We always forget to reapply lipstick. It's just one of those character flaws that we are resigned to living with. Which would be fine if we had a lighter hand with the eyeliner. A naked mouth on a faceful of makeup can look really unbalanced.

Fortunately we found stains, which give a bit of color, a lot of staying power, and are easy to use. Just apply stain before you lipstick or gloss, and even if you talk/eat off all of your lipstick, at the end of the night you'll still have some color on your mouth.

We also love stains because they can be multi-purposed as blusher, without that grandma-ish powdery feel. One quick swipe and you have a fetching glow.

So versatile, so pretty. And so many to choose from. The best of the best in the gallery.

When cosmetics companies put together collections of best-selling products during the holiday season, I'm typically unimpressed with the results. For one, it's rarely cheaper to buy the products together than it is individually. I'm also not always crazy about the items in the first place -- so why would I buy something I didn't want just to get some dopey box or basket?

Now that we have that out on the table, I have to say that Benefit's anniversary gift collection "The Best of Benefit" available at Sephora is not only a great deal ($73 value for $42), it's a regular powerhouse of awesome makeup. I can honestly say that I LOVE all three of the products that come in this keepsake package. The Dandelion luminizer has been a daily staple of my makeup routine for going on three years now. And while I'm less addicted to the other two products, I certainly wouldn't mind using them for a couple of months. It's a special edition collection that is actually worth buying, so much so, that I just bought two.