June 11, 2015

Maybelline Color Blur Cream Matte Pencil Review & Swatches

The new Maybelline Color Blur Cream Matte Pencil & Smudger ($6.99 at Harmons) is a new matte finish lipstick pencil available for Summer/Fall 2015 in a variety of vibrant shades. I’m not much of a matte lipstick fan myself but I was a curious about the new Maybelline Color Blush Cream Matte Pencils because they actually embrace a Korean lip trend that hasn’t really been in the spotlight here in the US.

Maybelline Color Blur Cream Matte Pencil

Let’s take a look and I’ll explain further.

Maybelline Color Blur Cream Matte Pencils

Maybelline Color Blur Matte Pencil

Maybelline Color Blur Cream Matte Pencil are a dual sided twist up lip pencil that contain a creamy lipstick on one side and a smudger on the other. Honestly, at a glance I thought for a second the smudger was some kind of setting balm like Revlon’s Just Bitten Kiss Balm Pencils but it turned out it was a smudger. Why the smudger? The smudger actually acts to recreate one of Korean beauty’s most popular lip looks! You might be privy to brands like Etude House and Tony Moly who tend to love creating this unusual smudged up ombre lip look. I actually don’t really love this look personally as 1. I can’t seem to get it right! Maybe my lips are too small? 2. It makes me look kinda sick and 3. It makes me look like I was playing in my mom’s makeup and didn’t completely apply my lipstick correctly.

Maybelline Color Blur Cream Matte Pencils13

Maybelline Color Blur Cream Matte Pencil5

The general idea of the look is to apply the lipstick towards the center of your mouth and smudge it gently so it bleeds a bit into the outer lip area but not too much. You want more color towards the center of your lips and less color towards the outer lip area. It’s kinda a funky faded up ombre lip look. I tried it with the smudger and thought the smudger a touch to large to recreate the look but again my lips might just be too small to get this look. You can see some of the lip looks below from a few Korean brands.

coloursystem2

dreamingswandearmybloominglips-talk

On that note I will say I wore the shades as all over lipstick and thought they rocked in the pigment department. They provide solid, smooth color on lips with a single swipe and build beautifully. They provide opaque color with an even matte finish on my drier lips. They didn’t accentuate dryness nor did they look dry or settle into my natural lip lines. The finish was beautifully smooth and very even. The actual tip of the pencil is a flat design so you can apply easily. They glide on incredibly well! I barely have to touch color to my lips, it just melts right on with a soft, velvety feel. They have no fragrance or flavor that I detected. It’s a funny thing because sometimes lip products that have no flavor still kinda taste like cardboard, ever have that happen? But these are truly completely flavor-free.

Maybelline Color Blur Cream Matte Pencil swatches

Maybelline Color Blur Cream Matte Pencil Swatches (My-My Magenta, Berry Misbehaved, Orange Ya Glad, Cherry Cherry Bang Bang, Partners in Crime)

Maybelline Berry Misbehaved Color Blur

Maybelline Berry Misbehaved Color Blur fotd

Maybelline Berry Misbehaved Color Blur

Maybelline Cherry Cherry Bang Bang Color Blur

Maybelline Cherry Cherry Bang Bang Color Blur fotd

Maybelline Cherry Cherry Bang Bang Color Blur

Maybelline Partner in Crimson Color Blur Cream Matte Pencil

Maybelline Partner in Crimson Color Blur fotd

Maybelline Partner in Crimson Color Blur

Maybelline Orange Ya Glade Color Blur

Maybelline Orange Ya Glade Color Blur fotd

Maybelline Orange Ya Glade Color Blur

Maybelline My My Magenta Color Blur

Maybelline Color Blur Cream Matte Pencil fotd5

Maybelline My My Magenta Color Blur

The wear is delightfully long at around five hours and some shades leave behind a staining effect as they fade! They don’t migrate or feather through the wear nor do they fade! They remain quite vibrant and fresh through the wear however, at around hour two and into three, four, and five the product feels a little more dry than when I originally applied but it isn’t terribly uncomfortable and lucky enough doesn’t translate to the actual finish looking dry.

