Lip Love: Maybelline Color Elixir Glosses | My Collection + Swatches

     I can say with certainty that Maybelline lip products have tended to be some of my best purchases from the drugstore, with only a couple of exceptions that are only in terms of choosing an unflattering shade for my skintone, and not necessarily a faulty formula. I can say I have yet to encounter a Maybelline lip formula that I dislike. Their Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipsticks are always my first stop when I visit the brand's section, just to see if any new colors have been released. 😍 It's no question that the Creamy Matte formula is certainly in my top 5 favorite formulas of lip products, and that's not just for drugstore - it's overall! 

     Alas, it's almost time to part with one of my favorite moisturizing, comfortable lip gloss formulas - these Color Elixirs are at a heavily discounted price in many places, and so since it seems that the brand is phasing them out soon, I thought I'd show these glosses some love on my blog! It really is a lip love with these, as they really show the lips love by providing a hydrating feel and long lasting wear! Oh, and I almost forgot: They also only require 1 coat! All swatches below are done with only 1 pass of the applicator!

Maybelline Color Elixirs L-R: Signature Scarlet, Blush Essence, Caramel Infused, Mauve Mystique, Mystical Magenta

Overview

In my experience with these Color Elixirs, they're a creamy, non-sticky (for the most part) hybrid of gloss and balm - none of the colors I've tested have stained, they're of varying finishes and pigment saturation, but each color I have is quite apparent from the next. They all have a mirror-like shine, and last around 3-4 hours on me. They smooth over any lip imperfections and aren't prone to sliding around or melting off - they certainly have that cling in the formula that makes them last quite a while. They do feel a bit tacky as they set, but it's not an uncomfortable feeling, by any means (and I'm rather sensitive to sticky glosses, to where I wouldn't touch any such glosses with a ten-foot pole.)

The fragrance of these is quite a bit off-putting to some, but I personally enjoy it! It's a creamy vanilla scent with a touch of a jasmine floral peeking through. It's...strange on the olfactory senses, but I love odd scents, and Maybelline was able to pull this one off, in my humble op!

My lips always feel pillowy soft and supple after these have faded, so they are indeed incredibly hydrating!

Individual Swatches & Formula Descriptions!

020 Signature Scarlet

     The most pigmented of the bunch, Signature Scarlet  is far from being a shy one. She's a beauty, and I admit that glossy reds don't really do me any favors when compared to a nice wearable matte red as far as day-to-day wear would normally entail. This one demands attention and although it has been reserved by yours truly for evening events only, it is a beautiful creamy orange-based red. It's moderately opaque, and just a bit of my natural lip color peeks through when I wear it. The formula is impeccable, and it doesn't sink into my lip lines or pool up in the corners of my lips at any point during wear time. This color applies evenly, for the most part, and it can last from 3-4 hours before I see it beginning to fade. I wear a lip primer with this one - it is a red, after all, mate! 😄

095 Blush Essence

     I take back everything I may have said before about the standard of shimmery cool-toned pinks: That they're a teeth-yellowing, frosty, glittery hot mess and are only reminiscent of the 90's bubblegum pop era. Well, this gloss took that idea and completely threw it to the curb, because this color in Blush Essence is truly flattering, and is becoming a fast favorite of mine. It's a medium cool pink with white shimmer and a slight sparkle. I detected no gritty texture with the shimmer in this gloss.

Here's a pic of me wearing Blush Essence, 1 coat, in natural daylight.

     She's a bit more sheer, but without that milky base that a lot of the NYX Butter Glosses have, and the cool tones of Blush Essence are still very apparent on my medium pigmented lips, yet still translucent enough to actually do favors for me where no other cool-toned pink has done before. This one applied a tad bit streaky, and it lasts on average a solid 3 hours. It can tend to gum up just a little when I rub my lips together and look a little patchy, but it's a natural color, so I don't mind reapplying! When the color fades, it doesn't annoyingly leave behind the shimmer or sparkle on the lips (not a flattering look, but yet, many glosses can otherwise tend to do this), so the fact that it fades so evenly, makes me a happy gloss-wearer!

065 Caramel Infused

     Caramel Infused was more than likely my most worn lip gloss of 2016. Always in a handbag, gym bag, I had an extra one in my car, in my desk. I just can't get enough of it - feels like a pillow for my lips, this formula does! As for the color, it's a creamy neutral flesh-toned pink with a hint of peach for added warmth. It reads as semi-opaque with a bit of translucency around the edges of my lip line, and I can count on this one to last for upwards of 5 hours on me before fading. Applies evenly, and it never has a tendency to gum up, nor does it get patchy at all as wear time increases. For some reason, it's the most moisturizing of all the ones I own.

025 Mauve Mystique

     Mauve Mystique is a nice light pinky-plum with a subtle brown nuance. It's like a cross between a jelly and a cream finish, because it's fairly translucent, albeit nicely pigmented. This is a definite 'my lips but better - and glossier' shade for me. Applies evenly without streaks, and lasts for 3 hours before fading, sans any pooling or patchiness.

510 Mystical Magenta (Iridescent)

     Ah, this one has the good...and the not so good. Mystical Magenta is a beautiful fuchsia pink with blue and violet shimmer and has a bit more sheer color payoff, yet still gives a nice bright pink vibrancy and glow to the lips when worn alone, so I think it's definitely a shade that can stand on its own. This is one of the more cumbersome formulas to work with, and because this one is the only one from the Iridescent collection I own, I'm not sure if others in that lineup have this problem or not. But this one unfortunately proved to be entirely too streaky upon application, and while I don't mind that it's a bit sheer, the violet shimmer could be just a tad more prominent. It's discernible, but only from a relatively closer-than-normal distance. Someone would really have to be in your bubble to see it. 

     Mystical Magenta has the same beautiful mirror shine that catches the light like a beam, and the formula isn't at all gritty-feeling with the shimmer particles. It's very smooth. When it fades after that usual 3-hour mark that I've found to be pretty much uniform with these glosses, it all fades - therefore, it doesn't leave behind the shimmer while the color disappears, which is a plus. 

What are your favorite Maybelline Color Elixirs? Or Maybelline lip products in general? What do you think of this formula if you have tried it? Is it a love, or is it a pass? Keep those comments coming, everyone!

💋xoxo-Cailee