Stealthy, Shiny, Sparkly… Revlon Super Lustrous Lipglosses in Sugar Violet (#230) and Snow Pink (#205)

Greetings from the slightly sticky tables of the local adventurers’ tavern, my fellow rogues!

I have something wonderful for you today, adventurers! We’re sitting in the local adventurers’ tavern (don’t try the beer – there’s a reason there’s so much quaffing going on, and that’s because it’s preferable to throw this stuff over your shoulder rather than drink it) because I’ve had word that an old friend is coming to meet us with tales of an amazing adventure!

Allow me to present: Magcarryn the Halfling Rogue! Her story involves two magical pillars of a forgotten temple, otherwise known as Revlon Super Lustrous Lipglosses in Sugar Violet and Snow Pink.

Magcarryn sneaks cautiously between the pillars of the forgotten temple, alert to the sparkle of hidden treasures. Or the stink of goblins, whichever comes first.

(Contrary to how it may appear from the picture above, Revlon tends to fill their glosses all the way up before selling them – I purchased Sugar Violet approximately two seconds after they launched here, and Snow Pink only recently!).

Magcarryn had many glorious tales to tell of the hidden temple and its treasures, but these two pillars were particular favourites of hers. As a rogue, it tends to be hard to pile on too much glitter, in case you take a penalty on your stealth rolls. That’s why we like glittery nail polishes and lipglosses so much – they give you a nice bit of sparkle and colour, without overwhelming you and drawing the orc hordes.

These two glosses are excellent examples of this – they can be layered on quite thickly or applied sheer, but both ways they give you gloss and sparkle, and (in the case of Sugar Violet) a lingering pink-purple stain after the gloss has worn off.

The doe-foot applicators of Sugar Violet (left) and Snow Pink (right). Magcarryn had misgivings about passing under the glistening arch, even though the sparkles promised treasure to come…

Sugar Violet is a magenta gloss with fuchsia and cyan iridescent sparkle generously distributed throughout. On the lips, it gives a stronger, deeper pink tint to the lips and a scattering of sparkle. Magcarryn and I may be somewhat biased in our love for purple things, but this gloss isn’t OPAQUE PURPLE OMG when you put it on – it’s much more wearable and versatile, if a little less exciting.

Snow Pink is a pale peach gloss with a lot of gold shimmering sparkle in it. This one comes across as a bit more opaque, and if you put on a thicker layer it can lend a slightly pale cast to the lips (or ‘nude’ tone, as some may prefer). Smoothed out a little sheerer it gives a bunch of sparkle and a layer of glossy sheen. Because of the pale colour in this gloss, even in sheer layers it gives a slightly plumping appearance to the lips, without the (literally) irritating peppermint oil.

Sunlight swatch of Revlon Super Lustrous Lipglosses in Snow Pink (left) and Sugar Violet (right). Also pictured: assorted freckles.

As you can see from the swatch, these are very pretty indeed. In fact, it’s probably better to avoid the company of any evil sorceresses while you’re wearing one of these, because we all know how intense they can get if they feel their own sparkliness is being shown up. Seriously. Magcarryn has the scratch-scars to prove it. In fact, let’s have another look at that sparkle…

Slightly blurrier swatch to show the shimmer. The blur was totally intentional. Yep, totally.

Alright, now that we’ve got the treasure pr0n over with, let’s get back to the details. These glosses apply smoothly, and have a medium glossy shine without being sticky. They do get a tad stickier toward the end of their quite impressive 3-4 hour wear time (on me). The stain in Sugar Violet helps to prolong its wear time, and the sparkle in both lingers after the gloss has faded, so they do work quite hard for very affordable glosses. After discussion with Magcarryn, we’ve decided that these are probably vetted for use for a small to medium dungeon raid, or a larger one if you’re prepared to touch up halfway through.

The packaging is, well, pretty standard for a gloss. The narrowing at the top makes sure you don’t get too much gloss out, but sometimes I feel like it could give you a bit more, as I have to dip twice sometimes to get the amount I want. Still, the packaging is very sturdy indeed, and the applicator is totally functional. Definitely a gloss you can boomerang off a fair few goblins before it gives way (tested by Magcarryn in the lower reaches of the temple).

Tubes sunbathing to show the sparkle. There really is no substitute for seeing it in real life though – the sparkle on these (especially Snow Pink) is incredible.

These glosses have a faintly sweet sort of scent – Sugar Violet has a hint more ‘plastic’ to it, but neither of them is really noticeable after you put them on, or bothersome during application. There’s no flavour, either. The minotaurs are unlikely to come after you for these, huzzah!

One tip I have is to actually mix these two glosses on the lips – put Snow Pink on whichever lip you’d like to make poutier, pur Sugar Violet (or any other gloss, really) on the other lip, and smoosh them together!

Worth noting: If you’re prepared to take a tiny hit on pigment for a fairly substantial hit in price (especially here in Middle Earth), these two glosses seem to be passable dupes for Nectarsweet (Snow Pink) and Playful Petal (Sugar Violet) Cremesheen Glasses from the recent MAC A Fantasy of Flowers collection!

The verdict: These glosses are versatile, comfortable, buildable and relatively long wearing – there are more colours in the range, but these two have a particularly lovely sparkle, either alone or together! Definitely worth checking out, especially if you want a plumping-appearance gloss (Snow Pink) or a purple gloss that itsn’t terrifyingly pigmented on the lips (Sugar Violet).

The practicalities: Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Glosses cost NZD ~28.oo / USD 7.99 for 3.8 mL/0.13 fl. oz, are permanent, and may be acquired from Farmers in Middle Earth and 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!