NEW! Maybelline Electric Neon Baby Lips - Swatches & Review

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I last posted...I've been busy with other things and a bit lazy too.. :( Anyway, today I would like to bring you a quick look at Maybelline's recent expansion to their Baby Lips line, with 6 new electric neon shades!

These have surfaced in the United States a couple months ago and since then I've been on a small but constant lookout for them to start appearing in our drugstores. I spotted these at my local Wal-Mart last week and have played with them for the past few days. They were in the permanent display along with the original shades and there is no indication to these being limited edition. Read on to find out my thoughts on how they compare to the original release of Baby Lips!

If you are not familiar with the Baby Lips formula, here is a quick blurb to get you up to speed. They are marketed as tinted moisturizing lip balms that provides 8 hours of moisture and gives a sheer wash of colour. The Baby Lips are lightly flavoured and it more or less related to the name and colour of the particular shade. So yes, each as a unique flavour! They are also lightweight and non-sticky.

These new shades in the range appear to be fun, bright, neon colours that seem like an awesome idea for summertime. The tubes are black for all but the writing on the cap corresponds to the colour of the lip balm inside. I find them so fun to carry around in my purse and there is a teeny bit of excitement that I get everytime I pull one out to use :P On the package it states that these are made "with shea butter & vitamin E". Both ingredientshave a reputation of being moisturizing. However, these new shades do not have SPF (sun protection), whereas the original shades do have SPF 20. **Fun fact: The limited edition shades also did not have any SPF.**

70 Pink Shock: This is a sheer hot pink shade, no shimmer. Perhaps the most pigmented of the bunch, it definitely gave the lips a pretty layer of pink that may replace the need for lipstick. This shade is slightly cherry candy scented, quite pleasant to me. The scent does linger on the lips for a while.

75 Fierce N Tangy: This shade appears "highlighter"-kind of neon yellow in the tube but swatches pretty much clear. It does not produce any colour on the lips and might as well be a clear lip balm. It is still very moisturizing and smells like lemons. However, the scent and taste is reminiscent to lemon-scented dish soap so that wasn't quite as enjoyable...

80 Berry Bomb: This is sheer purple shade with no shimmer. Even though it's name is Berry Bomb, I found the scent and taste resembling more that of grape than berry. A light, sweet kind of grape, nothing overwhelming and I quite enjoyed this one. This colour does not come off very strong on the lips, but it managed to give it just enough purple tinge that my natural lip colour deepened, but also enhanced the natural pink undertones.

85 Oh! Orange!: This one is pretty obvious, it's the orange shade! I also think the name of this shade is rather cute :) Unfortunately, this colour was not flattering on my lips or my skintone, it also seemed to accentuate my dry skin on the lips. The colour payoff is there though, so if yo're in the market for a fun sheer orange lip balm, this could be the one for you. It has a light minty orange scent.

90 Minty Sheer: So another one with no colour! This is the green one and true to its name, it's super sheer and it has a minty scent. However, this type of mint comes with a touch of "plant" to it...so not my favourite kind of mint. I personally much prefer the Peppermint scent of the original baby lips (clear balm in the green tube) over this one.

95 Strike A Rose: This is a great sheer red-pink colour, also no shimmer. Compared to Pink Shock, this looks more neon in the tube but comes off less neon on the swatch and on the lips. The end result for me was a healthy shade of pink with a lot of shine and a sweet fruity scent. I can't pinpoint it to a certain kind of fruit on this particular shade. I enjoyed this shade and I like how it gives colour but still sheer enough that your natural lip colour shows through.

Overall Impression: I think I enjoy most of these new Baby Lips shade! The texture of these new ones are even more soft and less sticky/slick than the original so I find that a great improvement on the formla, making me love it even more than the old. The colours aren't the most exciting thing ever but they work. Nothing would be scary to wear out of the house, however, for most of these you won't want to be caught applying them without a mirror because if you miss your lip lines, they are pigmented enough to let everyone know :P Also, it would be advisable to still use some sort of light lip balm with SPF prior to applying these Baby Lips, especially in the summertime with lots of sunlight, becase your lips get can get sunburned too! Lips are the most common place on the body that is neglected when it comes to applying sunscreen and there are a number of cases of pre-cancer being diagnosed from the lips. So please don't forget to shower your lips with some sun protection love too!! These were purchased at Wal-Mart for CAD$3.96 + tax, so the price is not too bad. I think these are a great option if you want something light, quick & easy, and affordable! 