All in all Maybelline Color Blur Cream Matte Pencils are a very nice lipstick product that takes on a very popular Asian lip trend. Whether or not anyone gets on board with the faded out lip look is the question. Personally it isn’t really my thing but it is different and it does show the promise of how Japanese, Korean, and other Asian beauty and makeup is influencing the US market and I love that!

Maybelline Color Blur Cream Matte Pencil are launching at drugstores now.

Tried them?

Do share your thoughts!

I purchased this item.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Dominique

    Muse !

    Misbehaved Berry is one of the nicest color i’ve seen on you in a very long time ! It suits you in a marvelous way !

  • cara greco

    I wonder if these are the us version of the maybelline chubby pencils out in the UK. Great review!

    • Isabella Muse

      Not sure on the formula but Maybelline Color Drama Lipstick from the UK are just pencils. These aren’t a traditional pencil, no sharpener required, plus these have the smudger which the UK version doesn’t have!

  • Maria

    Hi Muse. These colors look so pretty on you. I have to go search for these. I hope to find them online.

  • Heidi

    I like the idea, but I’d probably use the blurring end just to clean up edges. If I want a softer edge I just use a Q-tip. The colors are pretty, though. I have so many lipsticks at the moment, though, I hope I don’t spot these in a store for a while!

    • Isabella Muse

      same here, I doubt i’ll make a ton of use of the blurring end aside from doing a little clean up!

  • Carolina

    You look gorgeous in bright color…what blush are you wearing?

    • Isabella Muse

      it’s the new mark shimmer cube in coral Carolina 🙂

  • Maria

    Muse all the colors look so nice on you especially the berry one. I have to search for these. I hope they are sold online.

    • Isabella Muse

      aw thanks Maria! Haven’t seen them online yet but I’m sure Ulta.com will get them!

  • Fancie

    I’m so glad you like them! I found them at Walmart yesterday and picked up like 5 of them. I’ve only swatched them so far but they were soo pigmented and creamy. I can’t wait to try them now!

  • Dora

    Pretty! The packaging (minus the blurring end) looks a little like the Colourpop lippies — which I have not yet tried, but want to (although need more lipsticks like a hole in the head). Agree about the berry shade — very nice! Are there additional shades? (Sorry if you already said this — didn’t see it anywhere.)

    • Isabella Muse

      yup there are I just purchased five for this review Dora! I believe it’s ten or eight total shades!

  • Diana

    I hope that trend doesn’t catch on here. The whole, “lipstick is wearing off” or “forgot to apply it everywhere” look would drive me nuts!! But I think I need these pencils in my life

  • Andrew

    I was actually surprised to see them at my local Wal-Mart and decided to pick up shade #50. What. A. Disaster.

    First of all yes, it was very nicely pigmented, and I didn’t notice any type of lingering flavor. That’s about all the good I can say about it though.

    I take care of my lips very well so they’re rarely every dry or flaky, but somehow this managed to find the drier spots on my lips and paint a bull’s eye around them. The color migrated into my lip lines within five minutes, even after smoothing the color out. The color was at least two shades darker than the tube suggested and I was honestly pretty pissed to find that they didn’t release at least one light pink/beige nude in the bunch. No matter how I applied it, smudged it, covered it or prepped my lips, this product just all around sucked for me. I’m pretty upset with Maybelline and, if I was still blogging, this would be my “Major Fail of the Week.”

    • Isabella Muse

      wow andrew so sorry to hear it. I didn’t have an issue at all and I have all kinds of dry lips. The color was very smooth and even on my lips and didn’t catch on my flakier areas! I was worried they’d settle into fine lines but no issues at all! Sorry again to hear it 🙁

      • Maggie

        I’m going to have to give these a try then. So interesting how it works so well for one person and not at all for another.

  • Katherine T.

    The colors and pigment look great! I like the look of ombre lips with 2 shades (a darker shade +lighter shade) but I’m not liking Maybelline’s interpretation – it looks like faded lipstick that you forgot to apply to the outer edge.

  • Molly

    I’m Korean and my lipstick often seems to make that gradient naturally as the day wears on or if the lipstick has a hard texture. I don’t actually like it, but maybe everyone in Korea is like, “Screw it. I’m just making this into a trend.”

