Released just this past summer, Maybelline‘s Color Jolt Intense Lip Paints feel like the brand’s answer to everyone else’s liquid lipstick/gloss hybrids (sometimes called matte glosses by other brands… WHICH IS NOT A THING OKAY – you cannot be matte and glossy at the same time!).

Lip paint is definitely the best wording for these little guys – they deposit one heck of a lot of colour in a thick almost gel-like formula. They’re a bit thicker than the Too Faced Melteds, in case you’re familiar with that formula. (I’m going to be doing a lot of comparisons to the Too Faced Melteds because the products are very, very similar.)

Like the Melteds, the Maybelline Color Jolts have a flocked applicator that is slightly narrower than their counterparts. The product comes out of the center of the applicator via the squeezy tube. Due to the nature of the small applicator, it’s really, REALLY easy to get a precise tip (easier than the Melteds). While they have a watermelon scent when they come out of the tube, I can assure you that this goes away. I, for one, am totally grossed out by the scent of fake watermelon and yet I was able to wear these for several hours without issue because the scent dissipated very quickly. (What a relief!)

What’s a review without pointing out some of the negatives however? (An ad, that’s what.) The Color Jolts are only really half full in the tube. I was surprised when I went to go apply Never Bare (the one above) and discovered that I had to squeeze halfway down the tube before I got any product out of the tip.

• A Maybelline Color Jolt retails for $9.99 USD and contains 6.4ml.
• A Too Faced Melted retails for $21 USD and contains 12ml.

If you look at those two, you can see that the cost of a Color Jolt is on par with the cost of a Too Faced Melted which is a bit ridiculous since Maybelline is drugstore and Too Faced is high end. Sure, you’re not shelling out more than $20 for a tube if you buy the Color Jolt, but you’re also not getting as much product either. (This only matters to some people – since very few of us actually finish up a lip product like this.) It just seemed weird for Maybelline to chintz on the amount of product you’re getting.

With the size discussion out of the way, let’s take a look at the colours! All three colours were opaque in one swipe. The colours are solid and beautiful. You’ll notice they have a sheen which does stay on the lips for quite some time, so these won’t dry down to a matte or satin finish.

Final Thoughts

Although the volume of the product is really, really weird given the price point, I do enjoy the Color Jolts immensely. I like how true and opaque the colours are. I like that the scent goes away so I don’t have to worry about a taste on my lips. I did find the colour faded a bit within two-three hours, but that’s not unexpected for something with such a glossy texture (re-application and layering were not a problem either). I also found that the product didn’t gather in the outer corners of my mouth which is something I’m exceptionally prone to (even with the Melteds).

Since the texture is a bit thicker than your average lip product, I was never concerned about these travelling or moving around on my lips and I’m really impressed that I can say that given that a glossy red lip is probably one of the most terrifying things you can wear in public! And although I’ve said the texture is thicker than normal, these are not uncomfortable to wear on the lips! I’d love to see them release more shades in this formula since they currently only have 8 shades and most of them skew quite bright which could turn a few people off.

Let me know if you’re interested in the Maybelline Color Jolts, or if you’ve already tried them out!

The Maybelline Color Jolts can be purchased on ulta.com for $9.99 USD each.

New in the foundation department by Maybelline is their Dream Velvet formula and it promises:

• Hydrated skin. Matte finish. Flawless face.
• Turning heads, bringing your A-game, the #nofilter selfie.
• Putting your best face forward.

The Maybelline Dream Velvet foundation comes in 12 shades ranging from 05 Warm Porcelain to 95 Coconut – although the shades definitely skew more to the paler side of things. You get the usual fluid ounce of product in a squeeze tube that comes with a nozzle tip (and there’s even a little foil seal on it when you first purchase it so you know it’s not been tampered with). The packaging is slim, compact and sleek. The tube is easy to squeeze and it’s easy to get product out of this tube since the plastic is soft and pliable (something I highly appreciate). The product itself is like a thick, whipped mousse but it spreads and blends easily on the face.

The one thing that really set me back in trying this foundation though was the colours. If you take a look at the swatches above, you’ll notice that 15 Ivory is really quite dark and is more attuned to my skin tone in the summer. However, even the shade 10 Porcelain Ivory is still quite dark and VERY warm compared to my skin tone. In fact, it looks downright peachy. I put off trying this foundation for a week because I was scared it would not match my face and I’d be left looking like a fool at work.

I was TOTALLY wrong:

That’s how 10 Porcelain Ivory looks on my skin! It’s a FLAWLESS match in my book *and* it even matches my neck! I have no idea what the heck is in this foundation to cause it to colour match like that, but the shade is bang on and I couldn’t be happier. Given how odd the original swatch looked on the underside of my arm… I’m kind of astounded. I don’t know how you did it Maybelline – but you did, and it’s awesome!

Final Thoughts

I’m in LOVE with this new Dream Velvet foundation! Aside from my initial scare with the colour matching, this product has seriously zero faults. (For reference, my skin is fairly dry right now.) I get a full day’s wear out of it (around 10 hours). I have no creasing or sinking into fine lines (usually an issue on my forehead because I raise my eyebrows a lot). It feels soft and velvety to the touch. It doesn’t make my face itchy. It doesn’t go patchy or peel anywhere. The coverage is truly flawless and it was a breeze applying it to my face since it requires very little blending to get it to sink in (I use a Real Techniques sponge). I love the squeeze tube and the compact size. In short, I cannot believe how amazing this foundation is! I really don’t have any faults for how this foundation wore on my skin or looked. /bows down before Maybelline

The Maybelline Dream Velvet foundation can be purchased for ~$16.99 CAD in stores, or at Ulta.com for $10.99 USD.

Bonus Giveaway!

I received an extra tube of Maybelline‘s Dream Velvet foundation in the shade 15 Ivory, and was told to go ahead and host a giveaway! Please note that there is only the one shade available and I cannot exchange the colour I received for a colour that would better suit your skin tone. So please keep that in mind when submitting giveaway entries.

Giveaway Rules

• This giveaway is open internationally!
• This giveaway starts on March 2, 2016 and runs for one week.
• Please be aware that all entries will be double checked to ensure fairness.
• One winner will win the Maybelline Dream Velvet foundation in the shade 15 Ivory (the tube is sealed, so you don’t have to worry about tampering!).
• The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my e-mail. If they fail to respond within that time frame, I will pick another prize winner. (And so on.)
• “Giveaway accounts” will not be considered for this prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post features a product that sent to me for consideration.