Have you picked up any? Interested in trying them out too? Let me know below! :)

Joanne

Maybelline Color Tattoo Pure Pigments - Swatches and Review!

One of the latest and possibly most highly anticipated drugstore items are these Maybelline Color Tattoo Pure Pigments! Ever since Maybelline uploaded a sneak peak picture on instagram I've been on the lookout for when these pigments will land in the drugstore. I finally came across them last week and I picked up all 10 shades that are offered to play with them.

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons why these pigments are so anticipated by drugstore makeup enthusiasts is because pigments are quite rare in the drugstore makeup department. There really aren't many brands that have ventured into pigment/loose eyeshadows. More over, Maybelline has some pretty impressive claims for its new product, as follows: "Double-dipped pigments create intense eyeshadow colour intnsity. Superior staying Power, for crease-proof wear all day long." -maybelline.ca

Well, doesn't that just make it sound like these pigments are a must-try product? Let's see some swatches below.

Part 1: The Neutrals

3 swipes, no primer

(L to R)
1) 30 Black Mystery - The darkest colour of the entire range. This is a blackened deep charcoal colour that could be built up to an intense black if several layers are used. The finish has a subtle sheen to it, but the most notable feature of this particular shade is that it contains a fair amount of deep blue glitter/shimmer in it that catches the light. The overall colour reminds me of a star-filled night sky.

2) 45 Downtown Browm - A brown colour pigment that leans toward the cool end of the specturm. This is a very easy to use neutral colour that can be incorporated into almost any eye look. There are a small amount of pearl color shimmer in this pigment but it is not super noticable, so the overall finish is simply a pearly brown colour. Colour is buildable, and will definitely work well as an outer corner or crease colour. It will come in very handy for a wearable daytime smokey eye look.

3) 35 Breaking Bronze - A colour that is very true to its name; this is a straightforward bronze colour. Nothing fancy to spice it up, but this colour itself will be able to create for you as fancy a look as you would, or as toned down as you like. I personally think this colour would compliment a tanned complexion beautifully for the summer, or it will look great even on fair skintones for a spiced up night look.

4) 60 Buff and Tuff - This is like a lightened version of downtown brown, and also a bit warmer in tone. There are noticable gold shimmer flecks in this particular colour, which I am personally not a fan of. I would have liked this shade more if they did pearl/silver shimmer instead.

5) 55 Barely Brazen - This is the lightest colour of the entire range, and it's a classic nude champagne-y colour that is perfect as an all-over lid colour to add some sparkle to your eye. Or for a more intense look, this colour can be used as an inner-corner highlight and browbone highlight. There are not mch shimmer/glitter specks noticed in this shade because the entire finish of this colour is just so reflective already.

Part 2: The Brights

3 swipes, no primer

1) 25 Wild Gold - A true-to-pot, solid yellow-gold colour. I personally would consider using this colour as an under eye liner right beneath the lower lashline to add a fun pop of colour. If you have too much yellow tones in your skin already this would not work too well as a main lid colour as it would accentuate the yellow tones too much.

2) 20 Pink Rebel - Unfortunately, this colour did not come off as pink and vibrant as I expected from just looking at the pot, but the colour is still very pretty. The colour is more like a toned-down hot pink, with purple undertones, almost like a fuchsia pink colour. It does have a small amount of silver glitter specks incorporated in it, so it gives a sparkly look when the colour overall catches the light.

3) 15 Potent Purple - A grape-toned pruple colour. This one is almost like the dud of the entire range because it was the hardest to swatch with intense colour, and was also quite patchy and uneven when I tried to swatch it on my arm for the above photo. The colour is pretty, and the finish has a nice sheen, bit it is not easy to work with.

