Maybelline Color Tattoo® Leather Eyeshadows...

The first Color Tattoos were way too shimmery for my taste, the matte were to stiff, hard to swatch and didn't seem very smooth so I passed despite the hype.

These I figured just might have the right texture so...

...Yes I went for them and purchased three!

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Creamy Beige 80, Deep Forest 85 and Vintage Plum 90...

This was almost an act of faith since there were no testers and I hadn't read any reviews (only saw pictures on Instagram), but the colors just seemed so right. I first purchased Vintage Plum and before even trying it on, the next day went back for Creamy Beige and Deep Forest.

The textures... Both Vintage Plum and Deep Forest feel slightly dry and take some getting used to to work with but Creamy Beige is just dreamy! Creamy as it's name states it goes on easily and truly has that gel like texture as advertised.

Long wear... Over NARS Pro-Prime reviewed here, they all stay put all day with no creasing but do note I didn't try them on their own.

One more thing that's to be noted, I tried a powder shadow over Creamy Beige and it was a little hard to smudge properly. I wanted to deepen it with a dark blue and although the final result was ok it wasn't as flawless as I would have liked. Next I'll try with Diorshow Fusion Mono Matte in Nocturne reviewed, here, which I haven't used much to be honest but I think they should work well together for a classic look with liner.

Here is yet another lame attempt at swatches...

Indoor on the left and in the sun on the right. I think you can get an idea of how both Antique Plum and Forest Green appear a little dry compared to Creamy Beige which shows a faint shimmer. Now of course it will look different on the eyes since on my arm I swatched them over a little foundation. So far I haven't tried them with a brush preferring my fingers. In fact, I'm not sure a brush would work well with Antique Plum and Forest Green because they seem to go on more easily warmed up a little, almost like a stiff concealer.

Do I recommend Maybelline Color Tattoos Leather? Yes.

These for the price are pretty good, especially Creamy Beige. Both Antique Plum and Forest Green require a little more practice to appear smooth but I can work with them and although I haven't purchased any of Maybelline's Color Tattoos from the matte line having only swatched in stores (of course those may have felt dry due to the constant opening of containers), I do think the Leather formula looks more natural, less cakey.

Tempting but I will not compare these to the easy almost buttery texture of Laura Mercier Cariar sticks (I own Khaki reviewed, here) although Creamy Beige is almost there. LM go for $34.00 a pop while Maybelline Color Tattoos are around $10.00 each. That's a third of the price and I have no idea how long I'll be able to use them for I'm sure they will dry up over time but I guess I should be ok using them coming up fall and winter. I give them about a year which is fine for such a cheap thrill. :)

There are two more colors available, Chocolate Suede 95 a deep warm brown with gold specs (for some reason I think that one will have a texture similar to Creamy Beige) and Dramatic Black 100 which appeared similar to the Dior I already own.


Have you tried any of the Maybelline Color Tattoos yet? If so, what did you think?

Maybelline New York Color Elixir...

Recently at the drugstore I stumbled upon a new display of these little beauties! I've been looking at pink shades for lips more and more but before going for that high end lippie that will take me back $40.00, I figured I would start with less expensive options, for the colors, to see if I would really wear pink again. Seeing these I figured why not give them a try?

Maybelline New York Color Elixir by Color Sensational...

Twenty shades in all, these go along the new trend of hybrid lip products that are popping up everywhere. The Maybelline version is said to have a trio of concentrates to deliver color, care and shine. These apparently came out last November but for some reason I had never seen them in Montreal until now.

The colors... 

I chose Captivating Carnation #080, a pretty bright pink that pulls a little coral on my lips and Mauve Mystique #025, which appears like a deep berry in the container but for some reason looks more like a mauvish lilac on my lips. Neither are saturated but they go on smoothly and the colors can be built up but high saturation doesn't last that long on me because I tend to rub my lips a lot with this type of formula.

Ok guys, look at those colors... WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME???

You do know I'm a NUDE lippie girl don't ya?

The formula...

More sheer than a liquid lipstick, not as sticky as a gloss and a little more "there" than a balm is how I would describe them. These will last a few hours but will not resist a meal. They are very comfortable to wear and their textures remind me of Clarins Lip Perfectors (if you go have a look at the first phrase of that post you'll see why I think I've flipped!), the only products I own I could compare them with, but with more color. Sadly they don't have the same lovely caramel/chocolaty taste. I couldn't quite put my finger on what they tasted like so I had a peek at reviews on Makeup Alley and one reviewer had the perfect description. These have a floral, almost laundry soap kind of taste that I just don't get and it lasts a little too long for me. The weird thing is that when you take the applicator out of the container, these smell like vanilla! That I could have lived with.

As you can see the colors are way more saturated than my beloved 

Clarins Lip Perfector in Candy Shimmer on the right.

A few hours of wear, first the shine goes and then the color but it disappears evenly even with the darker Mauve Mystique.

