Ever since these Au Naturale lip stains launched, everyone has been talking about them! They’re formulated with super clean ingredients and are one the first nontoxic “lip stain” products on the market. I usually prefer sheer lip colors to those that are more highly pigmented and opaque, but I had to give this product a try especially when I saw the color On Pointe. Here are the basics:

Product Description From Au Naturale’s Website:

“su/Stain is formulated with Eco Cert Pigments & Palm Done Right palm oil, rendering it both COPA compliant & in line with NSF/ANSI 305 organic standards.

Formulated without animal bi-products, synthetic preservatives, nano particles, gluten, parabens, fillers, dyes or toxins, our su/Stain matte lip stain is 100% natural, cruelty-free, vegan and made in the USA.”

Ingredients:

*Ricinus Communis (Castor Seed Oil), *Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba Seed Oil),*Hydrogenated Palm Oil, *Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa Seed Butter), *Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter Fruit), *Organic Flavoring, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Micas, Manganese Violet, Tocopherol (Vitamin E) derived from Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower Seed). *organic

Color Description:

On Pointe is described as a “muted ballet shoe blush,” but I find it to be more of a medium rose color, especially on my skin. It’s definitely not the color I imagine when I think of ballet shoes. It is a natural, muted, and complimentary warm medium/dark pink. Below is it swatched on my arm in natural outdoor light and on my lips in indoor light.

Swatched in natural outdoor light

Au Naturale Lip Stain in On Pointe

Review:

First of all, this is not a true lip stain in the sense that it isn’t the same look/formula/feel as conventional lip stains. It isn’t matte, doesn’t fully dry, doesn’t last as long as conventional lip stains, and it comes off easily (which is good at the end of the day but bad for kisses and coffee cups). It does last much longer than regular lipstick/glosses though, and is really pleasant to wear. It’s a semi-matte/satin finish that leaves your lips feeling moisturized and never looking or feeling dry. It is SUPER pigmented; the swatch on my arm above was just one light pass. I didn’t notice significant bleeding or smudging during wear, but I did use a nude pencil just to outline my lips before applying this and would recommend doing the same. There is a slight scent/taste kind of like sour candy? I am really picky about scents and flavors and don’t mind this at all.

I really like this product! My only issues are the shade range and how messy the formula/packaging is. Picture below is after just one or two uses, and you can see how clumpy and goopy it is. I think the problem might just be the wand, which is kind of a felted applicator that I think just gets overwhelmed by the heaviness of the formula. Maybe a smoother sponge applicator would work better? I’m sure they tested multiple applicators and chose this for a reason, but I don’t love it. I have to wipe the tip a couple of times before application or it is waaay too much product and unreliable application.

Slightly messy packaging/formula

As far as the shade range, this was the only color that appealed to me out of all 10 shades. That’s not necessarily a problem, but I definitely see room for expansion and more colors for fair and light skin tones. Again, this is a recent launch, so I’m sure more colors will be in the works eventually.

Overall, I really recommend trying Au Naturale’s Lip su/Stain if you see a shade that you really like and are looking for a healthy and safe alternative to traditional full coverage lipsticks but don’t want to sacrifice quality. There’s a statistic floating around that the average woman ingests 7 lbs of lipstick throughout her life, and while that’s questionable (and definitely not true for me since I rarely wear it!), it is certainly nice to not have to worry about my lip products containing harmful and toxic dyes, flavors, fragrances, and other dangerous ingredients when I choose clean beauty products. It also doesn’t hurt that this formula is lovely, flattering, and easy to wear.

Let me know what you think of this review and if you try Au Naturale’s Lip Stains!

XO, Edie