Review: NEW Revlon Super Lustrous Lipglosses (five of ten shades)

Purchased by Me 

The new Revlon Super Lustrous Lipglosses seem to be a hot button topic around here. For various reasons, a lot of you are either happy or sad about this change. Since the old, square style tubes and shades are, at the time of this post, still around at plenty of retailers (and can be found on clearance at many places), I thought I better pick up and review some of the new ones ASAP so that you'd know what the biggest differences are between the two. That way, you can stock up on the old style (if you want to) before they're gone forever!

NEW Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Glosses

Top to bottom: Berry Allure, Fuchsia Finery, Fatal Apple, Super Natural, Pink Pop

($7.99 each at Rite Aid, 0.13 oz)

I purchased the five shades (there are ten total) that appeared to be cremes--the remaining five shades in this range all have visible shimmer and/or sparkle. What I didn't know until I got these out in the sunlight (see pics above and below) was that the red shade, Fatal Apple, contains very fine, very subtle sparkle that is almost imperceptible to the eye. So I'm still calling it a creme, because you really have to struggle to see the sparkle. In fact, I had to enlarge the above photo and really zoom in before the sparkle in Fatal Apple became visible in this photo:

Something else that's interesting is that the darkest shade of all the cremes, Berry Allure, actually has what I would call a jelly consistency when viewed in close-up:

See how different it looks compared to Fuchsia Finerry? It has noticeable jelly-like consistency in the tube.

What's interesting to note about the new packaging is that the old style glosses contained 0.2 oz of product, yet the tubes themselves were slightly smaller (and square). We now seem to be getting less product and a round tube--the new glosses contain 0.13 oz of product. The price is the same at my Rite Aid for both the old and new glosses.

Super Natural, Pink Pop, Fuchsia Finery, Fatal Apple, Berry Allure

The applicator seems to be slightly larger and not quite as stiff as the old style applicator (it's not flimsy or floppy, but the old applicators were SUPER stiff and these just feel "normal"):

No real "safety seal" on these (BOO!) but they do have a sticker over the opening that you have to peel off before you can unscrew the lid:

And when you open it, the outer sticker breaks away so that you're left with a smaller, permanent sticker on the tube that includes the shade name:

The formula of these lipglosses is entirely new. This formula contains some good-for-your-skin ingredients like avocado oil and hyaluronic acid, which were NOT in the old formula. Also, the new formula does not contain any SPF, whereas the old formula contained SPF15.

Here's the old formula's ingredient list (from drugstore.com):

Active Ingredients: Octinoxate (7.5%)

Inactive Ingredients: Polybutene, Octyldodecanol, Diisostearyl Malate, Polyethylene, Trioctyldodecyl Citrate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Extract, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C), Serica (Silk Powder), Parfum (Fragrance), Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Benzoic Acid, BHT

Super Natural, Pink Pop, Fuchsia Finery, Fatal Apple, Berry Allure

I looked long and hard when I was at Rite Aid and compared these new shades to the older glosses (which my Rite Aid still had in the permanent wall display). I could not find a dupe, or even a "close-enough" dupe for any of the five shades that I purchased. I also compared these new shades to the ColorBurst glosses and couldn't find any dupes either. Granted, I was only comparing tubes--there MIGHT be dupes for the old shades in the new line when it comes to the color you get on your actual lips. For instance, Fatal Apple does resemble the old shade Firecracker, but it's not an exact dupe (Firecracker is warmer and not as deep of a red).

But the interesting thing is that a few of these new colors look very similar to each other. If you look at the swatches above (the ones on my arm), you can see that Fuchsia Finery and Berry Allure look almost identical. On the lips, Fuchsia Finery is more sheer and not as pigmented, whereas Berry Allure is deeper and also has a smoother, more even consistency.

So let's break it down:

Super Natural - A nude, Your Lips But Better shade that gives my medium-pigmented lips a bit more of a pinkish flush than I normally have. The name of this shade is quite fitting!

Pink Pop - Nothing's really "popping" with this one, despite how bright this color looks in the tube. On my lips, it's a nice enough pink, but it requires multiple "trips to the tube" to get the color to the level you see above. I think that if your lips are less pigmented than mine, you'll probably have better luck with this one. For the rest of us, it's a pretty sheer color that you're going to have to pack on in order to see.

Fuchsia Finery - Gorgeous in the tube, kind of "meh" on my lips. It's a little bit streaky and, just like Pink Pop, required several "trips to the tube" to get the color to what you see above. Also, this one is a bit spotty/streaky on my lips.

Fatal Apple - my favorite of the bunch, but that's because I'm a sucker for sheer reds. The level of pigmentation is good, it's easy to get a smooth, even consistency and the color is one of those perfect, neutral reds that's not too orange and not too blue.

Berry Allure - my second favorite shade of the bunch. This is a deep, wine-berry shade that not only looks good after application, but also leaves a very pretty, even stain on the lips as it wears down. If you were thinking of getting Fuchsia Finery, I would say get Berry Allure instead. Even though they look dramatically different in the tube, they're not too much different on the lips and Berry Allure is the better of the two. Don't let the dark color in the tube scare you off.

Now let's talk about the other stuff...

Flavor and fragrance: Those who were not fans of the berry flavor or fragrance of the original Super Lustrous glosses will be happy to know that these new versions are completely different. They have a very mild vanilla flavor and fragrance and that's it!

Texture and consistency: The one thing I never did like about the original glosses was their sticky texture. Well, it's GONE! The new formula is not sticky in the slightest. The texture feels better on the lips (to me), with no stickiness or heaviness, yet it feels creamy and hydrating. I definitely prefer the feel of the new formula over the old.

Finish and pigmentation: None of the cremes in this range have the opacity of, for example, Lilac Pastelle. They're all pretty sheer, but the deeper shades can be built up for more pigmentation and vibrancy. Despite how some of these colors look in the tube, all of the shades I'm reviewing today are very work-appropriate, even in the most conservative of offices. Some of these are probably best reserved for layering over lipsticks, but the deeper shades (Fatal Apple and Berry Allure) are quite lovely on their own (and leave a nice, even stain behind).

Staying power: I was afraid, when I discovered that these weren't sticky glosses, that the staying power might be horrible. But I have been pleasantly surprised by them. I can get about 2-3 hours of wear from the deeper shades, and about 1-2 hours of wear from the lighter shades (that's actually very good for me--glosses are my enemy and usually disappear in less than an hour on my lips).

FINAL VERDICT: Some of you are going to love these, and some of you are going to long for the originals and wish they would have never gone away. That's just the way it is when a brand rolls out a "new and improved" version of a classic, well-loved product. On the whole, I'm fairly happy with the cremes in this range (I have yet to try the shimmer/sparkle shades) but I think that I would only repurchase the deeper shades, since I think you get more bang for your buck with those (stronger pigmentation and they leave a nice, even stain behind as they wear down). I think the texture, hydration, lack of stickiness and new, soft vanilla flavor and fragrance are BIG improvements over the old glosses, and I also like the addition of avocado oil and hyaluronic acid in the new formula. These glosses feel more hydrating on my lips, and more comfortable as well. On the other hand, I'm not "wowed" by the color selection of the creme shades in this range now that I've actually worn them on my lips. I wish the pigmentation and opacity of the lighter colors was better, but they work well for layering over lipsticks. The deeper shades, however, are quite nice as-is.

Were you a big fan of the original Super Lustrous Lipglosses? Are you excited to try the new versions?  Do you already own any of these new glosses? I'd love to hear from you!

The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.