The Revlon Colourburst Matte Lip Balm in Shameless. Swoon. This was my second purchase after my spending ban. Purple is my signature colour and although these had been in my local Boots and Superdrug for about twelve months, they never seemed to have Shameless in stock. I had seen it raved about on Twitter and lusted after on Instagram but I just could not get my hands on it. When I could, I was in the midst of my spending ban so I spent three months walking in and out of my local Boots without purchasing it.
The ‘balm’ is in the ever popular pencil or crayon format with claims of not needing sharpening… which is true but what they fail to mention is that once the product has been used a few times, it is not longer a point so the sharp definition oat the lip line is lost. With a strong colour like purple, a defined lip line is really important. Of course you could use a lip pencil… but I would rather have a sharpener!
The other potential problem for me was that there was peppermint in the product . I am not a fan of peppermint of peppermint in lip products. I do not find that it plumps, rather it stings the lips. The use of peppermint, menthol, eucalyptus etc is rife in lip care which I always find surprising as it is a known irritant – especially on mucus membranes (eyes and lips). Was it enough to stop me from purchasing? of course not – I had not made a cosmetic purchase in three months! I was just going to take my chances and if it did not work for me, I would pass it on. Wasteful, yes, but I refuse keep a product in my stash that I am not going to use.
The colour of Shameless is definitely lustworthy for a purple fanatic like me. The packaging is less inspiring however it is super sturdy. The purple plastic is a close match to the colour of the product and the silver at the bottom denotes the mechanism by which the bullet is wound up and down. The benefit of the sturdy packaging is that it can withstand weeks at the bottom of my bag with no damage or impact on the product. The lid is sturdy so it does not pop off the product.
So, was Shameless worth the wait. Absolutely. It is a deep purple and matte wihtout being drying. There is a slight silicone bounce to the texture it does not stain the lips but it does have a bit of dry down after first use. There is plenty of blue in the shade so it is a definite purple not pink (Hurrah). As for the minty essence – yes, I can smell it when I put my nose to the bullet, and when I put it on the lips there is a very subtle tingle, and only on the innermost part of the lips which are usually more sensitive especially when chapped. It subsides after about a minute so I am fine with it. I have found that the application of a matte lip balm like Fairfield Gardens or Nuxe Reve de Miel reduces the minty sensation significantly.
It is not easy to find a pigmented deep blue based purple in Boots and Superdrug (with the exception of Sleek and now Make Up Revolution). Most of the shades are purple with a large dollop of berry which are lovely shades but not strictly purple. There is room for all shades in my lipstick wardrobe, but if you are looking for something more matte and more contemporary, Shamless is a great option. Definitely recommended for purple fans.