Maybelline Color Sensational Lipsticks
I am a lipstick hoarder. I love trying out new, fun lip colors and adding new favorites to my collection. From dark greens and navy blues to classic reds and trendy nudes, I've tried countless lip colors and formulas.
One of my favorites is the Color Sensational line from Maybelline. These are dangerously affordable at about $6.00 per tube, and the formula and color selection is totally awesome. The Color Sensational collection from Maybelline also has several sub-categories that you can distinguish by packaging: the original shades have translucent tubes that match the lip color, the Loaded Bolds have dark blue translucent tubes, the Buff line of nude shades has a cream-colored component, and the packaging of the Mattes has a matte finish to match the formula.
Every formula is super comfortable on the lips. I find that of the shades I have 795 Smoking Red and 920 Nude Lust are creamier in application and budge slightly more if I'm wearing it all day. 770 Mauve It and 660 Touch of Spice are more matte in application and a bit sturdier throughout the day as a result.
These products don't claim to be extremely long-wearing, but I typically don't have any crazy issues with transfer other than in obvious situations like drinking through a straw or out of a coffee cup. Even then the color usually doesn't transfer of so excessively that it'll require immediate re-application. None of the formulas flake off or bleed at all, which makes them super low-maintenance to wear.
The bottoms of the tubes also have stickers that match the lip colors, making it easy to find your favorite!
The first Color Sensational Lipstick that I picked up was color 440 Mauve It Up. It's a slightly sheer but buildable purple shade with some metallic sparkle added in. I used to wear the crap out of this lipstick and it definitely set me on the path to become the addict that I am now. While they seem bold as a departure from trendy nude shades, purples are still some of my favorite lip colors to wear.
I picked up the rest of my Maybelline collection all at once when I was at the drug store and they were 2 for 1! I'm a total sucker for a deal.
The two colors that I wear the most now are 660 Touch of Spice and 770 Mauve It. They are fairly similar colors with the main difference being that 660 Touch of Spice is more of a warm-toned pale terra cotta while 770 Mauve It is a cooler-toned nude mauve.
Touch of Spice: The component reads pretty red here, check out swatches below for a more accurate depiction of the color.
Mauve It: Here the product reads very pink, check below for a more accurate idea of how this shade looks.
795 Smoking Red is an awesome color for fall and winter that I also reach for pretty frequently even though I've been using more liquid lip products for darker colors lately. It's a very deep, rich shade that has some brown undertones that make it absolutely gorgeous. I'm a sucker for dark colors, which is why I own like a million of them.
Smoking Red: This image is fairly true to color, but check out the swatches below where the brown undertone is more clear.
920 Nude Lust is just slightly too pale of a nude for me. I picked it up in an attempt to jump onto the pale nude bandwaggon but just don't love how it looks with my skin tone. I don't reach for it often as I'm typically drawn to darker shades, but keep it around in case I decide to be adventurous with a light nude one day.
Nude Lust: This looks pretty accurate. The color is fairly sheer and very creamy.
Here are arm swatches of all the awesome colors I've acquired:
Swatches from top to bottom:
If you want to experiment with new colors without a huge investment, Maybelline's Color Sensational line is the way to go. But be careful, in my experience they're a gateway into an obsession with lip colors and products! There are definitely worse things to be obsessed with though, right?
What are your favorite lip products? Want to see more of my collection? Let me know in the comments!