Revlon Colourstay Ultimate Suede lipstick - Cruise Collection, Finale and Muse

I was so lucky to win these three lipsticks from Revlon in a giveaway over on Yishan's blog Beauty Swatch.

I have to say, these weren't looking too promising after I read a number of negative blog reviews, but, being the lip product loving kind of person that I am I remained hopeful. Revlon have some awesome lip products so surely these must be the same.

I LOVE the three shades that I won (thank you for picking them out Yishan!), and I have fallen in love with Cruise Collection especially. It is the only orange/coral shade that I own in lipstick form (can you believe it?!) and I love it.

The first shade, Finale, is a gorgeous bright tomato red that I found so easy to wear. Red can be a bit scary, especially bright ones like this, but I didn't have too much trouble. The second shade is Cruise Collection, a gorgeous coral orange shade as mentioned. This is my favourite and I wear it all the time, quite surprising considering that I have always been a play-it-safe-with-pinks kind of girl. Last is Muse, a sightly blue toned hot pink! When built up it can be more of a darker raspberry pink.

The packaging of these lipsticks is fairly simple but effective. It's nothing luxurious but doesn't look cheap and tacky either. I like that the packaging changes according to the lipstick shade - this makes it really easy to identify the lipstick that I want when I rifle through my collection. The clear lid also means that if you are looking at the lipsticks from the top you can still see each of the colours.

These apply like a dream, with a velvety silky kind of feel. I like that they are slimmer than other lipsticks, which allows for more precise application without having to use a lipbrush. This is handy for the shade Finale which is important to apply well as it is a bright red. Initially they feel highly moisturising and 'juicy' but as they dry they change to be almost sticky. They lose their glossy finish and become a matte lipstick, then stain the lips though only very slightly. They are highly pigmented and provide an ample amount of colour in just one swipe. They can however be built up further if you wish. They have no taste or scent, neither pleasant nor unpleasant.

These wear off in the most unusual fashion. I found that all the product on my top lip would wear off completely yet on my bottom lip it would look exactly the same as when I first applied it. Then it would wear off in patches along my bottom lip. I've never had a lip product do this before so that is a bit strange. I did find it to be quite problematic as well, because no one wants to be walking around with only their bottom lip covered in lipstick and the top completely bare!

These lipsticks retail at $25.95, much more than I would ever really pay for a 'drugstore' lipstick. Though I love Revlon lip products (the Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic and Lip butter in Berry Smoothie are my go-to lip products), $26 is a bit much considering there are so many cheaper alternatives that are just as good. Having said that, I really do like these lipsticks a lot, and I am a bit of a cheapskate. If they didn't wear off so strangely perhaps I would dish out for them...perhaps.

I give these 7 out of 10.

L-R: Finale, Cruise Collection, Muse