New vs Old... The Revlon Balms

If you're a fan of drugstore makeup like I am, then you've no doubt discovered that Revlon makes some of the best lip products around!  Honestly, I often find Revlon lipsticks and glosses to be superior to high end options.  A while back, Revlon released a line of jumbo lip crayons called the "Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains."  Aside from the obnoxiously long name, I'm a HUGE fan of these.

New Lacquer Balm on top, older Just Bitten Balms below

I've tried other brands like Jordana and Neutrogena's similar offerings, but for me, none compare to my Revlon ones.  So you can imagine my excitement when I heard Revlon was releasing matte and lacquer versions of their jumbo lip pencils!  As luck would have it, my local CVS already has them in.  I picked up one of the new "Colorburst Lacquer Balms" last week and have been testing and comparing it to my "Just Bitten" stains.  (I skipped the matte option for the time being.)

Lacquer Balm in Coquette (left), Just Bitten Balm in Cherish (right)

So how do these new ones compare to the old?  Well, while I love the shinny, metallic packaging, it seems that the new Colorburst Lacquer Balms contain glitter/shimmer, whereas the Just Bitten ones do not.  Ugh.  Gotta say that my days of glittery or frosty lip shades are over.  Upon initial application, the Lacquer Balm feels great, is nice and shiny, and has the same minty scent as the original balms, and as the picture above shows, it isn't noticeably glittery.  But as the glossiness begins to fade, the glitter becomes more obvious.

Sheered out a bit, the glitter begins to show in the left swatch.

It's not that they are unwearable, but I don't like the idea of adding more glitter with each reapplication throughout the day.  I also think this formula is maybe a little bit sheerer than the originals, though it does seem to stain.  

Swatches of the Lacquer Balm on left, and Just Bitten Balm on right sheered out to demonstrate wear. 

While this new formula isn't a complete fail, I definitely prefer the original formula.  If you don't mind some glitter, you'll probably enjoy these.  Now let's see how long I can resist picking up a matte one...