NEW AT THE DRUGSTORE - Maybelline Edition

So, I'm not even going to try to give some kind of lame ass sob story. Basically, I've been a terrible blogger, but I just bought a Macbook Pro AND a new DSLR so I'm planning on coming back with a vengeance. ANYWAY, have a new at the drugstore type of post! I knew about the new lipsticks from Maybelline, but I had NO CLUE about these products! Also found but not featured are several new shades of the Brow Drama brow gel, including a transparent shade, but I didn't pick any of those up. I purchased all of these things from my local Meijer, and I found them on an endcap display!

Note: this is not a review, this is basically a haul post. I haven't put any of these on my face yet!

Maybelline Color Sensational ® Creamy Mattes REVIEW

I have a pretty exciting post, or at least I was pretty excited. This is going to be a review on the new Creamy Matte lipsticks from Maybelline...and yes, I bought all ten, haha. I had no intention on doing so, and I rarely buy every single shade in a collection or release, but I realized that I had purchased eight of the ten and I scored my lipsticks on sale so...what the heck, right?

To limit the length of this review, I've posted individual color reviews on my Tumblr and will be doing this for future products where I purchase multiple shades because let's be real; ain't no one got time to read an absurdly long post with page anchors. Plus, the Tumblr app has a really friendly mobile interface and I don't have regular computer access so I can pump out posts on there easily. Feel free to follow! That's a sideblog, so I can't follow you back via that blog, but I can follow you on my main blog if you'd like!

I will have links to each individual color post in this post. Anyway, onward with the review!

Maybelline Dream Wonder Pressed Powder REVIEW

So...Maybelline is one of my favorite drugstore brands, typically. And this is going to be an interesting review, because, while I like the way this powder functions, I can't recommend it. I know, I know, that seems weird, and I'll definitely explain in-depth. This product is fairly new, so it's still a bit more expensive; about $8.99 at most places. I imagine the price will drop a bit the longer the product exists. This isn't being promoted as a powder foundation, so I'm not going into it expecting crazy amounts of coverage.

Also, I tend to prefer light coverage face products anyway, so keep that in mind! :)

Maybelline Eye Studio® Color Tattoo™ Metal REVIEW (Barely Branded and Gold Rush)

Okay, so this is obvious proof as to how damn far behind I am...curse you, hockey! Anyway, I picked up these two cream shadows way back when they first came out...I know, I know, long frickin' time ago, right? Well, better late than never? Haha, yeah, that's what I tell myself to sleep at night. ANYWHO, I was terribly interested in this new line of Color Tattoo products from Maybelline. I did a review on the whole line when they first came out (there are ten permanent shades in the regular collection and I have all of them) which you can read at the link. And if you've already read that post, then you know I really like these things!

Since I do have a full blog post on these products and how they function, etc, I'm not going to go way into depth explaining that stuff here. I have a couple of the limited edition shades and they all function very similar to each other, to be honest. There are definitely textural differences, depending on the finishes and the color payoff also varies. It's that kind of thing I'll talk about here. So I'd just like to say that these wear like iron on me, do not crease, smudge, or budge, and make excellent color bases.

Now that we have that jazz out of the way, let's go!

Where the F#@& have I been? And a Maybelline Mascara Review

So, I know, I know. My last blog post was like...frickin' three months ago. And I am so, so sorry for that! I hope to never get this far behind again. Unfortunately I don't have regular access to a computer, so I will probably be stuck with a single blog a week, but that's better than nothing, right? Hopefully? Gosh, everyone, I feel like a huge douche. :(

First off, I DO have a tablet but I can't edit my blog photos on said tablet, so that doesn't do me much good. I have an Influenster review that I desperately need to get up ASAP but after that, nothing much. So where have I been? Well, school partly. This past semester kicked my ass.

Also, I started a new, old job. I work at Ulta Beauty and I recently transferred stores. Unfortunately, I'm still living in my old city so I have a nice hour long drive. There's a lot of stuff I could say about that, but...yeah.

Finally, hockey. Omfg, hockey. It has consumed my SOUL, guys. Now, as I've mentioned before, I was essentially born and raised in the shitty state of Michigan. So obviously, I am a huge Red Wings fan. And my team made it much further in the Stanley Cup playoffs than expected, so I've pretty much been glued to a TV. Now, as people might know, we lost in OT in game 7 to the Chicago Blackhawks, but the playoffs aren't over yet! I've been kind of obsessive with hockey this year...not quite sure why, haha.

Actually, it's probably because we have some really hot players. And, you know, I love hockey as a sport. It's the only one I can stand watching, actually. My parents are both native Detroiters, so it might have been inevitable that I would love the Red Wings! Seriously though...Michigan does hockey right.


Brendan Smith, #2 defenseman. What can I say? I want the D.
Anyway, I've been paying an insane amount of attention to the Pittsburgh - Boston series. I'm not a fan of either team...actually, I dislike both. Butttttt...I'm certainly no Blackhawks fan. Personally, I want the LA Kings to win the Cup again.

Okay, enough of that.

Contouring & Highlighting 101 - Favorite Highlighters

I AM ON A BLOGGING ROLL RIGHT NOW. And it feels so good. I think sometimes you just need breaks...or in my case a hibernation cycle or something. Anyway, I'm getting back into the game. This is a part of my little mini series on contouring and highlighting and this post is on the highlighting products that I like.

