Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

Hello Lovelies! I seem to be having a bit of a love affair lately with another makeup brand. Thank god for me (and my poor wallet) it's Revlon, an affordable, easily accessible brand! I've been pleasantly surprised with their recent releases such as the lip butters, their new Colorstay nail polishes, and now these beauties- the new Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains! 

I actually wasn't aware of this new launch, until a few days ago when I was in Target & found myself at the Revlon section browsing the nail polishes. While there, I picked up two colors: Rendezvous, a highly pigmented orange- coral & Cherish, a lighter cool-toned pink with lilac undertones. 

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous (Top) & Cherish (Bottom)

Happily, the color cherish is almost a dupe for one of my favorite lip products, tarte's LipSurgence Natural Lip Stain in Charmed. On the lips, both products look very similar, with Revlon's Cherish just a bit cooler & more lilac toned than tarte's Charmed. 

Rendezvous comes across as a vibrant orange with hints of coral on my lips. I can't help but feel like a bit of a 50's throwback (in a good way) when wearing this color, especially when paired with a little flick of black liquid liner on the eyes. 

For the price (I believe I paid $7.99 each) I think these are great lip products. They are very pigmented & feel comfortable on the lip. They are nowhere near as drying as the previous generation of Revlon lip stains that are liquid & come in a marker form. As far as their claim of being moisturizing however, I'm not completely sold. I wouldn't say that they dried my lips out, but I prefer to wear these with a little extra balm or lip gloss on top for some added moisture. To be fair, I don't purchase lip stains for their "moisturizing" capabilities. Even with my beloved tarte lip stains, I still wear lip gloss on top. 

As far as wear time, I would say these are ok. They lasted on my lips for about 2-3 hours before I started to see a bit of fading & had to reapply. For comparison, I would say my tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Stain pencils last about 4-5 hours on my lips before I feel the need to reapply. The tarte lip stains do also feel nicer & more creamy on the lips in my opinion, whereas the Revlon ones feel a little more waxy.

Swatches: Cherish (Top) & Rendezvous (Bottom)

Overall I have to say I'm pretty impressed with Revlon's new Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. They may not be quite as lovely as the high end lip stains on the market, but for nearly $16 (or more) cheaper, I think they are a pretty great alternative.

What do you think about lip stains? What is your go-to brand?

Thanks for reading!

Lots of Love,

Louise