TheBalm • Stainiac in Beauty Queen • Lips

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Ceesaroni on 11/11/2012 3:44:00 AM more reviews by Ceesaroni

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This is a pretty popular product and im not really sure why. I personally am not a big fan of regular lip stains because they tend to be veeery drying and for some reason only choose to tint certain areas on my lips (usually the outer parts) so it leaves me looking like I have some kind of discoloration/desease to them which isnt very attractive :/ especially if your lips get too dry then it'll seep into the lines of your lips. yuck.

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*TOP REVIEWER* SparkleBunny37 on 9/25/2012 2:17:00 AM more reviews by SparkleBunny37

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair, Cool   Hair: Red, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

theBalm's Stainiac is a gel tint for cheeks and lips. Three shades are available, I have Beauty Queen, described by theBalm as a sheer berry pink. This shade is considered to be a dupe of Benefit's BeneTint. theBalm is a San Francisco based, vintage themed brand known for it's high quality products with suggestive, sexy, or quirky names. I got this cheek and lip tint in a swap from my friend Mariah who got it in a Birchbox a couple months ago. I'm so glad that she sent me this product because I was really jealous of everyone know got it in their Birchbox. The full size of this product contains .3fl oz for $17. I have a .04fl oz deluxe sample. As far as I know theBalm can only be bought online at the brand's website, and very frequently on Haute Look, but on the rare occasion you can find a few products at Marshall's or TJ Maxx. theBalm is a cruelty free brand. This product was made in the USA.
theBalm's Stainiac comes packaged like a lip gloss. A clear plastic tube with a grey plastic cap. The name of the product is written on the front of the tube in grey lettering. Some company info and a short warning can be found on the back. Stainiac has a doe foot application that makes applying this product to the lips very convenient, but not so much on the cheeks. Some may not be comfortable using the doe foot applicator on both the face and lips due to potential contamination. I don't really care, mainly because this is a sample size.
Application for the lips is no different from any gloss, so I won't explain. For the cheeks, I dot the product on with the applicator, just two little dabs, then blend in with my fingers. This cheek tint is really blendable, in fact theBalm describes the formula as water based, saying that its "designed to give you more time before the stain sets" helping you avoid the "dreaded streaks that most tints leaves behind". Oh yes, those streaks. They plague my less than smooth cheeks. This tint is in fact streak free. I'm pretty sure that's miraculous.
While I greatly appreciate the longer dry time on the cheeks, it's really, really annoying on the lips. Beauty Queen is really sticky and uncomfortable on the lips. Then it dries down...and dries out, for extra discomfort. All the downsides of a lip stain. At least it's comfortable, lightweight, and non drying on the cheeks. I get a fairly average two hours of wear from this lip stain, and a full days worth of color as a cheek stain.
Beauty Queen is a very sheer berry toned pinkish red. Very Sheer. It looks good on my already pigmented lips, but on my naturally flushed pink cheeks it barely shows up at all. I can detect a slight tint, but no real color payoff. I guess that's great if I'm going for a very natural look, but I'd really prefer it to show up more. I feel like it's a little pointless to apply it if it's nearly the exact same color as my perpetually rosy cheeks. So is Beauty Queen a dupe for the much more expensive Benetint? No. They're similar, but Beauty Queen is is cooler, pinker, and believe it or not, more pigmented than Benetint, at least from what I can see in swatches. I haven't tried Benetint aside from swatching it at Sephora.
I like theBalm's Stainiac in Beauty Queen but it's not working out for me quite as well as I had hoped. Its a good product, but just a little..unbalanced? The texture is good for cheeks but not lips. Pigmentation is better suited for lips not cheeks. See what I mean? It just isn't quite there, a problem that many multi-use products suffer from. Lasting power is decent across the board though. I wouldn't purchase a full size tube of theBalm's Stainiac in Beauty Queen, but I'm really glad I got a chance to try it, my curiosity never would've been satisfied otherwise. This product is probably better suited to those with less pigmented lips and cheeks.

