maybelline

Touch of Spice – Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick

by

I finally picked up the specific Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick I was wanting in the first place – Touch of Spice.

Touch of Spice is a sort of My Lips But Better shade – a matte rosy shade with a bit of brown. Very autumn-appropriate and extremely wearable in all situations (as compared to Divine Wine, which may be a little bold for the taste of some). The formula seems to be identical to the aforementioned darker shade and the lighter Daringly Nude. I don’t know about you, but it drives me up the wall to get two colors from the same line to find that they have completely different consistencies and wear time. I’m pleased that the Creamy Matte line from Maybelline is pretty consistent (at least across these three shades I own).

Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick Touch of Spice

Like all the others in the line, it features a frosted tube in a sort of plum-ish shade that is not indicative of the lipstick itself.

Read more

September 2014 Favorites

by

September 2014 Favorites

September 2014 Favorites
1. MAC Lipstick – Brave $16 / 2. Sonia Kashuk Brush Cleaner $8 /
3. Clinique Almost Lipstick – Black Honey, $16 / 4. CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, $14 /
5. Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick – Divine Wine, $6

I didn’t think much of it during the month, but looking back – my September 2014 Favorites were pretty lippy!

Details after the jump.

Read more

Maybelline Creamy Matte Daringly Nude

by

Two weeks ago, I shared a review and some swatches of Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick in Divine Wine. I actually purchased Daringly Nude, another non-corpsifying (on me, at least) nude lipstick. I had never really thought of a matte nude lip but when I went to make my purchase they were out of the other shade I wanted, so I went with this instead – I figured Daringly Nude would be, “safe,” as lip colors go.

Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick in Daringly Nude - Case

I actually swatched this one on my lips as soon as I left the store. It flattered, so I was happy. It felt good on my lips, didn’t dry them out, and it lasted decently. The consistency of Daringly Nude feels identical to that of Divine Wine, though Daringly Nude appears more matte on the lips than Divine Wine. I also noticed that it settled into my lip lines a little bit more – but this may not have happened if I had super moisturized lips.

Read more

Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick – Divine Wine

by

Lipsticks are one of those fun items that you don’t need a ton of time to test in order to fully evaluate. Despite the fact that I don’t wear them often (they’re a little high-maintenance for my day-to-day tastes), I love the look of a matte lip. When I heard that Maybelline added this new Creamy Matte Lipstick formula to their Color Sensational line, I was damn excited. I actually saw them on YouTube first before seeing them in a store, on a blog, etc – Nicole Guerrero was wearing Touch of Spice in a recent video and I was like, “Yep. I need dis.” I looked around and could find no information online, not even on Maybelline’s site.

A few days later, I saw other YouTubers sporting shades from the Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipstick line and the message was clear, “go to Target.” Next time I was there, armed with a new coupons (no shame in trying something new with one, after all), I went to get Touch of Spice and Divine Wine. They were out of Touch of Spice, but I did get Divine Wine to share with you.

Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick - Divine Wine

The caps on the Creamy Matte Lipstick shades are identical: frosted for a matte look, but this otherwise looks like many of the other Color Sensational lipsticks from the outside.

Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick - Divine Wine Case

So dark! The flash makes this look not quite as dark as it is. It isn’t like… Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Transylvania or Nars Train Bleu dark, but it is a pretty deep wine red.

Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick - Divine Wine - Open

Swatched. For reference on how dark it is, Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick this is sitting next to a well-known shade, Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso. Should have let Beso dry, but I was rushing.

Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick - Divine Wine Swatch (Stila Beso above for comparison)

Though I will sometimes wear a bold red lip, I pretty much never wear a dark lip. In fact, I can remember the last time I did, not counting Halloween scenarios – my mom had a dark burgundy(ish)? Clinique lipstick ages and aaaages ago. I pilfered it. I was not even a teenager yet. That was all.
I am not vampy! I like sheer washes color on my lips and clean eyeliner. I am out of my comfort zone! Applying it, eeek, it is so dark. Just applied:

Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick - Divine Wine, Applied

And I love it! Again, slightly ligther in the flash, but trust that this is very fall appropriate.

