Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede Lipstick

I am not a lipstick person. I find that, generally, lipstick looks unflattering on my thin lips and leaves them feeling dry and uncomfortable. I also find that lipstick is too high maintenance for me; I hate having to consistently re-apply a product every hour or so.

Because of all of those reasons, Revlon’s ColorStay Ultimate Suede Lipstick in Backstage is not a product I would have ever bought for myself. But since it arrived as part of my free Revlon Selects package, I decided it give it a try.

Initially, I was a bit hesitant to put it out. Not only was it a lipstick but it was one that, in the tube, looked to be a dark, purple-ish red colour. I couldn't pull that off. But then I applied it and happily discovered that this shade goes on lighter, and less purple, than one would expect.

As I stated earlier, lipstick usually doesn't look very attractive on my lips but this one, somehow, worked. It definitely brought colour and brightness to my face but without making me look like a clown or a, uh, hussy.  It also brought just a touch of sparkle while not bringing any shine; this is a matte lipstick that contains the odd sparkle in it. While that might sound odd, trust me, it works and the results look great.

And even better, the results stay in place. Revlon claims that this product provides “fool-proof wear that doesn't quit” and that you can, “Apply once and go.”  I completely agree with these claims. I put this product on and it stayed in place for hours and through meals, beverages and my frequently lip touching.

Unfortunately, I do have to disagree with Revlon’s claims that this product provides “instant moisture” and is “comfortable.” Despite containing shea butter and aloe, this lipstick left my lips feeling dried out within minutes of applying it. I did try applying this lipstick over a variety of lip balm and glosses and while that solved my moisture problem, it resulted in the lipstick faded much quicker than if I was wearing it directly on my lips.

So it’s not a perfect product. But it does stay in place and it does look great on me, which is more than I can say for most lipsticks. While I won’t be trading in my glosses for this line of Revlon lipsticks, I will be pulling it out whenever I need to create a look that’s a bit more grown up.

Would I buy this product: Yes, I would buy this product again in Backstage without a second thought. True, it does make my lips feel dry but then so does almost all other lipsticks and unlike almost all other lipsticks, this one actually looks good on me.

Should you buy this product: This depends on your lipstick priorities. If you want one that’s comfortable, skip this item. But if you’re willing to sacrifice comfort for style, take another look at this product. It’s available in 20 different shades and if there’s one that works for me, I’m sure there’s one that works for you.