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Ricksgirl32 on 8/14/2012 12:42:00 AM more reviews by Ricksgirl32

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Olive   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Ok let me start by saying that I was a bit disappointed at how sheer this product is and the reason is this: It is very buildable however I feel that having to go over my lips and cheeks 3-4x's is using an awful lot of product! So maybe it won't last as long as I would like it to.
On the plus side: I absolutely love this stain,the best key for using this is to let it completely dry before each re-application in order to get a deeper color.
I adore that I can wear this in the car with my hair whipping around and not getting stuck to a gloss,it's absolutely perfect :)

It's not glittery (yay) I love to carry it in my purse for touch ups on the go,feels like I have nothing at all on and it's just great.
I would definitely recommend this product!

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tayrose on 7/10/2012 1:58:00 PM more reviews by tayrose

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Other    

I received a sample in my birchbox and I've loved it ever since. The gel consistency makes it easily blendable. It doesn't dry quickly or leave a streaky mess like the benetint. The applicator (basically a normal lip gloss applicator) works so much better at applying the product than a brush.

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inthiscity on 6/20/2012 2:14:00 PM more reviews by inthiscity

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I generally like this (received it in my birchbox) but I feel like most of this stays on my fingers and not my cheeks! I haven't tried it on my lips so I can't speak on that. Undecided if I will repurchase a full size.

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Karlily on 6/17/2012 9:39:00 PM more reviews by Karlily

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Dark, Warm   Hair: Black, Kinky   Eyes: Brown    

I am an NW45 and this slightly shows up on my top lip, but does offer a slight tint for my bottom lip. I was fairly unimpressed at first, but my bf said it looks "nice and natural". As a stain, it leaves my lips looking a bit dry, so I added Stila lip glaze (cranberry) on top, and I like how the two colors layer for a more dressy (and hopefully long lasting) look. As for the cheeks part, it does not show up on my face at all.

I got a sample of this through birchbox, so can't really comment on price or packaging for the full size product.

Likely won't repurchase unless it offers long wear.

Edit: I've been using this off and on and like it more and more. Granted, I will probably not ever wear it alone, but I like the extra punch it gives to the lip glazes I have. I would probably buy this again only for use as a lip stain.

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*TOP REVIEWER* PISALISA on 6/16/2012 9:44:00 AM more reviews by PISALISA

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Green    

This cheek and lip stain is by far MUCH better than Benetint. It's easily blendable, doesn't mess up my foundation and gives a perfect
flush of color on my cheeks. It's not drying like Benetint and doesn't get spotty at all.
On lips, it's a dream! Just enough pigment to look like you've been munching on a raspberry popsicle. It doesn't dry out my lips and it looks EVEN and not blotchy (unlike Benetint). Beauty Queen is a lovely medium berry color and works great on all skin tones. I think I'm going to buy this stain in every color!

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mararum on 6/13/2012 12:14:00 AM more reviews by mararum

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I brought this as a kit from Marshalls, so it wasn't very expensive. I also have Benetint and thought the two products were really similar (same color, same longevity, etc.). This product had more of a gel texture, though. Also, the applicator's better than the nail polish style that Benefit has.

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*TOP REVIEWER* mg1013 on 5/20/2012 7:08:00 PM more reviews by mg1013

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

PSA: Go to Marshall's to buy this before you go to Sephora or HauteLook! I got Beauty Queen, in a box along with a couple eye and lip products, for ten freaking dollars. TOTAL. For real, check Marshall's before anywhere else. Probably everyone else knew this already, but just in case, hopefully you can save a few dollars this way.


That said: I was initially disappointed with Beauty Queen because it made my lips feel sticky and gross without imparting much color at all (I guess my lips are naturally darkish? Beats me). Luckily, I happened to try it on my cheeks next, and sweet baby Jesus, the difference is so stark that they might as well be two different products! I am super-pale, and Beauty Queen gave me a really natural-looking pink flush that I'm in love with. (It's not as dark as it looks in the container, but you'll only need a single swipe/pat of this color, and you're good.) Unlike when I wore it on my lips, Beauty Queen lasted *all day* as a cheek stain, and it didn't even migrate anywhere else on my face! Surprisingly, it didn't feel sticky on my cheeks either.


