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07 November, 2012

REVIEW: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain


As you may have read a little while ago I was really lucky to receive four of Revlon's new Just Bitten Kissable balm stains as part of a care package from the wonderful Kaki of glitter obsession.  I couldn't wait to get into these as I'd seen rave reviews and they haven't yet launched in Australia.  The good news for Australian followers is their arrival is now just around the corner, launching around the middle of this month.  The "other" good news is after wearing these myself I'm about to add my rave review to the growing list...


First up the packaging of these crayons perfectly strikes the balance between cute and classy.  The vibrantly coloured chubbies do subtly remind me of the crayons I played with in kindergarten (OMG sooo long agooo...), but the silver capped bottom adds the grown up touch.  I love the colour coordinated packaging which gives a true indication of the colour of the balm inside and obviously makes the hunt for these in the depths of my makeup bag just that bit easier!  Also, these twist up (and retract) from the base just like traditional stick balms so they don't require sharpening.

The tapered crayon shaped bullet makes application easy as you don't need liner, just colour in and go - so simple for time-poor me in the morning!  The colour is very buildable so you can wear these as sheer or as pigmented as you want on your lips and it never feels heavy or cakey, and it does not bleed - I love that too!  These feel deceptively light on the lips and have a subtle sheen, which does fade away after a cup of coffee but the stain stays put for hours, yet my lips don't feel dry at all.  Therefore I can comfortably wear these as a stain alone and when I want to top up the sheen I just reapply over the top.  Because of the firm, gel formula of the product in the tube, there's no risk of overloading my lips.

The balms have a subtle "balmy", minty scent reminiscent of candy canes, which fades very quickly after application.  Are these actually a balm?  According to Revlon these are indeed moisurizing balms "...fused with a lightweight lipstain" and promise "...softer, smoother lips...".  

For those interested the ingredients are:
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Bis Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate 2, Squalane, Bis Behenyl/Isostearyl/Phytosteryl Dimer Dilinoleyl Dilinoleate, Polyethylene, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Triisostearin, Diisostearyl Malate, Cera Microcrystallina (Microcrystalline Wax), Trimethylolpropane Triethylhexanoate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Polyalmide 3, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Pentaerylthrityl Tetra Di Butyl Hydroxyhdrocinnamate, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil (Mentha Peperita Oil), Limonene, Sorbic Acid, May Contain (+/-): Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Red 27 Lake (CI 45410), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Red 6 (CI 15850), Orange 5 (CI 45370), Red 21 (CI 45380), Red 33 (CI 17200), Red 28 Lake (CI 45410), Manganese Violet (CI 77742)

My colour selection L - R:
Smitten (vibrant raspberry pink)
Rendezvous (hot coral)
 Charm (peachy nude)
Darling (creamy lilac)


Swatched in same order as above:

What I love most about these balm stains is how they've streamlined my lip colour routine in the mornings.  Usually I go through the routine of priming, lining and powdering to hold my lip colour in place - not with these beauties!

Pros:
  • Attractive (and cute), yet practical colour coordinated packaging
  • Self sharpening and retracting
  • No need for lipliner, just colour in and go
  • Buildable colour with excellent pigmentation
  • Balm formula moisturises lips
  • Stain does not bleed or budge for hours
  • Feels lightweight on lips
  • Gel formula means no risk of caking on lip product
  • 12 shades available
Cons:
  • Price? Not really a con but an unknown at the moment. I don't yet know what Australian girls are going to pay for these although I'm guessing it will be somewhere around the $20AUD mark, obviously more than twice the US price.

Would I repurchase?
Absolutely!  I want need to add to my collection.

Are you looking forward to trying these balm stains?


That's it for tonight.

Vita :)

30 comments:

  1. These are a great product :) They are going to be $17.95 here

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    1. I overquoted the price? Awesome - means they're more affordable. Thanks Steph, I'll do an edit tomorrow, too tired tonight :)

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  2. I am so loving Rendezvous & smitten .. am so going to buy them soon :)

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    1. Oooh yeah, when you head over to the US, they're around $8USD over there! I'll bet you get more than two! Lucky girl, have an awesome time :) xo

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  3. These look so good, but even if they are going to be approx $18, I still think it is so frustrating when America has them so much cheaper. Ohhhh well, Australia has a lot to offer!
    x

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    1. I agree with you about the price difference Candice - it's so frustrating unfortunately. If you want to try these hold out for one of those BOGO free sales at Priceline or Chemist Warehouse then swoop!

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  4. Weee! I'm so glad you like them! I am in love and I use these every day. My other lip glosses and lip sticks are being neglected but these are soooo easy to apply. I agree it simplifies my life and since I only wear foundation and blush now (no time for eye makeup) these are an easy alternative to chapstick and they give me colorful lips! Let me know if you want me to send you more! =)

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    1. Geez Kaki, you know what I'd say to that: are you my fairy godmother? Thank you! xo

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  5. these remind me of qlinique`s chubby sticks

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    1. I've not tried Clinique's chubby sticks but I've heard Clinique are also bringing out a more pigmented version like the Revlon balm stains :)

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  6. I am lusting after these babies so badly, and your review just makes me want them more! I'm not sure I'm gunna be willing to pay that though, knowing how much they cost in the US. I caved for the lip butters and regretted it... so only time will tell!

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    1. Wait for a sale is my advice! Although I think I prefer these to the lip butters if that's anything to go on. It's a matter of preference of course :)

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  7. I actually haven't tried these yet - I'm not a huge fan of these lip crayon things, and the smell usually turns me off (both Clinique's and Tarte's do). They look like they do give excellent colour payoff, though.

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    1. These have great pigmentation - much better than the Clinique Chubby Sticks, although I don't know how the scent would compare. I personally don't mind scented things and these are quite subtle. Depends if you like the scent of candy canes!

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  8. Love these! Except I can only wear one really. They are all so pink! And with the red hair, well--I look even goofier haha!

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    1. I think there's a vampy shade in the range but I have to wait for the range to launch here before I see :)

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  9. Jump online and buy it from eBay for half the price.. Anyway.. Xyling won some from Priceline!! OMGAWD!
    Apparently there's one from Models Prefer too that someone on my Twitter was raving about. I will check it out and report back.

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    1. How awesome that Xyling won these!!! I still think $17.95's not too bad compared to some other brands - although, yeah, we lose out a lot when it comes to prices in some other countries :(

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  10. I love the look of these :) I have Charm and Honey, and if I didn't already have way too many lip products, I would probably pick up Precious, Sweetheart and Rendezvous too ;)

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    1. Sounds like I need to check out Precious and Sweetheart LOL! I know what you mean - I have waayyyy too many lip products and that's why I went on a ban at the start of the year. I think I'm going to have to do it again next year! :p

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  11. I've heard a lot of love for these, but have yet to try them! Darling Cherie looks like a beautiful lavender tint :)

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    1. Darling is very pretty Dovey! I've been on a bright lip craze so I've been wearing Rendezvous and Smitten firstly and I sincerely love them! :)

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  12. Wow, these shades are bright. I managed to swatch some of these on my hands but felt they would be too drying for my lips. So nice that you got to try out four of them though! That $20 price tag is ouch.

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    1. They're actually not drying at all Liz! Yes, the price is a bit of a sticking point. Turns out they'll be $17.95 but that's still significantly more than $8US. One day I'll head up north and go shopping - one day...

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  13. Love these, they are really handy and fun to use!

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    1. Yes Rola, there's definitely the fun factor isn't there? It feels like I'm drawing on my lips - for some reason it's more fun reapplying my lip colour in public with these big crayons LOL!

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