Lips: Revlon's Colorburst Lip Butter in "Invite Only" and "Provocative" from The Evening Opulence Collection (LE)

PURCHASED

*This post is picture heavy and has a slightly text-heavy rant under the "Hype (and Claims)" section.*

I have a rash on my face, and didn't sleep well last night, but when I saw the sun shining and the temperature widget reading 80 degrees F, I had to, had to, HAD TO get pictures for this review. I am SO eager to share this post with you - it just had to be done.

For reasons.

This is unfortunately my first post on the ever-so-popular Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters. The colors are "Provocative" and "Invite Only," limited edition stars from the fall/winter 2013 The Evening Opulence collection by Gucci Westman. And holy crap do I have an opinion on them.

I'm going to try and make this review as organized as possible, but I can't promise anything.




THE BASICS

Name(s): "Invite Only" and "Provocative"
Net Wt.: 0.09 oz./ 2.55 g.
Price: ~$8
Finish: Glossy/Creamy/Sparkly

So much has been said about the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters, so I'm going to be brief here. They have a flat, circular lipstick bullet encased in a sleek silver tube. The cover is color-matched to the bullet and has a clear window at its top so that the lipstick bullet (and color) are clearly visible. The cover clicks securely shut. The sticker at the bottom of the tube contains the color name only, as these are limited edition and don't have a color number.

LEFT: "Provocative"
RIGHT: "Invite Only"

LEFT: "Provocative"
RIGHT: "Invite Only"

Right now it may seem that the covers are not color-matched to the lipstick bullet. But the cover is actually pretty damn accurate...as you'll see in a bit.

LEFT: Bottom of the tubes with the color names.
RIGHT: Top of the tubes that reveal the lipstick bullet through a clear window.

LEFT: "Provocative"
RIGHT: "Invite Only"

There is a sticker on the packaging that acts as a seal and provides other basic information, such as the product size and ingredients. Here is a zoom-in on the ingredients:

Page 1 of 2.

Page 2 of 2.

I like the Colorburst Lip Butter packaging. I really do. Also, the product has a very subtle vanilla scent. I find that it is so subtle in some of the colors I own - such as these two - that they seem fragrance-free.


THE HYPE (AND CLAIMS)

Revlon claims that the Colorburst Lip Butters are hydrating, glide on easily, and have sheer to medium color coverage with glossy shine. They're your lipstick+lip gloss+lip balm master hybrid.

I said earlier that it was unfortunate that my first post on these lipsticks happens to be with these colors. I'm just going to clear the air now: all of the claims above are true. That's why I love these lipsticks. They are perhaps my favorite lipstick formula and color range. I own 12 shades, besides these, from the permanent line.

My problem is the hype with this collection.

This bit has more to do with "Invite Only" than "Provocative," but the rest of the 'hype'/marketing ploy will involve both. I first heard about "Invite Only" through Nouveau Cheap's post that features a picture from Style magazine mentioning "Invite Only." In the picture the collection's creator, Gucci Westman, states that "Invite Only" has green-blue tones meant to "'[counteract] redness, transforming lips into a nice, sheer beige tone.'" 

This is what got me excited. My second favorite lip color is beige, and this intended function of "Invite Only" took the error out of finding a flattering beige lip.

Then the product really started getting hyped up. Revlon already has a ton of us won over with the lovely formula of these lip butters, so introducing unique shades was the perfect bait. But why stop there?

On The Evening Opulence lip butter page of the Revlon website is the following description of "Invite Only" and "Provocative":

"The Evening Opulence's 'it' item for the season is a limited-edition lip & Colorburst Lip Butter Balm."

Toss in the fact that there is only one slot per limited edition lip butter shade for The Evening Opulence display and stir.

I searched for these in a ton of drugstores, and called a few more, and every display I initially found was sold out of the lip butters, including a display that was at most 2-days old since I had visited the same exact drugstore 2 days earlier before finding the display. I wasn't bothering anymore. Truth is I found an untouched display by chance. I find it ridiculous how a cosmetic company can boast a product and yet make it so limited that it's practically unfair to a lot of people that genuinely enjoy the product and want the new colors.

And now I can show you why "Invite Only" and "Provocative" aren't worth the nauseatingly overdone hype.


COLOR/SWATCHES

"Invite Only" and "Provocative," according to the main Colorburst Lip Butter page, are supposed to give a sheer tint and sparkle. Again, in Style magazine "Invite Only" is described as a color-corrector. My point is, these are supposed to have some kind of sheer color, or at least make a noticeable difference.

In the tubes, "Invite Only" is a mint blue-green with blue and green sparkles (perhaps silver as well?) while "Provocative" is a lavender with pretty blue and purple sparkles. The sparkles in both lipstick bullets are slightly apparent indoors, but really show up in direct sunlight.

