Product Review -- Maybelline Color Sensational Shine Compulsion Lipstick

I've never been that big a fan of matte lipstick.

Most of the time, they just don't feel that great on the lips, and they only really look good if your lips are perfectly smooth and moisturized.

I also just personally prefer a little shine on my lips, so while we've been in the midst of the matte liquid lipstick craze the past couple of years, I definitely gave them a try but I'd almost always top them with some type of gloss or at least a cream lipstick.

So I've been really happy to see a resurgence in glosses and creamy lipstick over the past few months.

And the Maybelline Color Sensational Shine Compulsion Lipstick definitely fits the bill.

Product Review -- Maybelline Lemonade Craze Eyeshadow Palette and Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palette

A year or two ago, Maybelline revamped the formula that they use for their eyeshadow palettes.

The shadows became a whole lot softer and creamier, which certainly made them easier to work with, and while they aren't always the most pigmented, they're usually buildable so you can get a very pretty look with them.

So while I wasn't crazy about the Nudes or Blushed Nudes Palettes that I tried a few years back, the more recent City Mini Palettes were a big improvement.

Which is why I couldn't resist the new Lemonade Craze and Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palettes when they came out.

The color schemes positively screamed my name, and since I knew the formula to be better, they both seemed like a safe bet.

Product Review -- Maybelline Super Stay Full Coverage Foundation

A while back, I vowed that I wasn't going to purchase any new foundations until I used up some of the ones that I already have.

Unfortunately, I've fallen off the wagon -- I'm just always so curious about new foundations. 

After seeing so many positive reviews for the Maybelline Super Stay Full Coverage Foundation, that curiosity definitely got the better of me.

Now, full coverage foundation isn't usually my first choice, but I do like to have one in my collection in case I want to go full glam -- or have a particularly bad breakout that I need to hide.

A drugstore full coverage foundation would be pretty great in my book, considering the price would be a little kinder on my wallet.

Product Review -- Maybelline The City Mini Palettes

These days, it seems like Maybelline is putting out new products all the time.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you.

While Maybelline has hits and misses like any brand, I'm always willing to at least give their stuff a try because I feel like there's a good chance I'll enjoy it.

I was excited to see that they'd come out with the new City Mini Palettes a couple of months back because eye shadow is one area where I feel like the brand falters quite a bit. 

I haven't had much luck with their single shadows, their quads have been very hit or miss, and the larger Nudes palettes have all been something of a disappointment.

The only shadow product I've consistently enjoyed from them are the Eye Studio Color Plush Quads, which have decent pigmentation and a nice smooth, creamy texture. 

In a lot of ways, the City Mini Palettes remind me of the Color Plush Quads.

Product Review -- Maybelline Dream Brightening Creamy Concealer

With my super fair skin, brightening concealers are pretty hard to come by.

That's because it's hard enough to find a concealer that matches my skin tone, let alone one that's lighter enough than my skin to actually have a brightening effect.

Usually, pink-toned concealers are my best bet, but even those are pretty hit and miss.

Still, I was pretty excited to try the Maybelline Dream Brightening Creamy Concealer -- and it's only about $8, so even if I didn't love it, I wouldn't be out a lot of money.

Product Review -- Maybelline Baby Lips Color Balm Crayons

While I've gotten more swept up in the matte lipstick craze than I ever expected to, I always prefer a creamy, slightly shiny lip product.

They're just easier to wear because you don't have to worry about your lips being perfectly smooth and you don't wind up with dry, chapped lips after a day of wearing them.

So I was interested to try the Maybelline Baby Lips Color Balm Crayons. The original tinted Baby Lips Balms are a favorite of mine -- I always have one in my purse so I have foolproof lip color to throw on during the day -- so I liked the idea of a product that combined the comfortable, moisturizing feel of those balms with some more intense color.

Product 411: Maybelline Color Sensational Inti-Matte Nudes Lipsticks

I am a big fan of the Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipsticks.

Hands down, they are one of the most comfortable matte lipsticks I've ever worn and they're pretty budget-friendly so it's a win across the board.

I am also a pretty big fan of nude lipsticks, particularly since the term "nude" has gotten much broader over the past few years.

It used to be that nude lipstick meant ultra pale, concealer-like shades that definitely don't work for all skin tones. Fortunately, makeup brands have come to realize that "nude" doesn't mean the same thing for every person so it's a good idea to have a wider range of shades.

Personally, I don't stick to shades that are just "nude" for my particular skin tone -- I like wearing the different tones, even if they're a little dark, because they all tend to be fairly natural looking.

