Maybelline Color Elixir Lip Color - Rose Redefined

The Maybelline Color Elixir's have been out for a while now but I've been putting off this review a bit.  I've noticed that a lot more beauty bloggers/youtube beauty guru's have been talking about these recently and it reminded me that I needed to finish up this blog post. haha

I bought the color "Rose Redefined" and I picked mine up at Bed Bath and Beyond.

I might have said this in another post but Bed Bath and Beyond is a great place to pick up new drugstore makeup items - especially new releases!  I've noticed that they always have a lot of new item displays and they usually have most of the items in stock.  You can also get these at the ULTA Website ($8.99) or pretty much any other drugstore.  

Packaging:
When I saw these at Bed Bath and Beyond, the packaging was what drew me in.  The inside tube is actually shaped like a lipstick! And the outside packaging is clear plastic.  I think it's a pretty cool/new idea.  Each tube has a different color that represents the color of the Color Elixir inside.  Just as a side note, the inside tube isn't clear - so you can't see how much you've used up.  The entire package is small too.  It's about as tall as a MAC lipstick.

Applicator:

The applicator is kind of unique too.  The applicator shape is similar to the YSL glossy stain applicator.  It's not a doe foot applicator, a bit more wider.  But the texture of the applicator is what's different from other lip gloss applicators.  They're "fuzzy" and the applicator has ridges.  I don't have a problem with it but it's a bit different from what I'm used to. 

Scent:

To be honest, the scent is what's stopping me from going out and buying more of these.  I personally think they have a strong floral-y scent and even though it does go away after a while....I just don't like it. haha I'm usually okay with floral-y scents for perfumes but for some reason, I don't really like the scent of these.  So if you are picky-er with your scents (like me), I would probably buy one and see if you like the scent or not then go back and get more if you like it.  

Swatch:

Color:   This is a great natural looking color for my lips.  It adds a bit of pink to my natural lip color but nothing too crazy.  Just enough pink so that my lips aren't too washed out.  I think it's a great color to wear daily but also when you have a lot going on with your eye/face makeup, it's good to have a relatively neutral color to balance the look out.  I also like how the color doesn't have any sparkles in it.  I don't think any of the other ones do either (I'm not sure though).   The color payoff is pretty good too!  As you can see in the swatch, the swatch is pretty pigmented and it definitely is enough to wear on its own.  
Staying Power: These last longer than a normal lip gloss.  It does lose its shininess after maybe an hour or so, but the color stays on for about....maybe 3-4 hours? (without eating/drinking).  This color in particular doesn't stain my lips (or I just don't notice a stain because it's close to my natural lip color).  I haven't tried the darker colors, but they might leave a stain.  
Texture: This is definitely more of a "gummy/sticky" kind of lip product.  (I'm not sure if I should classify this as a lip gloss or not since it's almost a bit like liquid lipstick). I know that some people don't like a thick gloss so if you are one of those people, you probably won't like these. 
Overall: I'm glad that I picked this color up, especially since it's a great everyday color that I could wear during any season.  I have been enjoying darker colors for the winter season but I've also been using this as a break from all the dark colors.  The only downside of the Color Elixirs (for me) are the scent.  I just can't get over them....so I think for now, I'm going to stick with just this one.  But I do recommend these to people who don't mind a thicker texture gloss and are looking for glosses with a high color payoff.