UPDATE! Kissing Cousins: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain VS. Tarte LipSurgence

Thanks for bearing with me on Friday. I'm much better now. Of course, my sweet little Ronnie got a spider bite on his eye at 4:00 this morning, sending us to the Pet ER in a blinding thunderstorm, then back home for zero sleep before we had to be up for work, so I'm still a bit loopy. The puppy is fine and dandy, dandy and fine, but I'm zonked. I actually confused my acid reflux medicine with the sugar spoon this morning, and deliberately plopped the pill into my coffee. Couldn't fish it out, so I drank my Zantac, and you know what? Coffee sweetened with reflux meds tastes absolutely terrible. Oh well.

Anyhoo, I did manage to snag a couple of those Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains in Honey and Sweetheart, so I was able to see how they compare to the Tarte LipSurgence. I haven't tried the Clinique Chubby Sticks, so I don't know how similar they are. I'm sorry.

To start with, I only wanted the Honey, which is a pretty rosy nude. Then I saw that Walgreen's had them buy one get one 50% off, so I snapped up Sweetheart, too, since it looked very similar in color to my Tarte Enchanted. I figured I could really compare them that way. However, when I got home, I realized that the colors were quite a bit off from each other. Since I've not really had much of a call to wear hot pink this weekend, this review is mainly based off of Honey.

Pretty Packaging.
I also noticed that the Revlon is larger than the Tarte. Thought I'd throw that out there, too.

The packaging is very similar. The color of the stick is the color of the balm; both are retractable, but the Revlon has a pretty silver-toned twister, and the Tarte has a pretty silver-toned cap. The balm itself...well, there's really no comparison. The Tarte is much more transluscent, and feels more like a solid gel than the crayon-like texture of the Revlon. Both are highly pigmented, but the Tarte's pigmentation is just a little bit better, and much truer. Both felt very moisturizing, had lovely mint flavors, and proved to be long-lasting, but the Revlon does feather and slide more than the Tarte. Of course, the price points are wildly different, as well. Tarte will run you a steep $24, while the Revlon is just $8.99.

Swatch of Honey.

Here's the thing: I really like the Revlon. A lot. I've worn Honey almost exclusively this weekend, and loved the way it looked and felt. It's a great product. It's just not as great as the Tarte. It's also not anywhere as expensive, either. I just don't want anyone to get this thinking they're getting the exact same product for a third of the price. They're also not getting a cheap copy, either. The two products are similar, but they're not the same. As I remarked earlier, the Tarte is more of a gel stain, and the Revlon is more of a crayon balm. Again, both are wonderful products, but they are not the same.



Me, wearing Honey.
No, the funky angle doesn't mean I'm going through an art photography phase. I just can't shoot worth a flip.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a moisturizing stay-put stain and have the extra money, go with the Tarte. If you just want long-lasting, lightweight color, save yourself a lot of money and go with the Revlon.

Final Verdict (not as a comparison): 8 out of 10. Keep one on hand this Summer.