#FrenchFriday : YSL Vinyl Cream Lip Stain, my first impressions

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YSL Vinyl Cream Lip Stain: photos, swatches, review


Happy Friday and welcome to your weekly French beauty rendez-vous! How is your summer going? Here it's now really hot every single day, and I'm so glad I just started a job in an air-conditioned office! Anyways, this week I want to show you photos, swatches and share my first impressions of a brand new product by Yves Saint Laurent, the Vinyl Cream Lip Stain.

I'm sure you've heard of YSL's iconic Glossy Stains, one of their best-sellers. They're highly pigmented glosses that last and last because they leave a colorful stain on the lips. The new Vinyl Creams launching for fall are a creamier, more comfortable version.

Let me start by saying that I don't own any of the YSL original Glossy Stains, for a good reason: I just don't like them. They burn my lips and dry them out horribly. So a comfier version sounded like something I might really enjoy, and I was hoping they would work as well for me as the lighter, sheerer Pop Water version (see my review of that one). I bought it a couple weeks ago when it was still only available directly from YSL's website, in the shade 410 Fuchsia Live - I wanted 407 Carmin Session but it was out of stock when I ordered.

So was it a hit or a miss? Let's find out!


Packaging

YSL Vinyl Cream Lip Stain: photos, swatches, review

The tube is oh so classy! It's the same tube as the rest of the Glossy Stain range, but this time the top is also black, like the body. Very pretty and elegant. YSL was offering free engraving when I ordered, so I decided to get my name on it, because why not? Who wouldn't want a personalized YSL lippie, right? Turns out the engraving wasn't so good, but I'll get back to that later.

YSL Vinyl Cream Lip Stain: the black tube


Texture

I haven't used any of the original Glossy Stain in years, but the texture of this Vinyl Cream feels very similar to what I remember: it's very light and fluid to start, then thickens to become more gloss-like. This means that I have to work quickly enough when applying to my lips, or the consistency becomes thicker and harder to move around. Once set it doesn't feel heavy or sticky, as expected it feels like a creamy lip color that's rather lightweight.


Application and wear

YSL Vinyl Cream Lip Stain: photos, swatches, review

YSL is not joking when they say that this is a "high-coverage liquid lip color": this Vinyl Cream is highly pigmented and fully opaque in one swipe! Because of the intensity and the brightness of the shade I picked, this is not the easiest lippie to apply for a flawless result. Luckily the slanted applicator with a triangular pointed tip (YSL calls it "diamond-shaped") is very precise, but using a lip liner would really help get a sharp edge. Without a liner it's a doable but little tricky. One thing I noticed is that you don't want to be too shy and apply too little color in the hope of sheering it out: if stretched out too much the cream won't self-level so it's not perfectly even. You just have to go with the full on opaque look it's intended to create!

YSL Vinyl Cream Lip Stain: the applicator

I'm glad to report that the Vinyl Cream doesn't burn my lips like the Glossy Stains do, and I also don't find it drying at all. In fact I find it quite comfortable throughout the wear, so that's a major improvement from the original formula for me.

The main reason why it's comfortable on the lips is that it doesn't fully dry, it remains creamy, so of course it transfers. A lot, and very easily. That's something to be careful about. Despite transferring on my tea mugs, the color and shine don't go away until I eat a full meal. After a meal, it does leave a bright stain behind, and that stain lasts all day on me. If I had dryer areas on my lips the color will cling to them, so for a smooth, even stain I need to make sure I exfoliate before application.


Color and finish

The color I have, 410 Fuchsia Live is a bright warm fuchsia cream, without any shimmer (I don't think any of the shades in the range have shimmer). It's really glossy, although not as shiny and wet-looking as the Pop Water version - but those are very sheer. With the bright color, the full opacity and the high shine, it really does look like my lips are dressed in vinyl! Fuchsia Live is a bit out of my comfort zone, but I actually enjoy wearing it. Yes, it's bright, but it brightens and "happifies" my face if paired with subtle neutrals and the right cheek color. If you like fuchsias, I think you would absolutely adore this shade.

There are 12 shades available in the range right now, with a lot of reds, but also oranges, pinks and nudes. The lip swatch on YSL's website is actually a pretty good representation of my shade, so I think it's safe to refer to these official swatches when picking your color.

YSL Vinyl Cream Lip Stain: swatch of 410 Fuchsia Live

YSL Vinyl Cream Lip Stain: lip swatch of 410 fuchsia live

Wearing YSL Vinyl Cream in 410 Fuchsia Live fotd motd
Wearing YSL Vinyl Cream in 410 Fuchsia Live


About yslbeautyus.com

Now let me add a few words about my experience with yslbeautyus.com. It was the first time I ordered a product directly from the brand's website, and the least I can say is that the service was not convincing so it's likely to be the last. It took 5 days to ship out - I suppose the engraving slowed down the process, but there was no detailed information regarding the order status in my account. Then I received a shipment confirmation email, but it didn't contain a tracking number and on my online account the status remained "processing". As days went by I was getting worried, so I eventually sent a message to YSL customer service through the online form. They never answered. One day, over a week later, the Vinyl Cream just showed up at my door!

YSL Vinyl Cream Lip Stain: photos, swatches, review

Then there's the complimentary engraving. Okay, it sounded fun and exciting. But the end result is just terrible. The gold ink they used to fill the letters bled everywhere, and the engraving itself looks it was done by an 8-year old with a woodcarving kit from Michael's. That's really not the quality I expected from a service offered by a brand like YSL!

YSL Vinyl Cream Lip Stain: complimentary engraving quality


Overall

The Vinyl Cream Lip Stain is YSL's liquid lipstick version of the cult Glossy Stain: intensely pigmented, opaque and creamy with a high shine finish. If you're a fan of the Glossy Stains you'll enjoy these too, but if you were avoiding the original version for its lack of comfort you should also check them out: they won't dry out your lips!


Where to buy?




The product featured in this review was purchased by Lulle. I received no compensation to write this post, which only reflects my personal opinion. This post contains affiliate links.



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