The applicator is a little flimsy and honestly they could have gone with a classic doe foot type but I guess this one makes the product more in tune with the times. Sometimes I wonder if companies are trying to reinvent the wheel! :)

Do I recommend Maybelline New York Color Elixir? Yes...

If you can get past the taste (I'm having a hard time to but I know some don't really notice it), these have a lovely formula and you can get three for the price of one high end lipstick. Great to try colors your not sure you would wear on a regular basis.

What annoys me the most about drugstore brands...

The sticky tape they use to keep people from opening the products is such a pain to remove!!! The fact that their offerings are box less for the most part is what makes these less expensive and I do get it but how many times have I gotten to finally use the product only to still have either tape or glue traces on the packaging oh and good luck in removing those traces. In some cases oil works but sometimes it doesn't. I don't mind much for a concealer but for a lip product that can be taken out of one's purse in public, me no likey!

Notice the nice traces of tape on the caps! Grrr!

What do you dislike most about drugstore brands?

Maybelline Baby Lips Dr Rescue...

I think by now pretty much everyone knows that my favorite lip balms are for night, Nuxe Rêve de Miel in the jar and for day, Caudalie Lip Conditioner. Even so, I still enjoy trying new ones and when they are less expensive and good, all the better! In recent years I've tried my share of drugstore lip balms and although they can keep lips protected they don't really treat them. Some could have been contenders if they didn't have that much slip while others had the right formula but the taste was just unpleasant and got to me after a while.

Maybelline Baby Lips Dr Rescue...

I picked up these "babies" at my local drugstore. I think they must have just received them since they had a surprising large display that was quite full. I chose 35 Too Cool which is transparent and 45 Just Peachy, a light frosty peach.

They are lovely! For less than $5.00 a piece I'm glad I got two. In fact I purchased three, a second Just Peachy for Catherine. I think she already owns a few of the other versions of Maybelline Baby Lips but these are my firsts.

They go on smooth and moisturize on contact. I'd say they last a few hours and are excellent to protect any pout from the cold weather although I don't think I would rely on them for skiing if it's below -20 Celsius. With the wind it would be preferable to use something a little thicker like Nuxe Rêve de Miel or even a waxy stick like good old LypSyl which is way more convenient to reapply when one wears mittens or gloves.

I don't ski but I know what extreme cold winds feel like!

When first applied they have a faint minty flavor that disappears after about 20 minutes or so. I would rather they have no taste at all since mint gives a refreshing sensation and in winter, outside, no need for this but like I said, it fades relatively fast.

Would I recommend Maybelline Baby Lips Dr Rescue? Yes!

Super affordable I'll bet they will even be on sale once in a while so you may look for specials and stock up. One for every coat pockets and if you live north of the 45th parallel (and even a little to the south), believe me you need them because we all know, cold weather can dry up our lips and make them sensitive in no time. Three for the price of my beloved Caudalie is quite a deal and yes, they do compare!

Maybelline Baby Lips Dr Rescue in 45 Just Peachy...

I wasn't able to do a proper swatch but do know that it's quite frosty so I wouldn't lay it on as thickly as I would the 35 Too Cool the transparent version. I was surprised by it's color for it's very light. If you want a nude lip à la 60s this one's perfect!

Just Peachy is lighter and frostier than the color on the tube 

and here it does look a little darker than in real life.

The only thing missing...

They have no SPF so do keep that in mind. UV rays reflected by the snow... If you are the type to enjoy winter sports, you better skip these and go for for lip balms with sunscreen.

Maybelline Baby Lips Dr Rescue comes in 6 moisturizing shades...

From the left, 35 Too Cool, 40 Pink Me Up, 45 Just Peachy, 

50 Soothing Sorbet, 55 Coral Crave and 60 Berry Soft.

One quick note...

If you have peelies on your lips it would be better to skip the colored versions and stick with the transparent one since they can make your lips look worse. The pigments grab onto any irregularities and that's not a look anyone wants. Depending on the state or your lips, these can give them back their smoothness in no time, in other words, you could start the day with the transparent one and switch to a color by noon.

Maybelline claims a "renewing" effect but it's pretty basic. Although not miraculous, it's still an excellent little lip balm that's way less expensive than many. You can wear it under a lipstick but that this will make it quite slippery and will diminish it's wear time but hey, in winter you gotta do what you gotta do to not only look good but feel good.

Caudalie Lip Conditioner remains my daytime favorite but at about $15.00 I'm not about to buy 3. In my purse it resides but these Maybelline Baby Lips Dr Rescue will be perfect for my coat pockets!


Reviews:

Makeup Alley: 3.8 / 5 lippies for 17 reviews (these will likely increase since this is new)
Beauté-test: there are no reviews yet which is not surprising. It's not even showing on the Canadian website.


Ingredients:

Do you have a lip balm you keep in your coat pocket or a favorite at the moment?

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Caviar Ink / Review...

It's good! It's really good!

It would seem everyone has been raving about Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner for years and now I know why but although it is that good, I still prefer another...