Despite being called, “Creamy Matte Lipstick,” this is definitely more of a satin-matte finish; the lighter shades are slightly more matte. I think this finish is flattering with this color, personally, but if it want it so-matte-its-flat, this may not be the formula/color for you. It doesn’t feel dry going on – some matte lipsticks can skip or tug on your lips during application, leading to mistakes or uneven-application, nearly necessitating use of a lip brush. Not these! They glide on pretty easily and have great color payoff in one pass. They aren’t as unforgiving as a classic matte lipstick (I’m looking at you, MAC Retro Matte formula – I’ve seen what you’ve done to lips!) but I chose to exfoliate and treat prior just in case. So far, I haven’t noticed any feathering or sass from this lipcolor, but I would probably use a liner (if I had an appropriate color) with this one just in case.

I noticed, also, during application and wear, that the scent of the Creamy Matte Lipsticks remind me of the scent of the Nyx Soft Matte Lip Creams. I’m sure they share some common ingredients, though I’m not sure what they are. I would wager that it is whatever allows them to apply easily and remain matte. I love my Nyx Soft Matte Lip creams, but I already have a strong preference for this type of lipcolor to be in a lipstick form rather than a tube with a doe-foot applicator.

I got about about 3.5 hours of wear before needing to reapply, but that includes drinking two glasses of tea and eating dinner. I heard and confirmed that it wasn’t a punk about reapplying, but even the Nyx Soft Matte Lip Creams can be punks when it comes to reapplication. To be fair, I think expecting a lipstick to last through eating and drinking is entirely unrealistic – and this one does not claim to be long-wearing, so I am happy.

It is so damn new that even now, almost a week after I’ve purchased them, I cannot find them online anywhere. Not Amazon, not Target, not drugstore.com – but I will be sure to update you with a link as soon as I find one. In fact, I have another shade to share with you at some point – I’ll hold off until I can get a dang link for you.

Are you into matte hues? Seasonally-appropriate ones? Will you try one of the new Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipsticks, or stick with something more familiar like, say, a Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream?

How I Learned to Love my Maybelline Color Tattoos

by

To date, I have only owned two Maybelline Color Tattoo pots, both from the Metal collection. I own Barely Branded, a shimmery beige, and Inked in Pink, a cool, shimmery mauve-pink. I have barely touched them since the month I bought them, which was shortly after they were all the rage.

Maybelline Color Tattoo MetalMaybelline Color Tattoo

There is nothing wrong with either Maybelline Color Tattoo that I own, they just didn’t suit me and my application preferences. Cream shadows aren’t my thing. I just haven’t gotten the hang of them. Most of them suggest that you apply with a finger – which I don’t care for. I can’t get precision with a finger, and even with freshly-washed hands I would be needlessly adding bacteria to a cream product (I’m not a germophobe, but still!) Traditional shadows and pigments are my comfort-zone. I once tried some flat brushes to try to pack the color on but it never worked out quite the way I was hoping…so they sat in my drawer for months.

I threw my Inked in Pink Maybelline Color Tattoo in my bag no plan in mind other than thinking the color might be nice with the top I was wearing. I grudgingly applied a layer to my lid with my ringfinger, then added some of Für Elise from Kat von D’s Ladybird palette at the outer edges and blended in. It looked alright, I thought, but the edges were now way too matte sitting against the frosted, almost foiled pink.

I actually had another clean brush handy – one of three Real Techniques brushes I own, the Shading brush. RT’s shader brush is not as much of a shading brush as it is a flattened (but not flat) blender. Despite the quality and affordability of these brushes, I never feel like I use this one as much as I could/should. I had already cleaned my ringfinger off, so I said, “to hell with recommendations!” and picked some up with the brush. If you aren’t familiar with the consistency of a Maybelline Color Tattoo, let me bring you up to speed: though they are cream shadows, they are very firm; stiff, almost. I swiped my brush across the surface a couple times until I was satisfied, then patted the brush over Für Elise to give it a sheen.

