A new favorite lip product for fall: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

Inspired by autumn, I set out to add some darker shades to my lip product collection. Instead of opting for a typical lipstick or lip gloss, I decided to test out the Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, or Just Bitten 2.0*.

I chose the two darkest shades, Adore, a warm burgundy, and Crush, a cooler plum/berry color.

Top: Adore
Bottom: Crush

Stains left after immediately wiping away product
with dry paper towel

The above swatches show the product swatched heavily on the back on my hand.

The product itself is like a twist-up crayon. The texture of it in the tube and going on is similar to a lip balm, but once on the lips, I found it to dry somewhat more quickly than would a good lip balm, like Burt's Bees, and definitely more so than the Revlon Lip Butters (which, on me, never seem to dry so much as disappear). To remedy this problem, I found myself layering the balm stains with a clear or complimentary lip gloss.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Adore

What I love about this product is that the lasting power really is something to write home--or blog--about. I've never found a lip product to last longer than a few hours or past a meal, but I applied each of these in the morning and saw that they had indeed stained my lips until well after I was back in my dorm until the late afternoon. They lasted me several hours and through more than one snack/meal without reapplication (excepting lip gloss/"top coat"!).

I find both of the shades I chose to be flattering for a variety of skin types and lip pigmentations because they do go on very sheer--at first! One minor annoyance I might note is that in application they do drag a bit at first and have to be built up for the color to show. However, I sometimes find myself spacing out a bit after the first three or so coats, and BAM--there's your color! So, consider yourself forewarned and don't overdo it.

Have you tried this product? What are your feelings on lip stains?

* There is another Revlon product on the market of the name Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm, which is a dual-ended stain and balm product. This product hasn't received as many positive reviews, though I haven't tried it myself and, therefore, do not recommend it.

Nail polish collective mini-haul

When the seasons "officially" transition, it doesn't always feel right away like the season it's supposed to be—not to me, anyway (thanks, global warming!). However, with the sudden onslaught of fall (and I do mean that I've very suddenly felt assaulted by autumn winds on my morning walks to class), I've been lemming for some more fall-appropriate shades to add to my polish collection.

Here are the ones I've picked up recently:

L-R: butter LONDON Scoundrel, Revlon Top Speed Lily,
L'Oréal Colour Riche Red Tote, L'Oréal Colour Riche Charmed I'm Sure,
Essie Sole Mate

Unless you're completely color blind, you've probably noticed that one of these things is not like the other. I wouldn't exactly consider Revlon Lily a fall shade, but a polish I've seriously had my eye on for ages (ages) is Barry M. Berry Ice Cream. I'm trying to squash that lemming, I accumulated O.P.I. Lucky Lucky Lavender, which is GORGEOUS but also not exactly how I imagine the color. I am in no way insinuating that Lily and Berry Ice Cream are all too similar, either, but where Lucky Lucky Lavender pulls very pink, Lily is such a blue-toned lilac that it's nearly periwinkle. I suppose that Berry Ice Cream falls somewhere between those two shades, and until I'm magically transported to the U.K. and Barry M. cosmetics become available to me or I work up the guts to pay combined product and shipping costs of nearly $15 for a drugstore polish, these two will have to suit my lavender/lilac fancy!

L-R: O.P.I. Lucky Lucky Lavender, Revlon Top Speed Lily

Barry M. Berry Ice Cream, Source: Dr. Frankenpolish

Scoundrel is my first polish from butter LONDON. I've worn it once, and, so far, I'm impressed with the application, but I didn't find it to be superior to other brands, in general, in regards to chipping. If I had a do-over, I might have gone with butter LONDON Toff instead of Scoundrel. Toff is more of a dusty purple, while Scoundrel is just a deep purple. Toff seems like a good fall shade and, perhaps, a tad more neutral, although, all the same, Scoundrel may work for me across more seasons.

butter LONDON Scoundrel on my nails (2 coats, no top coat)

butter LONDON Toff (2 coats), Source: Amarixe

As for the L'Oréal polishes, I'm highly impressed with the formulation. The application and wear aren't bad at all for drugstore polishes. Red Tote is probably my favorite of the tested and recently purchased polishes in my collection. Charmed, I'm Sure, however, was a minor disappointment. It's not a unique shade--a metallic rose gold--but, unlike many others I've seen swatched, is very, very frosty in any lighting, which affects the color too much for my taste. On the nails, it's even lighter than it is in the bottle, so if you're considering this shade, ...you've been forewarned.

L-R: L'Oréal Colour Riche Red Tote, L'Oréal Colour Riche Charmed I'm Sure

I haven't yet tried Essie Sole Mate, but I'm generally quite a fan of Essie, and I've been lemming for a plum/burgandy polish for quite some time, so I'm definitely looking forward to trying this one out! Perhaps, I'll post some swatches once I've done that.

What are your recent polish purchases? What are your favorite shades for fall?