Beauty on a Budget

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

By Lauren Kelly, Assistant Editor

This fall, my lips have almost been constantly dry. This means that my favourite matte lip products are out the window unless I’m fine with only wearing them for very short periods. It’s times like these that I turn to my favourite lip balms: Revlon’s Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain.

There are 12 colour options: 5 nudes and light pinks, 3 bold pinks and oranges, and 4 deep reds and browns. This range should be more than enough to suit any skin tone or style. The colours are incredibly pigmented and can be built up to be quite bold. My favourites are Honey and Crush. Honey comes in a light, pinkish-nude package, which is deceptive as the true colour is a very natural, deep rose. This is a great choice for enhancing your natural lip colour, and could be worn with just about any makeup look. Crush is a deep raspberry, which is perfect for fall and winter. It can be put on lightly to add some warmth your look or built up to a nice, vivid colour. This is a very fun shade for this time of year.

Since these are balms, not regular or long-wear lipsticks, they do fade away more quickly than those would. However, they are your typical chunky lipsticks, making them very easy to reapply even without a mirror. This helps if they’re wearing off or you just need some instant relief from the dry air. They’re incredibly moisturizing, and stay dewy on your lips without being sticky. Another bonus is that when they wear off they leave a light stain of the colour. This is a great safety net until your next application, or serves as a nice, standalone, more subtle version of the balm’s freshly applied look.

The packaging is great. The tube is plastic and the balm twists up, so there is no need to sharpen it when you’re running low. I did find that all branding wore off the tubes that I own, which isn’t truly an issue, just something I don’t often encounter. The product itself has a light, natural minty scent in the tube, but little to no flavour or smell on the lips.

If you like these, Revlon also has the product in a matte and lacquer version. However, these aren’t stains so the long-wear factor isn’t as prominent. Although I haven’t tried the matte, I really like the lacquer ones, as they are very shiny and glossy without any stickiness. You can find these lip balms at most any drug store, and they should go from $8–10 when not on sale. To me, Honey is a definite must-get for the current weather.