Is it just me or has Benefit Cosmetics been releasing so many fun products one after another? I visit my local Benefit counter at least once a month and every time I'd find something new. Not that I mind of course! I'm always happy to see new makeup! :) The product I am reviewing today isn't entirely new as it was released as a “teaser” last Fall. From what I know, the brand has recently launched these in many more colors (and in full-sized tubes!) so I thought now is the perfect opportunity to give you the lowdown on what to expect from these lipsticks!

Benefit They're Real! Big Sexy Lip Kit is a set of 4 They're Real! Double The Lip lipsticks. They are beautifully displayed in a sturdy brushed metal tin that is repurposable after removing the foam insert. Inside there's a product insert that explains how to use the lipstick. You'd think it's just a lipstick, why do I need to learn how to use it now? Well, it actually needs some getting used to and I'll explain more in a moment. As for the lipstick itself, it comes in a twist-up tube and is ironically dressed like the They're Real! Mascara. It has no scent which I'm glad as I'm not a big fan of the scent of most Benefit's lip products.

The set features 4 beautiful, classic colors that everyone should have in their kit:

Flame Game – a bright orange
Pink Thrills – a bright pink
Revved-Up Red – a bright coral red
Lusty Rose – a dusty soft pink

The color selection is pretty nice in my opinion. You have some basic colors appropriate for work days and also some bright colors to spice things up a bit on weekends or when needed!

Full ingredients

Flame Game
Lip Liner

INGREDIENTS: DIISOSTEARYL MALATE, ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, PHENYL TRIMETHICONE, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, LANOLIN OIL, OCTYLDODECANOL, EUPHORBIA CERIFERA (CANDELILLA) WAX, SILICA, CERA MICROCRISTALLINA (MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX), PARAFFIN, POLYETHYLENE, ISOSTEARYL ALCOHOL, BIS-DIGLYCERYL POLYACYLADIPATE-2, HYDROGENATED POLYDECENE, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, BENZYL ALCOHOL, SORBITAN OLEATE, BHT. [+/-: CI 12085 (RED 36, RED 36 LAKE), CI 15850 (RED 6, RED 7, RED 7 LAKE), CI 15985 (YELLOW 6, YELLOW 6 LAKE), CI 19140 (YELLOW 5, YELLOW 5 LAKE), CI 42090 (BLUE 1 LAKE), CI 45380 (RED 21, RED 21 LAKE, RED 22 LAKE), CI 45410 (RED 27, RED 27 LAKE, RED 28 LAKE), CI 73360 (RED 30, RED 30 LAKE), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), CI 77163 (BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE), CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77742 (MANGANESE VIOLET)].
N° 10149/A

Lipstick
INGREDIENTS: OCTYLDODECANOL, DIISOSTEARYL MALATE, PHENYL TRIMETHICONE, EUPHORBIA CERIFERA (CANDELILLA) WAX, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, LANOLIN OIL, SILICA, CERA MICROCRISTALLINA (MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX), PARAFFIN, POLYETHYLENE, ISOSTEARYL ALCOHOL, BIS-DIGLYCERYL POLYACYLADIPATE-2, HYDROGENATED POLYDECENE, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, BENZYL ALCOHOL, BHT. [+/-: CI 12085 (RED 36, RED 36 LAKE), CI 15850 (RED 6, RED 7, RED 7 LAKE), CI 15985 (YELLOW 6, YELLOW 6 LAKE), CI 19140 (YELLOW 5, YELLOW 5 LAKE), CI 42090 (BLUE 1 LAKE), CI 45380 (RED 21, RED 21 LAKE, RED 22 LAKE), CI 45410 (RED 27, RED 27 LAKE, RED 28 LAKE), CI 73360 (RED 30, RED 30 LAKE), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), CI 77163 (BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE), CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77742 (MANGANESE VIOLET)].
N° 10154/A

Pink Thrills
Lip Liner

INGREDIENTS: DIISOSTEARYL MALATE, ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, PHENYL TRIMETHICONE, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, LANOLIN OIL, EUPHORBIA CERIFERA (CANDELILLA) WAX, OCTYLDODECANOL, SILICA, CERA MICROCRISTALLINA (MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX), PARAFFIN, POLYETHYLENE, ISOSTEARYL ALCOHOL, BIS-DIGLYCERYL POLYACYLADIPATE-2, HYDROGENATED POLYDECENE, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, SORBITAN OLEATE, BENZYL ALCOHOL, BHT. [+/-: CI 12085 (RED 36, RED 36 LAKE), CI 15850 (RED 6, RED 7, RED 7 LAKE), CI 15985 (YELLOW 6, YELLOW 6 LAKE), CI 19140 (YELLOW 5, YELLOW 5 LAKE), CI 42090 (BLUE 1 LAKE), CI 45380 (RED 21, RED 21 LAKE, RED 22 LAKE), CI 45410 (RED 27, RED 27 LAKE, RED 28 LAKE), CI 73360 (RED 30, RED 30 LAKE), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), CI 77163 (BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE), CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77742 (MANGANESE VIOLET)].
N° 10147/A

