Benefit’s New Lavender Pink Lollitint Cheek and Lip Tint Is Pretty Sweet!

I’ve been wearing Benefit’s cheek and lip stains off and on for the better part of, oh, the past 13 years (give or take).

In my early 20s, Benetint was TOTALLY my jam, and I wore it all the time. In fact, I traveled the country spreading the gospel of its wonders to the makeup masses!

OK, not really. 🙂 But I do remember driving across Washington state with my ex-boyfriend and his two teenage nieces in 1999 to see a concert at The Gorge.

It was the first time I saw Beyonce in concert (*tears*), and as I was putting on my makeup in the car, one of the girls asked me about the bottle of Benetint in my makeup bag. I was thrilled by her interest and did two impromptu makeovers right there.

Part of me wishes I’d taken that as a sign to pursue a job in beauty, but alas, it was a hint I totally ignored at the time. I mean, when you feel compelled to help two teens discover the wonders of lip and cheek stains in a cramped Subaru, it’s gotta be a sign.

Anywho, even though we all had vastly different skin tones, Benetint looked great on all of us, and I think that’s one of the reasons Benefit’s tints are so appealing — the colors seem to work well on everyone!

I’m hoping (and betting) that’ll also be the case with Lollitint, the newest member of the Benefit tint family.

Worn sheer on me, Lollitint looks like a very sweet lavender pink, but build it up with multiple layers, and you get a brighter, intensely purple-pink fuchsia.

Very cool.

Now, I know that the thought of wearing violet on your face might seem a little scary at first, especially if you’ve always stuck to traditional pinks and peaches, but please give it a chance. This one’s surprisingly wearable — shockingly so on cheeks.

Like Benefit’s other tints, Lollitint works best on me when I apply it on bare skin. For some reason, the liquid formula lasts longer when there aren’t a lot of other face products up in the mix. If it’s just Lollitint on top of bare cheeks, I get a good 8-9 hours of wear.

That said, Lollitint does do pretty well on top of BB creams and tinted moisturizes, as long as I only use very little. Too much of either, and Lollitint starts acting difficult, refusing to absorb as evenly as it does when I wear it by itself.

How about wearing it with liquid foundations? Well, I think I’ve found a way…

If I swipe a few strokes of Lollitint on the back of my hand first, and then take a dense synthetic foundation brush (I’m using one from last year’s Sephora Collection IZAK Brush Set), press and swirl the brush head into the liquid to help the bristles pick up as much of the product as possible, and then press the brush on the apples of my cheeks using a tapping motion and a moderate amount of pressure, it works well! — and I get the blush on there nice and even without messing up the foundation underneath.

I like Lollitint as a lip tint, too. I have to apply 2-3 layers to really get it to show up on my pigmented lips, though, and you may want to make sure that you aren’t wearing anything else on your lips as a base, because even if I’m just wearing a layer of lip balm under it, Lollitint won’t adhere as well as it does on my bare lips. Plus, if there are any flakes present whatsoever, Lollitint will cling to ’em (so not cute).

Lollitint is fun and easy to use (especially if you use it by itself) and should suit makeup minimalists who want a bit of color on their cheeks. If you have a young niece or daughter beginning to show an interest in blush (or you’re a blush newbie yourself!), I think it’s a good starter blush, too.

Officially, the release date is January 2014, so your nearby Benefit counter may or may not have it in stock yet, but if you can’t wait, head over to benefitcosmetics.com, where it is currently available now online ($30 for a 4-ounce bottle).

PRICE: $30
AVAILABILITY: Coming soon to Benefit counters but available now online at benefitcosmetics.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen