Beauty and Grit: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters in Peach Parfait, Wild Watermelon and Sweet Tart

Greetings from darkened buttresses, my fellow rogues!

You know those times when everything kind of gets on top of you? Like when your dagger is stuck in an angry orc, and your leather leggings are giving you a wedgie and the paladin’s looking way too smug about it all? And all you want to do is scream and kick someone in the shins, but you’re trying to stay classy?
Yep, these are the times when you just want your lipstick to work, dammit, and help you to feel comfortable and fabulous and sophisticated. If, maybe, it could be hydrating as well, that would be a bonus…

Well, then let me introduce you to Revlon’s line of Colorburst Lip Butters!

When Sigryn tells you that these Colorburst Lip Butters are good, you’d better believe her. And her Axe.

These Lip Butters are kind of like my fail safe lipsticks. You know, the lipsticks that you can put on almost no matter what condition your lips are in, and know that they’ll brighten you up and take decent care of you. That they’ll wear well and fade gracefully, leaving a soft stain. That you won’t have to worry about them and check on them and wait with mild dread for that moment when your previously hydrating, attractive lip colour seems to spontaneously turn into a patchy series of desiccating remnants fit only for a necromancer’s mantelpiece. You know, lipsticks like those.

Despite being surrounded, Sigryn knows she’s among friends. Left to right: Sweet Tart, Peach Parfait and Wild Watermelon.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters come in about a million (or, you kow, ~20) shades, with their characteristically colour coded, quilted plastic caps. The first series (from which Peach Parfait and Sweet Tart come) was named after desserts, and more recent seasonal collections have added to this range, like the summer-sweets related one from Summer 2013 (cue Wild Watermelon). I should note that I’ve also tried Brown Sugar (a shimmery, glittery sheer tan colour) and Red Velvet (a slightly brownish red from this range, but both were too brown-leaning for my tastes, so I gave them away.

Since I mentioned packaging, I’ll take a moment here to note that I’m not actually much of a fan of the Colorburst Lip Butter cases. The quilted cap is cute enough, and I like that there’s a see-through top and colour-coding for ready identification in the midst of a goblin siege… but the mechanism is terrible. Almost all the ones I’ve had feel sort of loose as you wind the bullet up (Wild Watermelon is the exception, so perhaps they’ve improved it recently), and the bullet itself seems a little too mobile – every single one has eventually ended up scraping at the side of the case as it winds up and down, making a mess. This isn’t a deal-breaker when the lipsticks are this good, but it’s definitely a shame!

Not cool, Revlon. Also not the end of the world, but it makes things that much messier and interferes with my need to maintain pristine lipstick bullets *twitch*

Enough grumbling, however, because I’m here to tell you that this is a minor quibble when you consider how great these lipsticks are! The beginning of the post would have been a bit pointless, otherwise… 😛

Sweet Tart is a bright, slightly cool toned pink. Not dissimilar to the colour of the Paladin’s face after someone managed to convince him to try something stronger than a shandy. Wild Watermelon is a vivid, coral-leaning red that is totally unapologetic and wants you to be the same. Peach Parfait is literally my perfect MLBB shade (assuming my lips glitter slightly). It’s a pinky peach colour with a hefty helping of golden sparkles. Although the sparkles are not actually too overt on the lips (unless you cake this stuff on), there is noticeable grit as you press your lips together. I don’t actually mind this much, but it might be a deal breaker for some.

Clockwise from top: Peach Parfait, Sweet Tart and Wild Watermelon. You can kind of see the ‘grittiness’ in Peach Parfait here, but you should also note that the reason it’s only wound out that far is that I’ve almost used it up. Grit or no, I love this shade!

These lipsticks have a balm-like, almost waxy texture that I find to be smooth and hydrating. It applies well to both the outer part of the lip and that tricky inner part that most lipsticks seem to avoid  as though it were an orc’s loincloth. On me, these wear for about three or four hours if no feasting is involved, slightly less if it is. This is quite excellent wear on me for this type of sheernotsheer/balm lipstick. It’s also worth noting that these don’t skimp on pigment – you can make them sheer if you want to , but they have plenty of colour. They fade cleanly to leave a soft stain.

Natural light swatches, from left: Wild Watermelon, Sweet Tart, Peach Parfait. Please excuse the crappiness of these swatches – these lipsticks are actually not as well suited to my arm as they are to my lips! 😀

The finish runs from glossy to a satin sheen (with light sparkle in the case of Peach Parfait), which is one that I find particularly flattering, especially for quite bold shades like Sweet Tart and Wild Watermelon. The lipsticks have a faint sweet sort of scent that is quite unobtrusive, and no real taste to speak of. Yes, I do think it was a huge missed opportunity that they don’t smell/taste like thier namesakes, like Lancome Juicy Tubes. No, I don’t think they would have managed that flawlessly, so I’m kind of secretly glad they didn’t try!

Artificial light, to show the shine. From left: Peach Parfait, Sweet Tart, Wild Watermelon. In this light, Sweet Tart and Wild Watermelon look extremely similar, but this is definitely not the case on the lips!

As a little footnote, I’m well aware that these came out a LONG time ago, but they’re so good that I feel they bear re-examination, just in case anyone missed out 😉 Hey, sometimes we rogues are in a deep dungeon or locked in battle with a fearsome dracolich when these things come out. Better late than never, in this case!

The verdict: These Colorburst Lip Butters check all the boxes for a rogue’s workhorse lipstick: they’re comfortable, colourful, hydrating, easy to apply and wear very well. They’re lightweight, come in a massive shade range (that Revlon periodically adds to) and even have cure colour-coded packaging. What more can you ask for, really? At some point, I’m hoping to expand my collection, but the Revlon Lacquer and Matte balms have finally made it to these shores, so that might have to wait! 😉 Highly recommended.

The practicalities: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters cost NZD ~28.oo / USD ~7.00 for 2.5 g/0.09 oz, are permanent, and may be acquired from chemists/drugstores etc the world over.

Until next time, fellow adventurers, don’t forget to check for traps!

Syl

I am an adventuring rogue, not a mercenary for hire, and as such, all opinions expressed here are my own, based on a genuine fondness for/interest in this product. If you have any queries or suggestions, please do not hesitate to pin your parchment to the board (contact me) at thepaintedrogue [at] gmail [dot] com., or use the contact form provided!