Counting ColorBurst

I have no idea why Revlon discontinued their ColorBurst lipsticks. The formula is undoubtedly my favourite of the "drugstore" lipsticks I've tried. I find them to be very moisturising, weightless and comfortable on the lips. Most of the shades I have are on the light side and go on relatively sheer, making them ideal for a natural, understated lip for the daytime. The black quilted packaging, grown up shade selection and sophisticated formulation are all reminiscent of something I'd expect from a higher end brand.

Soft Nude (070)
My favourite nude lipstick. It's not too dark or light, not too pink or brown. There's just the right level of tan and peachy tones. I don't go for nude lips very often unless I'm wearing a heavy smoky eye, but I doubt I'll find anything else as perfect as Soft Nude, though Rimmel Nude Delight comes close.

Blush (035)
A very MLBB colour that came in the Priceline Beauty Bag last year. It's a light brownish rosy colour with a slight silver pearl that I wish wasn't there. I don't have many shades like this in my collection because of my immediate tendency to gravitate towards pinks, peaches, purples and berry shades. My lips are also naturally pigmented so something like Blush (which is basically my lips but a little bit darker and more brown) isn't terribly exciting unless I'm aiming for a more conservative, entirely neutral look.

Petal (096)
Neutral to slightly cool light pink with gold shimmer. Like Blush, this is pretty sheer so you need to really layer it for the colour to show through. I tend to be extremely averse to any kind of shimmer, glitter, frost or pearl in my lipsticks, but Petal feels and looks refined despite not being a crème. It's a nice option when you want a bit of pink on your lips that's not too cool, milky or bright.

Rose Nectar (028)
The most shimmery of the bunch, but the colour is one of my favourites in the ColorBurst range. As Cherie pointed out, Rose Nectar is very similar to Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait, especially in terms of the visible gold glitter. Rose Nectar is more of a light orange (with a sheerer base) compared with the darker pink of Peach Parfait. The gold glitter/white microshimmer is very noticeable, but the texture of the lipstick isn't gritty in any way. It's very smooth and glides on, though the sparkle may be a bit too much for some.

Soft Rose (040)
I ran out to the shops to track this down after reading this post by Jane comparing Soft Rose to Chanel Rouge Coco in Mademoiselle. My mother has this lipstick so I was familiar with it, but resisted purchasing one for myself. Soft Rose is a very classic lipstick shade but also feels quite modern. It's one of those universally flattering colours that would complement most skin tones. It's a neutral, muted rose with just the right amount of red and not too much brown. I find this shade to be decently pigmented (much more than the first four shades), such that anything more than one layer can be too dark for my liking.

Fuchsia (030)
My most recent ColorBurst lipstick acquisition, I felt I needed this after reading numerous reviews over the years describing Fuchsia as a dupe for MAC Girl About Town. They're probably not 100% identical (Girl About Town looks a touch brighter), but to me they're close enough to not warrant having both. The superb texture of these lipsticks really comes through in the more pigmented crème shades. This applies smoothly and evenly, even with multiple layers, and feels so comfortable and lightweight on the lips.

True Red (090)
One of the few (relatively speaking) red lipsticks I have, though in all honesty I barely touch it. It's not too orangey, nor is it too blue-based. It's not really a colour I'm excited to reach for, mainly because I'm not a huge fan of reds, and also because it's not bold or different enough to catch my attention. I find this to be a little bit sheer and it was slightly patchy when I tried to build up the pigmentation.

l-r: Soft Nude, Blush, Petal, Rose Nectar, Soft Rose, Fuchsia, True Red

l-r (top row, then bottom row): Soft Nude, Blush, Petal

l-r (top row, then bottom row): Rose Nectar, Soft Rose, Fuchsia, True Red

My lipstick collection is a reflection of my child-like preferences for novelty and trends (dominated by pastels, brights, darker shades), often without much consideration given to how flattering the colours are when worn. I feel like my ColorBurst lipsticks fill a void I otherwise would have neglected, by offering more grown up, easy-to-wear shades that lean on the conservative side. Except for the vivid Fuchsia or True Red (which I never wear), they're mainly work-appropriate, polished, relatively sheer but buildable colours that never draw too much attention to the lips, but provide a finishing wash of colour to tie in with the rest of your makeup.