Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick in ‘Voyager’
T’was the night before Christmas and I was, ah, in Savers buying hair conditioner. I’m rock and roll like that. I noticed they were selling the Maybelline matte inks for only £6.98 and not only that, but the deep red shade I had my eye on, ‘Voyager’, was back in stock.
So, I bought it, reasoning that a deep red, long-lasting lip would be perfect for Christmas day.
I’d tried one of Maybelline’s matte inks before, and I’d been impressed with the longevity, even if the mid-pink shade ‘Lover’ wasn’t really my jam. I was rather excited to try the same formula in red.
Sadly, from the first stroke of the doe-foot applicator I was disappointed. The first problem was the colour. I love a true red, or a good burgundy lip. Unfortunately, Voyager is neither. It’s a dull sort of shade, like a squashed cranberry, and there’s not enough richness there to call it wine. I wanted to immediately change it, and pop on a red with a little more zing, but I was running late and had to dash. Below is a super-flattering photo I took in the car, where you can see just how flat the colour is.
At least, I supposed, the formula would last through Christmas dinner. Well, on that front it didn’t particularly deliver either. It started to wear away after the first course, (potato and leek soup, for those interested) but not evenly like with a bullet or a lighter liquid lip. It went horribly patchy, and the lipstick inside and outside of both of my lips wore away.
After the meal, I stared at myself in horror in the hallway mirror. My lipstick was faded, cracked, and patchy, and I quickly reapplied another layer. This made the dull colour even darker and more muted, but it did layer well, with no flaking. On the country, the second coat clung to my lips like glue. It clung a little too well, and took some hard-core scrubbing and some oil to remove it later. But although it was still technically ‘on,’ the lipstick didn’t look good. I feel uncomfortable with my makeup the entire day.
A lot of people seem to really like the Maybelline stay matte inks, and if they work for you, great, but personally, I’d rather use a pencil style lipstick, or just blot a bullet. I don’t enjoy these liquid lipsticks at all, and I doubt I will try another colour.