MAYBELLINE Lip Flush Bitten Lips Swatch

Welcome to the bitten/gradient/ombre lip trend that's already more than 3 years old.

I understand that there will be a significant time lag when western beauty brands ride on the Asian beauty trends, but this really came a little late! Considering this release is actually designed for the Asian market, I expected them to create something like this a lot sooner.

I don't think America will appreciate the bitten lips trend anytime soon, because they love the illusion of fuller lips. The bitten lip does the exact opposite, by making the lips look smaller.

Maybelline recently released 6 shades in this new product line. It retails for SGD$16.90.



Each lipstick contains three colours: a concealing colour, a blending colour, and the main colour. Designed to easily create the Korean style just bitten lips, otherwise known as ombre/gradient lips.



The colours vary from red to orange.


image via cocopsyche.

I tried to get the official swatches, but I noticed it's just digital manipulation and not the real thing. Here is a swatch I found :)

The colours seem to blend in with each other almost perfectly (except for RD01)! Ridding you of the need to manually blend the colours with your fingers. The colours also look very wearable. I'm especially delighted to see a darker colour here (RD03).

From the swatch, you can also see it has a slight sheen to it, but definitely not enough to call it glossy.

Ending thought:
I'm happy there's finally a more affordable alternative to Laneige's Two Toned Lip Bar (SGD$34). Maybelline has perfected their lipstick formula so you can be pretty sure the lipstick will be comfortable to wear on your lips. While this is not a long lasting lipstick, do expect it to feel a lot more hydrating and lip balm-y than long wearing formulas.

On a side note, I think they chose a very unflattering promotional picture of their model. She looks like she has permanent duck lips because her upper lip is so pouty naturally. Hahahahha I can't help but laugh when I saw this. Pardon me. QUACK.

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ETUDE HOUSE NEW LIPSTICK SWATCHES

Were the marketing team hungry? Chiffon.. Cake?

Etude House recently released a new line of lipsticks! They are a mix between cream and matte finish. I have no idea what "chiffon" has got anything to do with the finish. In my mind I imagine it to have a bouncy finish (my mind is clearly thinking about the chiffon cake, what a glutton!), which speaks nothing about the finish.

Stripping the marketing thing aside, it's a semi-matte lipstick that promises more moisture than a traditional matte lipstick.

DEAR MY BLOOMING LIPS TALK CHIFFON | USD 12.40

The lipstick has a brand new packaging - eyelet trim decorating one side of the lipstick. With the cap off it looks like a capital letter B. The first time I saw this lipstick I only saw an image of it with its cap off, it made me wonder why a letter B on the packaging :P

Comes in 12 whopping shades, including the rarer brownish and nude shades. Case in point, brown shades are pretty rare in Asian lipsticks.


Click to enlarge!


At a glance.

For actual swatches, check out this korean blog.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
The nude shades (BE109 and BE110) really appeal to me. The almost neon pink PK027, which it's quite common amongst Korean brands still stands out to me. RD315 looks like a beautiful wine red! I might actually hunt these down some time in the future.. :) I don't have a lot of nude lipsticks, YET.

Image credit: Etude House

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MY PLUM/WINE/BURGUNDY LIPSTICKS

Just so happened that they are all from REVLON.

i have a thing for plum/wine/burgundy lipsticks, and i think my collection of such colour will grow in time to come.
it's definitely a colour i would wear any time,
not just reserved for fall or winter.
who am i kidding? there is no fall or winter in singapore!
i wear whatever makes me feel and look good.

wine shades are hard to find among drugstore brands,
this might be the reason why all three that i own belongs to revlon,
since they are the only brand (out of the drugstore brands in singapore) that releases such a colour.

i'll be comparing them against each other in terms of texture, finish, and how i like them.



the three lip products are:

1. SUPER LUSTROUS MATTE (010 WINE NOT)
2. COLORSTAY ULTIMATE SUEDE (035 BACKSTAGE)
3. COLORSTAY MOISTURE STAIN (005 PARISIAN PASSION) 

you can click on link to see more swatches and detailed review of the individual product!



swatches of the respective lipsticks on a piece of white tissue paper


COLOUR AND FINISH:
010 WINE NOT is the darkest of all, leaning on the brownish/purple side. it also has the least red in it. it's a true matte.

035 BACKSTAGE is in the middle, a little more red and less brown as compared to 010 WINE NOT. after it sets, it has a slight sheen to it but doesn't look gloss.

005 PARISIAN PASSION has the most red in it compared to the other two. the finish is downright glossy.

CONSISTENCY AND TEXTURE:
010 WINE NOT glides relatively smoothly and deposits a thin layer of colour on my bare lips with ease. requires building up to amp the intensity of the colour. the bullet is considered hard when compared to the matte balms.
 
