A horrible thing happened a few weeks ago. The cap on my beloved Benefit benetint broke. I dropped it and now it is chipped and won't stay shut. Since it is a staining liquid, I can't let it spill all over. So it is now carefully sitting on a shelf in a plastic baggie just in case it tips.
If you have never tried Benetint, it is a liquid cheek and lip stain. Although the color appears as a rather intimidating dark red in the bottle, if applied lightly, it goes on as a nice light rose that gives a natural and long lasting flushed look. I adore the stuff as a cheek stain, especially on days when I want to wear just a bit of makeup or want a really natural look. I also like it for when I want a long wearing look. Use of the product takes some caution. It dries quickly, so I find that the time for blending it is limited. That means two things: (1) don't put too much on to start, and (2) blend quickly! My trick is to dot a bit on and blend it quickly, then dot on a bit more and blend again until I have the amount of color that I want. I have pale skin, so I use very little. People with darker skin would likely want to use more to build up the color, but I recommend building it slowly. It can darken up pretty fast and it is easier to add color than it is to remove it.
Benetint also makes a great lip stain. Instead of going for a long wearing lipstick which can be sticky, I prefer to put on some Benetint, let it dry, and then cover it with benetint lip balm. The tinted balm is also fairly nice by itself, providing decent moisture and a light rose/red sheer tint to the lips. As with the stain, the gloss looks darker in the jar than it really is on the lips. A downside of the tinted balm though is that the color does not last particularly long when used alone.
So what to do about my broken bottle? Well I think I have found the answer. I came across the Benefit Pocket Pal (pictured) which has the Benetint stain in one end and a clear gloss in the other. I think I will order this and then refill the stain from time to time from my carefully stored broken bottle. Yes, I could just go find some sort of new container or replace the whole bottle, but this way seems more fun!
Addicted to lip products? Check out Girl Gloss, a site devoted to all things lipstick, gloss and balm!
[...]Beauty and Fashion Tech – Review of Benefit Benetint Lip Stain[...]