This was actually my very first foray into a non-powder blush, and I think I might be hooked. Which is great, because my old Revlon blush (Wine With Everything) gave me a bit of acne due to its talc content. TheBalm seems to have pretty good ingredients in its products. If seeing castor oil in the ingredients list freaks you out a little -- don't worry, castor oil actually works to *dissolve* the bad stuff in your pores (or so the oil-cleansing-method people tell me). Even if that turns out to be a salacious lie, I can assure you that I have not yet had any problems with the Stainiac clogging my pores.


I'd rate this as a 1 if it were just a lip stain, but as a cheek stain it's a 5. I'm bumping it up to 4 because I got it so inexpensively at Marshall's, and because of the ingredients.


Happy hunting!

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MitchieCatalano on 4/24/2012 6:20:00 PM more reviews by MitchieCatalano

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Dry, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

beautiful raspberry stain for a really natural summer's day flush! And lasts for ages on the face!

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snowpeach06 on 4/18/2012 10:17:00 AM more reviews by snowpeach06

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

I got this as part of a kit at TJ Maxx, and the whole kit was $10.

First the pros: I love the color. It goes on extremely sheer, and provides a nice, barely noticeable flush on my cheeks, which is perfect for day. The color is surprisingly flattering on my pale skin. The color is also build-able. If i want more color, I just add more coats. But typically this is my go-to if I want a natural looking blush.

Now the cons: I don't like it nearly as much for lips. The color went on unevenly. On both the cheeks and lips, it doesn't last very long. Maybe an hour on each. While I expect that from a lip product, I'd like my blush to last longer. Also, it doesn't smell great. I couldn't believe it when other reviews said this product smelled good. I'm wondering if the product somehow changes after time - so those who got it at full price actually got a better product?

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*TOP REVIEWER* Angelamakeup on 4/15/2012 11:55:00 PM more reviews by Angelamakeup

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This is very different than any lip color I've ever used. If you want a buildable lip color that doesn't feel like you are wearing anything this would be it. I feel like you can barel tell you are wearing anything with one application but for that, it's great. It has a nice fruity but natural scent to it. I was lucky enough to purchase this in a set for super cheap at Marshall's so as soon as I tried it and realized I like it I ran out to buy another set that was different but also had this in it.

I wouldn't use this on an occasion that I wanted my lip color to really stand out or pop but more give a natural tint to them.

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Rezia786 on 4/12/2012 4:50:00 PM more reviews by Rezia786

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I bought this a couple of months ago. At first I wasn't crazy about it. It was only acceptable and too expensive for how seldom I was using it. Boy, was I wrong.

I've come to love this little lip stain. I only use it for my lips because the thought of putting something liquid-y on my cheeks after my sunscreen and makeup kinda freaks me out.

It's a nice subtle colour that lasts for simply ages. You can actually (actually!) (literally!!) drink a "hot beverage" (as Sheldon Cooper would say) and not have your lipstick staring at you from the rim of the cup!

The way you put it on is, you put it at the center of your top and bottom lips, allow it to dry a liiiiitttttlllleeee bit (30 seconds or so) and then use your pinkie to blend it in. Put a little bit of chapstick on top and your good for the whole morning.

At first I thought the colour was too fuschia and way too cool for my warm caramel skin-tone, but now I like it. If I blend well, the colour really doesn't look too fuschia.

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randers on 3/29/2012 3:13:00 PM more reviews by randers

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

Subtle, gel based lip stain. I love love love the formula, the packaging, and the smell. It smells like delicious tart raspberries, I find myself putting it on just to smell it! This stain is quite natural looking, unlike other stains I've found (ahem, NYC smooch proof).

Wear could be better. To build color, I've found the best way to use it is to put on one layer, let it dry, then add another. If I apply it "correctly" I can get about four hours wear, but lip balm really kills the wear time. Also, the color is a bit deceptive - - color in bottle is deep red, but applies a bright fuchsia.

I like the formula, but the color doesn't look great on me, so I'll be purchasing homecoming queen and prom queen instead.

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Jayjaybean on 3/29/2012 2:49:00 AM more reviews by Jayjaybean

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Blue    

Got this in a set at TJ Maxx for 10 bucks. Nice! I love the gel consistency. It's a flattering raspberry tint on my pale skin. I like the doe foot applicator, though I need to blend it out a bit with my finger. I'd like to try the other tints. If i see it cheap again, I'll rebuy.

