L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Wet Shine Stain Rev--Oh, Let's Just Call It What It Is--RAVE!

Here's my pick for favorite long-wearing Summer lippie. I know that the other day I posted about the Rimmel Show Off (Apocalips...whatever...) liquid lip lacquers, and said that while they were okay, they were a little drying, and just not my favorite. Of course, I also said that I probably wouldn't pick up any more, and I totally did today, so what do I know? It's my birthday...it was sparkly...I need help...

Anyhoo, in case you were wondering what my favorite actually is, it's the L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Wet Shine Stain. Well, that's a mouthful.

The first time I tried this, I hated it. Flat-out despised. I don't remember why, though, to be perfectly honest. I just remember that I thought it sucked, and I tossed it in the back of my traincase, presumably never to be seen again...

...But then, I needed an orange lip color. I don't remember why. I also don't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, and ocassionally can't remember my phone number. For whatever reason, though, I needed an orange lippie, and Coral Tattoo was the only one available. You know what? I loved it!! It was easy to appy, true to color, shiny, lightweight, moisturizing...pretty much everything you could want. I picked up Rose On and On the next time I was at Walgreen's, and it's become a staple. I don't have a shot of Coral Tattoo, but here's the Rose On and On:

Isn't that gorgeous?! You get great color payoff, and it's comfortable. It's like pajama pants for your mouth. You just throw it on and forget about it. I wore Coral Tattoo to a friend's baby shower, and after a couple of hours of eating, drinking, and talking, it hadn't budged. Today, I wore Rose On and On to lunch with my family, and while I did need to touch it up afterwards, it was only because the shine had worn off. The color was still there.

Photo Credit: Crushing On Clothes
This blogger has some lovely swatches, so head on over there! This is Coral Tattoo, by the way.

I could continue to extol upon the virtues of this lip color...so I will! The packaging is too pretty for words. The tube is gold with a little clear window to display the shade inside. The product is scented, but it's a light, floral scent that fades upon application. It's sticky enough to stay put, but not so sticky that it's obnoxious or causes you to eat hair every time the wind blows. It's supposedly a budget-friendly (less than $10, depending on where you go) dupe for the YSL Glossy Stain, and while I have not tried that (because it's freaking expensive), I would believe the L'Oreal to be high end. Basically, it's just a d*** fine lippie.

Final Verdict: I have no cons. None. This is a rare 10 out of 10.

And now, because it's my birthday, and my awesome baby brother took me out to lunch to celebrate (on his dime, I might add), I have to add this photo, because it makes me happy. I love that kid so much.

Happy Thursday, everyone! 

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.