Hey, that worked pretty well!

The brush was small enough, despite it’s almost fluffy texture, to allow me to precisely place the Maybelline Color Tattoo where I wanted it…so I decided to intensify the pink across the rest of my lid up to my inner corner. It worked superbly. Like shockingly well. I finally know how to use these in a way that actually suit my preferences! I will actually use them now!

If you’re wondering, at this point, why you should care – let me clarify: I learned something today. We all have products that we don’t feel work for us after a few tries. Don’t give up immediately (bad foundation matches/things that cause breakouts excepted) – give these products a chance; try to experiment with them! In a normal situation where I had my entire collection and brushes at hand, I probably never would have thought to grab that brush for a Maybelline Color Tattoo. Having only a few things at hand forced me to be creative with how I used the product and ultimately led me to find a better way (for me) to apply the product.

We can learn a lot by shopping our stash and thinking outside of the, “box,” that is recommended usage (be safe though!) – to think, I might have tossed both Maybelline Color Tattoo pots during my next de-stashing! I hope this helps you make the most of your makeup, and I hope you have an excellent weekend.

Surprised: Maybelline Gel Liner

by

For you, I have sinned.

Okay, not really. I just wound up doing something you aren’t supposed to, beauty-wise.
And maybe it wasn’t for you, but it does end up benefiting you!

My fiance and I host a game night in our home for a small group of friends. This used to be on Saturdays, but we tried it out last Friday night. These nights routinely run until 2-3pm. My weekdays begin at 5am. I did my eye makeup (a neutral shimmery eye with Maybelline Gel Liner) at 5:45am on Friday morning, worked a full day of work, had a handful of errands to run, and then a house to hastily clean (moving it to Friday was a last-minute decision) before our company arrived. Woo, my makeup wasn’t a mess by the time we were starting, around 8:00pm.

When we wrapped things up around 2am, I promptly shambled to my bed and fell asleep. I am sad to admit that I can’t stay up like I used to, and I am amused to admit that though I am almost militant about makeup-removal-before-bed – I didn’t. In the future, I will nap before our entertaining so I am not a zombie by the time it concludes who does not neglect her routine.

Now, this is the Maybelline Gel Liner I discussed back in my Drugstore Gel Liner Comparison post last month, fully named Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner 24H. I used the shade Blackest Black.

I woke up at 10:16 after having slept a miraculous eight hours. I am normally a side/stomach sleeper, so the fact that I was not remotely raccoon-esque was a feat in itself. Somehow, not only was I not raccoon-esque, my liner was more or less intact. Yes, read that again. Twenty-eight-and-a-half hours. My reaction? Awesome. Take a picture, then remove this stuff!

My groggy self thought it would use my phone’s front-facing camera for this (which isn’t as good as the rear-facing or the other two cameras I have access to), but I think it is sufficient:

Maybelline Gel Liner - 28.5 Hours Post-ApplicationMaybelline Gel Liner 28.5 hours after application

There. Not budged, watery-pollen-allergy-eyes and all. I didn’t even use primer yesterday when I slapped this stuff on.

It.
Doesn’t.
Move.

Basically, I’m telling you that you need this in your life. I have not used any prestige gel liners like MAC Fluidline or Bobbi Brown’s gel liners, but unless you’re looking for a specific, crazy color that they carry, why bother? The Maybelline Gel Liner is opaque, applies easily, isn’t awkwardly shiny, and stays put. At only $6-8 per pot plus the fact that it is a brand that is frequently on sale at drugstores, mass merchants, grocers, and online, PLUS the fact that there’s almost always a $1 off coupon available, why would you bother with the more expensive brands? This item is available almost freaking everywhere, including Amazon. Run, don’t walk.

Disclosure: Seriously, I love this liner. This post wasn’t sponsored, and I was willing to share my beauty misdeed just to prove how awesome this product is. That said, some of the links in this post are affiliate links – this means I may get a very small percentage of the sale if you decide to buy something. I only recommend products I’ve tried and verified as awesome. And this one really is awesome.