The colors indoors. For both of the above photos:
LEFT: "Provocative"
RIGHT: "Invite Only"

The colors in direct sunlight.
LEFT: "Invite Only"
RIGHT: "Provocative"

I find that "Provocative" has more prominent sparkles, as shown in the following picture, where the blue sparkles are especially noticeable:

Now for the long-awaited swatches:

LEFT: "Provocative"
RIGHT: "Invite Only"

LEFT: "Provocative"
RIGHT: "Invite Only"

The second of the two previous pictures shows the sparkle in "Invite Only" better, but it's pretty obvious that the base colors for both lipsticks are clear. Clear, clear, clear.

And here are swatches in direct sunlight:

LEFT: "Provocative"
RIGHT: "Invite Only"

LEFT: "Provocative"
RIGHT: "Invite Only"

Clear.


LIP SWATCHES (WITH DETAILS ON GENERAL PRODUCT WEAR-TIME)

First off, here are pictures of my bare lips (well, I do have lip balm on, but you get the point):

My lips are fairly pale. One could say that's the reason "Invite Only" does no form of color-correcting on my lips whatsoever, but I'm confident that it, like "Provocative," is nothing more than a clear base with sparkle. I'll explain that a bit more after the lip swatches of both limited edition shades.

"Invite Only" indoors:

"Invite Only" outdoors:

"Invite Only" in direct sunlight:

Clear.

"Provocative" indoors:

"Provocative" outdoors:

"Provocative" in direct sunlight:

Clear.

I included direct sunlight pictures in this section because the sparkles are meant to be one of the prominent features of both shades, and I've read other bloggers' reviews stating that the sparkles make both shades more than a clear gloss. But I can't agree. The green, blue, and purple sparkles are not visible enough, even in sunlight, to justify owning these 'it' items of the collection.

As for wear-time and formula, these two shades are thankfully the same as the permanent line, so they have that much going for them. The formula feels smooth and creamy and leaves lips feeling hydrated even after it wears off. Like most hydrating formulas, these do have a slightly below average wear-time. Vibrant colors last up to 3 or 4 hours, while sheerer colors (and these clear ones) last about 3 hours max. Also, since these two shades are loaded with sparkle, what's left on your lips is specks of glitter. On a positive note, the sparkles in these two shades aren't detectable after application, unlike other sparkly shades in the lip butter line such as "Peach Parfait."


WHAT A COLOR-CORRECTING LIP PRODUCT LOOKS LIKE

Revlon's "Invite Only" isn't the only ball in the court when it comes to green-tinted products meant to give lips a beige tone. That's why I'm so harsh about Westman's comment in Style magazine. When I adored lip glosses, I owned a product that did what she claimed "Invite Only" would do. I loved that product so much that I bought a back up at the time - one that I never used - so even though the original went bad years ago, I still have this one sitting around that wasn't contaminated. That gloss is MAC's Lustreglass in "Spring Bean."

I remember the whole "Spring Bean"-vs-"Squirt" debate, where "Squirt" (a now discontinued MAC lipglass) was deemed better for pigmented lips, while "Spring Bean" was better suited for paler lips. That's why I purchased "Spring Bean," and it worked beautifully on my lips. Again, my lips aren't super red so it wasn't the strongest beige color, but the beige is definitely noticeable in the following pictures.

And here's a direct comparison of "Spring Bean" and "Invite Only," so that you can see them in the same lighting:

LEFT: "Spring Bean"
RIGHT: "Invite Only"

Obviously "Spring Bean" is a Granny Smith apple-green in the tube, while "Invite Only" is a minty blue-green. But the fact of the matter is, "Invite Only" swatches and wipes off clear, while the following tissue close-up (lmfao) proves differently for "Spring Bean":

Revlon, that is what a color-correcting lip product is supposed to do. That is how it looks!


OVERALL

I love the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters. They live up to all of their claims as a hydrating, glossy product, and while "Invite Only" and "Provocative" have zero color payoff, the other 12 shades I own - which I will post swatches/reviews of with time - indeed provide sheer to medium coverage. They may not last as long as a traditional lipstick due to their hydration, but I prefer soft lips over stained lips so they're just fine for me.

My review in this post is mostly negative due to the hype around The Evening Opulence collection. I did this review to both tell and prove to you that "Invite Only" and "Provocative" are nothing more than lipstick toppers, at best. There is no color-correcting, there is no point in them being unique colors aside from staring at the tube. If you really want a clear, sparkly lip butter, don't kill yourself looking for these pathetically-available limited edition shades and go to the permanent line for "Sugar Frosting."

I rest my case.

~nikki ('<>')>