Product Review: L'Oreal Colour Caresse Gloss Stains

I've said this before and I'll say it a million times more: I'm a sucker for packaging. L'Oreal's Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stains tapped into my weakness by having such a lovely little vial design. My brain immediately decided they looked like phylacteries and that I had to have them.

And y'know, the product seemed like a cool idea too.

From L-R: Infinite Fuchsia, Pink Rebellion, Rose On and On

The Good:

I can honestly say that these have pretty impressive staying power as a gloss. Beyond that, the gloss portion of this product is very pretty. Each of the ones I have used made my lips look shiny and pillowy upon application, which I certainly don't mind. I think the infusion of a stain and gloss is kind of brilliant. It's a nice change from matte lip stains.

The Not-So-Bad:

The pigmentation is not at all what I expected. Some turned out a bit darker (Infinite Fuchsia), some a bit lighter (Rose On and On). I did end up loving all of the colors and how they looked on my lips, but their colors are not easily judged by the way they look in the package.

The Bad:

After a couple of hours the glossiness will fade, but the stain will stay. Infinite Fuchsia's stain looks splotchy once the gloss fades. The splotchiness of the stain is not as noticeable on my lips with the lighter colors. However, my lips always become pretty sticky at this point. Reapplying does help with the stickiness and splotchiness, but I don't always have the product readily available. Also, the gloss is simply done for the moment you eat or drink. For this reason, I still tend to reach for my matte lip stains much more often.

I maintain the thought that this is a brilliant product, I just wish there was a way to get rid of the inevitable stickiness that surfaces after the gloss fades away. I would be happier if the stain was more uniform as well.

Update: Swatches Here!