    • Isabella Muse

      haha possibly Molly! 🙂 It actually kinda looks cool on some people but on me it looks all kinds of foolish! I look like I have a cold or something and my lips are dry when I attempt it!

  • Nikole

    Ha ha Muse you made me smile with your references to the gradient lip look as “looking sick” and looking like you don’t know how to apply lipstick properly. I will probably piss someone off by saying this, but even the pictures of the gradient lip look are ridiculous, in my opinion – like someone couldn’t be bothered to actually apply lipstick all over their lips! so I agree with you and I am personally glad that you did not post the pics of your attempts. (I don’t think your lips are too small, I just think the look is silly).
    As others have pointed out, you look very nice in ALL of the colors you selected. I’m glad you like these, hope you get lots of enjoyment from them.

    • Isabella Muse

      that’s always how I feel when I try it Nikole 😀 Aw thanksssssss! I heart you 🙂 <3!!!!!!!!!! You're lovely!

  • Ayman

    WOW….The shades look so pretty on you….Too bad I can’t wear them b/c they r not my shades…..

    • Isabella Muse

      maybe some of the other shades will be better for you Ayman!

  • susan tunis

    All those colors look great on you!!! You have nice lips, they are not too small. Fit your face perfectly!!

  • Brian

    I hope these make their way to drugstores near me soon! Definitely intriguing.
    I think I am in the minority but I like this lip trend but on me, only with a red or rosy shade. I like how it is like the color is coming from within your natural lip color but if I tried it with a bright pink or an orange, I think I would just look like a hot mess!

    • Isabella Muse

      I think it def works for some people Brian! personally I look silly with it but I’ve seen girls/guys that work it really well ;-D It reminds me of doll or mannequin lips when done correctly!

  • Alexa

    These remind me of Arituams Wannabe Cushion Tints. Even the packaging on them are similar. I wonder how they will compare to each other.. But based on your review I’m guessing pretty similar in formula at least? Hm, I think this warrants a trip to the drugstore for further review lol

  • Maria

    I noticed that the pencil is only .04 ounces Muse. Does it look like it would last a while? Thanks.

    • Isabella Muse

      depends on how often you use it Maria…If you use it daily I imagine it’ll wear down quickly!

  • Maria

    Hi Muse. I checked the size of these pencils. They are only .04 ounces. Do you know if these will last a while rolling up the pencil? Thanks

    • Isabella Muse

      rolling up the pencil? Can you explain, not sure I understand…? If you use it daily you’ll likely go through it pretty fast! Hope this helps!?

  • Yen

    Oh these look very nice! I’m glad you reviewed these! I’ve been eager to see swatches of the red shades. Haha I’m also in the minority here who like the gradient look. I’ve been doing it for quite a long time. I usually try to use two different colors for a gradient look, but I get lazy. With one color, I’m reminded of what my lips look like when I eat a red lollipop and my lips are stained in the center. Haha my boyfriend thinks it looks odd, but I do it anyway.

  • Heather

    I’m not a fan of the blurring thingy on the end, but these are definitely a great addition to the drugstore! Super creamy and pigmented!

  • Elena

    Ooh, pretty colours! Might check it out if they cross the border. I’ve tried the Korean ombre trend on myself in the name of “science” and… NOT happening. It looks very youthful and fresh, albeit, somewhat strange to my eye. But as an response to the overdrawn lip trend, I’m all for variety. No doubt, some people can rock it. It’s just my aging mug doesn’t cut it. Subculture lip liner is my jam forever and always.

  • Amanda

    First of all I love your blog! I depend on you Muse!
    And to my comments. I bought all of these and liked them with the exception of the orange, the very bright pink and the lightest one.
    I really like the color payoff and fast and fuchsia one reminds me of my favorite Mac matte Flat Out Fabulous.

    I do not like the smudger, that trend will never be something I adopt so its pointless for me.

    They are also similar to the loreal le mattes of time past. Though I have not tried the re-launched ones.

    These little pencils are great for a bold lip lover who doesn’t feel like lining or carrying an extra liner.

    • Isabella Muse

      aw thanks Amanda blush! 🙂 I’m glad you like these! I didn’t love the smudger either, def pointless! I’m glad you’re enjoying these!