Maybelline is one of my favourite drugstore brands, they make great products and also my holly grail liquid lipstick. You need a lipstick that will survive anything? Get yourself a SuperStay Matte Ink liquid lipstick. They are BOMB.
Now, this year there's an ongoing trend of no-makeup makeup looks and products and going a little less heavy on the skin. This trend has translated into lipsticks as well and Maybelline launched their new SuperStay Lip Ink Crayon. What is that you say? Let me tell ya.
According to their website, this is supposed to be "New longwear lipstick crayon available in a range of 14 vibrant matte shades that last up to 8 hours."
This sounds pretty good to me. Comfortable longwear, matte and smudge resistant? Give me all of it!
I happen to be a lucky person, who's receiving some of new Maybelline's launches in exchange for online reviews, so I did receive these in the mail.
The Shades
I am a little sick and tired of my country not getting all the shades of a products. Usually the most "fun" and interesting shades are just not in Czech Republic at all, but that's just how we are here. I hate it.
The 8 shades that are available here are all pretty standard, your everyday nudes, pinks, reds, burgundies...nothing extra. I suppose that if the formula has success, they will probably expand the shades even here...Just as they did with the SuperStay Matte Lip Inks.
I have two shades, 15 - LEAD THE WAY and 45 - HUSTLE IN HEELS. One nude, one red, I ain't mad at it and at the end of the day I can always give them away to someone when I'm done with testing them or get myself different shades.
Just to be clear, I did not pick these shades and I understand that Maybelline is trying to send out very universal shades that everyone can wear. It is quite difficult to satisfy everybody in this department. But again, thank you Maybelline for sending these!
The Packaging
I am a big fan of the packaging. It's sleek and thin. It won't open on you in the bag (which happened to me before and it's not nice). Also it comes with a sharpener! It's just really smart and I like the thought they put into this packaging to make it a little more unique than your everyday lipstick.
I also think that the application will be a little bit easier with the thin component which you can hold as a pen. I also like that nice crayon vibe they're going for.
The Application
The product applies very smooth and it's easy to manipulate. And it smells so nice. It's the same vanilla smell which the matte liquid lipsticks have and I really like it.
The nude shade is a lot like "my lip color but better" so it's hard for me to get precise application when I cannot see the shade on my lips very well. However, that makes it a perfect product to just have in my bag and use to neaten up my lips a little bit and have something quick to just slap on and go. I like that a lot.
The red one is nice. I am not a big red lipstick fan but it's a nice bright color and it applies the same which I like. Sometimes different shades act a little different but this product seems consistent.
The sharpener will probably come in handy because it's very creamy as you apply it. A little bit later, it really does dry matte but doesn't feel dry at all.
The pigmentation is amazing, full oppacity in one swipe and it's not difficult to correct little mistakes with quite precise tip of the lipstick.
The website claims that they're transferproof so I decided to test that. I feel like they do dry down quite quick but they need a minute to settle down to really not transfer. After about 90 seconds I tried to kiss my hand to see if it transfers or not and there was barely any lipstick on my hand. That is a big plus for me, as I stopped wearing cream lipsticks because they transfered.
The lipstick feels comfortable and like it's not going to dry my lips out. So far so good!
The Wear Test
I decided to make a little wear test in this post and not make a whole different one as this is not a foundation and I don't need to test is as throughoutly.
I wore this lipstick around the house a little bit and it felt quite nice. However, out in the battlefield, everything can be different.
One thing that I noticed was that the lipstick is not really smudge proof. It doesn't transfer as is if your just touch something with your lips, but as soon as your drag it a little, it still smudges. Maybe I was a little too hard on it but still, it was one of their claims.
The touchups with this formula are an absolute dream. You can layer it as you wish, there's no heavy feeling on the lips, nothing gets sticky, no need to take it all off. That's just great in my opinion, that the formula is so light, it lets you do that.
Now the stuff, we all want to know about...the drinking and eating.
I took the lipstick to work. I drink an awful lot all the time, so I thought that may be a good test.
It does fade a little in the inner rim of my lips when I drink and also when I eat. I am pretty sure it wouldn't withstand greasy food but since it's so easy to fix and layer, I don't think that's as big of a problem as with normal liquid lipstick.
I fixed it couple of times during the day and it looked as good as new.
However it's still matte so the initial feel of the lipstick not being too dry eventually stops because it's not exactly hydrating either. It's lighter texture but still matte and you probably won't want to wear it all day without a break. After about 5 hours I needed to apply some lip oil to nourish the lips a little bit. Which is exactly the same thing as I do with my matte liquid lipsticks.
Final thoughts...
I feel like this is a good product with some very good thoughts. Lightweight, easy to fix, easy to apply and quick on the go. I like that a lot and I feel like it's a smart marketing move now, that the matte liquid lipsticks are being a little out of trend.
Also the liquid lipstick may seem a little intimidating for "regular" customer, so I feel like this is a good middle ground between Maybelline's classical lipsticks and the lip inks.
I personally enjoyed using them a lot and if they expanded their shade range in the crazier direction, I could see this lip crayon be my new everyday go-to.
So if you feel like giving it a go, I would recommend.
Thanks for the reading and if you have anything to say about this lipstick -> let me know.
Also credit for the main picture goes to Maybelline New York.