As many of you may know the new Revlon Kissable Balm Stains have arrived in the UK. I bought two from Boots.com (about a week ago) and I bought one from Superdrug (again, about a week ago now). I bought the shades: Honey, Romantic and Crush. I bought two shades (romantic and crush) from Boots as they where the only two I wanted and they don't stock the shade 'Honey'. I had to buy 'Honey' from Superdrug and this shade I wanted most.
Packaging and Formula
Firstly, I love the packaging. The balm stain comes as a large crayon - like the Clinique Chubby Sticks and these are a cheap high street rip off of the Chubby Sticks. I do really like the packaging as it makes the product really easy and quick to use. I also like solid formula of this product, as usually lip stains are gel or liquid formulas but this is a solid stick. The solid formula makes this product incredibly easy to work with and the crayon shape of this product makes it easy to apply and keep within the edges of the lips.
Shade
This shade is just gorgeous but do be aware that the shade when swatched on the skin or in the tube will not be the same as the shade when applied to the lips. I find that when swatched this product is a nude rosy pink and when it is on my lips the shade is a rosy pink with mauve undertones (and it is a little bit darker and brighter on my lips, compared to when it is swatched on the skin). I love the shade but when looking at other swatches and reviews online before I bought this product it did look a bit different on everyone so your natural lip colour does affect how this shade will look on your lips. This shade is fairly natural/neutral and it is a gorgeous everyday shade. Honey is my favourite shade by far and I will be buying another one! The shade does look slightly darker in person than it does in the photographs.
Application, Finish and Longevity
The application of this product is gorgeous! It has a really smooth, slightly glossy texture so it glides onto my lips incredibly easily. The application is also made easier by the crayon shape of the product, it allows me to precisely apply the balm stain. I swipe the product over my lips a couple of times to get a good colour pay off. This product leaves my lips looking even, slightly glossy with a rosy pink (with mauve undertones) stain. I adore the finish of this product although I find that this product can sink into lines in my lips (only very, very slightly) so I make sure that my lips have a layer of lip balm on them before I use this product. The two darker shades I have sink into the lines of my lips a lot more than this one does. After an hour or so of this shade being on my lips the colour is basically the same as when I applied it. Then after about five hours (with eating and drinking) the shade has faded slightly and it turns very slightly red over time, on me. By the end of the day (seven/eight hours) there is a slight rosy mauve tint still on my lips. I have read that some people find these balm stains drying but I find that if I apply a layer of lip balm before I apply this product then my lips will not feel dry for most of the day (if they do get a bit dry I just apply a small amount of lip balm on top of the stain).
Positives
*Easy to apply and remove (I just use my Nivea gentle eye make up remover and it removes nearly all of the stain with ease!)
*Gorgeous rosy pink (with mauve undertones)
*Application is so quick, easy and fuss free
*Great price when on offer
*Smooth, slightly glossy texture
*Lasts nearly all day on me
*Not really drying on me, if I apply a layer of lip balm before application
*Leaves my lips with a gorgeous pink stain, makes my lips feel smooth and glossy
Negatives
*Full price is a little bit expensive for high street makeup in my opinion
*Can sink into lines in the lips very, very slightly (this is mostly with the darker shades through, not really this shade)
