L'oreal Color Caresse Shine Stain Review and Lilac Ever After Swatches

When I heard that L'oreal was coming out with a Shine Stain that was supposed to Rival YSL's version I was so excited and I was hoping that the Caresse would be a really good dupe since L'oreal owns YSL.

I will say right up front that I don't see much difference between the two, except that the YSL version might be a tad more pigmented.  But the formula seems the same, and they even have the same perfumey scent!
At around $11, L'oreal's version is totally worth it vs. YSL's hefty $32 price tag.

So being a lover of nude shades, I purchased Lilac Ever After, and the name is totally misleading since it's a pinky-nude- I didn't see any lilac in there at all!

The packaging is really nice, and I love that you can see the actual shade of the product through the  window in the sleek gold tube.

It has a flattened doe foot applicator, which I like because it's wide and you can swipe the product on really easily. It goes on smooth and glossy and sets in about 30 seconds or so.  The glossiness lasted a few hours, which really surprised me! It gradually matted down over time, and while it had a slightly tacky feel, it wasn't sticky and added a lot of moisture to my lips. The color stayed for another few hours, so I was really impressed with this gloss.  I've heard that the darker colors last even longer than the lighter ones, so I'm excited to try more shades. 

Here's a swatch of Lilac Ever After on my hand: 

And here are my before and afters.  This shade is a "Your Lips but Better" color, and I'm so in love with it!  It came out a little lighter than it really is in the picture, but the swatch on my hand is a good representation of the color.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I love, love this product!  It lasts a long time, doesn't dry out lips like other stains and has tons of gorgeous shades.  This is a win for L'oreal. 

Has anyone else tried these?  What do you think?