All that said, I was really excited to hear that Maybelline was coming out with a line of nude matte lipsticks, appropriately named the Inti-Matte Nudes, and couldn't resist picking up a few shades.

Product Review -- Maybelline Dream Cushion Liquid Foundation

I've stayed away from cushion products because they just seem too gimmicky to me.

I mean, I'm not sure I even understand what the benefit of them is supposed to be.

That you can carry liquid products with you on the go without worrying about them spilling?

That may be important to some people, but I typically don't touch up foundation throughout the day so that really isn't much of a selling point for me.

Still, I have been a little bit curious because I am a total makeup junkie so when I spotted Maybelline's Dream Cushion Liquid Foundation at CVS when Maybelline products were on sale, I decide to give it a try.

Product Review -- Maybelline Color Sensational Loaded Bolds Lipsticks and Color Jolt Intense Lip Paint

Maybelline's Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipsticks are some of my favorite matte lipsticks.

They're creamy and non-drying, and come in a bunch of great shades.

And they've relatively inexpensive too, so they're pretty perfect.

That's why I was really excited to try the Maybelline Color Sensational Loaded Bolds Lipsticks. 

They're a creamy matte formula too, but they're supposed to deliver high impact color in one swipe.

They come in a variety of bold colors, such as black, white, and even a gorgeous sapphire blue.

Product Review -- Maybelline Face Studio Master Contour

Contour kits are all the rage these days, whether it's palettes that house several contour and highlight shades together or those that feature a contour, blush, and highlight shade.

I'm not super into contouring -- I mean, I'll do it more often than not, but it's extremely subtle because my skin is so fair that it can look seriously harsh if I'm not careful -- but I'm still always interested in trying new contour kits.

Particularly the ones that have started to pop up in drugstores.

The Maybelline Face Studio Master Contour is a kit that contains a contour, blush, and highlight shade. It comes in a black plastic compact with a small brush inside. The brush isn't really suitable for applying the contour or blush shades, in my opinion, but it works well enough for applying the highlighter to the cheekbones.

Product Review -- Maybelline Brow Drama Pomade Crayon

I've got to be honest.

For a long time, I didn't think doing my brows was important.

Really, the most I would do is comb them and use a clear gel to comb them into place.

They're not naturally perfect by any stretch of the imagination -- I went a little tweezers-crazy in high school so there'll a little sparse in a couple of spots -- but I've just never really thought it made much difference whether I filled them in or not.

Then I had someone run a little brow pencil through them -- nothing crazy or too heavy -- and I couldn't believe how much better I looked.

So now, I always take the time to put at least a little something in my brows when I'm doing my makeup, and I have quite a few pencils, powders, colored gels, etc. that work really well for it.

But there are some days I'm going for a more low-key look or I'm in a rush and don't really have time to do my brows more carefully.

Fortunately, I've found a product that's perfect just for days like that, the Maybelline Eyestudio Brow Drama Pomade Crayon.

Product Review -- Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayons

I absolutely love the Maybelline Color Tattoo Cream Shadows.

In fact, I think they're probably my favorite cream shadow that I've tried.

That's because they work just as well on their own as they do beneath a powder eye shadow as a colored base -- and in my experience, it's tough finding a cream shadow that works well on its own because they're either too sheer or crease too easily or just disappear within a few hours.

So when I heard Maybelline was coming out with a crayon form of the Color Tattoos -- because while I love them to death, I'm not always in the mood to use my finger to apply my eye shadow or base (I'll use a brush with the Color Tattoos sometimes, but I find they apply better with fingers) -- I was super excited.

All the performance of the regular Color Tattoos in more convenient packaging -- what's not to love?

Product Review -- Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid Matte Liquids

Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquids in Nude Thrill, Nude Flush, Possessed Plum (l. to r.)

You'd have to be living under a rock to not know that liquid lipsticks are just about the hottest trend in makeup these days.

More specifically, every brand and their mother seems to be coming out with matte liquid lipsticks. As I've mentioned before, this isn't really my favorite type of lip product because they tend to be so drying and uncomfortable to wear.

But that doesn't mean that I don't see the value in having some liquid lipsticks in my collection -- they definitely have staying power that traditional lipsticks or glosses don't.

So I was excited to try Maybelline's version, the Color Sensational Vivid Matte Liquids.

Product Review -- Maybelline Dream Velvet Soft-Matte Hydrating Foundation

As someone with dry skin, finding a foundation at the drugstore that I really love can be tough.

Even formulas that aren't drying don't really do much to smooth dry patches, so they often wind up looking cakey and patchy.

It's not a good look.

So I was excited when I heard that Maybelline was coming out with a hydrating foundation. Its soft matte finish was also intriguing, because hydrating and matte aren't typically two words that go together on makeup labels.

