L’Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Shine Stain Lipcolors Review, Photos & Swatches

Brand new this Spring, L’Oreal has launched a new set of shiny lip stains; something we’ve seen from a luxurious sister-brand of L’Oreal Paris. The new L’Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Shine Stain Lipcolors ($9.99 USD / $12.99 CAD) are formulated with light shine oils and water to create a super lightweight, glossy lip stain. Available now in twelve different shades.

When I first saw these lip stains, my immediate thought was “Yves Saint Laurent Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stains“… and I was totally right. These glossy stains are almost identical to the designer brand’s much more expensive version (with a few differences… keep reading).

These lipcolors come in a really gorgeous tube with a fancy shape and see-through portion under the cap (so you can see what color is inside). My biggest concern with these lipcolors is that apaprently in stores, they aren’t sealed shut. I received mine as press samples from an event I attended before Christmas, however I’ve had several bloggers tell me that they two saw these lip colors in the racks at the drugstore without any type of seal on them. I’d be hesitant to purchase them because of that, unless I buy them online or I’m 100% sure it hasn’t been used.

L’Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Shine Stain Lipcolors

Note the size & packaging

The applicator is a nice teardrop shape that we’ve seen in L’Oreal’s previous lipglosses. I love how the tapered point allows you to be precise, but the flat end allows for a quick and easy application. These stains apply like a lipgloss, and they are very sheer but this is essentially how they work:

1. Apply 1-2 layers for a sheer hint of color stain; feels bare.
2. Apply 3-4 layers for a hint of color and a touch of shine; feels lightweight… but can definitely feel substance.
3. Apply 5-6 layers for more coverage and shine; feels thick and glossy on lips.

I have two shades here, one in Pink Resistance (a mid-tone rosy pink) and Lilac Ever After (a mid-tone mauve). The main difference that I found between these lip stains and the YSL ones, is that these are much more sheer. Both of these colors looked pretty similar on my lips, despite being quite different in the tube. I feel like if these were the YSL formulation, I would have seen much more pigmentation with fewer coats and a more noticeable difference between the two shades.

The floral smell is slightly different than YSL, but very similar. The texture, feel and application feels the exact same- the sensation, the duration of wear (although I found these to fade a bit quicker because they had less pigment to begin with).

In general, these are very similar to the YSL ones, but I still prefer the YSL formulation because of the much better pigmentation. Even the lighter YSL shades show up on my lips, and these mid-tone shades barely showed up, really just slightly darkening my own lip color but not leaving much of their own shade behind.  If you’re not sure if you’ll like the YSL ones or you want to just give it a try, these are a great affordable alternative, although they don’t surpass the original, luxury lip stain in my opinion.

L’Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Shine Stain Lipcolors in Pink Resistance (left) & Lilac Ever After (right)

Swatches: Pink Resistance (left) & Lilac Ever After (right)

Wearing the L’Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Shine Stain Lipcolor in Pink Resistance

Wearing the L’Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Shine Stain Lipcolor in LIlac Ever After