Okay, here is another blog, like I said! I'm really trying to get into the swing of things again minus the rambling found in my last blog. Sometimes I can start talking (or, I guess, typing) too much and I'm going to try to keep this review much more concise (can you tell by the long intro??)

If you prefer the more detailed, ramble-ness, let me know in a comment, but I doubt it will be too much of a concern, haha. Well, let's just get this started!

I know that these products are getting compared to the Tarte LipSurgence pencils but I do not own any of those because they are a whopping $24. Even w/ my discount, they would still be $18 at Ulta and, well, no. There are a couple of box-set type things at Ulta right now, so maybe when I get paid, haha.

However, seeing as how I stock the damn things every week, I know that the Tarte ones have a large amount of colors (the Revlon come in 12 different shades) AND different finishes. They have matte ones, as well as glossy or shimmery ones. The Revlon ones don't have matte finishes and I'm not HUGE on glossy lips lately. BUT they are under half the price! I got mine at Target for $7.69. Ulta sells them for $8.99, so I would wait for a sale if you decide to go there.

Claim time! Revlon states:

It’s a pampering balm fused with a lightweight lipstain in an adorable chubby crayon. Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain gives softer, smoother lips with a perfect flush of color that lasts hour after hour. The gel formula comes in 12 vibrant shades that match any look or mood.

-Lightweight Lipstain + Moisturizing Balm
-100% of women who tried it felt their lips were instantly moisturized with a soft stain of color
-Retractable chubby crayon, no sharpener required."

Let's talk about the

BAD

first...get it out of the way!

These are not super moisturizing. They actually do that puckering thing that most long-wear lipsticks have the tendency to do and if you just let these wear naturally throughout a day w/o retouching, they feel REALLY dry and sort of crack on your lips. It's the same problem I had w/ the Revlon Lip Butters...while they're on and freshly applied, it feels fine. But once the moisture gets sucked into the stratosphere, it leaves your mouth feeling REALLY dry.

These are pigmented, yes, oh yes they are, but it's in a glossier way, so they end up being slightly more translucent than the Tarte pencils, at least in hand swatches I've done and pictures of other people wearing them that I've seen. Which is cool in one sense, because the two colors I have are two of the brighter colors in the bunch but if you apply them lightly, the color is a lot more sheer...except your lips will dry out faster.

Finally, some of them don't stain. "Lovesick" did, but "Rendezvous" didn't. It also wore off unevenly and left orange patches on my lips, so that was cute.

OKAY. Now onto the

GOOD

!

These are pretty pigmented. They're also glossy, so that's cool, if you like that. The other thing is these transfer onto other things much less than glosses or lipsticks. They feel nice when they're on your lips - it's only when they start to wear off that they start to feel funky.

They have a nice minty smell and taste...it smells like an artificial, chemically mint, but it's not overly insulting to my nose so it works. These are also way cheaper than the Tarte ones or the ones by Clinique, which I also have not tried. There's a nice variety of colors AND the displays usually have dollar off coupons! I can't speak for all Ultas, but Revlon was on sale at my store this week AND there was a dollar off coupon on the endcap display, so it made them about $11.50 before tax for two! AND if you used that weekly coupon dealie-o, it would make them about $8.

ANYWAY, I do actually like these, despite the negatives. I would DEFINITELY recommend carrying them around w/ you for reapplication purposes though. I love that Revlon does interesting lip colors...they're one of the best brands from drugstore that do that. Like that purple lip gloss and the bright orange lipsticks, etc.

So, even though I don't think these are the BEST. THING. EVER...they're still pretty damn awesome! Now onto the pictures, right? I'm having a bad lip swatch moment...much worse than I normally do them, and my lip swatches normally suck so...sorry for the gratuitous full face shots!