In the last year, I SWAN-DIVED into the world of lip colors after a lifetime of avoiding them. I’ve always had a bit of a complex about my lips (even repeatedly writing the word LIPS is making me uncomfortable) because they’re frequently chapped, dry or peeling and so I stayed away from anything that would emphasize their existence on my face. But maybe it’s all part of the natural process of growing up, because the older I get the less I care to be bothered about certain insecurities. 【Insert motivational self-love poster here!!】 I recently picked up a few items to add to my growing lip color collection and I’ve been loving them so much that I wanted to share some swatches & reviews.

* I’ve lumped all the swatches together at the end of the post because I wanted to show them them in comparison to each other and I didn’t want to post LIPS LIPS LIPS all over this post. I hope it’s not too confusing, but let me know and I’ll make changes!

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Coralberry

When V came to visit back in January, I got to peek through her makeup bag and she showed me her favorite lipstick of late, which was this very pretty coral color from the Revlon Super Lustrous line. I loved how it looked on her so I got one for myself and now I know exactly why Revlon’s lipsticks have been popular for so long.

Coralberry is a creme finish and despite the very fine gold glitter, it doesn’t feel gritty on the lips at all. The product applies so soft and smoothly *^* I tend to think anything on my lips is drying, but I can tolerate the formula of these. I can’t recall a scent to them, but they’re definitely less perfumed than the Moon Drops line in the green packaging. And speaking of packaging, I love how sleek and classic the black & gold Revlon tubes are. The see-thru window at the top of the tube is helpful and the color on the sticker at the bottom is surprisingly accurate.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink in the Afternoon

Pink in the Afternoon is a serious fan favorite – so many people call it their perfect pink color. I personally like pinks with a warm undertone, but I realized I didn’t have anything that was more of a neutral shade so I thought I would try it out. You’ll see in the pictures later that this swatches and applies very differently on me, but I still quite like it. It is a perfect pink in the sense that it’s a very traditional, feminine pink and it’s an easy shade to wear so it’s appropriate for almost anything.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Sweetheart / Valentine

I also finally got my hands on one of the Revlon balm stains that everyone loves! The color is incredible. It’s a bright fuchsia, which puts a bit of the fear in me, but it’s a nice pop of color when I’m lazy with eye makeup which is 90% of the time. It has a barely there mint-scent when you first apply it, but it goes away very quickly.

A lot of reviews have mentioned that the balm foundation really helps to keep your lips moisturized, but it doesn’t do much for me. Instead, I’m very aware of the product on my lips and how it never really sinks in. It’s not a drying formula, but it also doesn’t feel like it’s moisturizing anything. I find it much more comfortable once the product wears off and you’re left with the stain. The staining occurs so quickly! I wore it for no more than 5 minutes to take a swatch photo and that was enough for the magic to happen. The stain color is just as richly pigmented as when it’s applied, although I have some qualms about how uneven the staining is. I’m always left with a darker color near the center & inner part of my lips and less color near the outer edge. Some people like the ‘popsicle look,’ but I’m undecided.

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Pink the the Afternoon: dusty rose pink with neutral undertones (creme)
Coralberry: pink/peach based coral with warm undertones & gold microglitter (creme)
Sweetheart/Valentine: bright cool-toned fuchsia

I have fairly pigmented lips with a bit of a brownish undertone to them. A lot of colors don’t look the same on me as they do on other people, which is why I love when the person reviewing shares a photo of their lips before they apply the product. It really helps to determine how it will look on myself. I’m being SUPER CONSCIOUS about this post right now (COMPLEX COMPLEX COMPLEX), but I’m hoping the pre-lipsticked photo helps!

Coralberry is by far my favorite shade out of the three. I have an affinity for coral anything, but it is such a unique shade, I think it’d be a great color on anyone. Pink in the Afternoon looks NOTHING LIKE ITS SWATCH when I have it on! I would still consider it a “dusty rose,” but it comes off as a cool-toned pink on when it’s layered over my natural lip color. Sweetheart, like I mentioned, is super intense. It’s an amazing color, but it’s definitely not for everyone.

The Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks cost between $6-8 while the Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain are in the $8-9 price range.