This one was another gift from a friend as I think she knew about my growing obsession with stains. Although admittedly that "growing obsession" is slowly subsiding because they can't replace my obsession with lip balms. Anyhow, I was kind of intrigued by this one since it seemed so different from the L'Oréal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stains, which was my first real foray into lip stains.
Stains by nature only exist to temporarily dye your lips (or cheeks) and are supposed to be [somewhat] waterproof. They are buildable as well, so even though they come off sheer, you should be able to build the colour over time. The only caveat with them is that they really are just dyes meaning that they don't offer much else in terms of moisture. If you happen to get one that does offer moisture then you've probably struck gold. Additionally, sometimes it takes a few coats to get the right coverage -- which is actually something Devi and I have discussed. It's blotchy and time consuming to get an even distribution for the colour.
But let's really get down to the brass tacks about Stainiac (but just keep in mind that this might apply to lip stains in general). The formula itself is good and is the wand for application so no complaints there. As with other stains, the first coat on me is barely noticeable. But before you rush to put on another coat, wait a bit. I generally waited a few minutes to let the coats dry before applying another. While the first 2-3 coats were a bit splotchy, by the fourth or even fifth, the colour evened out to give a nice reddish hue. While it comes off a bit too loud (albeit complementary to my skin tone, it comes off exactly as red as it is in the tube after 4-5 coats), so keep in mind that there's no moisture so you can tone it down with lip gloss.
Although I can get it to be quite red, I follow up with Lancôme Juicy Tubes Smoothie in Simmer which brings it back down to a pinkish hue. This addition of the lip gloss also helps to disperse the stain in case there are any small pockets that didn't fully dry.
My reservations about this product boils down to two things:
But let's really get down to the brass tacks about Stainiac (but just keep in mind that this might apply to lip stains in general). The formula itself is good and is the wand for application so no complaints there. As with other stains, the first coat on me is barely noticeable. But before you rush to put on another coat, wait a bit. I generally waited a few minutes to let the coats dry before applying another. While the first 2-3 coats were a bit splotchy, by the fourth or even fifth, the colour evened out to give a nice reddish hue. While it comes off a bit too loud (albeit complementary to my skin tone, it comes off exactly as red as it is in the tube after 4-5 coats), so keep in mind that there's no moisture so you can tone it down with lip gloss.
Although I can get it to be quite red, I follow up with Lancôme Juicy Tubes Smoothie in Simmer which brings it back down to a pinkish hue. This addition of the lip gloss also helps to disperse the stain in case there are any small pockets that didn't fully dry.
My reservations about this product boils down to two things:
- There is a lot of time spent to get the correct hue. In between 5 coats I was looking at at least 10 minutes to just get the colour evenly distributed. If I did it too fast while it was still wet then the splotchy appearance would occur. This is inherent in all stains though -- what is problematic for me is simply that I have to wait so long till I can finally follow up with either a lip balm or lip gloss to get that moisture.
- It simply didn't last long. I think at most I got 3-4 hours (and that's being gracious since it was more like 3 hours). And during this time it's not like I had anything to drink or that I did anything that would require removing it. I put it on then went for a walk, did a few hours of stuff in between that and getting on a train, and when I checked on it, it was gone.
It seems as though it would be great for special occasions but this is not something I could see myself doing everyday. After all, if I'm going to spend a long time prepping when it doesn't even last, I might as well just grab a highly pigmented lip gloss or balm that could easily achieve what this is trying to do. So while I do like the colour, this is not something that I'd keep around.
Product: TheBalm Stainiac in Beauty Queen
Price: $17.00
Stars: ★★☆☆☆
Takeaway: While it functions entirely like a stain, the longevity is lacking so for someone like me who needs to apply several layers at a time, it ends up being more work than it's worth. The colour itself is quite nice, but it's also something I feel as though I can achieve with a lipstick instead.
Price: $17.00
Stars: ★★☆☆☆
Takeaway: While it functions entirely like a stain, the longevity is lacking so for someone like me who needs to apply several layers at a time, it ends up being more work than it's worth. The colour itself is quite nice, but it's also something I feel as though I can achieve with a lipstick instead.
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