Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm Review and Swatches
I rarely leave the house without lip stain in place. Most of my gloss photos always included some sort of stain underneath. Dunno, just one of those daily things I do, stain lips, apply gloss, and go!
I like stains for a variety of reasons but for the most part I like them because they give my gloss that little extra something to make it pop and transform ordinary into extraordinary.
A few seasons ago Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain popped onto the scene. Anyone remember them? Rollerball style applicator? They kinda reminded me of Lorac Cheek and Lip Stain at the time but way cheaper. Of course Revlon had meant for us to take advantage of these strictly as a lip stain but I was all about dabbing some on my cheeks for a bit of blusher. No rules against that right?
I actually still have some of these stains since I liked them so much and did double duty stocking up!
Now I’m telling you all this because Just Bitten has evolved into Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm Review. New packaging, new design, new everything….
Wanna hear about it?
Jump!
What is it?
A dual ended lip stain pen that contains a shiny transparent, setting lip balm on one side and a long wearing lip stain on the other.
The Good…
First off price.
These are $8.99 and Covergirl has a similar product for the same price (CVS Retail Prices). Covergirl gets you the bigger size at 0.09 where as Revlon gives you 0.05. You do have to take into consideration that you aren’t getting a balm with the Covergirl version so the smaller size may be the thing that cinches the deal when you end up choosing between the two.
At the moment Covergirl and Revlon are now the only lip stain holders in the US market that I can think of and both are honestly the same product in formula, texture, and finish (but of course don’t forget the balm which makes Revlon’s version a little different).
These have nice color payoff but aren’t necessarily garish depending on the shade you go with. The formula is similar to a magic marker which you can apply with a felt tip pen onto your lips. If you’ve tried MAC Lipstain Markers, it’s the same concept but cheaper with a bit more of a subtle finish.
Shades range from subtle to really loud and outrageous. I don’t personally recommend some of the louder shades such as reds and the likes because they look a tad clown-y however the softer pinks they have are very nice. I got two shades which were Frenzy (Oh no you didn’t clownish red) and Passion (Very friendly pink).
The balm…mmm is kinda useless to me? I like lipstain under my gloss so I don’t normally walk around with it on my lips sans gloss because I feel like it’s a bit TOO much. The balm included with this is basically a glorified chapstick. It’s not all that shiny or glossy and feels a tad waxy but it does glide onto lips nice. The good thing about the balm is, it does offer hydration. Many people I’ve talked to about stains always complain about the same thing, dryness. The dryness, bleeding, flaking, and migrating you experience with stain on will basically be controlled when using this balm on top. This also manages to soften the color a fair bit (no garish crazy clown red with this on top) and also locks color into place. So I guess the balm does have alot of good in it but I just fail to take advantage of it since I’m a gloss and stain kinda girl.
The stain is long wearing as with all lip stains so you can drink yourself through the day, eat, and be merry and chances are you’ll get 5 hours or more out of it. It takes a lot to get it to fade away.
The Bad….
As mentioned above the balm is a waste for me and could prove wasteful to you as well if you like to top with gloss.
Some of the shades are a little scary and can be easily tamed using the balm however with gloss on top they are even more louder in some cases which is a no go for me.
Without balm or gloss you may experience feathering and dryness plus your stain may migrate onto your upper or lower lip or into fine lines.
Who Might Like It?
- Anyone looking for a long wearing Summer lip color!
- Anyone who likes lip stains!
- Anyone who likes louder shades or just bitten lips (quite a few vibrant shades to choose from)!
- Anyone interested in sweat proof, waterproof, and Summer proof lip wearin’!
Who Might Not Like It?
- Anyone with fine lines in and around the lip area (You’ll need the balm included to keep this wearing well if you sport these problems).
- Anyone who isn’t partial to louder shades of lip color (most of the shades are pretty bold with only a few softer shades to choose from).
- Anyone who isn’t keen on chapstick or lip balms.
Final Thoughts…..
I don’t absolutely need this in my life because I’m very happy with my HG Lip Stain (Bourjois Paris Bons Baisers de Paris) however it is nice to have something readily available at my local drugstore. If I had to choose I’d probably go with CG’s version simply because I am not a fond fan of the balm included with this and think it’s something I’ll never use. However, I will say that alot of people will probably feel alot more love for lip stain after trying this simply because the extra lip treatment balm will make the stain alot easier to wear.
Didn’t change my lip stain world but it’s a nice product if you are a fan of lip stains or have experienced problems with stains in the pass being too dry or feathering.
Available now in US drugstores.
Have you tried Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm?
Did you like them?
Do you think you’d want to try them?
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P.S. Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off at CVS this week!