In 2015, a peculiar lip product spread through beauty videos. Users painted on a thick, jelly-like layer, waited for it to dry, and peeled it away to reveal a soft, natural-looking stain. The SkinAZ The Kissable 24H Lip Tattoo in Sexy Red was one of the products at the centre of that trend, and it was tested on bare lips for this review.
The verdict at the time: easy enough to use, a flattering berry colour, and impressive staying power. It did little for chronically dry lips.
What a lip tattoo is
The name has nothing to do with the semi-permanent cosmetic procedure. These lip tattoos are peel-off tints that claim to stay on all day without transferring. They were also pitched as a lip mask that conditions and exfoliates while it sets.
The product came from South Korea, where SkinAZ and Berrisom were the two most prominent names behind the format. SkinAZ describes its formula as a tear-off pack-style tint, and its formula includes New Zealand honey and propolis. The brand says these help soothe lips after the film comes off.
In Singapore in 2015, SkinAZ was sold at Sasa and BHG, and through its own website. The Kissable 24H Lip Tattoo cost S$24.90 and came in four shades. Berrisom was mostly sold through online retailers in Singapore. In Seoul, its My Lip Tint Pack cost 15,000 won (about S$18.70) at selected personal care stores.
Putting it on
The reviewer used a generous, pearl-sized amount of Sexy Red on clean, bare lips. That was more than needed to cover the lips, but the thick layer made the film easier to remove later.
There was a slight sting, similar to a lip plumper. Drying took about 10 minutes, which sits at the short end of the 10 to 15 minutes usually advised for this kind of product. A light tap on the surface is the simple test. If nothing feels sticky or comes off on a fingertip, the film is ready to peel.
The process was comfortable and fairly painless. The film peeled away easily, though some leftover bits clung to dry patches and had to be rolled off with a fingertip. Those patches sometimes took on a darker shade of colour.
The result
Overall, the finish was a natural berry that suited the reviewer well. The hoped-for lip-care benefits were less obvious. The reviewer struggled with very dry lips daily, and saw no significant improvement after using it.
Staying power was the standout. The colour survived numerous cups of coffee and light snacking. After lunch it faded evenly into a light pink stain, with no patchy edges and no need to touch up through the day.
That even fade is the main appeal of the peel-off format. Conventional tints often wear away from the centre first, leaving a ring of colour. A film that deposits dye evenly avoids that, at the cost of a slightly fussy ten-minute wait.
Who it suited
The lip tattoo suited anyone who wanted lasting colour without a lipstick’s weight or transfer. It was less suited to rushed mornings, since the drying time and peeling add a step. Applying it on lips with flaky, dry patches also made peeling messier, so smooth lips are a sensible starting point.
Whether SkinAZ is still stocked in Singapore could not be confirmed from current sources, so prices and shade availability from 2015 should be treated as historical. The brand’s Singapore social page describes it as a Korean lip tattoo label, but it carries no dated update on stock.