4) 10 Brash Blue - A truely intense cobalt blue colour. The colour payoff on this shade was excellent, true to pan, and brightly intense. Although this colour is definitely not for the faint-of-heart and can't really be used for "every day looks" , I know I will be having lots of fun using this colour to create looks for halloween makeup this year! This is also a great colour that I can consider using under my lower lashline as an eyeliner.

5) 05 Never Fade Jade - This is a type of forest-y pine green colour that isn't really that close to the colour of actual jades. This type of green has quite a bit of blue undertone to it so that it appears cooler and darker. Still this is a gorgeous colour and is considerable for anyone who enjoys using greens often, especially because it compliments brown eyes beautifully and really makes them pop. This is also a great colour that I can consider using under my lower lashline as an eyeliner.

Overall Thoughts...

As exciting as these are to the drugstore makeup world, after playing around and experimenting for one week, I don't think these are a groundbreaking product by any means. The following breakdown will likely explain why that is.

Texture: The texture for most of these pigments are very smooth and forgiving. The exceptions would be Potent Purple and Pink Rebel, as they came off quite uneven and splotchy. The ones that have noticeable glitter in the pigments did not feel gritty on the eyelids either.

Fallout: YES, these pigments will be a major fallout pain if you don't prepare a sticky base for them. Therefore, an EYE PRIMER is a must in order to use them because otherwise you will find a fair amount of the colour on your cheeks. Also, to further avoid fallout, do not use the swipe motion with your brush to apply them. Instead, the pigment should be patted into the eyelid with a flat eyeshadow brush, sponge-tip applicator, or even your fingers to ensure minimal fallout.

Pigmentation: Pigmentation is strong for most of these colours, again with the exceptions being Potent Purple and Pink Rebel. However, I don't think it's as exceptional as what Maybelline appears to claim it being. When compared to the minimal track record of drugstore pigments, Maybelline has done a really good job with these already, but by no means will it be turning be away from my MAC pigments any time soon. Using these pigments on top of an eyeshadow base definitely intensified the colour payoff for me, and another great way to get strong colour payoff is actually to use a Color Tattoo Cream Shadow in a corresponding colour (i.e. Never Fade Jade & Edgy Emerald, Wild Gold & Bold Gold, Breaking Bronze & Bad to the Bronze, etc etc) as its base, because that is also a nice and sticky, long lasting base trick! I really believe Maybelline meant for these pigments to be paired with the Color Tattoo Cream shadows...what do you think?? :)

Lasting Power: I needed to use a good base underneath the pigments on my eyelids in order for them to last most of the day and remain crease free. Without a base, the colour started fading quite fast and also started to fallout onto my face o.O" So I would have to deem the claim of "for crease-proof wear all day long" to be another fail, as that was not possible unless extra measures were taken. When a primer type of product was used prior to the application of the pigment, the performance of the pigments were significantly better than without.

So overall, I enjoyed trying out these new pigments but I don't think they are an absolute must-have by any means at this point in time. The colours are nice and I like how the range is separated into neutrals and brights, so there will be something for everybody :) If you enjoy using loose, mineral eyeshadows and pigment type of eyeshadows, you will likely enjoy trying these out. If you prefer something that is less messy to work with then I'd say stick to the regular eyeshadows in pan-forms, because these can be quite a disaster if not used carefully.

These pigments retail for $7-10 each for 1.3g of product depending on which drugstore location you get yours at. These are new, permanent items to Maybelline's lineup. I imagine we may be seeing new, limited edition colours in later Maybelline collection launches.

Have you spotted these are your local drugstore makeup departments yet? Will you be trying them out? Let me know! :) Thanks for reading~

Joanne


Disclaimer: Products mentioned in the above post were all purchased by myself with personal funds. This post and its content are not sponsored in anyway and all are my personal, honest opinions. 

Maybelline Color Whisper Lipsticks - Review & Swatches!

