Maybelline ColorSensational Lip Gloss

Update Saturday January 14, 2012.

I was cleaning up my photo library and stumbled onto these pictures I took of Neutrogena MoistureShine Gloss way back in 2007, so I thought I'd post them up ^.^ 

- First Blush: this was my favorite color because it was a perfect my-lips-but-better and I never needed a mirror to apply it ^.^

- Glam: I wear this color when I wanted to "dress up" a little. That goes to show how little makeup I wore back then, no? Ha, how things have changed xD

- Sweet Nothing: I wore this one like a lip balm!

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Original post Monday January 9, 2012.

Another goody I received from Citrine is the Maybelline ColorSensational Lip Gloss in 953 Hi-tech Plum.

This is my very first lip gloss from Maybelline, and over all my 4th American drugstore lip gloss after Neutrogena MoistureShine Gloss, L'Oreal Paris Colour Juice Sheer Juicy Lip Gloss, and Boots No 7 High Shine Lip Gloss (well, not exactly American, but whatever :P).

My holiday swap with Citrine :) All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Maybelline ColorSensational Lip Gloss in 953 Hi-tech Plum

- L'Oreal Paris Colour Juice Sheer Juicy Lip Gloss: back in college I bought a bunch of these when they first came out. They caught my eyes being a total knock off of Lancome Juicy Tubes when the latter was all the rage back then. And funny how L'Oreal ripped off of their own brand, as they own Lancome as well... Anyway, I didn't like these at all, though I don't know whether their formula has changed for the better now. Chances are they might have improved a whole lot, but back then, wearing the gloss was the equivalent of walking around with a fly trap on my lips. They were so incredibly sticky, and I have a very high tolerant for sticky glosses, having put up with Stila Lip Glazes and It Glosses for example. But after a while, even I couldn't take these anymore and got rid of them all. I never tried any other lip products from L'Oreal Paris since.

 ***Pictures from Buymebeauty.com and Giveusfreestuff.com.

- Boots No 7 High Shine Lip Gloss: I used these during my college days as well. Heard many good things about them from my friends and gave them a try. Of course, one of them being the most perfect yellow-based red gloss I've ever found that went on with just the perfect translucency and pigmentation helped pushed my buying impulse along. The glosses themselves weren't sticky at all either. The problem? The colors faded within 30 minutes, and as beautiful as the glosses went on, they totally sheered out as if they all were clear to begin with! A total disappointment and these too ended up in the trash. Again, this was a long time ago and these may very well have improved greatly, not that I actually know. The picture below is of the latest version of the gloss, as I could not find a picture of the old packaging anywhere on the web.

***Picture from Boots No 7 USA.

- Neutrogena MoistureShine Gloss: these are the best drugstore glosses of all the ones I have tried back then. They had a jelly-like texture that not only was not sticky but was glossy and moisturizing. Their lasting power was great, and their color stayed on for a few hours before fading. In fact, I took these with me to Japan during my first stint living here! That said, they had a funny chemically scent that I didn't like, and they seem to go bad faster than any other glosses I own, drugstore or otherwise. Their caps leaked repeatedly on me, having been thrown around in my book bag, work bag, etc., which might have been the cause. So after struggling to use them up prior to their expiration, I simply gave up and moved on. Again this was my experience during late and post college and may not be the case at all now. I had them when they were still in the plastic square tubes, but their newest packaging sure look a lot more fancy!

Old versus new packaging

***Pictures from Amazon.com (left) and Neutrogena (right).

- Maybelline ColorSensational Lip Gloss 953 Hi-tech Plum: now this gloss truly impresses me. The formula is like a jellied-gloss, in between a jelly and a gloss, but non-sticky, glossy, and moisturizing all the same. This particular color is pigmented too. It's a semi opaque potent bright fuchsia that swatches and goes on exactly as it appears in the tube. I put this on one afternoon while lounging around, and to my surprise at dinner time a few hours later, the color was still as fresh as if the gloss was just applied. Color sensational indeed! Some drugstore glosses will be in order on my next home visit, folks! Too bad it seems this color 954 Hi-tech Plum is no longer available. I just checked Maybelline's website and didn't see it at all. That said, Citrine had reviewed Salsa Sun, a gorgeous bright orange red, for which I am now the hunt ^.^ Want!!!

Maybelline mystery lipsticks 825 Fruit Punch, D104 Peach Colada, and ColorSensational Lip Gloss in 953 Hi-tech Plum.