There’s only so many times us bloggers can extol the virtues of Mary Kay before I hope we’re heard! While Mary Kay has long been touted as “your grandmother’s brand”, they are really, REALLY are stepping up their game. It’s not (yet) apparent in every product, but the more I try, the more I’m blown away by their transformation.
Available as of August 16, 2016 (yesterday!), Mary Kay has launched their Gel Semi-Matte Lipsticks. These are the “first full coverage lipstick by Mary Kay to utilize gel microsphere technology for rich, stay-true colour that lasts for hours without leaving lips looking or feeling dry”.
There are currently eight shades available and they’re an interesting selection – there’s a bunch of nudes with a twist (I’d say they have a brown edge to them) as well as some bright colours. The colours are intensely pigmented – you won’t find very much of your own lip colour peeking through (except for Crushed Berry, that was the only one that I felt was a slightly bit sheer).
There is a slight scent to the lipsticks that I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s almost a little herbal-y. At fist I wasn’t sure how I would feel about that, but in the end they are completely tasteless on my lips so I was really pleased about that.
Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte Lipstick Swatches
To see these on a deeper skintone, please visit my friend Samantha Jane’s blog. She has a MAC NC42 skintone and has the whole range swatched out as well.
My Thoughts
My initial thoughts on these lipsticks was that I wasn’t going to be okay with the scent of them since they aren’t your usual vanilla lipstick flavour. However, once I discovered that these had no flavour on my lips, it was smooth sailing! These are absolutely gorgeous lipsticks that wear like a dream. The longevity of them is phenomenal (easily 6+ hours and it was still going strong) and they are exceptionally comfortable on the lips. They’re not even remotely drying which is always a blessing in a matte lipstick.
I also like just how solid the bullet feels – I never felt like I was at risk of breaking my lipstick and I was able to get full colour opacity with only a few swipes. I found the colour range adequate for a first launch (my personal favourite shade is Poppy Please), as it pretty much covered all the usual lipstick bases. Going forward, I would really like to see this shade range get expanded because I think Mary Kay has a truly winning formula in this lipstick range!
The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration.
All the shades look lovely on you but the one I like the most is Crushed Berry, it’s so pretty!
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Crushed Berry is really lovely, although a touch more sheer than the rest of them. Not that matters, but it’s worth mentioning!
I may need to take another look at the Mary Kay website, these lipsticks look amazing!
They’re really nice!
Always Apricot is beautiful on you! Love it. I haven’t tried anything from Mary Kay in a while but it really does seem like they are refreshing the brand and coming out with a lot of fun new things!
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They’ll definitely need to stay current because as our generation ages, we’ll still be looking for unique things in our makeup!
I would love to send you ladies samples of the lip colors. I’m a color certifed consultant.
All of these look so good on you. I especially like Rich Truffle on you.
Thanks Christy! They’re so comfortable to wear. 🙂
I have not been this excited over lipstick in years! Crushed Berry intrigued me because it looks purple in the tube but on my lips looks fantastic and helps my teeth to look whiter (bonus!). I love it! Wondering if anyone else has felt a slight tingling after applying it? It doesn’t last but I feel something.
Wooo! Nothing like a fantastic lipstick that also makes your teeth look whiter! I’ve not noticed any tingling at all – I wonder if there’s something in the ingredients that you’re particularly sensitive to though?
What are all the ingredients?
Hi there! I’m afraid I don’t have an ingredient list (nor can I find it on their web site). Sorry about that. 🙁
Hi
Im a Mary Kay consultant and all these colors are great. However, i find that my top seller is the Crushed Berry! All colors look amazing on u!
That makes sense – Crushed Berry is a beautiful shade!
I would love a sample of the almost apricot and the poppy please. I have been looking for the perfect lipstick for four months and haven’t found it yet. Is the poppy please more orange or red??
The colors are lovely, but I’m an orange or tangerine person. Would love to see those colors added.I would like to try the rich truffle.It’s close to a color I would wear.
I hear you – orange is such a wonderful shade! Fingers crossed they release more shades!
Would love a sample of the poppy please and almost apricot.
I’m an older woman, light skin tone, blonde hair, blue eyes Of course my teeth are not as white as I’d like, and I don’t want a lipstick that’s going to show that. These all look so pretty on you, and I’m drawn to the first three. Any suggestions?
Go for something with a cooler undertone to help cancel out the potential yellowness in teeth. (For example, a blue based red instead of an orange based one.) As for the first three shades, I feel like Mauve Moment is the least warm shade in there. Hope that helps!
What color replaced the very lovely ‘Sunset’ and/or ‘Coral Bliss’ ? ?
My very favorites that matched my skin coloring…
Hi Annette – I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with the shades you mentioned.