theBalm Staniac Review

 In my July Birchbox I received a sample of theBalm’s Staniac lip/cheek stain. I was so excited to try this out when I saw it because I am soooo into lip/cheek stains for summer… they just make life easier in the heat! I have to say, I’ve never tried theBalm’s makeup before and I was surprised by what I thought of this stain!

Let’s start with the good first! As a cheek stain, this product is amazing! The fact that it is a stain makes you worry free in regards to makeup meltdown because this sets in your skin and stays put! With that said… blending of this product is CRUCIAL! While it is very sheer and buildable.. you can end up looking splotchy or completely embarrassed if not done right! I used my fingers to apply this because it seemed to make the application smoother! You don’t have a ton of time to work with, so only do one cheek at a time! The consistency of this product is gel-like, but a thin gel! It doesn’t feel so thick that it would clog my pores, but it does feel gooey. It’s also pretty cold when you first apply it, but in this heat… that’s refreshing! lol

Now for the second half of this review…. *cue dramatic music* When applied to my lips, this product is a nightmare! I have pretty dark lips, and this product is just too sheer to work for them. The picture shown is with SIX applications of this product. I applied it to my lips, let that layer dry, and then add another! That requires too much product to get the color payoff I would like. That top lip barely had any of the red tint to it! Honestly, the picture is giving them more color than I noticed in person! I also reeeeeeally dislike the way the gel feels on my lips! I also found it to be somewhat drying! It could be because I had 547874874653 coats on my lips… or maybe the product is just drying itself! Either way, this will not be a go-to lip stain for me!

If you have lighter color lips maybe you could give this a whirl and let us know what you think! As far as a cheek stain.. I say go for it! It gives the perfect flush to add color to your face! I love Birchbox because I always get to try new things! If you haven’t signed up and you are pretty adventurous with your beauty routine, you should give them a try, too!

Hope you guys had a Happy Fourth! See you in the comments 😉

Xo