don't give me any lip

I have two new lip products in my life, one of which is already a passionate companion, the other, like that friend-of-a-friend that you feel compelled to be nice to but are already deeply bored by.

The Contenders
vs.
Dior Creme de Gloss "741" vs. Covergirl Outlast Lip Stain in "Flirty Nude"

There are four major things that I look for in a lip product: color, texture, lasting power, and for a bonus factor--something that makes it different from any other product I might buy. So, let's measure them up.

(ETA: I have no idea why this big ol' blank space showed up and it's not letting me get rid of it. Just keep scrolling!)

	Dior	Cover Girl
Color	Bright, very nice rosy color	Nice neutral on first application, paled considerably after
Texture	Glossy, a bit sticky	Smooth, no texture, a bit drying
Lasting Power	Longer than straight gloss, shine fades but pigment stays	Disappointing, fades to nothing
Bonus	Lip health My lips have felt considerably smoother/less chapped/healthier since wearing	Smell/Taste Pleasant, candy-like smell and faint taste

There are two things we can take from this. One: I just learned how to code tables in HTML! Two: Dior is by far the winner. I was actually very disappointed in the Outlast Lip Stain; I'd been recommended it as a good drugstore buy by many sources, but it just didn't measure up. The color faded quickly (for a product that primarily claims to last a long time) and after the first application, the product was considerably more difficult to apply. I ended up shaking it a lot and am now storing it upside down to hopefully draw color back into the tip.

On the other hand, the Dior is now something of an obsession, I won't lie. It applies like a gloss, but has the creamy color of lipstick! It feels marvelous on my lips, and has actually done a great job of treating my admittedly very poorly cared for lips (whereas the lip stain decided it wanted to sink into all the cracks/ripped up portions to emphasize them. Thanks, Cover Girl!) To be fair, I also received the Dior for free, and at $27 per pop, it's definitely a special treat. But it's also Dior. The formulation of this "creme de gloss" is excellent, but the fact that I can put it on and say "Oh, that? It's Dior~" definitely ups the style factor. Curse you, name brands!