A Guide To Benefit Lip & Cheek Stains

Benefit is probably best known for their gorgeous stains. They’re not all too easy to work with, and I will admit: the first time I got them I tried once & put them back in my cabinet never to be taken out again. Fear not, though! I gave them another go & am ready to tell you how to do this properly. Thank you Tiany for gifting me three brand new stains to update my collection & addiction! Let’s get started!

Benetint is a rose colored lip & cheek stain. It’s Benefit’s most popular product and is a true cult product! The result is very natural when used singularly, although you can build up the stain for a sultry look. Careful with this one: it’s very watery & needs to be blended really quickly to prevent dark spots. 

Cha Cha Tint, a mango tinted stain, is a lot more creamier than Benetint, which makes it a little bit easier to work with. This can look a bit orangey on your cheeks when you apply to much, so try to build this one up carefully! I prefer this one on my lips; so gorgeous..

Posietint is a poppy-pink tint which really brightens up your cheeks and lips! This one is creamier than Benetint and is slightly more rosy. It fades a bit faster than Benetint, which can be an advantage as Benetint can be very hard to remove, even with a good make up remover.  

High Beam is a highlighter which I find to be quite creamy, with a satin finish. Apply this on your cheekbones & brownbones, on the bridge of your nose and just above your cupid’s bow. Benefit claims this to be ‘supermodel in a bottle’, and perhaps they are quite right! Applying highlighter in the right areas is such a must as it catches the light & slims down your face.
As you can see I’ve had the High Beam for a bit longer than the other bottles, which are quite new. Gotta love sparkly fresh cosmetics! The bottles look like nail polish bottles & have such pretty designs. Benetint is probably the best known one together with High Beam, Posietint & Cha Cha tint were added later on. 

The manual actually explains just perfectly how to apply these. I do dots instead of stripes though, as I don’t cover my whole cheek. My number one tip when applying to your cheeks is: BE FAST! Some stain awfully quickly, and they can be quite hard to remove as well. Also, I find that you have to wait 5 to 10 minutes in between moisturizer/foundation & tinting. When applying directly after foundation, I notice the foundation to turn a bit streaky on the cheeks. You could even try using Benetint under your foundation for a very natural flush! I also love how these look & feel on your lips, as I don’t like wearing lipstick or lipgloss too often because of their texture (sticky, thick, creamy, ..) when you’re wearing them. Tints are amazing as they are so lightweight! 

I normally rarely do swatches, but here you go anyway. Left to right: Cha Cha Tint, Posietint & Benetint. Notice how Posietint & Benetint are almost the same? Cha Cha Tint is very warm; I can imagine this to look wonderful on darker skin.

And this is High Beam. Isn’t it just gorgeous?

Benefit is not the only brand selling stains, however I haven’t tried any others to compare with. I did some research & you could try Cover Girl, Laura Mercier, Me Me Me, Stila, Tarte and actually many other brands as wel. And especially for the Dutchies: even Etos has a cheek stain! The easiest way to buy Benefit for me, is online at Asos.com. In the UK for example this brand is easier to find in stores. I love the brand & I have quite a collection of their products, which are very much worth the price you pay for them. 

Are you a cheek/lip stain fan? Which stains have you tried or used? And are you a Benefit fan like I am? Let me know on Twitter or in the comments below.