035 BACKSTAGE glides too smoothly, resulting in a sheer layer of colour. will require more layers in between the setting time. the bullet is harder than 010 WINE NOT.

005 PARISIAN PASSION is a thick liquid that has a balmy feel, goes on evenly and easily.

MOISTURE LEVEL AND AFTER FEEL:
010 WINE NOT is hydrating for the first few hours, reapplication is necessary to re-hydrate your lips. doesn't have much of an after feel, especially when i smack my lips.
 
035 BACKSTAGE not very hydrating but it doesn't make me feel dry either. has the typical sticky feeling the ultimate suede line has.

005 PARISIAN PASSION most hydrating out of all since it's a liquid. makes my lips feel like cushion the first few hours of wear (until it dried down to nothing). lips can feel dry then.

LONGEVITY:
010 WINE NOT transfers to cups like it's supposed to be married to it. without eating, i get 4-5 hours of wear.

035 BACKSTAGE doesn't transfer to foreign objects, but they do transfer to each other when i smack my lips. without lip smacking or eating, it can last the entire day. but that's unrealistic, so i get about 2 hours of wear out of it because i can't stop smacking my lips.

005 PARISIAN PASSION might have transferred but it's not observable since the liquid just meld into each other. the gloss only stays for 2 hours at most, but the stain stays till next morning!

IN A NUTSHELL:
there're pros and cons to each lipstick. for a habitual lip smacker, i'd say the moisture stain is the best because both the matte and ultimate suede lipstick will result in some transfers between my lips. constantly worrying about whether my lipstick is even or not tires my mind out unnecessarily. but if you're not a lip smacker, you might like the lipsticks more than i do.

so in a very biased ranking, my favourite plum/wine/burgundy lip product:

MOISTURE STAIN (005 PARISIAN PASSION) > SUPER LUSTROUS MATTE (010 WINE NOT) > ULTIMATE SUEDE (035 BACKSTAGE)

HAVE YOU TRIED ANY OF THESE? HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM?

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Maybelline ColorSensational Bold Matte - Cheeky Coral (Swatch and Review)

Maybelline ColorSensational Bold Matte - Cheeky Coral

a pigmented, vivid lipstick that glides over my lips like butter? and it's (semi)matte!?

off the official website, maybelline has positioned this lipstick to be a matte lipstick that delivers vibrant and vivid colours. does it live up to the claims?


the lipstick series and names are printed on a plastic sleeve, not on the case itself. seems to be infused with honey for better hydration.


i got it in the colour MAT3, cheek coral.

image source: maybelline official website

there are 5 colours available in singapore, this is the only orange shade and definitely doesn't look coral to me.


ingredients list. the lipstick is infused with hydrating components, albeit in small quantities as they appear to be at the bottom of the list.


once i removed the plastic sleeve, it reveals the matte plastic cover and a metallic looking (but also plastic) lipstick container. i'm kind of bummed out that the inner case isn't made of metal.

official swatches from maybelline

MAT3 cheek coral is a bright orange on me. you'll get better colour payoff with at least 2 layers of the product as you can see from the swatches. compare it to the official swatch online and you'll notice the online swatches is way off.

the finish isn't totally matte though! it still retains a little sheen to it, but definitely not as glossy as a lip gloss would be. the lipstick is pretty lightweight, i don't feel much on my lips upon application. the texture is slightly different when compared to the revlon super lustrous matte lipstick. this feels more airy and bouncy, while the latter feels a little more skin hugging. don't get me wrong, i don't mean that the maybelline lipstick feels heavy, i just mean the pigments tend to glide over each other more easily (and hence lesser tugging). think massaging a whipped cream versus a solid shea butter over your skin. get the idea?

the lipstick glides over my lips very smoothly and easily, maybelline did a good job with the formula as the lipstick was really a breeze to use. no tugging at all! and it also feels hydrating, which is something i don't usually expect from a matte lipstick.

IMHO

i am really surprised by the colour payoff when swatching these at the drugstore. on my hands, one swipe is enough to showcase their full pigmentation. ditching the marketing claims, the formula is indeed quite hydrating. however, i do need to apply a lip balm throughout the day. at least it's more hydrating than the revlon matte lipstick!

the formula is not long wearing, but it does stay on my quite well until i decide to eat or drink. i don't remember having too much transfers or staining when i drink from a glass after the lipstick has dried out a little, i quite like that!

overall, i really like the formula of this lipstick! it's my first time trying out maybelline's lipstick actually! i'd buy more if they ever change the material of the inner casing from plastic to metal. i like to feel more weight to my lipsticks!

i purchased this from watsons for $17.90 when it was having a buy one get one free promotion!

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