Best Things in Beauty : YSL Vernis à Lèvres / Glossy Stain #1 Violet Edition.

the Yves Saint Laurent Vernis à Lèvres or better known as Glossy Stain in #1 Violet Edition (6ml/~30€) is my latest conquest of these. i've already shown you #8 Orange de Chine and #15 Rose Vinyl some time ago and still have a few on my "to-do"-list.
since early this year i wanted to sport a really really dark vampy lip, but never found the right tone or formula for me. so when YSL came out with their shiny lip stains, my hopes were up to find a suitably dark colour that would actually be effortless to wear due to its long-lasting quality.

the day i graduated from med school (June 5th ;D) i single-mindedly headed out to the counter to get my statement lip. it's really funny and childish now that i think back, but that day i felt like i would make my point and everybody shall see it from 1 mile afar hahaha. like chopping your hair off after a break-up - and, in some way, it felt to me like i would end a long relationship at that moment. and i felt free and mature and proud of myself and as a matter of fact brave enough to display a lip as dark as a black hole. but not black.

2 layers - remaining stain

i picked up #1 Violet Edition after a quick hand-swatch and carried it home with a big smug grin. i was dedicated to wear this colour out as soon as possible. well, many occasions later and it still hasn't seen the light of day or heard the beats of the night. and my smirk has quickly faded also.
it's a vibrant fuchsia pink stain with a dark aubergine purple gloss and that's the problem - it just doesn't work. as you can see from my lip swatches below, it appears very patchy and settles into my lip lines, making them look quite creepy. even the stain left behind is uneven. i tried my best application-wise, tried to layer thinly and thick, tried exfoliating and hydrating, tried blotting and then applying, but nothing helped. still a patchy result. i refrain from using any base underneath as i believe a stain can only last its best when applied directly on bare skin.

to analyze the problem: 1. the stain is too light for a result this dark. 2. the gloss is dark, but too sheer. 3. the gloss isn't self-levelling and lets the lighter stain peek through unevenly. 4. the dark gloss settles in the lip lines. 5. the super reflective quality of the gloss makes the result seem even more patchy.

i do really love the intensity and the tone (it's darker than in the top pic & first comparison photo, those are overexposed), but i'm so irritated because of the overall result. looking at it from 1-2m away it seems fine, but if i look closer, i feel bothered.
i couldn't even test the staying power, but the stain is pretty strong.
i want to wear this colour so much, i think it would look phenomenal on fair skin. it would be such a great A/W shade as well.

but you tell me now: is it tolerable? what could i do to improve it?

i only held on to it since it has a meaning to me and i haven't given up yet. bummer! i didn't plan to be disappointed by any of the Glossy Stains!

oh yeah, don't forget to check Drivel about Frivol for her "perfect vamp". i slightly like the idea of vamp shade in classic lipstick, but i'm too clumsy to keep it neat for long and too lazy to reapply...