review and swatches: revlon colorstay moisture stain in london posh

It's the last instalment of the glossy stain posts guys, for now anyway. I thought I'd feature a different colour this time- we've had our fill of reds, haven't we? We have. Introducing the latest offering from Revlon: the colorstay moisture stain. I keep writing 'colour', with a U, then checking myself (before wrecking myself).

  Design-wise, this is a streetwise and funky version of the YSL. We still have the boxy rectangular packaging, but the rounded corners are replaced with unapologetic edges. It's not so posh, but I really like it. It's modern and cool and a bit different to the pretty curves that tend to grace the makeup aisles. Like the YSL too, the moisture stain also has a wide paddle-shaped applicator which handles well and distributes the perfect amount of product.

  As for texture, well, this is where it gets a little weird. It applies thick but really wet feeling, and it looks and feels like spreading a puréed slug over your lips. It's sort of plasticky and gooey and streaky. I was genuinely really disappointed, and was part hoping mine just happened to be dodgy one and that they weren't meant to be all icky. But then, relief! after a few seconds, all that plastic-ness seemed to melt away into a balmy, non-sticky, easy to spread texture, Hurrah! What an emotional whirlwind. I think I might need a lie down.

Revlon colorstay moisture stain - London posh 

  Anyway, yeah. The texture is lovely- just don't be deterred by the first spreadage of gunkery. It's actually really moisturising through wear. Now, onto the colour. London Posh is the palest of the (impressive) shade selection, and the closest to nude territory. It's a warm peach shade- it looks more pink in the tube- with subtle gold iridescence that adds luminosity and a rather glamorous perk to an otherwise unassuming shade. I really love it. Unfortunately, I can't comment on the staining properties of this as the shade is too light to really do anything to my pigmented lips, but some of the deeper shades look like they could pack a punch, or ten.  

    It's a thumbs up from me, and at £7.99, they're not gonna break the bank. If you've tried any other shades, let me know how they fared in the staining stakes yeah? Ta. x

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Lip Stain (Vernis A Levres), review and swatches.

Right, so you know how I said I was gonna do some themed posts? I'm thinking of covering lip velvet products and lip and cheek products, but I'm gonna start off with some staining gloss products. And what better product to kick this off than the now cult status lippie, the YSL glossy stain. With a fluffy, ergonomically shaped paddle-style applicator that hugs the lip contour precisely, the brand's trademark gold casing embellished with the logo, and a handy little window to show the colour, this is well designed and looks as expensive as it is. £21.25 from feelunique.com, but usually at £25. Ouch. That said, it's not as show-off-ish as some other YSL offerings, and I know you know I'm thinking of the Rouge Voluptes, which are almost too beautiful to use.

    Now, I'm not much of a gloss fan. I don't like the stickiness or the transfer or the lack of wear time or the lack of pigment. That's why I'm loving this; It combines the best bits about gloss (er, glossiness) with the pigmentation of a lipstick and the hydration of a balm and the longevity of a stain. Pretty good, huh?

ysl rouge our couture glossy lip stain- shade 33

  Really, the texture and finish are great. The formula glides on and somehow manages to stay glossy for a long time, whilst magically locking the colour to your lips. If you've tried other felt pen type lip stains, you'll know that the fade is often unattractive and the finish is uneven, or they just don't last like they promise. So a fabulous stain formula is no small feat. And did I mention it's not sticky? It's not sticky.

   I have shade 33, Bourogne Artistique, which is a deep berry stain that looks lovely aound this time of year. I find it really brightens up my face.

So yeah, I like it. But hot damn is it pricey. And there are much cheaper products that promise similar things. But are they any good?

Ah. You'll just have to wait and see, won't you? :)