She’s A Stainiac, Staaaaaaiiniac

My friend Angela and I both received samples of Stainiac Cheek & Lip Tint (by The Balm) in our June Birchboxes. Before I had even tried mine, Angela was addicted to hers and raving about it, so I figured I should GET ON IT. I have an imaginary reputation to uphold! 

It went on much lighter than I expected. It has a lot less pigment than my current lip and cheek stain, Sephora Lush Flush Lip & Cheek Stainin Red Wine, which I actually only use on my lips because it’s too intense for my cheeks. Stainiac blended easily on my cheeks, but was pretty light on my lips. Though the color is buildable, I never managed to get my lips to Lush Flush intensity.

The color that came in our Birchboxes was “Beauty Queen” and I wondered if there was another, more heavily pigmented option, so I checked out The Balm’s blurry and hard to read website. Turns out, Beauty Queen is the “darkest” one, listed as sheer berry pink. It also comes in Prom Queen (sheer rosy pink) and Homecoming Queen (sheer soft peach).

The other thing I learned from The Balm’s site is that Stainiac is listed as a tinted gel blush that you can also use on your lips. This is probably why it works so well as a cheek tint, but is fairly subtle as a lip tint. It all makes sense now! They specifically address the issues other lip and cheek stains have: “Fear not those dreaded streaks that most tints leave behind — Stainiac’s water-based formula is designed to give you more time before the stain sets.”

So basically, now I have one lip and cheek tint I use on my lips, and one lip and cheek tint I use on my cheeks. Got it. I’ve been using Smashbox O-GLOWas my cheek stain, which I really like. It’s buildable and super-blendable, but that’s because it’s silicone based, which some people don’t like. I’ve also used Tarte Cheek Stains, which are long-lasting and blend easily enough, but they can be sticky. They are also literally in stick form. Stainiac seems like a really good water-based option for people looking for something that looks and feels really natural. Like Angela!

Since Angela is a big fan, I thought I’d ask her what she likes so much about it:

It has such a natural hue, and goes on easily. Others have been too intense and sort of makeup-ey. This just blends so well and looks like a part of your skin not something sitting on top.

There you have it! Pretty, easy, natural looking color. It's funny they gave it such a wild name, but I guess Stainisane isn't really all that catchy.