Benetint from Benefit is one of their iconic products, Benefit claims this red rose tinted lip and cheek stain is a "kiss-proof and waterproof, indelibly sheer tint" and at the time of writing the recommended retail price is £24.50 for 12.5oz.

Benetint was the first product from the Benefit range that I stumbled upon, and not long after that my cousin and I had a moment of synchronicity when we exchanged bottles for Christmas. I am not sure if the formula has changed since that incident 18 years ago, but I have since owned a mini version which came free with a magazine, so if it has changed what I am about to write is based on the most recent version anyway not the 18 year old bottle still half used in my cupboard..

I am well aware that this product is a five star one and well loved by many many people, but my review is only of my experience and as we all have differing skin types and life styles there's bound to be one duffer out there that it doesn't agree with and that duffer is me.

Neither of my nail varnish type (with the same type of brush in the lid) bottles came with a blending sponge, which I have heard people mention when talking about recently bought bottles. I don't own a make up sponge of my own either so I can't say how the product works when using one, but I can see how a make up sponge very slightly dampened would help with spreading and blending this fast drying product, and would also protect your fingers as it does colour the tips of your fingers a little when blending.

I love the idea of Benetint, and I actually love the effect the product gives. The rose scent smells gorgeous as is common with Benefit products. The colour while to me looking frighteningly dark red in the bottle on my skin is perfect. It gives a naturally healthy flush to my cheeks the type you might get from a brisk walk on a cold day, without the embarrassing addition of the red nose and streaming eyes. It is also buildable so you can go from flushed cherub to burlesque in a few strokes should you wish. On my lips it is the perfect subtle sheer red which is a big deal for me as I have always wanted to be able to wear red lipstick but have never found one that suits me. The colour is not bright and is more of a pinky red, again it has a natural counterpart, if you nibble your lips to get the blood flowing to them or put on a clear lip plumping gloss which irritates them you will get an idea of the colour. Though the Benetint is prettier.

On my cheeks I apply the product over foundation, or tinted moisturiser hardly ever on bare skin. Despite applying over other products the stain does seem to soak into the skin with blending. I find the tint lasts a lot longer on my cheeks than on my lips, all through the day in fact. If you want a more dramatic look you can layer with cream or powder blushers or add a dash of Benefit Highbeam (or other slightly shimmery highlighter) with the Benetint to give it a dewy finish. The stain dries quickly on cheeks, but I find there is enough time to blend it nicely without panicking and messing it up. I don't think there is any one method of application which is the one to use, whatever suits you is the maxim here I think. Personally I draw a thin line high up right at the top of my cheekbone and blend down a little. This prevents the colour being too low on my face, dragging the look of my cheeks downwards, which can be quite ageing. The three little dots suggested doesn't work for me as it takes too long to blend them and for me gives me too much colour in the centre of my face and a less natural/even distribution of the colour.

A friend has pointed out that if you have acne or dry patches on your skin this will stain these areas more deeply than the skin around it so emphasising the flaws. So if you have any of these issues and want to try Benetint I would avoid until any dry patches or spots in the area to be applied are clear. Also if you have enlarged pores it can settle in them if you do not blend quite vigorously.

So far pretty positive, however when it comes to my lips I'm very disappointed in this, and I'm disappointed because I love it and want it to deliver what it promises. As mentioned earlier I adore the colour this gives my lips, the softest velvety sheer hint of rose red, when I asked the husband how it looked he said 'pretty and healthy give us a kiss' this is just how I like my lips to look. However application and longevity are where my issues with Benetint lie.

This is a stain and is meant to soak into the lips and last a long time, even if you wear gloss or balm over it. I apply this to bare conditioned lips; it sinks in fairly quickly though because of its watery consistency if I'm a little too generous with the amount on the brush it can run and gather slightly where the lips meet making the stain there a bit darker. If I'm quick and careful to apply in a few light applications rather than slosh it all on at once then the colour as above is beautiful, but on me it just doesn't last long enough, nor does it wear evenly off my lips. The longest the stain has lasted on my lips without fading is about 2 hours. This would be good for a lipstick but not what I expect from a stain. When it starts to fade it seems to fade from the plumpest part of my top lip out leaving a bit of a 'lip liner' effect. Strangely when I try and scrub off this lining effect to even up the colour it won't budge from there. It seems to sink in to the perimeter of my lips more than the centre for some reason. If I want this colour evenly on my lips for several hours I have no option but to top it up fairly regularly.

As Benetint is a watery liquid with no discernable emollients, waxes or moisturising ingredients I find that I do need to apply a non greasy balm or even moisturiser first and allow it to sink right in - not vaseline or similar as this doesn't sink in and will act as a barrier to the tint - then also apply gloss or balm over the top or my lips start to feel, and look dry. This addition doesn't seem to affect the longevity of the stain adversely, and with or without the balm or gloss there is no noticeable transfer of colour. The addition of gloss or balm makes the colour really pop and gives a more obvious look. I sometimes just use it as a base to zhuzh up other lipsticks that are too pale, or I've gone off and want to tamper with the colour a bit.

I have never experienced any difficulty removing Benetint it comes off my cheeks with my normal cleansers, on my lips an emollient cleanser is sometimes needed to remove that 'liner' look, but the rest has normally worn off by the time I want to cleanse anyway.

You can also get Benetint in a pocket/handbag friendly version, as Pocketpal with the tint at one end and a gloss at the other. I think this is a great idea for those that love the product because the full bottle is too bulky with a risk of the lid loosening to carry in a pocket or a handbag with confidence. Because I like the colour so much I would carry my full size bottle with me sometimes, but was constantly worried that the lid would become loose and the product would leak and stain my bag. Pocketpal is a bit expensive at £15.50 though. There is also a lighter pink version of Benetint available as Posietint.

I won't buy this again as it is more hassle to me than it's worth with it's drying effect, and tendency to wear off unevenly and more quickly than I would expect (on me), for the price I expected it to be as perfect as the blurb claims. An up side if this works well for you is that it lasts for ever which mitigates somewhat the hefty price tag. As mentioned above my full size bottle is an ancient 18 years old, when I first had it I used it a lot and it isn't even a third empty. I did compare it with my newer mini version, and while it seems a tiny bit less vibrant and a tiny bit 'thinner' it didn't irritate my lips, still smelt good and had the same look and longevity on my lips, which I thought was very impressive.


If you want to check out the ingredients they are available on the Benefit website: http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/product/view/ben etint