Review: New Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick and Lipgloss

[For my updated review, including two additional shades and new swatches, click here]

I've never been a huge fan of Maybelline lip products, so it is with much happiness that I tell you how much I adore their new collection: Color Sensational. Both the lipsticks and lipglosses in this collection contain pure pigments and honey nectar and I will explain what these two ingredients mean to me, in terms of performance, in this review. (Note: For pics of the Color Sensational in-store display, click here).

Let's begin with the lipstick (case above--sorry for the weird glare but I wanted to take a pic of the transparent magenta case in full sunlight).

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor comes in 48 shades(!) broken down into "Pinks", "Neutrals", "Plums" and "Reds". I purchased a shade in the "Pinks" catagory called "Pink Me Up" which is a neutral, medium pinky-brown creme that borders on the cool side (my pics make it look like it's more on the warm side but in real life it's got a tad more blue). It very much reminds me of several Bobbi Brown shades I own (which is probably why I was drawn to it!):

Here are my lips before:

And after:

What I absolutely love about this lipstick is the fact that, unlike a million other drugstore lipsticks I've owned, what you see is really what you get. I am so used to purchasing a lipstick based on the color in the tube and then, SURPRISE, it looks like a completely different color when I put it on my lips. Not so with "Pink Me Up". I can honestly say that you what you get on your lips is as close as possible to the color in the tube (obviously you have to take into account the natural pigment of your lips, which affects *any* lip color you wear). But what I'm trying to say is that you get NO surprises with this lip color (except for the surprise of how accurate the color is when you put it on your lips!). Truly amazing. The scent of this lipstick smells, to me, like a very subtle combination of honey and vanilla. Not obnoxious at all, and there is very little flavor.

I tried to capture the similarities between the color in the tube compared to the color on my lips here:

Also, I've got to say that this is one of the creamiest lipsticks I've used in a long time and it definitely rivals high-end lipsticks in that arena (I guess that's thanks to the honey nectar in this product). But the great thing is that, even thought it's super creamy, I didn't experience any bleeding into fine lines, which I've found happens to me with some of the more creamy lipsticks I own. Also, the staying power is wonderful considering the creaminess of the product. I noticed that there wasn't a ton of product transferred to my drinking glass, which is nice, but there is some transfer. I'd say I can go a good three hours before I need a touch-up, which is a lot longer than I'm used to for a non-matte lipstick. All in all, I think this a fabulous new lipcolor and one that I will certainly reach for again and again. Now that I know that the color in the tube is very true to the color on my lips, I can't wait to pick up some different shades. The pure pigments contained in these lipsticks might help you take the guesswork out of choosing drugstore lipsticks that will work for you.

Next up: Color Sensational Lipgloss. Now, you probably know I'm not really a lipgloss girl, but the Walgreens BOGO 50% off called to me and I had to pick one of these up as well. I purchased "Hooked On Pink" which is a medium-bordering-on-dark berry with very subtle gold shimmer. The shimmer is so subtle that I couldn't really pick it up with my camera (also the color looks lighter in these pics):

It's got a standard doe-foot applicator:

And here's what it looks like on my lips:

My oh my, I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I do! Let me first say that, once again, the color in the tube is sooo close to the color on my lips (I hope you can see this when you compare my lips to the tube above). This is definitely not a sheer berry but I think that since these products contain pure pigments, they will generally lean toward the opaque. Also, it is so creamy (thanks again, honey nectar!). And it smells and tastes like yummy berry punch (but not to fear--the smell and taste fade quickly if you don't like berry punch). I love that the doe-foot applicator is on the smaller side, which allows for a lot more precision when applying this product to your upper lip. Also, the feel of it! Oh, it is like the Cadillac of lipgloss! So smooth, so cushiony, so luxurious. But magically, just like the lipstick, it doesn't seem to creep up into my fine lines.

For me, here's the best thing about this gloss: This product actually lasts longer than 30 minutes on my lips! I've said this before but I've got reiterate: I am a gloss-eater. When I wear glosses, I simply cannot resist playing with my lips. I rub my lips together constantly until every last trace of gloss has faded away. It usually takes me about 30 minutes to an hour to destroy a layer of gloss on my lips. When I put this gloss on my lips, I "ate" the gloss as I do any other gloss. I rubbed my lips together constantly (how could I not when it feels so smooth and cushiony?) and when I looked in the mirror after about 30 minutes of "smooshing" I was shocked! The color, the shininess, the gloss....it was all still there! This never happens. So I continued...another 30 minutes...looked in the mirror again. The color was still there, but instead of fading to what is usually a ring of color on the outer border of my lips, this faded consistently, all over my lips, and left a nice, subtle berry color behind. Almost like a tint! Ladies, I think I may have finally found the gloss that was made for gloss-eaters like me. I just could not be more pleased with performance of this product and I will definitely be picking up additional shades.

I hope you've found my reviews helpful, and if you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear them. Also, if you've tried any of these lip products I would love to hear your experience!