The Dream Velvet Soft-Matte Hydrating Foundation is definitely unique in the claims that it makes. The company describes it as a gel-whipped foundation that is its first hydrating matte foundation that provides velvet smooth perfection.

Product Review -- Maybelline The Blushed Nudes and The Rock Nudes Eyeshadow Palettes

When Maybelline introduced their first 12-pan shadow palette, The Nudes, a couple of years back, I immediately picked it up.

I was very excited by the prospect of a drugstore brand making a real, honest to goodness palette, so I was eager to try it.

I liked The Nudes, but I was overly impressed by the shadows so when Maybelline released The Blushed Nudes Palette about a year ago, I didn't pick it up even though the colors really appealed to me.

When I saw new The Rock Nudes Palette at Ulta recently, I decided that maybe it was time to try to the Maybelline palettes again -- and since they were BOGO-half off, I picked up The Blush Nudes too.

Product Review -- Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder

Maybelline has a ton of new, pretty exciting products on the shelves these days -- and I've bought a bunch of them so reviews are coming -- but I'm kind of excited about an item that they've had out for a while.

The Dream Wonder Powder.

I've discussed before how difficult it can be to find a powder that cooperates with dry skin because by its very nature, powder is designed to soak up excess oil and moisture, which means it usually accentuates the hell out of dry, flaky spots.

But even dry-skinned folks need powder sometimes -- whether you're going to be on the go all day and need to set your makeup so it'll last or you have a BB cream or tinted moisturizer that you love but needs a little extra coverage -- so I'm always on the hunt for options that work.

I think the Dream Wonder Powder definitely fits the bill.

Review -- Maybelline Superstay Better Skin Foundation and Concealer

Every time I go into the drugstore or Ulta these days, I feel like there's a new foundation or concealer to try.

I'd seen quite a few videos and reviews on Maybelline's new Superstay Better Skin Foundation and Concealer before it actually turned up on the shelves of my CVS, so I was super excited to give it a try when I finally spotted it.

Now, it should be noted that these products don't just promise amazing, long-lasting coverage while you're wearing them -- they claim that they can actually improve the overall appearance of your skin in the long-term too because they contain Actyl-C, a more stable form of vitamin C, so skin becomes brighter, more even, etc.

I don't really pay much attention to claims like that -- because I'd have to use these products every day, consistently, to realistically see those kinds of results, and I switch up my face products on the regular so that's never going to happen.

So for me, it all comes down to how the foundation and concealer make my skin look while I'm wearing them.

Review -- Maybelline Eye Studio Color Molten Eyeshadows

Lately, it seems like every time I hit the drugstore, there are intriguing, new products littering the makeup aisle.

So even I manage to make it through one trip for shampoo or toothpaste without buying anything, it's barely a few days before I'm back and giving in.  

I can't help it -- the makeup junkie in me wants to try every product in the world.

Which means even though I hadn't seen much information about Maybelline's new Eye Studio Color Molten Eyeshadows, I couldn't resist picking up a couple when I was in CVS a few weeks back. 

The premise behind these is interesting -- Maybelline describes them as a micro-gel pigment formula that melts with a liquid touch, which basically means they're kind of a powder product that becomes a cream when you touch it.

Review -- Maybelline Face Studio Master Conceal Camouflaging Concealer

There are times when I think my colors cosmetics are my absolute favorite types of makeup products -- it's hard to imagine getting more excited than I do over a fabulous new eyeshadow palette or great new lipstick formula.

But then every time, new complexion products come out and I'm practically tripping over myself to rush out and buy them.

Which is why I was pretty eager to try the new Maybelline Face Studio Master Conceal Camouflaging Concealer.

That's because I haven't really been able to find a drugstore concealer that I could use both under my eyes and on blemishes or discolorations on my face -- it seems like if one's thin and creamy enough for under the eyes, it doesn't have enough coverage for the blemishes, and if I find one that's thick enough to cover blemishes well, it creases like nobody's business under the eyes.

Review -- Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipsticks

As a rule, I don't like matte lipsticks.

Not only do they tend to be drying and feel uncomfortable, they seem to highlight every crack, line, and dry patch that you have on your lips so they just require too much effort to make work.

But I do kind of like the way they look, particularly in fall and winter and especially when they're in darker shades. There's just something really bold and glamorous about them.

Still, I'd sworn off buying matte lipsticks a long time ago because the ones I did have just wound up collecting dust in the back of my drawer. When I started reading and hearing really positive things about Maybelline's Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipsticks, though, I thought maybe it was time to reconsider mattes.