TheBalm Stainiac review/swatches

A while back, I had a friend pick up a couple of items from TheBalm's line at TJ Maxx. One of those items was a 3-pack of Stainiacs for $20. That is an AMAZING deal consider each other retails for $17. And yes, they are all full size.






Stainiacs is TheBalm's version of cheek & lip stains. Currently, they come in 3 shades.

The pack included:

• Prom Queen - Described as a "light rosey pink" which I feel is an inaccurate description considering the amount of red in it.
  
• Homecoming Queen - Described as a "soft peach". I find this to be similar to Cha Cha Tint by Benefit.
  
• Beauty Queen - Described as a "berry pink" but I would consider this just "berry" colored with an obvious amount of purple to me.
  

All three have a gel-like consistency and have a doe foot applicator. They go on pretty sheer but can be layered enough to build intensity. If you layer too much, it can appear kind of patchy and may start to "ball up".

I do find these to be particularly drying on the lips so I recommend wearing a good lip moisturizer after applying these. They apply lovely on the face and don't dry too fast so you can blend easily.


I did some swatches of the stains while wet and then what they look like an hour after I wiped them off. Here are the swatches for your viewing pleasure:






I enjoy these stains on my cheeks but not on my lips. It just too drying for me. I wouldn't pay full price but I would buy them again at the price I paid. I like the consistency and the fact that is doesn't dry up too fast while you are trying to work with it. I don't know how I feel about the doe foot applicator because I feel like I can't get enough product out with it.

It's a good product overall and worth picking up if you can find it on sale or at TJ Maxx at a discounted price.


Thanks for reading!