Maybelline Color Sensational "The Buffs" Lipsticks in Touchable Taupe, Truffle Tease, Stormy Sahara, and Untainted Spice (Part 2)

Hey y'all! 

Yep! Yep! I bought not one more, but four more shades from the Maybelline Color Sensational "The Buffs" collection. I used a $1.25 off Target coupon on each. Originally, these cost $4.99 at Target. 

In this post, I will provide swatches and a brief updated review. Please click here to read my complete in-depth review of these new lipsticks from Maybelline. The first two colors I purchased from this collection are called Sin-a-Mon and Espresso Exposed, which the colors y'all will read about in the in-depth review post. The second time around, I purchased showing Stormy Sahara, Untainted Spice, Truffle Tease, and Touchable Taupe. 

Truffle Tease and Untainted Spice (L-R)

Stormy Sahara and Touchable Taupe (L-R)

Touchable Taupe (taupe-beige, but surprisingly equally gray, but more brown version of Sin-a-Mon) 

Truffle Tease (medium nude, i.e., corpse look for olive/beige skin-tones) 

Stormy Sahara (peachy nude)

Untainted Spice (deep rosy pink with a brown undertone)

Updated Review / Brief Overview

I think my two favorite shade out of the four shades above are Stormy Sahara and Truffle Tease. I really like Sin-a-Mon (see Part 1), so I think I should not have purchased Touchable Taupe as well. The two shades are quite similar, but I like Sin-a-Mon more. Sin-a-Mon is a milkier version of Touchable Taupe, with less brown and equal amount of gray. Sin-a-Mon seems trendier and more unique. 

I definitely did not need Untainted Spice. It is a better version of my natural lip color. Surprisingly, Untainted Spice is also the sheer shade of the bunch because as y'all can see in the picture above, it looks like it has a sheen and is not fully opaque. Unfortunately, I don't see myself reaching out for Untainted Spice at all, so I might return it. 

"The Buffs" is my favorite collection of the Maybelline Color Sensational lipsticks. I am now tempted to try the red-orange shade from "The Vivids" collection. Perhaps, I will exchange Untainted Spice for it. 

I have a tendency to shop for nail polishes in the drug-stores and lip products at more high-end stores, like Sephora, ULTA, and select department stores.    My brain automatically shuts out high-end nail polishes and I really don't know why and vise versa for lip products. Overall, I am a proponent of high-end lip products, unless a drug-store one seems like it deserves a second look. I would much rather buy one lip product I love and cannot stray away from rather than a few for the same price that I like, but can let go of. However, writing a beauty blog focused mainly on reviews has made me more experimental and as a result I have come across a few treasurable lip products at the drugstore. So, what makes "The Buffs"standout to me? 

What do I appreciate about these lipsticks? I appreciate that these nude shades apply so uniformly and opaque on my medium-pigmented lips in two or three swipes. These nude shades have deep brown and gray undertones, which creates a balance between warm and cool tones, making these nudes flattering for warmer, deeper, tanned, olive, and beige skin-tones. 

These lipsticks are creamy, but semi-matte.  I recommend using a dab of gloss to add shine to these shades, but only if you want the sheen effect (except for Untainted Spice). Personally, I would not use a gloss because I think the high-sheen effect would take away from the original charm of these nude shades. 

These lipsticks glide on smoothly, feel creamy on the lips, and are not dehydrating, but do not expect these to add hydration or moisturize your lips. After testing these lipsticks out for about a month now, I have observed that after the product has been on your lips for some time, reapplication might be necessary (per personal preference) for the lipstick to appear creamy again because the product tends to set in place like a semi-matte stain (without the staining power of course as this is not a stain). I am planning to wear a lip balm with these lipsticks because I prefer a creamy semi-matte appearance instead of fully matte nude lips. 

The mild cosmetic scent (i.e., mixture of candy and plastic) of these lipsticks are not bother me. I don't even notice a scent unless I intentionally sniff the tube. The scent is not as overpowering as the scent of the Cover Girl Lip Perfection and Milani Color Statement lipsticks. 

Lastly, I think the staying power of these lipsticks is quite good. Of course eating and drinking will cause color to transfer and wear off. 

Well, this synopsis is not brief at all as I had aimed it to be when I began writing this post, but please do take a look at the Part 1 post as well. Thanks! 

Please support StrawberryHeartsChocolateDarts @

FACEBOOK

TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
BLOGLOVIN'

GOOGLE+

SHESAIDBEAUTY

Your friendly comments are much appreciated. 

Thanks!

Maybelline Color Sensational "The Buffs" Lipsticks in Espresso Exposed and Sin-a-Mon (Part 1)

Hey Y'all!!! 

Today, I would like to share my review and a few pictures of the new Maybelline Color Sensational "The Buffs" Lipsticks. I am really looking forward to sharing my opinion with you all because so far I have heard or read a lot of positive reviews on these Buff lipsticks. I think some of you might relate to my review and possibly find yourself an affordable gem in this new collection. 

The Maybelline Color Sensational Lipsticks are quite popular amongst beauty bloggers and vloggers. A few years ago, I had tried a variety of shades from the original Color Sensational line, but ended up returning or giving them all away. I only had two issues with the ones I had purchased. First, I thought the lipsticks glided on smoothly, but ultimately left my lips dry. Second, none of the colors I chose suited my skin-color. I did like the scent though. I also tried two shades from the Maybelline Color Sensational High Shine Lip Colors. Again, the colors did not suit me. I did like the formula of the High Shine lipsticks, but the staying power was weak. Also, the scent was pleasant. I decided to forego trying the Maybelline Color Sensational "The Vivids" lipsticks. The bright reddish orange and electric purple shades were calling my name, but I did not give in.

