Lipstains are one of my very favourite products of all time. I love a pigmented colour that goes on in just one sweep and I love how long lasting they are. Tell me that I get colour and that I don't have to keep constantly reapplying and I'm yours in an instant. 

Through my lipstain addiction and in my quest to find the absolute best, I've come to the conclusion that not all lipstains are created equal. Sounds obvious, right? But when you look at the variety in pigmentation, consistency, formula and even packaging and application, you'll see that there are a ton of lip stains out there and some will work better for you than others. 

The more I thought about this, the more I thought that we needed our version of The Hunger Games. Only, not so depressing and with beauty products. So, welcome to the very first installment of the The Beauty Games! Today we're going to be battling, you guessed it, lipstains! We'll be putting them through a number of challenges to see which one holds up to our vigorous testing. I (Alexandra) will be testing and reviewing Maybelline Super Stay 10 hr Gloss Stain and Miranda will be testing out Benefit Benetint. We'll also be swatching them on our arms so you get a clear view of the colour. 

Here's what we'll be judging them on: 
Overall Application, Feeling, Look 
Kiss Test 
Rub Off Test 
Long Wear Testing (Eating and Drinking) 
 
Let's get started! Here's what each of the lipstains look like on: 
 

Alexandra: Modelling the Maybelline Super Stay 10hr Stain Gloss
Miranda: Modelling the Benefit Benetint 
 
And here's the swatch: 
 

Top: Maybelline 
Bottom: Benefit
 
Overall Application, Feeling, Look   

Alexandra: Overall, I liked this stain. It doesn't quite last 10 hours but for the price, I didn't really expect it to. It gets pretty dry as it wears down but it goes on really smooth and in a very bold deep red colour. I really like the packaging of this product too. Read my full review over here and be sure to add your own if you've tried it! 
 
Miranda: I really like this product because it gives me a sheer bit of colour to enhance my lips without looking like too much. The tint is a subtle rouge so immediately my lips transform from dark to a soft pink. The formula is quite watery but will not dry my lips out. It’s not messy and will undergo food and drinks without smudging off. This is perfect for all seasons. It’s great on the go and I found it to last up to 4 hours at most. Read more over here! 

Kiss Test + Rub Off Test: For this test, we used both tissue as well as makeup removing wipes. We tested to see how much lip colour came off and how it smudged (if at all). Again, I'm testing Maybelline and Miranda is testing out Benefit. 


1. Kiss Test, 2. Wipe/Rub Test, 3. Tested on makeup removing wipes 


Swatch wipe off test: 1. Benefit  2. Maybelline

The Long Lasting Test: So, after all that rigorous testing, what did our lips look like at the end of the day? 


The Verdict: While the Maybelline lipstain is much more pigmented, it also comes off a lot easier. The Benefit stain tends to wear off gradually whereas the Maybelline stain comes off first on your inner lip and creates a very unattractive lip liner effect. When we swatched them on our arms, we had to apply two layers of Benefit Benetint to show any colour at all. The Maybelline did leave quite a lot of visible residue in the swatch test. In the end, it really just depends on the desired effect. Do you want big colour or a subtle stain? 

I don't know if we can agree on a winner for this battle chicks, so we're putting it to you! Leave a comment and let us know which lipstain you think won the fight! We'll tally the votes and that lipstain will move on to round 2 (i.e. the major leagues)!