It ranges from all different price ranges and a lot of these products are not actually meant to be highlighters but I use them as such anyway. I didn't swatch any of the products in any of these "favorite" posts because, well, I'm lazy and also these are cheek products and not eye shadows and a super sheer swatch does not necessarily mean the product would be sheer when applied to your face! That, and, uh, I'm lazy. Some of these products might have reviews, and if they do, I will link to them.

This is picture-heavy and will still be pretty long, so let's get this show on the road!

Maybelline Color Tattoo™ 24 Hour Cream Gel Shadow Review

Okay, so this is the review that I'm sure tons of people will find totally relevant. This is a review on the Maybelline Color Tattoo™ shadows! Everybody has been going CRAZY for these things and, honestly, this is one of the few products that I feel is pretty much worth the hype. I know, right? I am the most skeptic bastard when it comes to things w/ hype and I am also picky as all hell. If you've read previous reviews of mine, you know that price, while it does play a minimal part, is not the main thing I look for in a product. I am honestly a bit more skeptical of drugstore products because they tend to be a fairly high mark-up for what the product actually is (L'Oréal, I'm looking at you!)

I first spotted and purchased these products probably about two weeks before YT exploded w/ videos and I was in awe of the colors. These have some of the most amazing colors for drugstore cream shadows. I own a ton of the Revlon cream shadow quads, and while some of them are okay, the colors are pretty toned down. This line has the perfect mix of bright and edgy and also neutral and everyday and that is completely perfect. I also really like how there are several different types of finishes. From the drugstore, that is crazy cool. But I've rambled enough, and y'all probably wanna get on w/ the review, right?

Maybelline Fit Me™ Review - PT. 2 (Blushes & Bronzer)

So, as usual, I am tardy to the party once again. This is going to be part two out of two reviews on the Maybelline Fit Me™ range. (For the review on the foundation, concealer, and pressed powder, click here!) I've decided to divide up the review because, well, there's a lot of stuff to talk about! In this particular post, I'm going to talk about the blushes and bronzer that come in this line. For reference, you could honestly use this review as a reference to any pressed powder blush or bronzer that Maybelline releases in this type of compact because they're pretty much the same thing. There are some cream blushes and some limited edition baked products that are different, but for the most part, all of the blushes that come in this type of packaging are very similar - the only difference is, obviously, the colors.

These products can be found anywhere the full Maybelline range is sold, like Walmart, CVS, Rite-Aid, etc. It has its own display in the Maybelline line and can still be found in some random end-caps. It will be cheaper at places like Meijer and Walmart in general but when drugstores or Ulta have BOGO sales, I recommend checking those out. These products are typically about $5.50 a pop. So they're not super expensive but they aren't the cheapest out there, as far as drugstore goes.

Maybelline Fit Me™ Review - PT. 1 (Foundation, Concealer, & Pressed Powder)

So, as usual, I am tardy to the party once again. This is going to be one out of two reviews on the Maybelline Fit Me™ range. (You'll be able to find the second review here.) I've decided to divide up the review because, well, there's a lot of stuff to talk about! In this review I'm going to blather on about three products - the foundation, concealer, and the pressed powder. For a while, this foundation was HG status for me, which is crazy!

These products can be found anywhere the full Maybelline range is sold, like Walmart, CVS, Rite-Aid, etc. It has its own display in the Maybelline line and can still be found in some random end-caps. It will be cheaper at places like Meijer and Walmart in general but when drugstores or Ulta have BOGO sales, I recommend checking those out. The foundation and powder retail for around $5.50 at Walmart, and the concealer is just slightly cheaper.

I apologize in advance because this review is long and it's a lot of text. For a TL;DR version - foundation is light coverage and is good, especially for those w/ good skin to begin w/ and dry to normal skin; concealer is okay, nothing special...I would pass; powder is okay, especially for color range, but there are other powders that are better from Maybelline and other drugstore brands.

Maybelline Line Stiletto® Ultimate Precision Liquid Eyeliner

Here's a different type of liquid liner. This is my top choice for drugstore - it's the blackest liquid liner I've used...plus, it is easy to apply. It's similar to the L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense but I've found that the L'Oreal formula peels and flakes on me. I don't use this one anymore, because my new everyday liquid liner has some added benefits, but this one is, admittedly, much blacker.

For more liner swatches and information and general craziness, click here for my MASSIVE eyeliner extravaganza post!

Eye Studio® Color Explosion™ in 10 Amethyst Ablaze & Master Drama™ Cream Pencil in Midnight Master Review

While on a recent shopping trip, my eye was drawn to an endcap. I usually always glance over endcaps to see what is new or if there are any BOGOs or products w/ an added gift, but this time my attention was drawn to a new Maybelline display. They had shadow palettes and new eyeliner pencils. I love eyeshadow and I love automatic liners PLUS I was armed w/ coupons AND there was a BOGO50% so obviously these new products were going to be mine.

I love greens but usually of the bright or neon variety...forest greens aren't my piece o' cake. There was a palette of greens but most of the colors didn't scream out to me. I am not super huge into blue shadows and the pink one was okay. I imagine I'll end up buying the neutral palette eventually. I ended up getting 10 Amethyst Ablaze, which had some really fun purples. I also picked up a Master Drama™ Cream Pencil in 405 Vibrant Violet.

The liner was around $7.99 and the palette was $9.49 before tax. They are new products, however, so I expect that the price will drop. I imagine you'll be able to find these palettes and liners in any drugstore that stocks Maybelline. I am assuming they are going to be in the permanent line but as of right now stores appear to only have a couple of each color in stock.