Recently, Maybelline released the Color Elixirs. Take a look at my review of the Color Elixirs here. You will like what you see! I surely did!) After my positive experience with the Color Elixirs, I was eagerly awaiting the release of "The Buffs" after seeing a "spotted" or "preview" post on the Nouveau Cheap blog. 

So far I have heard/read two common criticisms regarding the Buffs collection - too nude and too brown. Personally, I was ecstatic to see the light brown base in these lipsticks. I have a fairly light skin-color for being Southeast Asian and do not have particularly deep pigmented lips, but nude lip colors like Urban Decay's Revolution lipsticks in Naked and Native or MAC's Half 'n' Half, Creme Cup, Modesty, and Angel do not suit me. While the rest of world is rocking the NYX Butter Glosses, the deepest shade of the bunch will look transparent on my lips. 

Honestly, it is difficult to gage what suits a particular person. Sometimes I try a product that has received poor reviews, but it ends up being "the one" for me - my hair, complexion, tone, color, whatever. On the other hand, while most people loved the Too Faced La Creme lipsticks, I was not too impressed. 

Either ways reviews are definitely helpful, especially if you have found a beauty blogger/vlogger who you can relate to. I like my introductory chatter, but enough of that! Let us move on my review... 

Packaging 

Even though I am giving these lipsticks full points in all of the categories here, the packaging is definitely one of my favorite features. I really like the transparent soft baby pink tubes. I took a million pictures to carefully capture the exact delicate light pink color of the tubes. The silver rim at the bottom pairs nicely with the pink. What if Maybelline had changed the silver part to rose gold? Oh-ma-gawhd! Yes! I suppose the pink tubes are slightly misleading some folks who might then expect pinky-nude lipsticks rather than beige, taupe, brown, earthy shades. 

Price 

I purchased these lipsticks at Meijer for $5.99. Recently, I found these at my local Walmart, Walgreens, and ULTA. In Walmart, the lipsticks were set up amongst the permanent products in the Maybelline section of the isle. However, in Walgreens, ULTA, and Meijer, the lipsticks were displayed on the outside of the isles, where the limited-edition and seasonal collections are typically displayed. I plan to buy the other shades at ULTA. These lipsticks are original more expensive at ULTA ($7.49), but ULTA is having a BOGO 50% sale right now. ULTA also has additional coupons ($3.50 off of $10, 20% single item, etc.) in their fliers and on their website and a reward-point system, which is an excellent way to save your pennies. 

Color / Pigmentation 

Please take a look at the pictures below to see the colors. These lipsticks have excellent pigmentation. Sin-a-mon is as opaque as Espresso Exposed. I don't have to pack on multiple swipes to receive the look pictured below. Sin-a-mon is a milky, dark beige, with gray and brown undertones. I adore this color! Lighter shades look more age-appropriate on me. I have tried a lot of shades that are similar to Sin-a-Mon, but not one has impressed me as much as this one. It does not affect the natural color of my teeth. I don't think this is a warm or cool toned shade because it has a mix base of brown and gray. My teeth are a natural, healthy shade, but not pearly white, so I avoid certain colors that make your teeth look very yellow even if they really are not. Sin-a-Mon is such a unique shade, a must to try! I adore Espresso Exposed as much, if not more, as Sin-a-Mon. This shade definitely makes my teeth look pearly white. Although not thoroughly captured in the pictures below, Espresso Exposed is another unique shade... Well, unique to my collection at the least. Sin-a-Mon seems like a unique color in general, while some may already own a shade like Espresso Exposed. It is so beautiful in person. In person it looks more like the arm swatch than the lip swatch. It is a blackened plum with red and "espresso shot" brown undertones. The name is quite fitting! 

Formula / Application 

I really liked the formula of these lipsticks. I have mentioned before than I am a formula snob. I openly admit that I discriminate against drug-store lipsticks. I own three times as many high-end lipsticks as drug-store lipsticks. These lipsticks are creamy, but don't have a slip. I am tempted to say that the formula is semi-matte because they look and feel creamy, but dry down and settle on the lips. No, I don't mean to say that these are drying or settle into your lip lines. These lipsticks are much creamier than Revlon Matte Balm Stains and do transfer, unlike the balm stains, because these are lipsticks, not stains. These lipsticks glide on buttery smooth and do not absorb the natural moisture of your lips. These are not by any means hydrating. They apply smoothly and then set to a semi-matte finish, but I would like to emphasize that these lipsticks did not dry out my lips. Espresso Exposed looks a bit patchy at first swipe, but I dab it out a little with my fingers or a napkin, then swipe once more, and I am good to go. Sin-a-Mon just amazes me because I had expected it to look streaky or exaggerate my lip lines or not cover my lips uniformly (meaning the pink of my lips shows through the center), but I had none of these issues. 

Longevity / Staying Power 

The staying power is decent here. These two shades lipstick, especially Espresso Exposed, stayed on even after I ate. Of course the lipsticks did not stay put like stains and required touching-up, but still they did not completely wipe away with my food. 

A+ Overall, I adore these lipsticks and am planning on purchasing four more shades. I will post an update once I buy the other shades this week. The names of these lipsticks receive full points for creativity - implying sweetness and sensuality. Stay tuned because I will post swatches of four additional shades from the Buffs collection once I get them. Also, I am wearing another lovely Maybelline product in the pictures at the end. Can you guess what? I will have a review up on the mystery items soon. 

The Gallery 

Please support StrawberryHeartsChocolateDarts @

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

BLOGLOVIN'

GOOGLE+

SHESAIDBEAUTY

NETWORKEDBLOGS

Your friendly comments are much appreciated. 

Thanks!