I recently made an impulse purchase in Boots, having been seduced by a voucher for £2 off Revlon cosmetics. I don't normally buy cosmetics without checking reviews first, but I don't normally get out to Boots much either, so I decided to treat myself. The RRP for this lipstick is £8.99.

I chose Iconic Iris, which is a lovely soft red-brown shade. I always have to try lipsticks and lipglosses as soon as I get them, so when I arrived home I was eager to test my new acquisition. I think it's fair to say that I was surprised by the behaviour of this lipstick. First of all, though, I had to try to open it. There is a fiddly little piece of plastic that you have to remove - the advantage of this is that you know the product is brand new and has never been opened, but the disadvantage is that it's hard to do, especially with my shaky, achy hands.

In its appearance and application, this product initially seems just like a lipgloss. The packaging reminds me of a slightly less curvier version of Rimmel's Vinyl Lip Gloss (one of my favourites). The clear tube shows the shade of the lipstick within, and there is quite a long back top to the tube which is the lid you unscrew to get to the product. The Revlon name is written around the lid, and the body of it gives the name: ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick, written in both English and French. There is a white label attached to the body of the tube which shows you that the contents are good for eighteen months after opening, and that the container is recyclable.

On opening the lipstick you will find quite a long handle, with an applicator at the end which is just like those you find with many lipglosses. I like this type of applicator, as I find it helps me apply the product to my lips with some precision. However, every time I use this, I find that some excess lipstick is brought out along with the applicator, and I have to wipe a bit of this away on the side of the tube.

On first applying this lipstick, it once again looks and behaves like a lipgloss. Then within just a few minutes this product dries, and it settles down into a colour-stain type of lipstick. It gives a good coverage, and the colour has a good depth, but I felt that it left my lips feeling just that bit too sticky.

Revlon's ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick comes in twenty shades, although I could find only eleven today on Boots' website. The product page on Revlon's own website describes this lipstick as 'One-step, fool-proof lipcolor with a patented ColorStay technology that lasts up to 24 hours'. I would not want a lipstick to stay in place for that long and, unlike some mascaras with a similar claim, I was not prepared to leave this product in place long enough to verify this claim.

The product page shows all twenty colours, and these range from soft beige and coral, through various shades of pink to deep plum and red. I noticed that Revlon's colour swatch for 'Iconic Iris' bore very little resemblance to the lipstick itself. If I had bought this online without having first checked the colours in store I would have been very disappointed, and so I really recommend that you check the colours for yourself before making your purchase. I also feel that the colour swatches shown on the product page are deceptive, as they look really shiny, whereas once it's applied the lipstick has a very flat, matte effect.

Revlon's website also has an extra couple of features on the product page, designed to help you get the best out of this lipstick. The first of these is 'More Info', which tells you that this lip colour has a 'built-in ultra-conditioning topcoat'. I'm afraid I don't agree with this. I didn't observe any topcoat, only a rather annoying stickiness. You are also informed that this lipstick 'Does not feather or fade; no touch ups required, even after meals'. I would agree that the colour is certainly long-lasting. There is also a 'Tips & Tricks' section, which gives you the following advice: 'To use: Apply a thin, even layer to clean, bare lips and wait until dry. Use with ColorStay lip liner for a polished look. To Remove: Use any oil-based makeup remover or cleanser'. For best results, I use a make-up wipe, as the stain effect really is quite long-lasting.

Iconic Iris is a fairly flattering colour on my naturally rosy lips, but after that first application, where the lipstick quickly dried into a very matte finish, I realized that I much prefer lip products that give a more glossy finish. Because the look was not what I was hoping for, I then experimented by adding a lipgloss over the lipstick, to see whether I could reap the benefits of the long-lasting colour-stain effect of Revlon's lipstick but adapt it to have the sheen I prefer.

Adding just a touch of Rimmel's Vinyl Lip Gloss in 'Take A Chance' was reasonably effective, but although it produced the glossy shine I had hoped for, the overall result looked a bit too frosted for my liking. However, I tried again with a lip balm (I use Elizabeth Arden's 8-Hour Lip Protectant Stick), and this gave a very good result. It produced a colour that is flattering to me, and gives the lipstick the shine I think it needs. Although it's frustrating having to use two products to get the look I desired - and this is not what I had expected from my purchase - I am relieved that it means I have not wasted the £6.99 I paid for this lipstick.

I won't be buying Revlon's ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick again, as the matte effect is not what I like. Your lips really need to be in tip-top condition before you use this product, and I think that if you have dry or flaking lips the lipstick will show up every flaw. I certainly found after using it that my lips felt drier than usual.

MakeupAlley give this product a rating of 2.9 out of 5, with only 47% (of 178 reviewers) saying that they would buy it again. Many of the reviewers had ended up doing what I did, adding a top coat of lipgloss or balm. One reviewer said that because the lipstick is so dry, you do really need to apply a lip balm on top, and I wholeheartedly agree with that.

Revlon's ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick is available from Boots and Superdrug, where it costs £8.99. It can be found cheaper at a variety of online outlets, including eBay, where I saw certain shades available today (23rd October) from £3.99.

As I stated earlier, this was one of the few cosmetics purchases I've made recently without either having had my own previous experience or having read reviews of the product. I wish I had, because I find this lipstick disappointing, and I can only give it two stars.

(This review is also on Ciao, under the same user name.)