Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains

As you may have noticed by now, I don't buy or use a lot of drugstore cosmetics. It's not because I don't think they're as good as their higher end counterparts (though in same cases it is true), but mostly because I worked as a cosmetician at a drugstore for so long and got really sick of those brands, and partially because I tend to get those higher end counterparts for about the same price now. But once in a while, there will be a product by a drugstore brand that gets a lot of hype on the blogosphere, YouTube, or in magazines that really piques my interest. In this case, it's Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. I'm not sure exactly when they came out, but it was in the last few months or so that they started to get really, really popular. And, so, when I saw that they were on sale a few weeks ago at Shoppers Drug Mart, I decided to pick up several shades. They are described as "a pampering balm fused with a lightweight lip stain" that promises "softer, smoother lips with a perfect flush of colour that lasts hour after hour." They are peppermint-scented and are slightly flavoured. Each Balm Stain comes in shade-matched self-sharpening "crayon" barrels, contains 2.7 grams of product, and retails for $8 to $12, depending on the retailer (from what I've seen in stores so far).

Darling, Cherish, and Sweetheart

Darling, Cherish, and Sweetheart

Darling is a medium cool purple-toned pink with a sheen. This is a permanent shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has light-medium pigmentation and semi-sheer to semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. It is lighter and less purple than MAC Up The Amp, more pink than MAC Asian Flower Sheen Supreme Lipstick, and darker and more purple than Revlon Strawberry Shortcake Lip Butter. 

Cherish is a light-medium slightly cool-toned cotton candy pink with a sheen. This is a permanent shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has light-medium pigmentation and semi-sheer to semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. It is slightly lighter and cooler than MAC Hot Gossip, brighter and more pink than MAC Syrup, and slightly darker and cooler than Revlon Cotton Candy Lip Butter. 

Sweetheart is a medium reddened pink with a sheen. This is a permanent shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has light-medium pigmentation and semi-sheer to semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. It is slightly cooler and less bright than MAC Lustering, brighter and more pink than Clinique Woppin' Watermelon Chubby Stick, and less pigmented than Revlon Sweet Tart Lip Butter.

Lovesick, Smitten, and Crush

Lovesick, Smitten, and Crush

Lovesick is a medium-dark vibrant cool-toned fuchsia pink with a sheen. This is a permanent shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium pigmentation and semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. It is slightly warmer than MAC Lickable, much cooler than MAC Lustering, brighter and less red than Clinique Chunky Cherry Chubby Stick, and slightly darker and more sheer than Revlon Lollipop Lip Butter. 

Smitten is a medium-dark vibrant cool-toned berry pink with a sheen. This is a permanent shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium pigmentation and semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. It is darker than MAC Lickable, more sheer than MAC Quite The Thing! Sheen Supreme Lipstick, brighter and much more pink than Clinique Super Strawberry Chubby Stick, and a touch lighter than Revlon Raspberry Pie Lip Butter. 

Crush is a darkened berry wine red with a sheen. This is a permanent shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium pigmentation and semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. It is lighter and more sheer than MAC Hang-Up, lighter and cooler than MAC Good to be Bad Sheen Supreme Lipstick, and slightly darker and cooler than Revlon Red Velvet Lip Butter.

I've always been wary of wearing lip stains — I mean, sure, the colour stays on your lips all day and all night, but they look like total crap because all the moisture has been sucked out of them and you have to keep re-applying balm or gloss to make them look remotely alive. But not with these babies! Finally, a lip stain that I can get on board with! They don't have opaque colour coverage (though the darker and brighter shades are buildable enough to get almost opaque), but I like that your lips show through these because they actually look like they've stained your lips, which is really the point of a lip stain, you know?

They stay on incredibly well and have a natural sheen that keeps lips looking hydrated. They are not the most moisturizing lip product, granted, but I didn't feel the need to put a secondary balm or gloss on top. The darker and brighter shades stayed on my lips for the entire duration of wear including eating, drinking, and smoking, and actually stained my lips to the point where I still managed to wipe some off the next day. The lighter shades stayed on my lips for the entire duration of wear, also including eating, drinking, and smoking, but they didn't stain my lips and came off easily when I was removing the rest of my make-up. I also love that they're housed in crayon barrels so they're fuss-free and easy to apply. Overall, I'm really impressed with these. Revlon took an idea that previously needed two separate products — the lip stain colour and a gloss/balm — and made the perfect hybrid formula.