While visiting the L'Oreal boutique a few weeks ago, I picked up an Infallible lip color ($7.99) with pretty floral packaging (at far left). The plant design is lifted from a gift box made for the CFDA finalists. If you like the floral design, call 888-270-7743 to order one; if you just want to know about the lip color formula, which you can buy in any drugstore, read on.

Infallible is a long-wearing lip color that's a little shinier than your average lipstick, but not thick like a gloss. It's meant to last all day long thanks to its two-step application process. First, you apply color and wait for two minutes while it dries. After that, you slick on a sheer conditioning topcoat. Pretty simple. But does it really last for hours? To see pictures and find out, read more.

One of the frustrating things about the otherwise cool packaging is the colored tube. The hue is close to the actual color, but it's not exact; when I picked up Azalea, I assumed it would be an opaque rose. In reality, it's a moderately sheer, shimmery rose-gold cousin of Nars Orgasm gloss. That's OK, but a transparent tube would offer a better glimpse of what you're really getting.

So here's how the Infallible experience went down: I applied both the color and the topcoat yesterday morning before work. The color's texture is tacky, but the topcoat is moisturizing, and together they're not sticky. The color stayed through breakfast and three servings of Taco Thursday lunch, all without rubbing off on my drinking glass. After my fest of gluttony, I reapplied the topcoat, but didn't retouch the color. Here's the result:

The color faded, but not by much. I was pleased to discover that the formula doesn't dry my lips out, either — which doesn't often happen with long-wear color. All in all, it's a good option if you hate to reapply your lip color. Or if you just want lip color that lasts through a three-course taco fiesta.


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