I'm so excited to be able to write this post today. Ever since the very first sneak peaks and news of Maybelline's newest lipstick line has surfaced on the internet, I have been waiting eagerly for them to finally land in the drugstore. Here is what Maybelline has to say about their newest lip product in Spring 2013:

"Pure color pigments suspended in a weightless gel. No heavy waxes or oils. Soft, sexy gel-color." - maybelline.com

I purchased these for $7.96 + tax at Wal-Mart, which also happens to be where I found the new permanent display. Up until now I have not found a trace of these lipsticks at other drugstores yet, but I'm sure they will surface soon.

Today I share with you the 12 shades I have of the 20 available shades :)

Packaging: The lipstick tube of the Color Whispers are very sleek and pretty. They have the same build as all the other Maybelline lipsticks, BUT it's a teeny bit taller and quite a bit skinnier when compared side by side. I especially love the cursive logo on the side of the cap and I find it to be a very pleasing visual to the overall look. The cap is secured nicely at the bottom with grooves yet is still removable easily. I do not feel like it would accidentally pop open in a makeup bag or purse.

Color Whisper lipstick is noticeably slimmer than the regular lipsticks...

...and a bit taller!

The "Bright and Light"; swatches below

45 Who Wore It Red-er: Cream. This color is the most "red" color of the entire range, and it still transcribe to the lips with a strong hint of pink. The more it is built-up, the less pink it appears and becomes more red.

50 Cherry On Top: Cream. Similar in color tone to #45, but it is about 1 to 2 shades lighter. It gives a beautiful just-bitten look to your lips and is a great intro colour for anybody who is looking to venture into bright lipsticks. 

65 Pink Possibilities: Cream. A sheer mid-tone pink. It is a great my-lips-but-better (MLBB) colour. Very similar to #60 if worn sheer, but when it is built up it becomes redder than #60

60 Petal Rebel: Cream. This is the most "Barbie-pink" color of the entire range, and also happens to be the colour worn by the model in Maybelline's promotional poster. However, this one is difficult to show true to colour if you happen to have pigmented lips that are redder in tone, because the colour of the lipstick is pretty sheer. However, if you have lighter colour lips, about 3 swipes across should give you a nice pastel pink.

70 Faint For Fuchsia: Cream. This is pink with purple undertones. If you use it sheer it is definitely an MLBB colour, but it can be easily built-up to become a brighter colour that is eye-catching yet not overwhelming.

90 Oh-La Lilac: Cream. Don't let the lipstick tube scare you! This really is not as purple as it looks...if you wear it sheered out :P Because there is enough pink tone in it, when worn sheer there is hardly much purple that is noticeable and the colour becomes one that can give a healthy flush of color to your lips. 

The "nudes and darks"; swatches below

95 Mad For Magenta: Cream. Borderline purple berry colour, quite a bright pink if worn with several layers.

75 Rose of Attraction: Cream with sparkles. This is the only lipstick in the range that I have seen so far that has actual sparkles inside. The sparkles are noticeable in lights but I couldn't feel it on my lips; it had no gritty feeling to it at all. The base color is a rosy coral color.

80 Made-It Mauve: Cream. Sheer brick red. It ventures into the brown tones but still has enough red to make sure your lips are still healthy looking.

20 Mocha Muse: Cream. A sheer brown colour with a hint of red-undertone. It is quite sheer and doesn't really build up easily to show up on my lips, which are pretty pigmented on their own. 

25 Lust for Blush: Cream. Pinky-nude colour. I thought I would really love this particular one, but unforunately it, again, doesn't really show up on my lips, just gives it shine but that's about it.

85 Berry Ready: Cream. Berry Colour, just as the name suggests. This one is amazing, the pigmentation is so great. The swatch was just ONE swipe, where as all the other ones were 2 swipes. Of course, to get the colour on the lips it does require a couple swipes back and forth, but the opacity it produces rival that of lipsticks!

Scent: The Color Whisper lipsticks has no detectable fragrance as far I can smell. It has a very very faint sweet barely-there smell, but nothing more.

Taste: Similar to the scent, there is hardly any detectable taste to the lipstick after it is applied to the lips.

