YSL Pop Water Glossy Stains: Plump Up, Wet Nude, Eau de Corail: Review & Swatches

This new third generation YSL Glossy Stain collection called Pop Water came up recently on Nordstrom. I was never a fan of the original ones as they were too pigmented for me and I just prefer lipstick at that pigmentation level in a gloss. I loved the Rebel Nudes as they were a touch sheerer and had really unique colors and shimmers. I heard the Pop Water Glossy Stains were the sheerest so I grabbed two to check them out. I also grabbed the Plump Up that came out with this collection as well. They all retail for $36 each, and as far as I understand they are a Nordstrom exclusive.

I’ll start with Plump Up which is supposed to give you a plumped up lip and shine that lasts for up to six hours. Usually a plumper is worn alone or under a lip color, so I tried it both ways. Used alone it did add a glossy shine that felt like the majority of Glossy Stains, thin at first then dries down to being slightly sticky and thicker. It goes on clear though it has very slight pink shimmer in it. The shimmer is not at all noticeable on the lips, only in the sunlight really. This has a very slight tingle on the lips, much less than other other lip plumpers I’ve tried. I personally don’t use lip plumpers, I don’t like the tingle, it makes an extra step, and the effects are never really worth it for me to use one. I did not notice any increased plumping effect from this gloss. I even tried it on half my lips for one day with a balm on the other half. There was no difference I could discern between the two as far as my lips actually being plumped, I could tell the difference in the texture, as well as the tingle, but for the effect is was meant to provide I did not see it and therefore would say skip this product. It was moisturizing and comfortable, but was essentially like a clear Glossy Stain. I tried it under the other two Pop Water Stains just to see if it gave any effect that way, same on half my lips with balm on the other side. I noticed no difference in duration of wear, moisture levels, or plumping.

If you haven’t tried a YSL Glossy Stain yet, they are a unique product. They’re like a gloss/stain combo. They have the glossy effect with the power of a stain. Depending on which range you pick from they are either as pigmented as a lipstick, or sheer like a gloss. They have an angled sponge tip applicator, go on thin like a gloss, and then they dry down and get a bit tacky and sticky. The glossy effect does last well with these in general. The stain then lasts after the glossy part wears off. The color in the tube and on initial application will get darker as it dries so remember how light it seems on first pass will not stay. The color changes a touch.

So onto the differences between the three Glossy Stain lines. The original Glossy Stain is the most pigmeneted, I’ve never bought one for several reasons. I like shimmer in general and I never saw one that had shimmer, and if I’m going to wear a lip product that pigmented I prefer lipstick at that point, as highly pigmented glossy items are too high maintenance for me. As I have not tried them I am unsure if they are drying or not. When the Rebel Nudes came out the colors were so enticing I decided to try a Glossy Stain. The Rebel Nudes are sheerer, they have really unique shades with shimmer that I love. They are a little drying though. The two Pop Water stains I tried are the sheerest of the three lines, there’s no shimmer in these two(I’m assuming none in the others either), and they are actually really moisturizing. The Pop Water stains are like that sheer summer stain, and they are really comfortable to wear.

Wet Nude I was unsure if it would be really nude nude or some other type of nude color. Wet Nude is a sheer peachy/pink/nude shade, cream no shimmer. It’s not too light to wash me out, it adds a sheer wash of peachy/pink to my lips. Eau de Corail is pretty much what I thought it would be, a pink coral. It’s sheer with no shimmer, this is not a really pigmented bright gloss, so if you want a hint of color not a big pop of coral pink then this is worth looking at. They are sheer, glossy, and moisturizing. Perfect for summer.

L to R Plump Up 200, Wet Nude 208, Eau de Corail 203:

Plump Up:

Wet Nude:

Eau de Corail:

L to R Plump Up, Wet Nude, Eau de Corail:

Stain left on my arm after I used a wipe to remove: