Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balms and Matte Balms

Yes, there are even more new lip balms hitting the drugstore shelves! A few days ago I reviewed the Maybelline Color Elixirs, and now we have the Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balms and Matte Balms. At first glance, I thought that these were more Kissable Balm Stains, but they are actually just balms. 

There are 20 shades to choose from in the collection. Half are Lacquer (shine) finish and half are matte finish. I purchased all of the lacquers, but only some of the mattes were available. The display didn't say these were limited edition, so I'm assuming they might be permanent. 

These are the Lacquer Balms, the tubes are all very shiny. As you can see, the packaging is identical to the Kissable Balm Stains, but the formula is different! 

Swatches from left to right: Vivacious, Enticing , Demure, Flirtacious , Provocatuer, Whimsical, Ingenue, Tease, Coquette, and Coy.

Vivacious is a creamy hot pink. Enticing is a creamy deep brownish red. Demure is a subtle nude that contains sparkle. Flirtatious is a creamy bright fuchsia. Provocatuer is a creamy bright blue toned red. Whimsical is a pinky purple that contains sparkle. Ingenue is a creamy medium brown. Tease is a creamy burnt orange. Coquette is a light blue toned pink that contains sparkle. Coy is a creamy coffee brown. These swatches are two swipes each. 

Here are the four matte balms I purchased. There are six other shades that I couldn't find, but hopefully I can get them soon! As you can see these tubes are all matte. 

Swatches from top to bottom: Unapologetic, Audacious, Sultry, and Showy

Unapologetic is a bright coralish-pink. Audacious is a neon orange. Sultry is a brownish mauve. Showy is a bright blue toned pink. These were two swipes each. 

Claims: I couldn't find any claims on these yet. I will update this once I find out.
Pigmentation: The pigmentation on the lacquers is better than the mattes. The mattes aren't bad, but they apply somewhat patchy on the lips. The lacquers are incredibly pigmented, only one swipe is needed to get full color. 
Finish/Texture: The lacquers have a shiny finish and a buttery texture. They're hydrating, but they don't feel greasy, and they didn't feather out of my lip line at all. The mattes are matte finish, but they feel and look a bit cakey on the lips. They also felt a little bit too slippery and drying. It was a difficult texture to work with.
Lasting Power: The lasting power isn't the greatest, I only had about 2-3 hours of wear on both of the finishes. I wasn't expecting them to be much longer than that though, since they are balms and not 'balm stains'. 
Scent: Each balm has a slight minty scent, it's not as strong as the Kissables. It really reminds me of a Tarte Lip Surgence lip pencil. 
Packaging: The packaging is exactly like a Kissable Balm Stain. The tube is a standard twist up applicator. There is no sharpener included. The tips dull overtime. 
Price/Availability: I paid $7 each each at Harmon's inside of Bed Bath and Beyond. 


Likes:

• The lacquers are very pigmented
• The lacquers feel hydrating and buttery
• The mattes are a true matte finish
• Variety of shades/ finishes to choose from (20 shades overall)
• Nice packaging
• Subtle sweet minty scent/tingle
• Inexpensive

Dislikes:

• The mattes are drying on my lips
• The mattes have a cakey look/are a bit streaky
• The lasting power isn't great on these balms (only about 2-3 hours)

Overall:
I'm not exactly sure what these balms were supposed to do, but overall I was impressed by the lacquers more than the mattes. 

What really impressed me was the creaminess and pigmentation of the lacquers. The formula is buttery smooth, I think they will be a huge hit in the beauty community. I'm a huge matte finish lover, but the matte balms just looked bad on my lips. They emphasize lines and create an odd cakey finish, plus they're a bit streaky. 

The lacquers remind me exactly of a Revlon Lip Butter, but in a pencil form! The matte balms weren't good, but they weren't terrible either. They didn't really do much for me.

All in all, I think this collection is really exciting! Are you going to try them?

If you would like to see lip swatches, please watch my video review! 

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