L'Oreal Color Riche Caresse Wet Shine Stains-Swatches & Review

Hello dolls.  I finally picked up three of the new L'Oreal Color Riche Caresse Wet Shine Stains to try.  Whew.  That was a mouthful.   I have been seeing these all over Youtube and really wanted to give them a whirl.  I love the idea of a lipgloss and a lipstain being married into one product.  Keep reading below to see my thoughts.

I picked up three colors to try, #184 Rose on and on #187 Infinite Fuchsia and #183 Pink Resistance.  I chose two colors that were more neutral toned because these lipstains can be quite pricey.  I didn't want to shell out a lot of money for something that I'm not going to wear very often.  

The price point on these lipstains range anywhere from $8 to $10 depending on where you live and where you go.  I got mine from Target, where they were retailing for $7.99 each.  But-I printed off Target coupons for $2 off and stacked them with a manufacturer coupon for $1 off, so I only ended up paying around $5 for each of these.  (If you are interested in this product, I would recommend printing off the Target coupon asap because who knows when they might take it down!) 

Anyhow, the packaging is somewhat luxe- with gold plastic and a window of color with a tapered off kind of tube.  They come with a flat, slanted tear drop applicator, which makes application a breeze.  

The center of the tear drop is where you get the most deposit of color, and then the tip of the tear drop makes it possible to get into the corners of your lips without getting gloss everywhere.  Thank you L'Oreal, for thinking of this.  I would say packaging is at an A- for me.

First up is Pink Resistance.  I thought that this would be more pink, thus the name, but on the lips it turns up more coral.

As you can see, application is very sheer and it applied very smoothly.  It doesn't have any patchiness and didn't slip and slide everywhere, like some glosses tend to do.   I just wish it didn't pull so coral on me.

This one is Rose on and on.  This one has more noticeable shimmer to it, and you can tell from my lips that those specks flash gold.  It makes my lips look like a glossier version of mylipsbutbetter color.

I did end up getting one fun color, and that one was Infinite Fuchsia.  I tend to lean towards fuchsias and reds anyways when I want a more glamorous look so this one fit the bill.  This one is definitely more pigmented than the other two and is almost like a liquid lipstick.  It pulls more cranberry on me though, than what the color on the tube shows.

I would say that these lipstains wear very comfortably for me.  I was worried that they might be drying or not very long lasting, but they actually held up pretty well.  The gloss on top didn't migrate or bleed for me at all which was very nice.  Infinite Fuchsia did get a little bit sticky, but I think that might have been because it was more pigmented than the softer shades. 

Once the gloss on top wears away though, you are left with a pretty noticeable stain on your lips.  I suspect that some of these stains might look similar on your lips, even if at first swipe they differ in color.  Also, I noticed that just because it looks even, doesn't mean the stain will set evenly.  I definitely noticed that when I wore Infinite Fuchsia.   

Swatches done on my arm:

Gloss wiped away & stain underneath:

I think that in this case, I like these lipstains better as glosses.  They just wear prettier in gloss form for me.  I wouldn't mind purchasing the Endless Red color just to see how that one fares, but I think that of the twelve shades, I'm pretty happy with the choices that I made.

 

What do you think?  Is this a product that you are willing to try?  Please comment below and let me know if you have any further questions.

Love,

Revlon-Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain: Romantic & Honey

Hey dolls.  Here are two more Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains that I got recently.

Yup, I picked up another two of these babies.  I saw Honey featured on someone else's blog, and I knew I had to have it.  

These are quite expensive though, for a drugstore cosmetic.  I bought these at $8.99 a pop, though I'm sure you could find them for cheaper at Walmart or on sale.

 Swatches in natural light:

I do adore these and love how wearable they are.  I don't think that  I will be picking up anymore though, because I think I have all of the colors that I want.  *I think* :)

xoxo

Revlon-Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain: Charm & Lovesick

Hey dolls.  I finally picked up two of these babies to try.  I have been reading about them for a while now and could not wait to get my hands on them.  I got Lovesick, the fuchsia color and Charm, the peachy neutral.

Lovesick:

Charm:

up close:

swatches:

I have been wearing Charm for a couple of days now.  I detect a slight minty scent upon application, but it disappears after a while.  It leaves a neutral color on my lips- but leaves my lips stained a soft coral color after a couple minutes of wear.  

Lovesick isn't quite as pigmented as I would have liked, but it's still a pretty color nonetheless.  I do plan on picking up more of these colors to try out though.  Which one is your favorite?

xoxo

the Balm Cosmetics-Oh So Versatile

Hey dolls.  I went to TJ Maxx the other day to check out if they still had any of the the Balm cosmetics products left over from the holidays.  I scored this set for only $10- which is a great deal because the set normally retails for around $50!

 the Balm set

This particular set came with a lip/cheek stain, a bronzer and a blush.

First up is this lip/cheek stain:

 On lips:

 Swatched on hand:

The full size version of this retails for $17 just by itself, so I thought it was awesome that it came in this package.  As you can see, it leaves my lips a pretty raspberry stain.  On the back of my hand, it left behind a sheer tint after being blended out.

Here is a look at the bronzer:

The packaging says that this particular product can be used as a bronzer, eye shadow or for contouring.

 

 I love the vintage-esque look going on:

 This is actually encased in another cardboard package:

 When you open it up, there is a small mirror included:

 Up close:

 Swatch:

 And here is the blush:

 Again, the cute packaging:

 The packaging states this can be used on the cheeks or as an eyeshadow, but I will only be using this a blush:

 Up close:

 Swatch:

 Upon first swatch, this blush reminded me of Nars Orgasm.  So - I pulled it out and swatched them for you to see:

 Swatches: the Balm Hot Mama! on left and Nars Orgasm on right

As you can see, these are close, but Orgasm has more pink-gold in it than Hot Mama! does.  Hot Mama! has more coral in it.  But, I would make a definite bet that on the cheeks, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.  This blush is probably the closest dupe to Orgasm that I have.

Final Thoughts

Pros:

•  Different sets available for purchase
• Great range of products
• Pigmented 
• Cute packaging
• Paraben free 
• Products do double-duty i.e. shadow & blush
• Affordable (if purchased at TJ Maxx & other like retailers)

Cons:

• Limited selection (@TJ Maxx)
• Expensive if purchased at the Balm cosmetics store/Sephora

Overall, I am very happy with this purchase.  I would recommend this brand and I would definitely repurchase if the opportunity presents itself.

Do you own anything from the Balm?  Any recommendations?

xoxo