Maybelline | Color Sensational Creamy Mattes

The matte lip trend continues to show no sign of letting up, and cosmetics giant Maybelline has thrown the gauntlet down to all other mass-market brands (including several department store brands, for that matter), with their Color Sensational® Creamy Matte range of lipsticks (CAN $9.99 available in 8 shades, 10 in the US).

Previously, the mere mention of ‘matte’ and ‘lipstick’ in a sentence, usually implied a flat-looking lip product with all the moisturizing properties of the Sahara desert; these new Creamy Mattes take things in a novel direction with their pigment-rich appearance that have added oils for a nourishing feel, as well as a finish that lays down with the sheen of velvet, as opposed to a true matte.

The no-nonsense packaging design is colour-labelled on the bottom of each tube, very convenient for grabbing the shade you want from amongst the multitude of lipsticks we all tend to carry around. The scent reminds me of Play-Doh (and brings me right back to critter-creating fun with my daughter) but doesn’t seem to linger past initial application, and while I have no issue with it, it’s worth noting for those with sensitivities. The texture is where these lipsticks come into their own: very creamy (and exactly as named), almost gliding buttery-soft along the lips, with absolutely no tugging or pulling. One swipe is basically enough for solid coverage, although some of the lighter shades can use an extra pass.

In order to see how accurately the Creamy Mattes perform, all swatches shown below have been applied directly from the bullet, without the use of lip liner or blotting. With regards to staying power, the paler shades last the least (averaging about 3-4 hours) with the deeper hues ranging anywhere from 5-8 hours, not factoring in eating or drinking. The deepest shades also leave a light stain behind on the lips after the majority of colour has worn off, and while I can’t say that my lips are left feeling hydrated with this formula, neither do I experience any drying issues.

Ingredients

Isononyl Isononanoate, Octyldodecanol, Oleyl Erucate, Silica, Cera Alba/Beeswax/Cire Dabeille, Phenyl Trimethicone, Cera Microcristallina/Microcrystalline Wax/Cire Microcristalline, Synthetic Wax, Sesamum Indicum Oil/Sesame Seed Oil, Peg-45/Dodecyl Glycol Copolymer, Kaolin, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Dimethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Alumina, Benzyl Alcohol, Mel/Honey/Miel, Parfum/Fragrance, (May Contain / Peut Contenir, Mica, Ci 77891/Titanium Dioxide, Ci 77491, Ci 77499/Iron Oxides, Ci 15850/Red 7, Ci 45410/ Red 28 Lake, Ci 45380/ Red 22 Lake, Ci 15985/Yellow 6 Lake, Ci 42090/Blue 1 Lake).

Maybelline | Color Sensational® Creamy Matte Lipsticks

Maybelline | Color Sensational® Creamy Matte Lipstick swatches

#655 Daringly Nude | A rose-tinted nude shade that leans more warm than cool. Of the eight, this was one of two that gave me application issues, as it had a tendency to pull away from the inner lip area. Two ways around this, are by either applying a neutral lip liner all over the lips first topped by a coat of lipstick, or blotting between layers of lipstick for more even coverage. It’s worth the extra effort, as this is a very wearable shade that will suit a broad range of skin tones.

Maybelline | #655 Daringly Nude swatch

#660 Touch of Spice | A rich raisin hue with hints of berry in the base to warm it up, opaque at just one swipe and absolutely gorgeous. In my opinion, this is the most easy-to-wear colour of the bunch and will look fabulous on everyone (the perfect vampy shade for super fair complexions, or a great neutral for deep skin tones). Love this. Love.

Maybelline | #660 Touch of Spice swatch

#665 Lust for Blush | A lilac hue with pink undertones, in a formula that is definitely less colour-saturated than the rest, but which gives surprisingly good coverage by the first swipe. I suspect that its cooler nature will make it more suitable for those with fair to light complexions – against my skin tone, I felt the colour looked rather washed out ∗shrugs∗

Maybelline | #665 Lust for Blush swatch

#670 Ravishing Rose | A true pink hue that somehow manages to lean both cool and warm at once. This was the second of the 8 to give me a spot of trouble, as once more I had to work at it to get the even coverage seen here. Pink is a very difficult colour for me to pull off, so I was surprised to find that this shade actually doesn’t clash with my skin tone. Not my favourite of the group, but a great hue for pink-lovers.

Maybelline | #670 Ravishing Rose swatch

#675 Faint for Fuchsia | Ummmm….WOW. Almost verging on neon territory, this shade took me by total surprise with its vibrancy. Perfect application, perfect coverage, perfect intensity. As I prefer either nudes or reds, this is somewhat of a scary shade for me to wear, but I can totally see this working with a tan.

Maybelline | #675 Faint for Fuchsia swatch

#680 Mesmerizing Magenta | A rich magenta hue that appears to have blueish undertones in the base (which would normally make this a cooler-leaning shade, but somehow manages to work well against warmer skin tones as well) in a formula & application that is bang-on. Gives such life to the face; all you need is a bit of face powder, a few swipes of mascara and you’re done. Absolutely GORGEOUS.

Maybelline | #680 Mesmerizing Magenta swatch

#685 Craving Coral | A vivid tangerine hue with high-voltage intensity, in a formula that certainly lives up to its creamy name and which applies with 100% opacity by the first swipe. I never wear orange, but the non-shiny finish of this shade turns what would usually be a rather garish colour (at least, on me) into something fun, edgy and even chic.

Maybelline | #685 Craving Coral swatch

#690 Siren in Scarlet | An intensely red hue with blue undertones in the base and densely colour rich by the first swipe along the lips. As with the shade above, care needs to be taken for application (definitely not a swipe-and-go kind of shade), but what’s a few minutes when your lips can look this amazing?

Maybelline | #690 Siren in Scarlet swatch

Colour me impressed … well done, Maybelline; these new Creamy Mattes certainly live up to their name and are well worth hunting down. As far as mass-market brands go, the formula can rival that of higher-priced versions and I hope the brand releases more shades in the range (speaking of, I don’t understand why only 8 of the 10 colours were released in Canada). Of favourites, I’m most drawn to Touch of Spice, Mesmerizing Magenta and Siren in Scarlet, although Craving Coral is making quite a strong case for itself as well. I mean, just look at it.

Available now at all mass-market retailers. Find more information on maybelline.ca