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summerteeth1 on 2/4/2012 7:46:00 PM more reviews by summerteeth1

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Hazel    

I really like this alot. I am not a fan of stains that are marker-like (it seems like a lot are). I must have not very pigmented lips naturally, because this shows up well on me. It is a great color on me, but not over the top. Just flushed-like. Very work-appropriate. And it is build able too.

The best feature, however, is that IT DOESN'T DRY MY LIPS OUT! YAY!!

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*TOP REVIEWER* allymack on 12/17/2011 1:35:00 PM more reviews by allymack

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Blond, Wavy   Eyes: Grey    

I purchased this after discovering that Sephora, at least in my area, will no longer be carrying Lorac. I'm a major, major fan of the Lorac stain. The packaging is horrible, but the colour (sheer emotion) is gorgeous. With Beauty Queen by TheBalm, it's exactly the reverse. Far superior packaging in terms of minimizing the messiness and stained fingers you can get with a stain, but the colour is kind of mediocre. If you're looking for a really, really subtle alteration to your lips, this might be a good product for you. I find I have to layer this at least 3 times to get any kind of look that I'm going for. Just one layer, and I may as well have put nothing on. In the future I think I'll just order Lorac online or seek it at other retailers.
UPDATE: Stainiac has won me over after I took it with me while traveling for three weeks. I didn't want to risk messing up my MAC 138 blush brush, so I brought this to use in place of my typical powder blush since I don't need an extra tool for application.
Used as blush, the staying powder was truly all-day, and the colour was gorgeous and natural. I will be re-buying this. This product on the lips and cheeks along with just Missha bb cream and a Clinique creamshaper eye pencil resulted in the best prettiness+convenience outcome of any routine I've experimented with.

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chryztyners on 4/13/2011 6:39:00 AM more reviews by chryztyners

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Black    

I love lip/cheek stains, so I thought of trying out this product after running out of my usual brand. I mostly use it for my cheeks, as it tastes somewhat bad when applied on the lips. In both cases, whether you apply it on the lips or on the cheeks, it takes a lot of time to build up on the color you want. It goes on really subtle, and one swipe has no effect at all. I think it's because it turns into a "gel"-like consistency, which is the part that I hate. Most stains that come in tubes are liquid, and easier to put on. In fact, a little usually goes a long way. But this one, I hate how it wastes a lot of time just to put it on. But the color stays on for the whole day and isn't drying on the skin. I just really hate the application. For now, I have it in my purse for emergency touch-ups, and still trying to finish it. Definitely won't buy it again, there are better stains out there.

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weemanmum on 11/13/2010 5:37:00 AM more reviews by weemanmum

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I bought this product based on (a) good reviews on here and (b) an inability to get some stila cheek gel in cherry flush (have now managed to!).

I have used this on my lips and cheeks. I wear Chanel Clair/20 and suit cool tones and this works well as a color on me. It is pinker than I would normally wear but it looks very natural on the cheeks and gives the lips a bit of color. Staying power on the lips is only OK, cheeks last all day.

I had no problem blending this on my cheeks - couple of dots on the apple, rub it and it is fine. Yes, my finger gets a little stained but I wash my hands after applying make up so it is not an issue for me.

Only reason I would not repurchase is I think it will last an age, the lip staying power is not good enough for me and I think I have better lip stains. That said, if again run out of stila cherry flush will need to repurchase.

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*TOP REVIEWER* proximitythe53rd on 3/11/2010 7:32:00 AM more reviews by proximitythe53rd

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

This was a product of pros and cons for me.



Pros:
- nice color
- I really do like how it looks on my cheeks
- more blending time than most stains
- subtle color (makes it less scary to use on my cheeks)
- not drying



Cons:
- stains fingers better than lips or cheeks (it just doesn't want to stain my lips much unless I use a lot and layer it on, which is time-consuming, and leads to the stained fingers)
- bad taste
- not moisturizing



I have indicated that I would not buy this product again, and that's mainly because I am convinced that there are better stains out there. I was pleasantly surprised for how this looks on my cheeks, but disappointed for lips. It's odd, because usually stains work the opposite way for me - I like them on my lips, but they're awful on my cheeks.
I'd like to find a nice stain that works great for both!

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