REVIEW: e.l.f. Studio Lip Stain

I was waiting for a shipment from the Instagram seller theglamgirlshoppe. I bought 6 Wet n Wild lippies, so I promised myself not to buy any more for a while. Then I walked by an e.l.f. stall and went back on my word. :p

Long-lasting lippies are my life (hey, alliteration!), but unfortunately, a lot of longwear lipcolors are drying and result in flaky lips. Which is why I had low expectations for e.l.f. Studio Lip Stain in Red Carpet.

I've been looking at swatches of this online, and it's all different. Some swatches show up red; some, pink. For me, it's a blue-based hot pink that's flattering on pretty much any skin tone.

The formula of the lip stain is excellent. It goes on smoothly and feels substantial, but not tacky. It's also creamy enough for easy application, and dries quickly to a matte finish. However, since it's a very pigmented stain, application mistakes can't be quickly fixed.

The doe-foot applicator is very precise, though, so you can control the application.

I tried it on un-prepped lips (read: not exfoliated or moisturized). The stain accentuates lip lines, and I've found that it does dry my lips, but not as much as other long-wearing lippies like Revlon Colorstay or Max Factor Lipfinity. Nothing that a spot of lip balm couldn't ease.

Wear time is average at 3 to 4 hours, but even when I've had a meal, my touch-up is negligible. With this product, the lipstick-ring-around-the-lips effect isn't quite obvious. Transfer is minimal, too, so I'm not worried about leaving a mark on utensils.

Now on to the other end of the product.

The transparent gloss feels tacky, thick, and cheap. It does give a nice shine, but it's too sticky for me to bother wearing it. Besides, the gloss seems to make the stain less transfer-resistant, and the whole point was to have long-lasting color, so...

Price: PhP250

Verdict: Affordable yet decent quality. If they come out with more shades (PLEASE GOD LET E.L.F. MAKE MORE SHADES OF THIS), this merits a repurchase. :)