Maybelline Color Show Lipstick Review & Swatches

Guess what I happened to see after collecting my luggage upon my arrival to Penang? A god damn pharmacy! Wow, it’s been so long I’d almost forgotten what one looks like. I said almost. So whilst my boyfriend was trying to find out whether we had got a taxi to pick us up and drop us to our new home for the next few days, I decided to sneak off to the pharmacy like a moth to a flame.

After about 30 seconds of scanning the shelves in the makeup aisle, I was drawn to an unfamiliar sight. Nestled in the Maybelline display was a sleek, black packaging only broken in the middle by a band of fluorescent-esk colour. Say hello to the Maybelline Color Show Lipstick *drools*. Then that’s when the frantic lipstick swatching session began bearing in mind that I had told my boyfriend that I’d be only 5 minutes. After much deliberation, and the impromtu arrival of my boyfriend ‘it’s been more than 5 minutes!!!’, I settled for two; Nude Mocha, which is a dark nude shade and has kind of a Kylie Jenner vibe to it (see my wear it in my Warm, Smokey, Winged Eyes & Neutral Lips video; and Cherry On Top, a warm-toned medium red (which is featured in my 7 Perfect Red Lipsticks for Oriental/Asian Skin Tones video).

I had a lovely surprise when I went to pay for the lipsticks at the till. The cashier said I had got a free gift with my purchase and proceeded to scan a third Maybelline Color Show Lipstick in the shade Sweet Orchid, a mid toned pink with plummy undertones (which coincidently was one of the shades I was considering but I opted for Nude Mocha instead) and also a gold, faux snake skin embossed makeup bag. Result! I did actually pick up a Loreal lipstick too but that’ll be featured in another blog post in the near future. Watch this space.

So what are my thoughts on the lipsticks I hear you ask? Well first and foremost, if my currency conversion iPhone app is correct, it’s around £3.50 which is ridiculously cheap as most of their lipsticks are around the £7.00 mark in the UK. Although there are always promotions running such as the 3 for 2 or buy one get one half price, so if you’re a savvy shopper, very rarely would you have to pay the full retail price. I’ve mentioned the packaging above and it gets a big thumbs up from me. It’s black design is simple yet tres chic (slightly wider and longer than the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine) whilst the coloured band around the middle indicates the colour of the lipstick inside (whereas Chanel’s one has a band of gold).

As for the product itself, the consistency is smooth and applies effortlessly without any drag, and the pigmentation is pretty darn good. The finish is neither matte nor glossy, kind of somewhere in the middle but probably veering more on the matte side as opposed to glossy- you still with me?  There’s a slight fruity scent to the product but can’t really be detected when on the lips, which is fine by me as long as it doesn’t smell like the scent you get from old-fashioned lipsticks. It sits quite comfortably on the lips,  neither drying nor too balmy (you know where there’s that slip you get when you purse your lips together). It apparently sustains in the humidity and rain but I have to say that they have never been a reason for my lipstick to start to fade or breakdown (food and drink is almost always the reason).

Now I have no idea if these are ever making their way to the UK or even where else in the world they actually sell them. I only hope they will be and sooner rather than later. On the Maybelline site it looks like there are 12 colours to choose from but strangely enough the shade Nude Mocha isn’t one of them *scratches head*.

So what do you think guys? Intrigued? You should be.

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