Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stain in Shanghai Sizzle, LA Exclusive, New York Scene & Rio Rush

Revlon's latest lip release is a good one - ColorStay Moisture Stain promises comfortable, moisturising colour with a glossy shine and eventual stain, available in 11 destination themed shades.

I've got four shades to show you today - Shanghai Sizzle, a bright blue-toned red; LA Exclusive, a sweet light pink; New York Scene, a claret-y deep red; and Rio Rush, a bright blue toned pink.

Shanghai Sizzle, LA Exclusive, New York Scene, Rio Rush

 Alongside the comfortable texture and glossy texture, Revlon have given ColorStay Moisture Stain a snazzy applicator.  Angled upwards slightly, it's got a pointy end for precisely outlining the lips, and a flat paddle for filling them in.  It's very, very effective, making application easy, even if you're on the bus (just don't drop the wand on your handbag like I did last week).

If the applicator is looking a bit suspiciously familiar to you, you're absolutely correct - it's damn close to that pioneering pointy applicator YSL gave to their popular Glossy Stain release.  The left hand side is the Revlon product, and the right YSL - very little difference between them.  In fact, given the aim of colour, gloss, and a slight staining effect, the two products are very similar indeed.

Shanghai Sizzle

LA Exclusive

New York Scene

Rio Rush

Swatched, you can see that the colour intensity is good - apart from LA Exclusive, which is a little sheer, although that's probably a good thing unless you want Barbie lips.  The finishes are typically very shiny, with the deeper red shades being the most striking in terms of colour and shine.  Application wise, I've found it a little difficult to get a perfectly even finish without some careful smoothing and dabbing - swiping the product straight on is a little patchy, but it's easily smoothed out with a bit more layered on.

I'm really pleased with the longevity of these babies - I've been wearing Rio Rush heaps over the past few weeks, because it's the same colour as my hair in the sunlight, and I find I get a good four hours before my lips start needing a top up.  Thanks to the stain element, ColorStay Moisture Stain wears evenly and leaves a nice flush to the lips - it's most noticeable with the darker, deeper red shades, though, so don't expect Rio Rush to leave you a fuchsia stain.  They are indeed comfortable to wear, although I'd say that they're slightly stickier than YSL's Glossy Stains - only slightly though!

All in all, I've been incredibly impressed with these - Rio Rush has earned a permanent place in my handbag, and I think New York Scene will be joining it when autumn comes.  At a mere £7.99 each, they're very well priced for the performance - minor stickiness and patchiness aside, they perform just as well as YSL's much more expensive Glossy Stains.  Find them now at Boots.

Disclosure: PR sample

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