Pretty Neutral: Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Truffle vs. Revlon Balm Stain in Honey

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Of all the products with bizarrely and needlessly long names, Revlon ColorStay Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain is probably my favorite (swatches of all the ones I own here). Of all the neutral lip colors I've ever tried, Revlon Color Stay Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain (*deep breath*) in Honey is definitely my favorite. Most beigey or browny neutrals wash me out, but Honey is a really flattering rosy neutral that totally works for me. I wouldn't call it "my lips but better," since my lips are naturally more of a pink than a neutral. Instead, I would call it a neutral that makes my lips look awesome - not invisible - and is totally appropriate for professional occasions when I need to look polished but not too made up. My go-to job interview lip shit.

My second favorite Revlon products are the ColorBurst Lip Butters. They're comfortable and easy to use and wear. So when Pink Truffle came out a while back, looking intriguingly similar to Honey, I thought maybe it would be worth adding a sort of dupe in a different formula to my hoard. (I'd tried something like that once before with the ColorBurst Matte Balm in Elusive and failed, but you have to admire my perseverance, right? Right?) So how do Pink Truffle and Honey compare?

Swatches of Revlon Balm Stain in Honey (left) and Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Truffle (right)

Pretty damned close, right? Pink Truffle, on the right, is ever so slightly warmer. Here's how they look on my mouth:

Revlon Balm Stain in Honey

Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Truffle

I actually had some difficulty distinguishing between the two of them in my photos when I went to label them, but if you look carefully, you can see that Pink Truffle is, still, a tiny bit warmer. It's also sheerer - but that's harder to tell in these pictures. Because of the different formula, Pink Truffle doesn't wear as long, but since it's glossier and sheerer, it's more forgiving if you want to reapply it without a mirror.

So success, right? Double my pleasure?

No. I'm afraid not.

I have one serious problem with Pink Truffle. It dries THE FUCK out of my lips. After wearing it for just a couple of hours, my lips are all chapped to hell. I don't get it. None of the other Revlon Lip Butters do that to me - in fact, they are generally more moisturizing than the Balm Stains. I wore Pink Truffle on a handful of different days, thinking I must be imagining the effect or that something else was causing the dryness. I've tested it enough now, though, to know for sure that it is the culprit. I wear it; my lips dry out and peel. I don't; they don't. Boo.

So I guess it's just me and my Honey. (Forgive me for that one, okay?)

Anyone else have this problem with Pink Truffle?