sink into the cracked skin, causing it to sting and stain unevenly.
4
Dip a Q-tip in the mixture and apply it to your lips.^{[7]
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Research source} The mixture won’t be smooth on your lips, it will be more like a textured paste. Apply the paste evenly. Be sure to stay within your lip line when applying the mixture.
- Wipe off any mistakes immediately so that you won’t stain the skin outside of your lips.
5
Wait 3 to 5 minutes.^{[8]
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Research source} During this time, the Kool-Aid mixture will deeply stain and set. You can leave the formula longer than 5 minutes if you want an even deeper stain. If the mixture clumps or pools in any areas while you’re waiting, dip a Q-tip in your mixture and apply a little more. Reapply as needed.
- You can also rub your lips together to redistribute the mixture evenly.
- Apply more mixture if rubbing your lips together doesn’t give you an even application.
^{[9]
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Research source} Be sure the cotton ball is damp. Don’t soak it in water, or you’ll risk wiping some of the stain off when you remove the paste. Be sure to wipe your lips gently and remove all of the textured bits.
7
Apply petroleum jelly evenly over your stained lips. This will give your stained mouth that glossy look. The stain will last for hours, possibly even all day. Reapply the petroleum jelly throughout the day if you need to reboot your gloss.
- Staining your lips before adding the petroleum jelly gloss will give you the deepest hue and last the longest on your lips.
- Omit the petroleum jelly if you want a matte stain. Apply a little balm throughout the day to keep your lips soft.^{[10]
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Pour any remaining mixture in a small container (optional). If you want to reapply the formula during the day to deepen your stain, pour the remaining mixture into a small container. You could use another contact lens case for this, or one of those tiny pill containers that can be found in pharmacies, or even re-purpose an empty lip gloss pot.
- Make sure to bring along a few Q-tips in a zip lock bag for easy application.
- Throw the stain paste out at the end of the day.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Combining Kool-Aid and Petroleum Jelly

1
Put 1 tablespoon of petroleum jelly in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat the petroleum jelly for 30 seconds, then take it out and stir. You want it to be fully melted into a liquid for this, so put it back in the microwave for 15 second increments until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Be careful! The petroleum jelly will be very hot, so handle with care.
2
Stir Kool-Aid powder into the liquid petroleum jelly. Add only a little Kool-Aid powder at a time, stir, and then keep adding until you reach your desired shade.^{[11]
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- Use presweetened Kool-Aid powder if you want your final product to be sweet.
- Feel free to experiment by combining different Kool-Aid flavors to create customized hues!
3
Add a few drops of water to the mixture.^{[12]
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Research source} Before adding the water, your mixture will be a little muted in color and the consistency will be a thin gel. Add a few drops of water (at most, ¼ tsp) to the mixture and you will notice that the color is “activated” and the hue becomes vibrant.
- Continue mixing until the water is fully blended in.
4
Spoon the mixture into a small container. A contact lens case would be great for this, or one of those small, round pill containers that can be found in pharmacies, or you can re-purpose an empty lip gloss pot.
- The lip gloss stain will be ready to use within an hour, once the mixture cools and sets.
5
Make a bigger batch. Melt 1 cup of petroleum jelly in the microwave, stirring at 30 second intervals until you have a liquid. Add the Kool-Aid powder to the liquid until you reach your desired shade. Stir very well until fully blended.
- Pour the mixture into small containers and allow to cool and set over the course of a few hours.
- Use presweetened Kool-Aid for this, if possible.
- If you only have unsweetened Kool-Aid, add 1-2 packets of sweetener (to taste) to the mixture so that your gloss won’t be bitter.
6
Give the lip gloss stains as gifts. Buy some cute little tins or pots (try craft stores or order online) and pour your lip gloss stain mixture into them. Allow them to cool and set (give them a couple of hours).
- Create and print out nice labels on sticker paper for the little pots, or decorate them however you wish.
- These make awesome gifts – but don’t forget to keep a few for yourself!
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Getting an Intense Red with Beetroot

1
Gather your ingredients. You will need several items, all of which you can find at most health food stores – beeswax, coconut oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, vitamin E oil, vegetable glycerin and beetroot powder. This recipe will yield about 40mL of lip gloss stain, which will fill four 10mL (or 0.33 fluid ounces) tubes or jars.^{[13]
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Research source} The exact amounts needed are:
- 3 grams (or 0.1 ounces) beeswax;
- 6 grams (or 0.2 ounces) coconut oil;
- 16 grams (or 0.56 ounces) castor oil;
- 10 grams (or 0.35 ounces) jojoba oil;
- 1 gram (or 0.03 ounces) vitamin E oil;
- 4 grams (or 0.14 ounces) vegetable glycerin;
- 1 tsp beetroot powder.
2
Heat the oils together in a saucepan. Put all of the oils the recipe calls for (coconut, castor, jojoba and vitamin E) into a saucepan and melt them together over low heat. Stir until the mixture looks well-blended.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and allow to cool.
- Stir the oils occasionally as you proceed with the rest of the recipe.^{[14]
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Stir well to combine the two ingredients. Continue stirring until the mixture is a deep red color and the consistency is that of a thick, viscous liquid.
4
Combine the oil mixture with the red mixture. Stir the oils in the saucepan first to test their readiness. It’s ready to mix once it cools slightly and has a thick, creamy consistency. Whisk the red mixture with your creamy oil mixture until well-blended.
- Once mixed, the substance should appear very thick and dark maroon in hue.^{[15]
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Use a funnel to pour the mixture into your containers. The final product will be a vibrant, gorgeous red hue. These make wonderful gifts!
- Allow the lip gloss stain to cool fully before using.
- This product also doubles as a fantastic cheek stain.^{[16]
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Community Q&A

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Question

Can I use anything other than drink mix for this?

Community Answer

You can try using food coloring, but only a minimal amount; food coloring is much more potent than drink mix, and it can stain a lot easier too. Some people also find that food coloring causes minor irritations. Keep in mind that just about any powdered drink or powdered juice will work, such as Kool Aid and Crystal Light.

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Question

What can I do to add more shine to the stain?

Community Answer

You can try using some coconut oil instead of petroleum jelly. You can also try adding some cosmetic-grade glitter or cosmetic-grade mica, which you can purchase online or in a well-stocked beauty supply store.

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Question

What can I use instead of Kool Aid?

Community Answer

You can use another powdered drink mix, such as Crystal Light. You can also use powdered eyeshadow and a drop of vanilla extract.

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