Something seems to have fallen apart in the past two weeks, and I’ve veered from my posting schedule just a bit. I’ve not gotten any busier than usual – actually, my schedule has become less stressed now that the Semi Annual Sale at work is over. But sometimes things can get a little disorganized when you do have more time on your hands. Either way, I hope to have next week on it’s regularly scheduled schedule.

As a quick one-off today, I wanted to share some Cover Girl Outlast Lip Stains I picked up at Big Lots. I went in hoping to find some solutions for my over-growing bangs, but their headband selection was rather dismal. I went over to check out their makeup aisle, as I usually do, and being that this store was having a 20% off Friends and Family sale, I could hardly pass up the savings. Each of these stains came in at just $1.60 USD each.

I wound up nabbing “Bit of Blossom” (left) and “Coy Coral” (right). Swatches taken over bare skin in sunlight.

I’ve never expected to be wowed by Cover Girl products in the past, so these stains didn’t have a chance to really let me down on any front. The stains have a slightly sweet scent and flavour, with only a very slight “chemical” undertone. Application was very easy with these – the tips of the pens delivered color precisely and evenly. Lasting power, however, was hit or miss. “Bit of Blossom” applied beautifully, but after a few minutes, the stain was imperceptible on my lips – strange, because my lips aren’t particularly pigmented. “Coy Coral”, however, had amazing lasting power. I applied that one right before bed for kicks, and woke up the next morning with incredibly vibrant color clinging tightly to my kisser. The only problem with “Coy Coral” is that the colour does seem to change a bit on me – after about an hour, the pink hue fades, and leaves me with much more orange than I’m comfortable with.

Granted, I’ve only tried two of these stains, so there may be some positively perfect shades in the Cover Girl library. However, as I wasn’t particularly happy with either of these shades, for whatever reason, I probably won’t be buying these again.

What lip stains have you tried? What are your favourite brands and shades?