Texture: I feel these lipsticks really lived up to the claims of being lightweight. Wearing them, my lips felt hydrated without the feeling that I'm wearing a lip colour; I had no dry lips as the product wore off. There is just a very slight stick to the product that I can feel at the center of my lips when I talk. The texture and feel of these lipsticks are definitely on par with Revlon Lip Butters, L'Oreal Balm, and L'Oreal Caress Sticks, I may even like the Maybelline best out of the four.

Coverage: The coverage of these lipsticks are awesome! They are MUCH more pigmented than Maybelline Baby Lips without sacrificing to a dry texture. These are not to be confused with tinted lip balms, because they are much better than that. Maybelline Color Whispers are light lipsticks with strong color payoff and excellent moisturizing properties. Some shades, especially those lighter one and those leaning more brown and nude, will require multiple swipes across the lips to achieve the color in the tube. 

Wear-time: Wear-time is rather short for Color Whisper lipsticks. Since they are so lightweight, they hardly cling to the lips. Therefore, it wears off after about 2 hours, or 1 hour with lots of talking, or about 30 minutes if eating is involved. The shine is maintained quite well. The dark colours wear better than the lighter colours, likely because it is easier to still see it as it starts wearing off. I do not find that these produce a stain on my lips after wearing off, even for the dark colours. However, one downfall is that they do ACCENTUATE DRY LIPS, so make sure your lips are nicely moisturized prior! Also, because the product is so lightweight, it is actually quite slippery too and will move around the lips and is especially obvious with the light pinks.

Final Thoughts: Overall, I really enjoy this new line from Maybelline. I know that I love the deeper shades a bit more than the lighter shades. There are about 2 shades from the range that I know will be just TOO light to show up on anybody's lips and will just end up serving more of a shiny lip balm, so I will not be purchasing those shades. With most of the colours, a mirror is not necessary for application which makes reapplying on the go very easy. The lipstick feels so nice on my lips that I really don't mind having to reapply about every 1-2 hours. If you enjoyed the Revlon Lip Butters or L'oreal Caress Sticks, or found L'Oreal Balm underwheming, I HIGHLY recommend trying out a couple of the Maybelline Color Whisper Lipsticks! Favourite shades so far: BERRY READY, WHO WORE IT RED-ER, PINK POSSIBILITIES, CHERRY ON TOP.

Have you tried these? Let me know!

Joanne

Maybelline CLEAN EXPRESS! Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover Review

Today I would like to introduce to you one of my many recent new finds at the drugstore - a new eye makeup remover by Maybelline! The brand has offered eye makeup removers for many years now, but personally I have never paid much attention to them, because they've been around for so long it's not promoted much anymore, it is always housed at the very bottom of the Maybelline wall displays, and most importantly, I already have a couple makeup removers that I am very content with.

However, when this new one came along I found it in Wal-Mart in one of those small cardboard displays that most new products are first introduced in at drugstores. (The have now been moved to the permanent display, as of 3 days ago) The shape and colour of the bottle first caught my attention...The oval cylinder shape of the bottle was slim and compact, and (most importantly) it was PINK! How cute is that? :) It wasn't price-tagged at the time but when I was rung up at the registered it was only $4.96 + tax, and I had a "what a steal!" moment.

It claims to have a "QuickBreak Technology", to be "Ultra-Gentle - Express-removes even waterproof mascara", and is an oil-free water proof eye makeup remover. The bottle contains 120mL (4.0 fl. oz.) of product, which runs a little under the typical 150mL mark for most other drugstore eye makeup remover, but don't forget its low price point!

On the back it says the following:
"Shake to activate dual phase formula. First phase instantly breaks up stubborn makeup, even waterproof mascara, while the second washes it clean...Because of its quick dissolving powever, no harsh rubbing is necessary. Oil-free, the formula leaves no greasy residue."

A look at the opening of the bottle.

Sounds like a dream but how did it actually perform?

