Lips: Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede in "Socialite"

Hi all :) While on the hunt for Wet n Wild LE eye shadow palettes this past Friday, I came across a lipstick display from Revlon that I had heard about on Nouveau Cheap: ColorStay Ultimate Suede. The display was already halfway empty so I decided to pick up what I felt would be the most flattering color on me of those left, "Socialite." I love my three other Revlon lip products so I was excited to try a new one.

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede lipsticks are advertised (as far as the display goes, since the website does not yet mention them as of today) to have 16-hour wear and to be both moisturizing and food-proof. This lipstick is basically the step up in the ColorStay series which has, up until now, been in a liquid formula. I never cared for long-wearing, liquid lipsticks, so the ColorStay line never appealed to me. I always viewed such products as being extremely dry. However, what really won me over in this product's claims was the moisturizing aspect. Revlon has yet to disappoint me in past claims about moisture; both my lip butters and my Kissable balm stains are some of my favorite pigmented, moisturizing lip products. Perhaps I shouldn't have expected so much though, because that is where this product lost me.




THE BASICS:

Name: Socialite (025)
Net Wt.: 0.09 oz/2.55 g
Price: ~$8
Finish: Matte

The Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede lipstick is packaged in a tube that is a bit thinner and longer than your average tube packaging. The top half of the tube is the cap which is completely clear with the exception of the bottom, which has a black ring with "REVLON" in white text. The lipstick itself is totally visible through the cover, including the black tube that holds it. The bottom half of the tube is colored to match the lipstick inside and has "REVLON ColorStay Ultimate Suede" in white text. 

The clear cap (especially) and the colored bottom half of the packaging make it clear what color the lipstick is, which is quite convenient when purchasing. I also find the black tube holding the lipstick itself to compliment the color-design of the packaging. However, I do prefer their other packaging where only the top of the cap is clear because I imagine that once this lipstick gets messy from use, the packaging won't look attractive anymore.

The bottom of the tube contains the usual: product color number and name.

An easily removable sticker is included on the tube with the product information and bar code. Peeling the sticker back reveals the lipstick's ingredients.

The front of the sticker. 

Inside of the sticker - page 1 of the ingredients. 

Inside of the sticker - page 2 of the ingredients.

This lipstick has a barely detectable sweet scent that disappears after application.


COLOR/SWATCHES:

"Socialite" (025) is a light peachy-pink that enhances and brightens my natural lip color. Upon application, it appears slightly dewy, but once it sets it has a matte finish. It's also interesting to note that once the color wears off/is wiped off, there are sparse, finely milled glitters left behind that are not at all detectable when the color has set on the lips (to me, at least). Very weird. o_O

LEFT: Swatch at an angle where initial sheen is evident.
RIGHT: Same swatch, but at an angle where it has a barely reflective finish.
BOTH: Swatch after initial application.

Because this color has a matte finish, I found that it emphasized my lip lines. However, as "Socialite" is a light, natural color, this was not too much of a problem. I can see darker colors looking less attractive on poorly moisturized lips.

But aren't these lipsticks supposed to moisturize?

Well...


TEXTURE

During application, this lipstick has a slick, creamy feel to it. I found it to be almost identical to my Baby Lips lip balm and was therefore really happy with it.

But, of course, how can something with a slick, moisturizing texture have pigmentation that lasts for hours (16 at that!)?

About ten to fifteen minutes after application, when the lipstick finally sets on the lips, the texture changes to a very tacky consistency. I usually rub my lips together occasionally to check if they are still smooth and moisturized, but doing so with this lipstick was uncomfortable. It literally had that 'stick' to it like paint that is almost dry. I guess they were literal when they called it "ultimate suede."

What really lost me was that after an hour or so, my lips began to feel dry and slightly rough. For the purpose of this review, I did not reapply the product or layer lip balm over it. I could rule out the fact that one claim - how moisturizing the product was supposed to be - was false. I still wanted to test the wear-time on it, however.


WEAR (WITH LIP SWATCHES)

Initial application at 12:30 P.M.

3:30 P.M.

5:30 P.M.

7:00 P.M., before removal.

As you can perhaps tell by the lip pictures above, the color still had a fresh, bright look to it three hours after application at 3:30 P.M. I had eaten some food but nothing heavy. By 5:30 P.M., however, the color at the inner portion of my lips began to fade (it's hard to tell in the picture because of how close my lip color is to "Socialite") as is often the case with any lip color. I still had not eaten anything very heavy. By 7 P.M., the color had become quite dull and I decided to take it off because of how dry my lips were feeling. I still had not eaten a big meal, since dinner that night was not until 8 P.M.

The wear overall was nothing spectacular. The color did last but it lost its brightness and was completely disappearing from the inner portion of my lips six and a half hours after application.

So, 16-hour wear? I think not.


...FOOD-PROOF?

That really depends on one's definition of 'food-proof.' If a lipstick that is 'food-proof' does not transfer color onto glasses or eating utensils, then yes, this claim was true. The tacky consistency kept the lipstick on my lips and off everything else. However, if a lipstick that is 'food-proof' lasts through, well, the consumption of food, then no, this claim is false. As I said before, the lipstick was fading before I had any kind of filling meal.


OVERALL:

I am really torn about this lipstick. I love the color but hate the formula, and the claims/selling-points of this product - which would have justified the tacky, uncomfortably consistency - failed for the most part. Personally, I will not purchase any other colors. There are so many lipsticks out there that I'm sure I can find similar colors without the drying formula.

If you expect any of the claims made for this product, then I would not recommend it. If you are used to the drying formula of long-wearing lipsticks or don't mind a drying lipstick, or if you find a color you really want from the line, then I would recommend this product.

Also, if I had a boyfriend, I don't think I would kiss him with this on. But that's just me. 

Hope this review was somewhat helpful and thank you for stopping by! :)

Until next time~ ('<>')>

~nikki

Will you be purchasing the Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede?