Revlon Colorburst Matte and Lacquer Balms

Lips

Mar 14

Where do I even begin. Revlon recently came out with their Colorburst Matte and Lacquer Balms (P575). If you've read my past reviews on the brand's lip products then you'd know I'm a huuuuge fan of them! I love the Colorburst line as well as the Kissable Balm Stains - so imagine that combination of bold color and moisturizing texture without your head exploding. Thought so.

But how are they, really?

All hyperbole aside, these new Revlon Balms are pretty good except for uneven application when it comes to some shades. The Colorburst Matte Balms look amazing in the packaging and arm swatches but tend to be rather patchy and a bane to all ye who have dry, flaky lips. Well I don't even have dry lips and only experience minimal flaking every now and then, but these mattes seem to not work out so well for me.

The Lacquer Balms, on the other hand, are WOW. I love them. The texture is super smooth, it stays on for a good four to five hours, and the finish is just so high-end! This formula doesn't just offer some meek, drugstore-level shine - it's brilliant and solid-looking at the same time, like a high-end color would look like.

Both formulas do not dry out my lips and I can even afford to skip lip balm (yes even with the Matte formula). The Lacquer is solid in two swipes, while the Matte takes more than that to build up. The Matte also fades rather easily and unprettily, but the Lacquer stays on reliably. I don't know if I just got the "meh" shades with the Matte but this has been my experience with the formula so far.

Swatches: Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm vs the Lacquer Balm

Overall, I love the Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm SO MUCH while I feel just a grudging affection for the Matte for what it tried to do, which is offer moisture with the zero-shine finish. Can't wait for the day when Revlon would reformulate it or come out with something better.

Anyhoo, here are swatches of all the shades I have! Enjoy, and do let me know which ones rock your socks off. ;)

Shameless, Showy, and Mischievous

Mischievous is a cute popsicle orange that's perfect for 2014 summer. It's right on trend! However I'm sad that it looks so patchy and accentuated all the nasty lines and flakes on my lips. Seriously, I'm sad. I loved this color in the tube!

Showy is a bright matte blue-toned pink. It's pretty and applied evenly! I like that it's not too cool, unlike MAC Pink Noveau which I mever wear out since it's too lilac already.

Shameless is a deep purple, deeper than what this picture shows. It was my absolute favorite out of the bunch - until I swatched it in broad daylight. It is kinda patchy too and fades from the center of my lips quickly. But I'm not gonna give up. I love the bold purple shade and will find a way to make it work!

Shameless looks kinda fuchsia here but trust me, it's a deep, grapey purple

Here are the Lacquer Balms! I didn't gravitate towards these lippies off the bat (not as much as the Mattes) but after using them for a couple of weeks I've grown to love them more. ^_^

Flirtatious, Vivacious, Tease

Tease is a corally orange. I thought it would be a bright red orange judging by the bullet, but it's actually a wearable version of the orange lip trend. It's not too bright which makes it great to wear everyday. Unlike the other two shades though this is sheer but it is easy enough to build up.

Sorry about the swatch - it looks patchy, but I just did one layer here and forgot to add more.

Flirtatious is my favorite, hands down. It's a sweet yet bright shade of pink! It's so flattering on me and I adore how smoothly it goes on with minimal layering. I highly recommend this!