Stain Pain

So being a Twilight Series fan(atic), Penny has an affinity for all things vamp & wolf these days. LOL! It only seemed right that I try Revlon's new Just Bitten Lip Stains ($8.99, drugstore). Of course I gravitated to the colors called Twlight, Lust, and Forbidden. ;-) I didn't care for the way the color Lust looked on me; sort of a rust color, so I exchanged it for Forbidden a brownish, less orangey color.  Twilight showed as a true red on me...looked nice, but Penny has to get used to it. I haven't worn red on my lips in many years, but red is an "in" color for this fall's make-up trends.

Overall Penny has found lip stains to be a pain. The first issue I have with the lip stains I've tried is that they are very drying. After only a couple of days my lips were dry and peeling from the Maybelline stain I first tried; Maybelline's Color Sensational Lip Stain ($6.49, Target) in Blushing, a nice pink/plum color. The Revlon lip stains felt better but would be drying too if it weren't for the lip balm attached to the other end. The balm is moisturizing and gives some shine, but not like a gloss. The problem I have with the balm  tip is that it breaks off easily. It does not retract into the tube so it is exposed and can get soft/melt even with the cap on. The marker applicator gives good control, but the stain dries so quickly you can't make any mistakes.  It takes practice to apply lip stains evenly. (read full story...)

Stains can also seep into the lines of your lip and make your lips look old or dry. It is best to exfoliate your lips with an extra soft toothbrush, sugar or a wash cloth, before using a lip stain. Penny also found that it was hard to pick the right shade. The lip stains I looked at don't really look like the color on the package once you put them on. One benefit of lip stains is that they can be longer lasting than glosses and lipsticks. Which means you can also use it under gloss or lipstick to prolong wear of your favorite colors.

There are other lip stain formulas I plan to try before I write them off all together. Research shows that there are liquid and cream stains out there as well. Tarte Lipsurgence ($24, Sephora) for example, comes in sheers and matte and is supposedly a 'moisturizing' lip stain. It looks like a fat pencil with the consistency of lipstick but the packaging is not good because the tip breaks off easily. Many customer reviews stated that the Tarte stain didn't last long; or wear well. 

The saga continues...

Be blessed. Be beautiful.

P