A stain you'll want to keep

You may remember that I went a bit shopping crazy in the duty free about a month ago, and since I came back to the UK I have slowly but surely tested my way through the products - it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it! One of the products I picked up was the YSL Lacquer Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain which I had had my eye on for a very long time, so you can imagine how excited I was to finally try it.

When the YSL glossy stains were launched last year, this was a concept that hadn't been seen before. It gives the coverage of a lipstick, with the consistency and shine of a lipgloss and it sits like a stain on your lips, i.e. it's not going ANYWHERE. But before I move on to the formula, let's just admire the packaging for a second. As with all YSL products the glossy stain comes in an elegant and stylish format that adds a little bit of luxury to your everyday, and there's nothing better to cheer you up on a rainy Monday morning. 

The glossy stain is a creamy format, a bit thicker than a lip gloss, but it still feels very light on the lips and it comes with a nice wide doe foot applicator that makes application quick and fuss free. It gives beautiful glossy, satin smooth coverage without feeling sticky and after a few seconds the color sets on your lips like a stain, but it still keeps that lovely initial shine. Once the color has fused into your lips it just stays put and it's very long lasting. It will eventually fade into a more matte look and you do need to touch it up, but personally I find that it doesn't transfer the same way as lipsticks or lip glosses do. Another great thing is that it never looks patchy and it doesn't make your lips feel dry so it's a very lovely product to wear.

I know that a berry shade would probably have been more suitable for autumn and winter, but I decided to go for shade 12 - Corail Fauve, which is a gorgeous warm tint of coral that has a tiny bit of rose pink to it. It's a dynamic and vibrant shade without being sharp or overpowering, and it's very wearable since the stain blends so well with your lips.

Shade 12 - Corail Fauve

The only thing about this product that I'm not very keen on is that it both smells and tastes quite perfumed and in fact it's one of the strongest scented lip products I've tried for a long time. I don't actually know if it's the same for all the shades, but this one has something sweet and sharp rose-like over it. I don't mind too much about the scent, and it's definitely not enough to put me off the product since the taste disappears after 5-10 mins, but it is noticeable and I would have preferred to be without it.

I have always been very happy with the YSL products that I've tried, and I had every expectation that this would be no exception. The YSL glossy stain is a great product that creates a lovely finish, is light and pleasant to wear and that lasts really well throughout the day. I suspect that this won't be the last glossy stain for me, and I think I've even decided which shade to get next.