Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick Swatch-A-Palooza!

I had so much fun with my Revlon swatch post that I decided to go ahead and make it a bit of a series to highlight collections of products that I have...well...quite a few of. It goes along the lines of the thought that if I keep repurchasing from a specific line - there must be something pretty darn good about it!

While not nearly as old as Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick line, Maybelline's Color Sensational Lipstick range has been a staple at the drugstore for a good amount of time by now. The permanent collection itself has every color family covered, and what I really enjoy is that they make it so easy to shop! Everything is broken down by color family, even down to occasionally making the caps a different color to suggest the family the shade might be in. From a consumer's viewpoint, it's never really a confusing task to find what I am looking for from the brand, which was very smart on their part!

Maybelline is also a bit of the "MAC of the Drugstore" when it comes to limited edition collections - and I fall for them just the same. There are shades that get very hyped up to the point where a lot of us in the beauty community find ourselves stalking our local drugstores and...dare I admit it...looking to Ebay for items we couldn't seem to find. I've seen a shade touted "Hard to Find" for as high as $20..a lipstick that retailed for less than half of that! (and don't even get me started on the matte Color Tattoos from last fall...OMG).

Overall, I'm a bit of a sucker for Limited Editions, which I will include here, but I have a really great opinion on the permanently available shades as well - so lets get on to those swatches, shall we?

From left to right - Pink Sands, Born With It, Pink & Proper and Make Me Pink

Pink Sands - Ah, Pink Sands. I was young; naive...maybe. It's awful - sheer, but shimmery and gritty and I maybe wore this once. I purchased this one a LONG time ago when I was first getting into makeup.

Born With It - Since we opened the swatches on such a negative note, let's move onto my all time favorite! Born With It bears Maybelline's tagline, and for good reason. It's natural but refined - my perfect MLBB shade.

Pink And Proper - This is a light neutral to slightly warm toned pink and while it isn't anything groundbreaking in terms of color, it wears nicely and bears a formula that nicely represents the line.

Make Me Pink - Since this one is a bit cooler toned, it gets a bit more wear from me. I have a lot of shades in this kind of color family from other brands, but this could potentially be a dupe for a few popular higher end lipsticks - I'll have to check my stash and get back to you!

From left to right - Fuchsia Fever, Bit of Berry, Warm Me Up and Yummy Plummy

Fuchsia Fever - I don't understand why I don't wear this more. This one is a very blue toned fuchsia shade and has nearly a duo-chrome feel without really having a shimmer to it. I can't explain it but it is VIBRANT.

Bit of Berry - I need to do a post of the lipsticks my sister steals from me the most, because this would be near the top of the list. This one is a true cranberry shade and because it has a cream finish, it really sets itself apart from similar colors in my collection - you know how I am with mattes!

Warm Me Up - The name of this one terrifies me, but I actually found this quite flattering. It really is a slightly darker, slightly warmer toned version of Born With It and for some reason this color family actually flatters me. Who woulda thought?

Yummy Plummy - I purchased this before I heard all the hype about this being a dupe for MAC Plumful (which I don't have), but I really like the neutral tone to this one!

From left to right - Nude Lust, Truffle Tease, Sin-A-Mon and Nude Embrace (LE)

Nude Lust - The Maybelline Nudes Collection is giving me LIFE! I've really been appreciating a nude lip in the past year and Maybelline is kind of being my enabler. Nude Lust is on the lighter half of the range - maybe the second or third lightest?- but I find that I'm fair enough that it doesn't give me zombie lips. I really appreciate the slight pink tone to this.

Truffle Tease - This one is the warmest of the nude bunch, but it actually does work on my skin - with the right look. 

Sin-A-Mon - I feel like this is a true caramel shade, and the translucence of it really makes it work against my skin.

Nude Embrace - This shade was limited edition from the spring Nudes collection that Maybelline released and if you simply glance at it, you'll understand why I love it. It's a mauve toned nude that is SUPER cool toned and nearly unhealthy looking (in the best way possible, I swear) and I absolutely ADORE it.

From Left to Right - Pink Pop, On Fire Red, Hot Plum and Brazen Berry

Pink Pop - This is another case of "why don't I wear this more?". Are we sensing a color theme here? Pink Pop really is a vivid Barbie pink, but it has a refined quality to it that is just really, really nice.

On Fire Red - I might be cheating a bit with this one, because it is still quite new and I haven't had an opportunity to wear it yet. It is, however, in my "to wear this season" basket. In the photograph it leans a bit warmer, but in person it is a bright, cherry red.

Hot Plum - I feel like this shade has the best color intensity out of the Vivids line. It has more initial opacity and white it still has a creme finish, it doesn't have quite the sheen that the others do. By the way, if you missed out on Daddy's Little Girl from the MAC Archie's Girls collection...give this one a little look see.

Brazen Berry - Everyone and their mother was talking about this being a dupe for MAC Heroine and I TOTALLY disagree. Same color family, yes - but this is lighter, has a strong sheen to it and a very translucent quality. Maybe what makes Heroine for me is the matte texture? Who knows...Either way, the semi-sheer quality to this one makes it very pretty to wear.

From Left to Right - Porcelain Pink, Smooth Taupe and Nude Nuances (All LE)

Porcelain Pink - Anyone else remember this collection? And how much of a pain in the butt it was to get all the shades? UGH. Either way, this shade isn't a good representation of Maybelline's formula - it's quite patchy and I normally just use it for a mixing shade.

Smooth Taupe - How this shade didn't give me lips that could cast me as an extra on The Walking Dead suprises me, but I'd assume the translucency has something to do with it. Not taupe by ANY stretch, this is more of a true translucent beige.

Nude Nuances - This shade was where the hype was at! Tumblr was ABLAZE with talk of this being a dupe for Innocence, Beware from MAC and since I missed the entire Venomous Villains collection (I'm still sore about that one) I HAD to snatch this one up. It is a slightly peachy light nude and actually does look quite flattering!

From left to right - Violet Intrigue, Lavender Voltage and Midnight Plum (All LE)

Violet Intrigue - Out of the three, I found this one to be the most wearable - it has a warmth to it that kind of draws it back to earth. This collection was a perfect representation of Maybelline's formula - creamy and opaque but not so creamy that it wears off quickly.

Lavender Voltage - Not exactly a lavender, but this is a VIVID violet shade. Love.

Midnight Plum - NARS Train Bleu, MAC Cyber, Rimmel Kate Moss 04? Yep. They're sisters...not twins. At least that's what I keep telling myself. 

Maybelline's Color Sensational range is really one of those lines that actually has something for anyone - the formula is (for the most part) consistent and they really do have all color bases covered.

Now if they would release some mattes...

That wraps up our second Swatch-A-Palooza! Let me know in the comments what range you would like to see me break down next - if I have a substantial collection of them, I'd be more than interested! Take care!