Lips: YSL Glossy Stain 07 Coral Aquatique

My first makeup item was lip gloss. I would wear lip gloss every day, to every occasion. Lately, though, I've crossed over almost exclusively to lipstick. I like the more mature look that lipstick gives me, and the fact that it doesn't get sticky or fade so quickly. Sometimes, though, I feel a twinge of guilt at neglecting my old standby. YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain just may turn out to be the absolution I've been seeking.

Meant to combine the high shine of a gloss and the long-lasting color of a stain, this new product from YSL really does perform. The color of the season is tangerine, so I chose to begin my experiment with 07 Coral Aquatique. 

The tube is short and squat, and the convenient little window in the side tells you exactly which color you're reaching for and how much of it remains. The applicator is not the typical doe's-foot, but a heart-shaped sponge at an angle. This design allows for high precision, which is refreshing in a lip gloss. The only issue is the very short shaft of the applicator: even with the angled head, I have to be careful not to bump into my bottom lip while doing my upper lip.

  

Coral Aquatique is a soft, elegant coral that still adds a dash of vibrancy to your face.

  

As you can see, this one starts out quite glossy. The texture is weightless and when you press your lips together, you feel a slight tackiness. There is none of the slipperiness, however, that is so common in lip glosses.

Of course, the next thing to do is to test YSL Glossy Stain's performance over time. After a couple of hours and a cup of tea, I looked in the mirror again. This was the result:

The gloss has begun to fade to a stain, just as advertised. The coral looks more pink now, and the shine is now a shimmer. The overall look is still very pretty; much prettier, to my eyes, than my camera was able to capture. As for the texture, my lips had become tackier, but I liked how it told me that the stain still was there.

I then put YSL Glossy Stain 07 Coral Aquatique through the real wringer: a heavy dinner. I was brutal. The stain barely limped through.

 The damage looks pretty bad, right? Most of the color is gone, and along with it the moisture. There still was some tackiness--enough to prevent me from rubbing my lips together easily--which told me that some product remained. 

And when I compare the above photo to the one below of my bare lips, we realize that quite a bit of color is indeed clinging on.

I would definitely reapply after a meal, but it's nice to know that my lip color won't die completely halfway through and leave me with naked lips.

To review:

Freshly applied.

After two hours and a cup of tea.

After six hours and a heavy meal.

Control group: bare lips.

My lips naturally have very little pigment, so I like the idea of a lip gloss that gives lasting color. YSL Glossy Stain really is an ideal marriage between a gloss and a stain. I would reapply after a heavy meal, but that's still better than reapplying a typical lip gloss every hour. Now I'm interested in how one of the darker colors perform (I ordered 05, 07, 17, 18, and 20 from Sephora). I found the swatches by Drivel About Frivol very helpful in making my selection, and I first learned of this product from Best Things in Beauty. 

Bottom line: YSL Glossy Stain 07 Coral Aquatique is a hybrid lip gloss/stain that delivers, but not perfectly.

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