Rock & Rouge - Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain

 Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain has just landed in Walgreens not to long ago. Even among the sea of lip crayons, it's not difficult to see that they are "inspired" by Revlon balm stain. The packaging, although a little less weighty and more scratch-prone,  is exactly the same dimension (except the base is also made of plastic) and several shades looks quite similar to the Revlon offering (no complain there, since the Jordana formula makes the shade appear quite different/unique once it's on the lips.

I am not sure if I an quantify and compare texture of a lipstick to others, but I guess I will try anyway. The Jordana balm stain feel like a semi-hard lip balm/lip tint (While Revlon is hard and quite waxy-kind-of-balmy, Sally Hansen/Tarte are somewhat buttery but not in a squishy way). It's kind of like a slight creamier, richer (in color) take on the EasyShine Glossy lips color, both are glossy, pigmented and has a waxy base smell (when you are looking for it).  Anyway, the scent seems a tad less artificial and it kind of reminds me of red Jolly Rancher(wait, JR is artificial) or maybe it was Starburst.

 Revlon Colorburst Coral Lipstick, Jordana Sweet Strawberry, Rock & Rouge and Revlon Romantic Balm Stain. Rock & Rouge is pretty much like a more homogenous (thinner layer per swipe, even color minus the wet gloss and gunk) take on Revlon Cherry Tart lip butter, which is also a glossy, pigmented cool red with noticeable silver shimmer/glitter allover.

  Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain Rock & Rouge on the lips  - The color is sheer and thin at first but I almost get 80-90% opacity after a few layers. As you can see, both the gloss and silver glitter are very apparent on the lips (not sure if I like that as I prefer my red a little subtler).  The formula, though not nessisarily quenching, wears very comfortably on the lips for 2-3 hours and this particular shade doesn't really stain.

Overall: The product (in terms of price, formula, scent and wear) is pretty good but I am not sure if I like the whole bold-red-plus-glitter-plus-shine going on. Revlon Cherry Tart is already a little too much for me and this is a beta version of it. Anyway, I like it but I wouldn't recommend this shade.