After using this remover for the past 3 weeks, I am now ready to share my thoughts with you :) I agree wholeheartedly with its claims of being ultra-gentle. I have not experienced any burning or stinging sensations near or on my eye when using it to take off my eye makeup. There is, indeed, no feeling of greasy residue, or any residue for that matter, after I finish using it. It also leaves the eye area with a feeling of being slightly hydrated.

Unfortunately, this product falls short of its "Quick-Break Action" claim. First, I do not wear waterproof mascara, so when I got this product I expected it to perform quite well for taking off my non-waterproof mascara since it's suppose to take off waterproof ones with ease. But nope, even after soaking my lashes with this for 30 seconds on the cotton pad, it takes a little too much extra rubbing to get all my mascara off than I would like for my already-kind-of sparse lashes. I really don't need more to fall out everytime I take off the makeup. to be honest, the remover is really good at removing all the eyeshadow in one swipe, and the eyeliners come off in a little more than 2 swipes. So if you happen to be one of those girls who don't wear mascara regularly, this is likely a great product for you to try, and it won't break the bank.

Overall, it's not a bad remover, and I will continue using it to take off my eyeshadows and liners. But I will defer back to my baby oil to take off my mascara to minimize the rubbing and tugging.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more reviews on my other recent drugstore new product finds!

Joanne

NEW! Maybelline Baby Lips - Limited Edition Shades

Hello! Couple months ago, US based magazines started sporting ads from Maybelline that showed sneak peaks of 5 limited edition shades of their newest lip balm line Baby Lips. Not long after, 3 were spotted in stores in the US, but it took until yesterday, while perusing through the aisles of a Wal-Mart in Vancouver, that I discovered these LE shades on the north side of the border :)

The limited edition shades are (sadly) only available in these double packs in which they are housed with one other permanent shade. Going from left to right (LE shade names bolded):
1) Peach Kiss & CORAL CRUSH
2) Quenched & PINK WINK
3) Pink Punch & TWINKLE

I previously own Peach Kiss and Pink Punch; they are much loved products in the lip balm category (moisturizing with good colour payoff) for me and I really don't mind having now picked up back ups for those two. The shade Quenched is one that I didn't own previously so I'm excited to try that too. Needless to say, I am ecstatic about finding these 3 limited edition shades and can't wait to break them out of the package and try those out soon! Perhaps I will have time to do some swatches to post as well!

There will be two more LE shades that are to be released sometime in the new year, and the names are YUMMY PLUMMY & MELON MANIA.

Have you found these in your area too? 
Tried any? 

If you're interested make sure you keep your eyes out for them and I hope you find them soon! :)

Thanks for reading!
Joanne

Maybelline ColorTattoo Metal Collection - First View and Swatches

Today I have something very exciting to share! Yesterday when I was browsing my local Shoppers Drug Mart I came upon a brand new display from Maybelline that I previously knew nothing about.

Looks pretty exciting right? I knew I certainly was, immediately I purchased all 5 shades because they were ALL NEW! (Even though the price at $9.99 each is quite steep..) And here is what they look like!

Perhaps I know what you might be thinking now..."That one looks like BARELY BEIGE!" If that is the case, then I would like to let you know that yes they are so so similar! Barely Beige, the much coveted shade from the Fall Runway Collection by Maybelline, is just a tad pinker. Take a look!

I think those of you who either 1) missed out on picking up Barely Beige or 2) want a back up of Barely Beige would be quite delighted to know that Barely Branded is now available!

And now for a round up with swatches of all the new shades.

1. Inked in Pink 2. Gold Rush 3. Barely Branded 4. Electric Blue 5. Silver Strike   

In terms of texture, all 5 performed beautifully. The gold and silver are the most similar in terms of finish, because both are very frosty with some small glitter particles. Although bold, the two make for perfect choices for the holiday season! Inked in Pink and Barely Branded have similar pearl finishes, stunning both on their own or as a base, best for everyday use. Finally, Electric Blue has a bit of a matte finish, and will probably be the most useful to help your beautiful deep blue eyeshadows really POP on the lids :)

Finally, as none of the packaging nor the display said "Limited Edition", at this time I believe that these will be part of Maybelline's regular line up very soon!


Thank you for reading!
Joanne