For the past year now I've been wearing L'Oréal Infaillible Lacquer Liner in Slate which on me is just perfect since I can't wear black, well maybe I could but I don't feel comfortable with it. Green eyes with a rather pale complexion, I feel if I wear black it's the only thing we see. Slate is a dark grey/brown that goes with everything and with it I can do a thick line without looking like I'm coming out of the 60s and the fabulous thing about it is that it's matte!

Although I love L'Oréal's for everyday I wanted another just a tiny bit darker but again, not black and it too had to be matte. I found one in the Bobbi Brown's line up of gel liners, Caviar Ink.

The Good Thing About Clear Lipliners...

I think the last time I wore a lip crayon was probably 15 years ago!

For a dark color it's almost a must if you want it to look it's best. A lip crayon helps define and correct the shape of the lips but also works as a barrier preventing the lipstick to bleed and look all smudgy.

Now as I've said I haven't use one in ages due in part to the fact that I don't wear dark colors anymore and I don't really have bleeding problems with the lipstick formulas I wear.

It's not the same with lip glosses! They make our lips shiny and pretty but wow can they bleed and this happens even on young firm lips.

The solution... A clear lip liner!

Maybeline Color Sensational Vivids in Shocking Coral 870 / Review & Swatch

Wow now that's what I call a flashy color!

I've mentioned recently that I was more and more attracted to coral shades. I find them joyous, uplifting and this Spring there's a lot of it. This is likely in part due to the Panetone color of the year, emerald green. You can wear pretty much anything with it as long as it's properly accessorized. Still, I find that coral goes pretty well with emerald green.

A few days ago I brought you a review of L'Oréal Color Riche Balm in Caring Coral which barely showed on my lips. This Maybeline Color Sensational Vivids in Shocking Coral is quite the opposite!!! Of course it's not quite fair to compare the two since the first is a balm and the second a lipstick. Still, I couldn't resist since they are both corals.

I'm sorry about the fact that my swatch is a little blurry. My camera is not made for close ups so I did the best I could. This is with sunlight (which we've had so little of lately). In reality it's a little brighter.

More pink than orange, which is usually what a coral is, a mix of these two colors. It is vivid, very much so. When I put it on and looked in the mirror I had a shock! I haven't worn bright colors in ages and this is so different than the neutrals I'm used to.

To tone it down a notch I blotted it a little and aplied a thin layer of the first neutral lipstick I could put my hands on, Clinique Different Lipstick in Tenderheart. It worked! It made Shocking Coral more wearable for me so it's not a waste. Still coral but not as bright.

The formula goes on effortlessly and it has good color payoff. For a $10.00 lipstick I'm quite impressed. I don't think I've ever purchased a Maybeline lipstick before and will likely look into their other options in the future.

I can't comment about it's performance at this point since I haven't started to wear brighter colored clothes yet since it's still early Spring in Montreal and I can't say that we've been spoiled as far as the weather goes. Even when I do start to start to lighten up my wardrobe, the fact that I'll use another lipstick over it will change it's performance. Now that doesn't bother me much. The formula is pleasant to wear and with Tenderheart over it was quite moisturizing. I'm not saying that I'll be wearing it everyday but it will be a good go to if I don't find another more appropriate coral shade...

I am, after all, on a no buy at the moment!

Maybelline - Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Charcoal / Review

I keep looking for the perfect eye liner...

A gel eyeliner for $12.99, I just had to try it! After all it could have been the ONE!

The color, Charcoal 954. As you can see it comes in a little jar and you get a rather surprisingly good little eyeliner brush with it. I tried using it but didn't have the adequate dexterity for it. I prefer a thin slanted brush for this.

It goes on rather smoothly so application is pretty easy without any lid pulling. The color, well it has a bit of a shine to it's thumbs down for me. I want matte! Seems cosmetics companies have a hard time with this. As soon as you get away from black, shimmer has to be added. To most of them anyways and almost all greys have a it.

Available in 4 colors. They are in reality, darker than shown here.

It comes in 4 shades: Blackest Black 950, Brown 952, Charcoal 954 and Eggplant 956 

How did it perform?

Not good, not good at all! Forget 24 hours as advertised, it barely lasted one hour intact. It started to transfer to my upper lids in no time.

Smudge-proof and Water-proof? I don't think so.

Would I recommend it? Only is you have perfect eye lids. No deep set eyes and no droopiness.

Considering the rave reviews it gets you may be more than safe trying it. It does have a lovely texture and is easy to work with. Again for me, not good due to my deep set eyes and let's be frank, slightly droopy eye lids. If you have these issues you better skip but for everyone else, you may be very pleased with this product. To make it stay on longer you can set it with a dark grey eye shadow. For me this would not be an option due the reasons mentioned above.

One major selling point, it's super affordable!

Reviews:

MakeupAlley: 4 / 5 lippies for 1123 reviews.
Beauté-test: 4.2 / 5 stars for 11 reviews.


Pictures: Canadian Beauty and Maybelline