Review: Why you will love Benefit's balmy stains if you love shine, moisture, and color in one
Product photography by Perkin Gotohio
I don’t know about you, but I’m absolutely living for the comeback of shiny lips. I spent most of the early naughts obsessing over finding the best lip gloss and wet-look lipstick (remember Watershine?), so I get instant nostalgia from a glassy pout. But what makes the 2020 trend resurrection so much better is how the current technology allows for us to get equal amounts of pigment and shine, where we used to have to top a lipstick with gloss to get a similar effect.
Well, the Benefit California Kissin’ ColorBalms (P1,400 from Sephora.ph) are the perfect example of getting the best of both worlds. You get the pigmentation of a lipstick or a lip tint, the juicy but more subdued sheen of a lip gloss stick, and the hydration of a lip balm. So if you’re thinking of the usual tinted lip balm with a subtle hint of color, this isn’t it. You’re actually getting a hydrating lipstick that produces a glossy tint look.
And while I am used to glossy lipsticks generally having a slippery glide upon application, the ColorBalms are surprisingly creamy and feel more like a traditional lipstick in that regard. As with a lot of high-shine lip products, the formula doesn’t really set. Pressing the lips together does cause the color, particularly of the darker or more vibrant shades, to migrate towards the outer corners of the mouth.
Because this transfers, re-application after meals is necessary. Hydration lasts for 4-5 hours on me, which is remarkable as other lippies in the same category usually feel all dried out in 2-3 hours. I fell asleep with one of them on and woke up with lips that didn’t feel flaky.
There are 12 shades in the collection, and I got to try 11 of them.
Nude Pink is a light brownish pink MLBB shade.
Berry is a mauve-y dusty rose MLBB.
Peach Pink is a milky light pastel peach. Pastel lip colors usually make me look washed out, but this isn’t so opaque that that happens.
Coral is a hot coral pink with a hint of milkiness.
Cherry is a vibrant candy-red that leans cool.
Poppy is a hot orange red with an electric feel.
Pink Rose is a medium warm Barbie pink.
Fuchsia is a medium hot fuchsia.
Spiced Red is a brownish brick red.
Ruby is a cool-toned dark cherry red.
Wine is a deep garnet.
Swatches L-R: Nude Pink, Berry, Peach Pink, Coral, Cherry, Poppy, Pink Rose, Fuchsia, Spiced Red, Ruby, Wine
I want to add that I find the lipstick tube design adorable. It reminds me of Benefit’s earlier products, when the retro theme was much stronger. Remember the Bathina body balm or the Kitten shimmering powder? And speaking of their past offerings, here’s a fun fact: California Kissin’ was originally a squeeze tube of blue-tinted, minty lip gloss that was meant to make teeth look whiter.
Are you all for shiny lips, or are you sticking to the mattes? Let me know on the comments below!
You can purchase Benefit and other brands from Sephora.ph. As it happens, they’ll have 20% off sitewide on 10.10! ;)
