Earlier this week, I got a cute surprise from Maybelline: some of their new releases, which includes four lipsticks and three brow mascaras, all tucked into this hot pink lip purse! I’ve fallen behind the new Maybelline releases since I’ve steered my beauty consumption towards a more cruelty-free route quite a while ago.

The four lipsticks are variations of pink, as they are part of the Maybelline Pink Alert Lipsticks, which is a new addition to their Color Sensational range. I think it’s an attempt to kind of “up the amp” in pink lipsticks, doing away with the prissy, frilly pinks with four kind of really in-your-face “rebellious” pinks, which they call “runway-ready pink shades.”

There are four pinks: POW 1, POW 2, POW 3, and POW 4. POW 1 and POW 3 and blue-based, cool pinks. POW 2 and POW 4 are warmer pinks, with POW 4 being the most coral-y of them all. All are pretty bright. If you know me, I can’t handle bright lipsticks on my visage (lol), but you know what? It actually wasn’t so bad.

But first, the lipsticks.

Since these are part of the Color Sensational range, these are formulated with vivid red-based pigments and 100% nourishing honey nectar, which is probably why they’re so creamy. The swatches here were made with several passes, as there seems to be some slip to the lipsticks. They’re light on the lips, stay on pretty well (and fade evenly), but it might get annoying if you’re the type who presses your lips together a lot, as they dry down to a moderately tacky finish. Nothing sticky or gross; just slightly tacky. They will obviously cling to dry patches, but here’s the kicker: you don’t even notice them all that much when the lipstick sets after a few minutes. The color is evenly deposited, and for some reason, you don’t really see the delineation of where the lipstick ends towards the opening of your mouth. In other words, there’s no gross lipstick line on the inside of your mouth.

As for the opacity and pigmentation, I’m kind of at an undecided fork in the road. POW 1 looks opaque, but I’m positive that some of my lips’ natural pigmentation is peeking through. Have I mentioned how much I surprisingly love POW 1? Because I really didn’t think I would. It is really a stunner, as far as bright pink lipsticks are concerned. POW 3, the other cool pink, is still bright, but I think, to some degree, much more wearable than POW 1 partly because it has less blue in it.

Speaking of the bluey-ness of it all, I’ve discovered that the blue “undertone” seems to actually have been achieved by blue microshimmer. (I saw it on my lipstick swipes on a napkin. Science.) The reds of the lipsticks are from actual pigment, while the blue is achieved with microshimmer. It doesn’t make the lipstick look gritty or glittery—the effect is similar to Japanese jelly lipsticks. Just an overall juicy look to the lips, and in these cases, a slight blue tint.

I like POW 2 more than I thought I would. It’s a warm medium pink, almost like what I imagined MAC’s Impassioned to be. I find it to be bright but not distracting on myself to myself (I find pinks in general, if it’s not neutral, to be distracting). POW 4 was the shade I was sure I would like, when I saw Liz’s post on these lipsticks. It’s a medium coral-leaning pink that looks so good and bright against a tan. It looks so orange when set against all these other pinks, but it’s actually not severely orange when you look at it on its own.

The top surface is kind of reflective and can work as a makeshift mirror in a pinch. It’s not a great mirror, obviously, but it does the job, kinda.

If you’re not sure what pink to pick, Maybelline actually has this handy little chart that matches a Pink Alert pink to your skin tone and suggests other pinks they already have in their other lines:

The Maybelline Color Sensational Pink Alert Lipsticks are Php 399 each. I’m really surprised that I liked all of the shades in this range, as I have almost 0 desire for pink lipstick, let alone bright & loud ones. Huh.

I was super excited to have received the next things: the Maybelline Fashion Brow Coloring Mascara! I encountered this product first on Ae’s blog.

It’s supposed to create perfect brows, since they offer flexibility to tailor your look however you like. You can use this mascara alone or with other brow products, depending on what look you’re going for that day.

One of the most unique things about the Fashion Brow Mascara is that it comes with an angle-free brow brush that combs neatly over any stray hairs. Look at that BALLED END. There are three shades: 1 Yellow Brown, 3 Rusty Brown, and 5 Dark Brown.

1 Yellow Brown, presumably for blonds. I did try this out, though, and though I looked and felt like a lion, it doesn’t look all that fake and distracting. Just a subtle tint.

3 Rusty Brown, for red-toned hair. This one, I’m not sure of, because I’ve never been a fan of red-toned brows (esp. if your hair is jet black), however, the red here is not even all that pronounced.

5 Dark Brown, my shade. It is perfect and subtle and natural-looking but also somehow gives heft and definition, and structure to your brows. I likey.

Swatched, L-R: 1 Yellow Brown, 3 Rusty Brown, 5 Dark Brown

As you can probably tell from my descriptions, I’ve tried all three shades and the lighter ones don’t look half bad. They look pretty natural and really play quite a part in crafting the look you want. I don’t see myself having much use for Red/Rusty Brown, but Yellow Brown seems to be a likely candidate if I want full but not-so-defined brows, weirdly enough. I have to go play with them a bit more, though, as there is a learning curve to using these products.

I’ve used Dark Brown by itself here. Very, very subtle. The effects of Yellow Brown, as expected, are more pronounced.

Rest of the makeup: Verikos Ultra Matte Velvet Primer*, Maybelline Clear Smooth All-in-One Shine Free Cake Powder (05 Sand Beige)*, LUSH Cream Eyeshadow (Sophisticated), Rouge Bunny Rouge Long-Lasting Eyeshadow (Bejwelled Skylark and Tantalizing Lovebird), Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil (Mars), Tarte Amazonian Clay Matte & Waterproof Bronzer (Park Avenue Princess), Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush (Exposed), BECCA The Ultimate Mascara

Maybelline claims that these have “blendable and buildable color only from our exclusive pigments, with a film finish for 24-hour long wear!” It was actually frighteningly easy to wash these off with only water, so I’m not sure if I believe the 24-hour wear. These are great for subtle definition and a soft look to the eyebrow, but don’t expect them to transform you into Cara Delevingne because they won’t. Obviously.

These retail for Php 359 each.

What do you think of these recent releases? Anything you’ve got your eye on?

* PR Sample. Maybelline is not cruelty-free.

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