Brand: Revlon
Range: Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain
Shades: Romantic, Smitten, Sweetheart, Cherish, Darling
Swatched by yours truly: Yishan

• Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain’s are a lightweight lipstain with a pigmented flush of colour that’s long lasting and exceptional staining power that lasts for hours and hours.
• No lip balm required beforehand – the smooth gel formula glides on smoothly & softens lips for a supple, conditioned and moistured finish that looks fuller.
• Comes in a retractable chubby crayon applicator – no sharpening required.
• Available in 10 shades – Honey, Darling, Cherish, Lovesick, Sweetheart, Smitten, Charm, Romantic, Precious and Adore.
• Light peppermint fragrance.
• Tip: Make sure your lips are well exfoliated beforehand, otherwise this balm will stain in uneven patches.
• Verdict: As a testament to how amazing the staying power is, I had to photograph the lip swatches over 2 days (well spaced apart) and in a strategic sequence starting with the lightest to the darkest shade to make sure the stains from the previous swatch doesn’t interfere with the next shade.  I’m also amazed by how pigmented & moisturising they are without the need for any lip balm.   If you decide to change your lip colour just as soon as you applied it, the best makeup remover for taking off this stain is Clinique Take the Day Make Up Remover for Lids, Lashes & Lips.

Swatched without any lip balm.
Click below to view enlarged image

Darling & Cherish are better suited to pale lip tones as it contrasts against pigmented lips. That said, I liked the sweet pink stain that Cherish left on my lips as opposed to the red/fuchsia stains from the other shades.

The pink shades may look deceptively similar on my arm, but as you can see they are strikingly different on lips.

RRP: $17.95 AUD

This product was provided for consideration.

Brand: Rimmel
Range: Kate Moss Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick
Shades: 107, 111, 113
Swatched by yours truly: Yishan

• Further to my other Kate Moss Lasting Finish lipstick swatches (Part 1 and Part 2), today I have the Matte Lipstick which comes in a total 6 matte shades in a new matte red packaging.
• Formulated with Ruby Powder, the velvety matte finish is incredibly lightweight and flexible, making it comfortable to wear.  It does grip well to the lip surface, which means you get a richly pigmented seamless coverage, but the “character” of your lips stays visible with no particular smoothing effects other than the diffused matte finish.
• Out of the 6 shades available I received 3 shades – 107 (deep red), 111 (rich red) and 113 (nude).  In real life, shade 111 (rich red) is a richer red closer to how it looks on the tube, as opposed to a bright red which the swatches suggest.
• The formula is non-drying & looks much softer when applied on moisturised lips, or on top of a moisturising lip stain.   I only swatched 2 shades as I wasn’t so lucky with the nude shade 113, which clashed with my lip tone & accentuated every little lip flaw, even flakes I didn’t even know I had.  Therefore I only recommend the nude shade if you have a pale lip tone & no issues with dry lips.
• Long lasting rich pigments that fade gracefully
  
• Verdict: The matte red lip trend is here to stay, so if you’re looking to add a matte shade or two to your lipstick wardrobe that won’t break your wallet I recommend trying Rimmel Kate Moss’s matte lipstick range.  It’s pigmented enough that you only need a lip brush – no lip liner required.

Swatched over a layer of Nivea Lip Butter.

RRP: $12.95 AUD

These products were provided for consideration.

Brand: Yves Saint Laurent
Range: Rouge Volupte Shine
Shade: Fuchsia in Excess #5
Swatched by yours truly: Yishan

• YSL’s new Rouge Volupte Shine are a comforting lipstick with a luminous shine, and rich in fruit extracts (vitamins & antioxidants) that leave lips visibly softer and smoother with up to 8 hours of hydration.
• Melts on application, providing instant hydration (comparable with a lip balm), and is richly pigmented to give lips a wash of vibrant colour.
• Contains pomegranate and rosemary to reduces fine lines, and hyaluronic acid spheres to hydrate and soften lips.  The candellila resin forms a thin protective layer to seal in moisture and magnify shine.
• Whilst it’s excellent at hydrating lips, it doesn’t give any sculpting or line smoothing effects.
• Fuchsia in Excess is described as a “bright luminous pink”.  It looks like a berry red in the tube but sets on lips into a soft fuchsia  after a few minutes.  Once the moisture is absorbed it leaves lips with a stained effect that’s moderate in lasting power.
• Verdict: If you are contemplating between this and YSL Volupte Sheer Candy Gloss, I recommend hands down the Rouge Volupte Shine.  Despite being so similar in ingredients, Rouge Volupte Shine wins by a mile in both hydration and pigment.  On its own the sheerness makes the edges look diffused making it perfect for days you want your makeup to look vibrant but not overly done up.

RRP: $55 AUD

This product was provided for consideration.

In the lead up to World MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Day on 29 May, “Kiss Goodbye to MS” is a series of events now in it’s fourth year that encourages Australians to wear, dare and share red to raise awareness of MS and fundraise for research into better treatments and a cure.  In support of the cause, Australians will be wearing red lipstick, clothing and dying their red.  You can also support the cause by purchasing merchandise with the “red lips” motif.

