With Chanel's Rouge Allure Laque being out of stock globally, this seemed like the next best thing, especially as it's a rather innovative formula designed to be transfer-resistant.
Long-wearing glosses tend to be stickier, thicker and generally more uncomfortable to wear than regular glosses. Plus, they do still kiss off on anything and everything, so I never really got the point aside from the fact that some formulas marry high pigmentation with shine.
YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stains are a new breed of glosses that promise to be something different, and I must admit a line of lightweight, pigmented glosses that actually stay on and feel comfortable on the lips sounded a bit too good to be true.
So on my recent trip to the States, I picked up a couple of shades at Sephora.
These are great, and I would pick these over Chanel Laques (or ANY other high-end gloss currently on the market) in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, YSL Beaute is not readily available in many countries.
The texture is very interesting because it's like jello; extremely light and cool to the touch when applied. If you've ever used Make Up For Ever Face and Body foundation, you'll know what I mean about a gel-like product that thins out into a watery texture during application.
The best thing is how comfortable it is to wear. I don't get gloopy bits congealing in the corners of my mouth, and it doesn't feel heavy.
This product will "set" after application, but NOT completely, so while the color and shine can survive a full meal and drinks quite well, you can still wipe everything off with a tissue and some pressure. The color does seep into lines a little, so I don't suggest applying more than 2 coats or it will start to get very patchy and uneven-looking.
The pigmentation is medium (above, 17 Encre Rose), so you're not going to get opaque coverage but the color will definitely be strong.
I've been able to wear this for half a day without any touch-ups until after a big meal, so while this is really expensive, I expect one tube will last you quite awhile unless you keep reapplying.
The 2 shades I bought were the two medium pinks; 15 Rose Vinyl (warm petal-pink) and 17 Encre Rose (light mauve-pink). All available shades are non-shimmery.
One note when you're shopping in the stores though; the colors do stain your lips a little, so the product will wear a tone or two deeper than they look straight from the tube.
The packaging is pretty lightweight as it's actually plastic, but the window helps you identify shades quickly, and watch your product levels. The only problem is they're a little square and bulky if you want to stuff them into a slim little pouch to bring around.
These go for US$32 and are available in select Sephoras and DFS's around the world.
P.S. Maybelline Super Stay 24 Hr Gloss Stains are NOT the same thing though they sound like they might be. The color range and performance is very different, although they are both gloss stains. If you are on a tight budget and like non-sticky glosses, those are ok to pick up, but you won't find lighter, creamier colors (they all go on quite deep) and they also don't stay on very well compared to these.
