YSL Glossy Stain #1 - Violet Edition

The Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres (aka Glossy Stains) were a product I heard tons of great things about on blogs and YouTube in the past few months. Everyone was raving about them, waxing on about the interesting texture, uncanny lasting power, and brilliant shine. Now it's my turn. They have a very interesting texture, an uncanny lasting power, and maintain a brilliant shine for HOURS. There. I said it! Now I'm just like everyone else. Just a cog in the machine. Robo Chelsea. Beautybot 2000. Tangent: You ever think about how much those beauty companies are just laughing their way to the bank watching this huge online culture and community of people essentially selling their products for them? It's comical how salespitchy some videos can be for absolutely no reason. If you love it, rave about it. But if not... obviously partnerships and affiliate links exist, but... okay, ya know what? I'm going to shut up because this post is about a glossy fucking lip stain and that's it! Stay shallow, Chelsea. Less thinking. I like to analyze behavior and feel like much of my enjoyment with the YouTube beauty community stems from ethnographic tendencies. Former Sociology major.... sorry. must. perform. qualitative. research. and. analyze. with. theory. Can you tell I'm writing this post at two in the morning?

You might have seen my "haul" video when I bought these (I kind of hate that term but am at a loss for what else to call those videos -- shopping sprees? latest purchases? "help me I have addiction and need an intervention"s? I don't know...). If not, let me sum it up: I was annoyingly excited about getting my first YSL products and smiled a lot. Violet Edition, aka #1, is an deep berry color; which verges on purple with increased application. The great thing about these stains -- besides for the fact they don't budge, smell really nice, and feel really cool on your lips -- is that you can achieve dramatically different effects with intensified application. In the image above, I am wearing about 4-5 layers of product. At first layer, it's a somewhat sheer/somewhat opaque berry gloss (this is visible at the end of the video I linked above). Each additional layer brings the stain to a higher level of opacity and intensity. Knowing me, I added as many layers as it took to get my desired effect -- a bold, opaque lip.

I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend these YSL Glossy Stains. The price ($32) is a little steep for the average Joanne (or fabulous Joe. werrrk.), but look no further if you feel like indulging in a special treat. If you hate shine, and permanently looking like you just finished a juicy piece of fried chicken, look further -- these really aren't for you. Now for the "bad": Beware of dry lips, as the stain can cling to dry patches; and while they are long lasting through eating, they still have some stick to them which can cause food to cling and absorb some of the stain. I speak from specific experience eating spring rolls at dinner. Cute. But that's it for cons. All in all, an awesome product with a great shade range (I own two right now, but have my eye on more). Love em!