Review - L'Oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stain in Stubborn Plum

I remember stalking my local drugstores when I knew these were being released. I finally found them at an of the beaten path CVS near me and hauled like three (which in hindsight was pretty expensive; almost $30!). Now I wish that I had at least waited to get them on offer (insert "beauty blogger problemzz" here..)

In all reality; they're quite mediocre.

The packaging itself feels a touch glam. I personally really like it. It is housed in a tapered gold reflective case with transparency toward the lid so you actually see the color included, rather than something close to it (ahem, CoverGirl LipPerfection? I'm talking to you.) It holds fingerprints but it really isn't the worst I've seen.

The applicator is a flatter version of a doe foot applicator. Other brands' take on this kind of product usually have the same style applicator.

Stubborn Plum really isn't all that plum. It reads much more of a pinkish lilac with very cool tones to it. The shade itself is stunning; the kind I constantly find myself gravitating towards. It also doesn't have too much color impact, which would make it an ideal shade for someone who is drawn to this color family, but finds it out of their comfort zone.

Sadly, that is the extent of the "good" notes about this product. I was vastly underwhelmed. The whole premise of these is summed up in the lightweight and stain claims. It is, in fact, lightweight. The consistency was different (probably because these are said to be 30% water), and it felt thin and a lot lighter weight than a gloss. It wasn't hydrating, but it didn't leave my lips in bad form after wearing it.

On the other hand, this is marketed as a stain. Stain, to me, means "one and done" at least for a few hours at a time. My initial test of this product was done on one of those "I really can't stop to touch up my lipstick" kind of days, so understand my frustration ahead of time. It has all of the telltale signs of a stain; the consistency changes on the lips as it dries down, so I had high hopes. However, less than an hour after application, I looked in the mirror and found that I had very little color on my lips, no shine (as to be expected since it dries down) and just a faint ring of lilac close to my outer lip lines. Not. Freaking. Cute. After about 6 hours of trying and reapplication I just scrubbed it off on my lunch break. This shade isn't a long day product; this is a "going out for an hour or two" product...if that.

It does bear mentioning; as with a lot of products of this sort, I detected a strong fragrance in this product. It took me a while to figure out what the fragrance reminded me of, and then it just hit me; Hairspray! It legitimately smells like hairspray to me. Given, it dissipates, but its one of the more odd fragrances that I've run into; and not the worst. (Side note: Anyone struggling with the fragrance of the new Milani Lipsticks? Oh My!)

Overall;

Pros:

- Lightweight

- This shade is somewhat subtle. A good transition shade.

- Glamorous packaging. 

Cons:

- Does not leave a strong enough stain.

- Migrates to lip lines.

- Messy.

- Strong fragrance.

This shade was a bit of a letdown. I had high hopes for these, simply because I don't care to pop $30 for YSL's version of this product. The shade range was also promising; much cooler toned and appropriate for my skin tone than I am used to from L'Oreal, but it was overall underwhelming and a touch frustrating. I do have two other shades that I hauled, but have not wear tested (given my frustration with this one) but I plan to work on testing both Infinite Fuchsia and Berry Persistent. Hopefully I'll have better luck with the darker shades.

4/10 - Nope. Leave it. Pity, because its so pretty.