Lipstick
INGREDIENTS: DIISOSTEARYL MALATE, PHENYL TRIMETHICONE, OCTYLDODECANOL, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, LANOLIN OIL, EUPHORBIA CERIFERA (CANDELILLA) WAX, SILICA, CERA MICROCRISTALLINA (MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX), PARAFFIN, POLYETHYLENE, ISOSTEARYL ALCOHOL, BIS-DIGLYCERYL POLYACYLADIPATE-2, HYDROGENATED POLYDECENE, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, SORBITAN OLEATE, BENZYL ALCOHOL, BHT. [+/-: CI 12085 (RED 36, RED 36 LAKE), CI 15850 (RED 6, RED 7, RED 7 LAKE), CI 15985 (YELLOW 6, YELLOW 6 LAKE), CI 19140 (YELLOW 5, YELLOW 5 LAKE), CI 42090 (BLUE 1 LAKE), CI 45380 (RED 21, RED 21 LAKE, RED 22 LAKE), CI 45410 (RED 27, RED 27 LAKE, RED 28 LAKE), CI 73360 (RED 30, RED 30 LAKE), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), CI 77163 (BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE), CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77742 (MANGANESE VIOLET)].
N° 10151/A

Revved up Red
Lip Liner

INGREDIENTS: DIISOSTEARYL MALATE, ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, PHENYL TRIMETHICONE, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, LANOLIN OIL, OCTYLDODECANOL, EUPHORBIA CERIFERA (CANDELILLA) WAX, SILICA, CERA MICROCRISTALLINA (MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX), PARAFFIN, POLYETHYLENE, ISOSTEARYL ALCOHOL, BIS-DIGLYCERYL POLYACYLADIPATE-2, HYDROGENATED POLYDECENE, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, SORBITAN OLEATE, BENZYL ALCOHOL, BHT. [+/-: CI 12085 (RED 36, RED 36 LAKE), CI 15850 (RED 6, RED 7, RED 7 LAKE), CI 15985 (YELLOW 6, YELLOW 6 LAKE), CI 19140 (YELLOW 5, YELLOW 5 LAKE), CI 42090 (BLUE 1 LAKE), CI 45380 (RED 21, RED 21 LAKE, RED 22 LAKE), CI 45410 (RED 27, RED 27 LAKE, RED 28 LAKE), CI 73360 (RED 30, RED 30 LAKE), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), CI 77163 (BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE), CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77742 (MANGANESE VIOLET)].
N° 10150/A

Lusty Rose
Lip Liner

Benefit They're Real! Big Sexy Lip Kit; L-R: Flame Game, Pink Thrills, Revved-Up Red, and Lusty Rose

Double The Lip lipsticks are unlike any lipsticks I've seen before in the sense that they perform double duty as a lip liner and lipstick in one application. This is achieved by having a custom teardrop tip where the pointed tip features a darker shade as a liner and the rounded bottom features a lighter shade as a lipstick. The pointed tip lines while the rest fills in simultaneously. In theory, this should give you an illusion of a perfectly contoured and fuller lips in one swipe. In reality? Things get a little tricky.

For me, I feel that the color difference between the liner and lipstick is too close. Coming from a person with rather dark lips, I barely see the liner shade once it is applied on my lips. It is not distinct enough to be a “contouring” shade. However, I actually find this a good thing as I'm not crazy about the look of having the edge of my lips in darker color than the rest of my lips! So at the end I'm thankful for this.
It's supposed to be a quick swipe-and-go application but if you have bigger lips, things may not be easy. Imagine applying a two-toned lipstick that has a pretty small tip. You can position the darker tip along the edge of the lips but then you're going to run into problems when trying to fill in the rest of the lips.
It takes some getting used to. On the upper lip, you can apply the lipstick like you normally do, but on the lower lip, you will have to flip the tip down to line your bottom lip. You'll get the hang of it after a few tries, though.
I also noticed that the dual-colored tip didn't seem to wear away evenly. The darker liner shade seems to be losing its precision tip at a rate that is faster than the rest of the lipstick. This doesn't affect me much as I can barely see the difference in shade on my lips anyway but for those whose lips are pale, the liner shade may not be as obvious as when you first start using it.

Onto the formula which I have a lot of nice things to say about!

I'm happy to report that the formula is consistent across all 4 colors. They are all nicely pigmented with medium to full coverage. They show up well and in true color even on my dark lips. I don't feel the need to neutralize my lip color prior to application.
All of them glide on the lips nicely with a buttery feel. The creamy and lightweight formula may fall into lip lines just slightly but nothing a little pressing your lips together can't fix. Blending is super easy, too!
The satin smooth finish sets with a subtle lovely sheen that makes your lips appear plump and full. They wear comfortably on me throughout the day without drying my lips.
Wear time is excellent for a creamy formula at about 4-5 hours before fading evenly into a soft stain. You may have to be a bit careful during the initial wear, though, as it might transfer a little.

If I had to find one small flaw it would have to be the fact that the liner shade has the same texture as the lipstick shade. To me, a lip liner should be drier and firmer to prevent bleeding/feathering of the lipstick. But since it's the same texture, I don't feel like it does much as a liner; it's just another lipstick in a darker shade.

Now let's see some close-up shots of each color!

Flame Game

Pink Thrills

Revved-Up Red

Lusty Rose

Comparison

Wearing Benefit They're Real! Big Sexy Lip Kit; Top: Flame Game (L) and Pink Thrills (R); Bottom: Revved-Up Red (L) and Lusty Rose (R) — Wearing Benefit They're Real! Big Sexy Lip Kit;
Top: Flame Game (L) and Pink Thrills (R)
Bottom: Revved-Up Red (L) and Lusty Rose (R)

Undoubtedly, Benefit They're Real! Double The Lip has a great concept and I applaud the brand for their unique approach. Who wouldn't like the idea of having a lip liner and lipstick together for a simultaneous application? However, for me the selling point is not the dual-hued tip but rather the creamy and long-lasting formula! I also love the color selection and the kit's reasonable price. I suggest you grab one ASAP! There are some colors in the full-sized lineup that really speak to me so I may be grabbing a few more of these to add to my collection soon!