Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain - Smitten

The Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains were something that I had seen being blogged about, but if I'm really honest with you, I never even considered purchasing one. When you think about it, that is actually quite ridiculous because I adore lip products, I am totally, 100% in love with my Face of Australia lip crayons and I have always, always, always wanted a Clinique chubby stick - so why the heck did I not fall in love with these when I first locked eyes with them? I have no idea.

Anyhow, when I was in Target they were having a 40% off sale on Revlon lip, nail and eye products. It was there that I realised a) they had arrived in Australia, b) I needed one desperately and c) they would never be this cheap again ($10.77!). So what did I do? I went swatch crazy. My hand was covered in swatches (that I soon found out wouldn't come off). After much deliberation and responsible self talk, I chose to go for the shade smitten as I had a billion light pink shades and no raspberry/darker wintery shades. Was it a good decision in the end? I think so. I'm not all that sure how much use it will get out of this as it is so not what I would wear on a daily basis due to its bright and blue based nature, but it's gorgeous all the same.

Let's talk about the packaging - I don't know what it is about chunky balms/sticks/crayons (whatever you wish to call them!) but I think they are magical. They are so childlike and crayon-like that I doubt anyone wouldn't fall in love with their 'style.' The shiny pink plastic, silver twisty end and silver print has a classy feel to it as well - basically it couldn't be any more perfect.

The product itself does resemble a crayon, with a thick tapered end. What struck me the most was that it has the strongest minty scent I have ever experienced with a beauty product. For me personally, this is a quality that I can't say I actually do like, but as far as I am aware others find it wonderful. Once having applied it on the lips the scent does fade away relatively quickly but it is terribly overpowering during application.

The stain is remarkably pigmented, so much more than the FOA lip crayons. It is one of those lip products that when you put it on you really have to be committed to that shade for the remainder of the day because it certainly does not come off. I was able to go five hours, eating and drinking, and there was still a slight tint at the end of it.

I find it to be a little drying, but I just apply a balm or gloss over the top to freshen it up as the tint remains quite strong once the initial gloss has worn off.

A little trick that I do when I don't want the tint to last all day is simply putting a generous lathering of a lip balm on first so that it acts like a barrier between the tint and my lips. This way I still get the colour but it doesn't stain nearly as much

I really do like this shade but as I mentioned, it isn't something I would normally go for. Paired with my already pigmented lips, it results in a bright hot pink shade combined with deeper, blue based raspberry tones. I do like the colour but I wouldn't wear it on a daily basis.

Because of it's pigmented nature, I have to be a little more careful with the application in comparison to my FOA crayons. I find that if I am too careless and it goes out of the lip line, it stains really quickly and I am left with a wobbly lip line and hot pink all over my face (not a pretty sight). 

I am really glad that I picked this up so cheaply. I think I might have been better off with a different shade (despite owning thousands of other lip products in the same shade) because I would feel more comfortable wearing it, but the shade 'Smitten' is lovely and I am happy with it.

I would recommend these balm stains, though only if you know what you are looking for. If you want pigment that lasts all day then these are for you, but if you want a carefree application and subtle tint then you might want to think about the FOA crayons. You can pick these up for $17.95 (I believe).

I give this 8 out of 10.