Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains

L-R 010 Darling, 040 Rendezvous, 015 Cherish

Firstly, I have to say that this is my first post in TWENTY THREE DAYS. This month has been super hectic for me - I've been working a lot, I started college this week, I moved into a new flat and I've also been crazy ill this week. But I'm feeling heaps better now, and I'm so excited to be writing a new blog post! I've missed blogging and the entire community so much in the past month, and I'm ecstatic to say that you lovely people have still been leaving me comments, following my blog and tweeting me - thank you so much.

On to more pressing issues (!) - Revlon's new Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. Not the catchiest name for a lip product, but there you go. I think these launched a good while ago now, and the blogging community has been going wild for them. I'm a little late to the party, but I have to say I'm in love.

So far I have 3 of the 7 shades available here in the UK. I believe there a few more shades which were released in the US (Charm being one of them, which I'm gutted they haven't released here!). I bought all of these whilst they were on an introductory offer of £5.99 (usual RRP is £7.99) at Boots and Superdrug. I think the offer is still on, but please don't quote me on that.

The first shade I have is Rendezvous, which I can only describe as orange. It looks more red in my photos, but on the lips it comes across as quite a bright tangerine when applied heavily, or it can also be applied as a sheer wash of coral if you apply it lightly. I think that might be what I love the most about these - they're so versatile. I'm not a bright lip girl, so I love the fact that I can build up the colour to something I'm comfortable with. The second shade I got was Darling, which is a lilac-y, blue-toned pink. Very different to everything else in my lip product collection! My most recent shade purchase was Cherish, which is more of a bubblegum pink to me.

I find the formula quite moisturizing, definitely more than most lipsticks but I do still apply a little touch of lip balm before I use these (sort-of defeats the purpose of a 2-1 product, whoops...). I've also heard of people complaining about the smell/taste. They do have a slight minty scent but I find it really refreshing and it doesn't linger too long for me. The pigmentation is really good considering these are essentially glorified lip balms, and the staying power is just amazing. I always forget that I'm wearing it, then I check my face hours later and the colour is still going strong!

So to summarize, I definitely approve. If you haven't already tried one of these balm stains, or if you're looking for a cheaper alternative to the infamous Clinique Chubby Sticks, you've found it. I wanted to try a Chubby Stick but since finding these, I seriously begrudge paying £16 for something which I can get for less than half the price which does a great job.

Have you tried the Revlon balm stains? Are they worth the hype?

Monday Wishlist #3

My camera is still broken - if anyone has experienced an error whilst trying to connect a digital camera to their laptop via USB, please get in touch! It's so frustrating because I have so many photos on there ready for blog posts, but I just can't get them transferred over. I also managed to find a flat and am currently in the process of moving out today and tomorrow, so things have been pretty stressful with that and working a lot.

Just a small wishlist post today, as I've barely even had the time to lust after products recently!

1. Origins Zero Oil Deep Pore Cleanser - RRP £17.00 - I'm in desperate need of a new cleanser, I'm currently rotating about 4 different sample size ones due to sheer lack of funds to buy a full-size one. When pay day rolls around, I think I'll be investing in this!

2. Topshop Lace Peter Pan Dress - RRP £48.00 - It's my 20th birthday this month, so I'm on the hunt for the perfect dress for my night out. I have hardly any "dressy" clothes since I rarely go out to clubs, but I can picture this looking great with opaque tights and some big black heels.

3. Marc Jacobs Dot EDP - RRP £37.00/30ml - I literally just smelled a sample of this in a magazine, and it's lush! The perfect mix of fruity and floral scents, and I just love it.

4. Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation - RRP £25.00 - I've heard great things about this foundation, and I know that Illamasqua have shades for us super pale folk! I did get their Rich Liquid foundation in the sale, but I guessed my shade and it's far too dark, so I'd really like to try this one in the right shade!

That's my wishlist for the week, I did try not to go overboard because I know that in my current financial situation, any unnecessary beauty items are definitely a luxury and probably not going to be affordable anytime before Christmas for me! But I do believe in treating yourself every now and then, so if I do then I'll definitely be going for one of these products.

Again, please let me know if you've experienced the camera issue because I need desperate help with it! Hopefully I'll be able to get back to regular blogging once I've settled in the flat and everything's a bit more calm, because right now things are just manic!