SAVE/SPLURGE: LIP & CHEEK STAIN

• MEGHAN

I bought my first bottle of Benefit Benetint ($30) in 1997 on a school-sponsored field trip to the Mall of America, handing over babysitting money for a tiny bottle of rose-colored stain I’d seen advertised in my Aunt Cyndi’s back issues of Vogue. Forever a spend-thrift, I treasured the stuff as if it were liquid gold, rationing it out in tiny drops, milking that same bottle way past high school graduation.
Now, oh-so many years later, I’ve discovered a dupe of Benefit’s cult classic in the aisle of Sally Beauty Supply: Femme Couture’s Lip & Cheek Stain ($5). Featuring a slick gel-stick on one side and a long-lasting rosy lip stain on the other, this two-in-one wonder imparts the same seductively sheer flush as Benetint, but at a fraction of the price. Both ends are incredibly easy to apply, and the compact size makes it easy to tote to work (I love not having to bring along a brush and blush). And given the bargain-basement price, I don’t have to worry about rationing it out, leaving me feeling older, wiser and richer.