Lip Crayon Craze: Bourjois Color Boost in Red Sunrise

Just when you thought I couldn't possibly buy any more lip crayons... Oh, the neon bright packaging from an old favorite brand that's unavailable in the States just whispered my name seductively from a 40% off promo display (and those sales never happen in Polish drugstores!), and there was no stopping me. But anyway, look at this beaut: it's the Bourjois Color Boost Lip Crayon in Red Sunrise ($14.80 on Asos.com).

I thought the claims on this lip pencil were quite interesting: 'A new generation formula that provides a bare lip sensation thanks to its light and non-sticky texture. With it silk extract formula, Colour Boost brings comfort and hydration to your lips for 10 hours. Its waterproof colour and SPF 15 make Colour Boost both practical and beautiful'  (from Bourjois website). I believe these crayons are available in six shades, including quite a few punchy options like this Red Sunrise color I purchased.

The Color Boosts are supposed to be more on the sheer side, but I actually found Red Sunrise rather vibrant going on, although it has a thinner, lighter feel than a standard cream lipstick. The crayon has a glossy finish and a slight jelly translucency when swatched on my arm, but you can't really discern that once it's on the lips. It wore comfortably and stayed put reasonably well without drying my lips out. I wouldn't exactly call it waterproof though; it does leave a slight stain behind but it still transfers and wears off in the middle like any other lipstick. I find it less tenacious than Revlon's Just Kissable Balm Stains but also more comfortable/less drying to wear.

Red Sunrise is a very pretty watermelon red shade with some pink tones lurking underneath. I don't really have a red in my collection that's a similar color (yay!): MAC's Viva Glam Cyndi is in the same family, but more muted, while a cool pinkish red like Revlon Super Lustrous in Cherries in the Snow lacks the coral undertones. You can also see that both of these lipsticks have a heavier, waxier formula that's more prone to accentuating skin texture.

L-R: Bourjois Color Boost in Red Sunrise, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Monte Carlo, fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Passion, MAC Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick, Revlon Superlustrous in Cherries in the Snow

I apologize for the poor quality of this lip swatch - the warm, sunny afternoon lighting effectively killed all the pink aspects of this color. On a different note though, I'm wearing the remnants of lash extensions I got done while I was in Poland. My overall thoughts on this experiment is that the extensions can be quite fun and save you some mascara application time in the morning, but overall they're just not my style - I thought they overwhelmed my eye shape, felt too heavy and looked too obviously fake. A couple days ago I got so annoyed with the wonky little buggers, I pulled almost all of them out, and now I'm furiously applying my LiLash, waiting for my own fringe to grow out. Le sigh.

I'm now officially vowing to not buy anymore lip crayons for a good while, even though more brands are still coming out with their versions, especially at the drugstore. Would you be at all interested in a comparison/overview post on the formulas I've tried so far? Because you know, they would look so pretty arranged together in a photo...