Maybelline | COLORblur™ by LIPSTUDIO™

The matte lip trend is still going strong, and while I love the lush sexiness this effect gives to my pout, I also know that a matte formula can be a beauty death knell for those with less-than-perfect lips. Enter Maybelline’s latest launch, COLORblur™ by LIPSTUDIO™ (CAN $11.99) – a creamy matte lip pencil with a built-in smudger built on one end and available in 10 shades that range in colour from soft all the way to über-vampy. Forget about Sahara-dry lips and get ready to pucker up.

Maybelline | Colorblur™ by LIPSTUDIO™

Maybelline | Colorblur™ by LIPSTUDIO™ swatches (in sunlight)

Maybelline | Colorblur™ by LIPSTUDIO™ swatches (alternate lighting)

Breakdown: a creamy matte lip colour in a retractible pen format (so perfectly portable), with a white bevelled rubber smudger built into one end. The 10 shades range in tone from pale all the way to vibrant, and are a mix of both cool and warm tones. The formula is ultra creamy and glides easily along the lips without any tugging; that being said, lips still need to be prepped beforehand (i.e.: by exfoliating and moisturizing to ensure that there are no dry patches or flakes present) to avoid the product catching on any imperfections. Pretty lightweight in feel, you almost forget you’re wearing anything after application, and a quick press of the lips (by mushing them together) can help revive the colour and/or spread it out along the lips. Naturally, the lighter COLORblur™ shades will fade quicker that the deeper/vibrant hues, but all leave a stain behind in proportion with the chosen colour applied (a delicate stain for the lighter shades, more impact with the rest).

The accompanying white smudger comes in a bevelled shape protected by a clear cap. You can bypass this feature altogether, but it has some interesting uses — especially with the brighter shades (I wasn’t that successful creating a smudged effect with the lighter colours, but that’s just me). To create an easy ombré lip (why not?), apply the shade of your choice to the centre of the lips then use the smudger to spread that out, keeping the concentration of colour in the middle area and fading it out as you near the edges. Another option is to apply a darker shade all over the lips first, then a lighter/complimentary hue on top – in the middle area of the lips only – and lightly smudge the lighter shade into the darker one, blending the edges together. The smudger is great with the darker shades, to help give lips a stained and/or bitten effect, and thus totally avoiding any mess by using your finger. One last word: while using the smudger is novel and fun, it’s not without a learning curve and I suggest you play with it to get comfortable finding the right edge that will suit your lip shape.

Wear time is amazing and even after drinking/eating, I’m still left with plenty of colour on my lips (with the obvious fading occurring along the inner rim, but not to excess) and even better, I don’t get that parched feeling that some other matte lip products leave behind. Even after the colour has been removed, I experienced no flakiness or drying – which to me, is the biggest bonus with this formula.

The following swatches are all shown in numerical order.

05 Pink Insanity | in-your-face hot pink, blue based, strongly pigmented and not for the faint of heart (but looks so awesome against tanned skin)

Maybelline | 05 Pink Insanity Colorblur™ by LIPSTUDIO™

10 Fast & Fuchsia | strong rose-fuchsia pink, warm leaning – which makes it a great option on wearing such an intense version of this colour, excellent pigmentation

Maybelline | 10 Fast & Fuchsia Colorblur™ by LIPSTUDIO™ (slightly ombréd)

15 Berry Misbehaved | magenta/berry pink (deeper version of Fast & Fuchsia), both cool and warm leaning, a totally lush & strongly pigmented shade (a surprising fave for me)

Maybelline | 15 Berry Misbehaved Colorblur™ by LIPSTUDIO™

20 Orange Ya Glad | deep burnt orange, warm leaning, excellent colour saturation and possibly the easiest orange lip shade you’ll ever come across

Maybelline | 20 Orange Ya Glad Colorblur™ by LIPSTUDIO™

25 Cherry Cherry Bang Bang | intense maraschino cherry red, suitable on all complexions, highly colour saturated (I’m obsessed with this name. And the colour)

Maybelline | 25 Cherry Cherry Bang Bang Colorblur™ by LIPSTUDIO™

30 Partner In Crimson | sultry brick red, warm leaning, strongly pigmented and THE perfect Fall shade

Maybelline | 30 Partner In Crimson Colorblur™ by LIPSTUDIO™

35 Plum Please | intense vampy burgundy, can swing either warm or cool, the darkest and most colour saturated of them all (blotting it out with the smudger made it look patchy on my lips, but applied full-on it’s spectacular)

Maybelline | 35 Plum Please Colorblur™ by LIPSTUDIO™

40 My-My Magenta | strong magenta with bluish undertones, cool leaning but can still be made to work on warmer complexions, leaves a gorgeous deep rose stain behind

Maybelline | 40 My-My Magenta Colorblur™ by LIPSTUDIO™

45 I’m Blushing! | dusky rose, warm leaning but paler complexions can make this work by sheering it out, good level of pigmentation for a lighter pink hue

Maybelline | 45 I’m Blushing! Colorblur™ by LIPSTUDIO™

50 I Like To Mauve It | nude pink with the lightest colour saturation of them all, suitable for both cool and warm skin tones (darker complexions might find this too ashy), a perfect daytime shade (and totally fits in with my neutral-loving comfort zone)

Maybelline | 50 I Like To Mauve It Colorblur™ by LIPSTUDIO™

Ingredients:Dimethicone, Isononyl Isononanoate, Silica, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Isododecane, Polyethylene, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, BHT, Alumina, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Tocopherol, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Tin Oxide. May Contain: CI 77891 / Titanium Dioxide, CI 15850 / Red 7 Lake, CI 45410 / Red 28 Lake, CI 19140 / Yellow 5 Lake, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 / Iron Oxides, CI 15850 / Red 6, Mica, CI 75470 / Carmine, CI 77163 / Bismuth Oxychloride, CI 45380 / Red 21, CI 77742 / Manganese Violet, CI 77400 / Bronze Powder, CI 77400 / Copper Powder, CI 45410 / Red 27 Lake, CI 42090 / Blue 1 Lake, CI 47005 / Yellow 10 Lake.

Mass market brands have come a long way baby, as the saying goes, and Maybelline has been pumping out some pretty amazing products of late. Case in point: these COLORblur™ creamy matte pencils that are totally worth investing in, as the formula is one of the best in this category, while the cost won’t break the bank either (you may even score these on sale at your favourite retailer). My favourites here are hands down Berry Misbehaved, Cherry Cherry Bang Bang, Plum Please and I Like To Mauve It, although I’ve also had fun blending and smudging the heck out of a few others (brings me right back to my colouring-book days).

Available now wherever Maybelline products are sold, find more information via www.maybelline.ca