These pencil style lipsticks appear to be taking the beauty world by storm the last six months or so. As a general rule, I’m a fan, they’re easy to apply without a mirror, and they fit in my handbag nicely. I have loved Clinique, Bourjois, Revlon, Soap and Glory, NARS and Max Factor’s offerings, and have built up quite the collection. However, only NARS offered a matte lip look in pencil form.
When Revlon announced they were revamping their Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain line (and ditching the name, thank god, longest product name ever?), to include the original balm line, lacquer line and matte balm, I was practically hopping with excitement. I poured over reviews from our blogging friends in the states, analysed swatches, made wishlists, and wrote the release date in my diary. Obsessive I know, but hey, I’ve never admitted mental stability, and I’m on a lipstick thing at the moment.
I was filling time in Westfield on a long uni lunchbreak when I stumbled upon a fully stocked Revlon stand, complete with the Colourburst balms, a whole six days before their release date. I nearly had a heart attack, and poor Joanna got very bored when I proceeded to swatch every single colour up my arms.
I had a list of five or six colours I thought I’d like (shh, I know, it was for the blog!), but after some laborious swatching, I actually found it easy to leave with only two. I found the Colourburst Lacquer Balms really disappointing. The formula was glossy to the point of wet look, and nearly every single shade had a really chunky glitter. I tried to find one I thought I’d wear, but none of them looked likely. When it came to the Colourburst Matte Balms, the formula I loved, but the shade range was just a bit strange, they definitely didn’t look as good in real life, all the colours just looked a bit off.
I settled for two, Elusive and Standout, both Matte balms. The formula of these is downright incredible, completely matte without being dry at all, and incredibly long lasting, not even burger munching disturbs these once they’re on. Elusive is a gorgeous rosy pink, very easy to wear with any eye look, and a definite handbag essential. Standout is a bold berry toned red, slightly darker than the likes of MAC Ruby Woo, but more pink toned than Russian Red. It’s an incredibly flattering shade, I can’t imagine any skin tone it wouldn’t suit.
They still have that minty smell that the original Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains had, which is annoying since I’m not the biggest fan of mint, but they are transfer-proof, you won’t be leaving lipstick marks on your drink, sandwich or other half’s face, which is a bonus, right?
I love the two shades I picked up, I’ve been wearing them so much and can’t fault them, but I can’t see myself picking up any more. The shades are just a bit… weird.
Have you tried the Revlon Colourburst Matte and Lacquer Balms yet?