TheBalm For Keeps Watercolor Lip Stains swatches: From my stash

Every couple of weeks, I like shopping my stash and giving it some love to an older product.
Around the time Prince George was born, LookFantastic had an offer - you could get the Real Techniques Core Collection free if you bought for £60 (or £50, can't remember). I added as many things to my cart as I could and then saw theBalm's For Keeps Watercolor Lip Stains. Now I must tell you that theBalm is not selling this on their website anymore, but it is still being sold on Feelunique, Bath and Unwind and LookFantastic - all of whom are official retailers of theBalm, according to the brand. It will continue to be sold by official retailers until all the stocks are gone. The palette cost £28, but I had a 15% off code, to celebrate the Royal birth. 
TheBalm For Keeps Watercolor Lip Stain palette is a little box with two lip colours, looking just like the watercolour cakes you had in school. And, just like them, you take a brush (lip, not watercolour brush, in this case), add water, swirl the brush and apply the colour. Neat! Swatches below.

Packaging of theBalm For Keeps Watercolor Lip Stain

There are two shades per box, and there are two different boxes. This one is Petunia Pink and Raspberry Red. The other one is Plum Berry and Brown.
The lip duo comes in an external cardboard box, within which, you have a little metal-coated plastic box.

Inside, there is a mirror and the two watercolour stains and a tiny lip brush. All very cute, but you might need to find water to reapply, which is a pain while on the go. And the colour splashes on the mirror if you close the case when the cakes are still wet, as you can see from the picture below.

Formula and usage of theBalm For Keeps Watercolor Lip Stain

The stain cakes are solid and you cannot dry-swatch them. There are no parabens listed.

To use, you need to dip the lip brush in water - very little, else you will get streaky colour. And mix the water on the cake with the brush and apply to the lips. A very novel method, but minimise water usage. And reduce it a little more. You want a thick mixture, not a runny one, to get pigmented, even colour. And, adding water messes up the look of the cakes!

It is also a bit of a bother to get the colour off the brush completely after multiple uses. You can see the pigmentation for yourself below. Staying power is very, very good - through a decent meal and it will leave behind a stain, though the fading is uneven.

Swatches of theBalm For Keeps Watercolor Lip Stain

This is Petunia Pink - a medium fuchsia - on top and Raspberry Red, which is a maroon-red with slight orange tones, below. First up: in the evening sunlight. I have used a little more water than is required for Raspberry Red, so it has bled slightly - see below.

This is natural light. See how Raspberry Red streaks up when you add too much water?

Finally, this is what the stains look like after a cleansing wipe and a shower.

Bottom Line
I wish theBalm and/or other brands would come out with more colours - Plum Berry and Brown didn't attract me in the least.
I daresay these are more gimmicky than convenient and you might find it difficult to apply on the go or touch up, but what is makeup without a little fun and a bit of a change from the usual bullets? You can get this off Feelunique or LookFantastic or Bath and Unwind, all of which deliver worldwide. Do compare prices and exchange rates before hitting checkout.
Click here to check out my international giveaway, ending in April.