Review and Swatches: Maybelline Color Whisper in Pin Up Peach

It seems like the cosmetics industry had an epiphany, and it's one that I am thrilled about!  They seem to have all discovered that, actually, we really don't like lip products that are dry and cakey and make our chapped lips worse!  Imagine that!

So now every company has a lip butter/tinted lip balm/balm color stick/you name it.  The object of the game is the same for each of these products: provide some actual color payoff while being comfortable on the lips, and maybe even good for the lips.

Here is Maybelline's contender in this game.  They are called the Color Whispers.  The official Maybelline description is that they provide pure color pigments suspended in a weightless gel without waxes or heavy oils.  As of this blog post, there are currently 20 shades that run the gamut from very sheer pinks to deep berry shades.  You can check out the full shade range on their site here.

I'm always on the hunt for the next best "your lips but better" shade, so I decided to start off with Pin Up Peach.

Size comparison: Maybelline Color Whisper on the left
and Revlon Lip Butter on the right

Packaging: Pretty standard.  I like the size, especially compared with the bulkier Flower Lip Butters I've reviewed.  The one downside is that the tube wasn't very well sealed in the store.  I was able to open tubes in the store, which might be cause for concern.  I'm not sure if that was just an issue at my store or not though.

Color: I loveeeeeeee this shade!  It's very fresh for springtime while still being very wearable and neutral for an office environment or a school environment.  There is no shimmer in this color.  It has a creamy finish.  In indoor lighting, it matches up better with its name and looks like a peachy pink shade.  In natural light, the pink tones come through a bit more.

Indoors

By a sunny window

Application: I love the way that this applies.  You definitely do feel like you're applying some kind of weightless gel.  It feels very smooth.  I would say that these are actually smoother on application than the Revlon lip butters.  The most notable thing about the application is that you can really build up color, which brings me to...

Pigmentation:  I think that these are the most appropriately named lip products (based on my one shade experience, anyway).  It starts off as just a whisper.  With one swipe, you'll get a sheer wash of the color.  However, just like a whisper in real life can easily build into a full on conversation, these are super buildable.  The more pigmented swatch was three swipes (all in the same direction, so no rubbing back and forth).  

Left = 1 swipe
Right = 3 swipe

Lasting power: These are comparable to the Revlon lip butters in terms of staying power to me.  I think I get longer wear from my Flower lip butters, but those are also a bit less pleasant as far as their texture is concerned (they are a bit gritty at times).  I'm happy to reapply this every few hours or after I eat because it's very comfortable, and I don't feel like I need a mirror since it applies evenly.

Bottom line: I think what says it all is that I've been wearing this shade by itself every day since I bought it.  It's a fresh, spring time peachy pink that is still super wearable and office/school appropriate. It feels great on the lips, applies evenly, and builds up color like a dream.  I will absolutely be buying more of these.

Review: Flower Cosmetics Lip Butters

The gorgeous Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore has launched her own cosmetics line with Walmart called Flower Beauty Cosmetics.  This isn't just a mini launch of a couple eyeshadows and a signature lipgloss.  The collection currently includes mascaras, foundations, nail polishes, lip sticks, lip butters, eyeliners, eyeshadow palettes, cream shadows, blush, bronzer, loose powder, pressed power...you name it.  Drew Barrymore has been quoted as saying that she wants this collection to last for years so that her daughter can work on it one day.  She's in it for the long haul!

The philosophy of the line is one I think we can all get behind: the products are made in the USA, not tested on animals (though of course this doesn't mean certain ingredients weren't tested on animals because as far as I know the brand has not been labelled as completely cruelty-free), and she aims to price them so that every woman can get high end products at a low end price.

What is this collection missing? A kitchen sink. They could call it "Blossom Basin"

This was one of the displays at my Walmart.  I didn't realize until my fiancé was ready to drag me out of the store that there was also an end-cap display with more items, so I didn't snap a picture of that.  But check all around your makeup area, as there might be more stuff away from the main display.

First up for review are two lip butters that I picked up.  In the next week, I'll have a review for a blush/bronzer compact and two nail polishes, so keep an eye out for those!


These were $6.98 a piece. The closest thing that I have in my collection to compare these to are the Revlon lip butters, which in my Walmart were $6.48.

What I look for: 1) comfortable on the lips, 2) moisturizing, and 3) pigmented, 4) not so pigmented that if I take one sip of water I need to reapply because it looks uneven.  I like color without the effort of constantly checking on coverage when it comes to lip products, so I always have high hopes for lip butters.

Left to right: Flower Beauty Lip Butter (Princess and the Peony), Revlon Lip Butter (Pink Truffle)

Packaging: The packaging feels very solid, but it's also pretty bulky.  Above is a shot showing a Flower lip butter next to a Revlon lip butter.  The Flower packaging is obviously bulkier, but I still think that they would fit nicely into a small purse or clutch without trouble.  These won't fit in your pocket though. One problem I have with the packaging is that it's sort of tricky to tell what shade you're going to get when you're in the store because of the tinted cap. You have to sort of guess that you'll like the color based on the cap.  Another issue is that once you take off the label that seals the lip butter in store, you have no way of knowing what color you have because there's no marking on the packaging to tell you.  I took a sharpie and marked the bottom of mine so that I could keep them straight.  Not exactly the classiest of moves, but hey, it works.

Color Selection: There are nine shades in the lip butter line.  They all seemed to be pretty wearable, so I went with some that I felt would be a close match to my natural lip color so that I could find an everyday shade for myself.  I have pigmented lips, so this meant I ended up grabbing Haute Honeysuckle and Princess and the Peony.  Haute Honeysuckle is a peachy, "your lips but better" pink with shimmer.  Princess and the Peony is a deeper, berry toned pink with shimmer.

Haute Honeysuckle

Princess and the Peony

Scent and Taste: These both have the same floral scent.  Go figure, with their names and the fact that they are from a cosmetic company called Flower, they smell floral.  I do not taste anything when I lick my lips.

Swatches:

Left to right: Haute Honeysuckle, Princess and the Peony. Taken in artificial light

Left to right: Haute Honeysuckle, Princess and the Peony. Taken by sunny window

Application: These go on with a bit more of a grainy texture than Revlon lip butters, but I do not find this to be a bad thing.  It's very easy to get an even layer of color with these despite the little bit of grittiness.  The size of the stick is just right for giving you adequate control over where you're placing the color.

Look and Feel: I think these are perfectly pigmented for lip butters.  I find that it only takes one or two swipes over my lips to get a nice, even representation of the color.  The shimmer is not noticeable on the lips thank goodness.  They have a shinier finish than the Revlon lip butters.  They feel comfortable on the lips.  If traditional lip sticks are jeans, these are sweatpants.  They have no appreciable stickiness to them.

Staying Power: These do not transfer anywhere near as badly as my Revlon lip butters.  I can take a drink of my soda after applying and only see a faint ghost of color.  With my Revlon lip butters, I leave a noticeable mark every time.  The darker color (Princess and the Peony) transfers more than Haute Honeysuckle, but that's to be expected.  I find that they wear well throughout the day and don't become uneven.  The color just sort of fades across your lips for several hours until you are ready to reapply.  

Bottom Line: 

I think these are fantastic.  They wear well, they are pigmented, they feel comfortable on my lips despite some initial grittiness to the application, and the colors are all pretty wearable.  I would recommend picking up one of these the next time you're in Walmart.  My biggest complaints are about the packaging.  If the tube was a little slimmer, left the name of the color on there somewhere, and if you could accurately see the color in the store, these would be home runs!