For those that plan on wearing red lipstick for the cause, here are 5 tips for trying red lipstick particularly if it’s your first time!

1. Look at the colour of your veins to see if you’re warm, neutral or cool toned

Before choosing a red lipstick, take a moment to look at the colour of your veins to see if they lean towards blue or green.  You are cool toned if they look bluish, warm toned if they look green, or you may be neutral toned if the colour is in between.  Cool and neutral skin tones are suited to blue toned reds, and warm skin tones are suited to warmer reds.

2. Choose a shade of red that you’re comfortable with

If you’re wearing red lipstick for the very first time, a great way to ease your way into a red lip is to start with a sheer red  (Revlon Lip Butter “Candy Apple”) or a tinted lip balm  (Lanolips Lip Ointment in “Apples”).  If you are planning on going all the way with the ultimate red lip, choose a creamy, hydrating, long lasting formula to minimise the need for touch-ups during the day.  My top picks are Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick #11 for fair skin tones, Revlon Colorburst Lipstick “True Red” for medium skin tones,  and Maybelline ColorSensational Lipcolor “Red Revival” for darker skin tones.

3. Make your lipstick last with a lip pencil

The most effective way to make a red lippie last all day is to fill the lips entirely with red lip pencil before applying lipstick.  It also helps prevent lipstick from bleeding or feathering, and also helps create a precise edge that looks more polished. Some of my favourite yet affordable lip liner brands that have classic reds are Rimmel, Natio and Revlon.

4. Don’t have a lip brush? Use the shape of the lipstick bullet!

Place the tip of the lipstick bullet starting from the corner of your mouth & drag it along to your cupids bow to create a precise line. Repeat on the other corner, and use the same method for your bottom lip starting from each corner working your way to the centre.  Clean up any excess with a cotton tip or a clean finger.

5. Blot & remove excess with your index finger to prevent lipstick smudging

To prevent lipstick from smudging, blot the excess by stretching a tissue paper and pressing it gently against your lips.  Then insert a clean index finger into your mouth and pull it out.  The excess (that would have otherwise smudged on your teeth) will come off on your finger.

Other “red lippy” posts you might like to check out:

• Chapter 3 of my “Pout Perfect” eBook that shows you how to build your lipstick wardrobe, one colour group at a time
• Ingenious Lipstick Tips from MAC Senior Artist Nicole Thompson
• Flirtatious Red Lips for Valentines Day
• Swatches of all red lippies on Beauty Swatch

To find out more about “Kiss Goodbye to MS” events in your area, just click on your state at www.kissgoodbyetoMS.org

Brand: L’Oreal Paris
Range: Shine Caresse Lip Colour
Shades: Lolita 101, Romy 102, Marilyn 103, Princess 200, Juliet 300, Eve 400, Milady 402, Bonnie 501.
Swatched by yours truly: Yishan

• L’Oreal Paris Shine Caresse Lip Colours have an ultra-light fluid texture, that is a unique formulation of 30% water and 60% oil that boosts lip hydration and is comfortable to wear.
• The foam applicator has a hole in the centre, specially designed to remove any excess colour leaving a veil-like lustruous finish.
• The formula takes a while to set, making it easy to fix bloopers while it is still wet.
• Sheer buildable coverage – 2 layers is perfect for my pigmented lips, but for some shades I needed around as many as 3 layers for photography purposes.
• Available in 8 shades – Lolita, Romy, Marilyn, Princess, Juliet, Eve, Milady and Bonnie.

Are these dupes of YSL Glossy Stain?

• Both have lightweight fluid textures that have a non-sticky but slightly tacky finish.
• Both are long lasting and fade gracefully into a light stain, but YSL lasted slightly longer whilst L’Oreal left more of a stain.
• YSL sets quicker than L’Oreal where you’re left with that oil/water film that takes just a few more seconds to set.
• YSL has a more vibrant colour range & is richer in pigment but it’s offset by a water colour finish. Except for a few, most shades from L’Oreal are more subdued and need several layers to build coverage.
• YSL’s taste is noticeably synthetic, whereas L’Oreal has sweetened theirs slightly in an attempt to mask the synthetic taste – but I can still taste it.
• YSL does a better job at reviving tired dry lips & camouflaging lip flaws than L’Oreal, which only looks best on healthy lips.

Verdict: With both lip stains coming from the same umbrella company (YSL Beauty is owned by L’Oreal), it’s tempting to draw conclusions that they are dupes for each other.  I’d say that L’Oreal offers very impressive & similar results to YSL but I wouldn’t go as far as saying that one is replaceable for the other.  Where L’Oreal stands out from YSL is how easy it is to control just the right amount & it stains better than YSL if that’s what you like in a lip product.  Even though YSL has more sophisticated pigments, L’Oreal’s finish (once set) is more polished than the water colour finish of YSL that I find messy when combined with shades such as red & coral  hence why I only own one shade from YSL Glossy Stain).

Click on the lip swatches to view enlarged images.

Click on the lip swatches to view enlarged images.

RRP: $23.95 AUD

These products were provided for consideration.