Three New Products from Maybelline: Reviews and Swatches

The products I will be reviewing today are: The City Bronzer in the Shade 100 (Light), the Matte Bar eyeshadow palette, and the Last Sensational Boosting Serum. 

We'll begin with the City Bronzer, which cost $7.99 for 9.25 g of product. 

Maybelline calls this a bronzer AND contour powder, so it will be interesting to see how the color performs. If it is too orange, then I would be cautious about using it as an actual contour. 

Right of the bat, you should know that the powder is scented. I would liken it to a somewhat floral baby-powder scent. It is not unpleasant, and not too strong, and it not discernible when applied to the face. 

Onto the swatches!

I do think for my skintone, the powder provides a nice bit of warmth that looks natural. It is brown-yellow toned, but not too orange.

I thought it would be interesting to compare them to my other HG bronzer, the Butter Bronzer by Physician's Formula, also in the shade light:

The Maybelline bronzer is on the left, and the Butter Bronzer is one the right. Color-wise, these two are extremely similar. The only difference is that the BB is more luminous, and applies more sheer, but both of them are incredibly easy to use. They both are very blend-able.

Overall, I would recommend the City Bronzer if you are looking for a bronzer that is more on the matte side. However, I do prefer the scent of the Butter Bronzer and do realize you get more product in the BB, albeit for a a couple of dollars more.  BB also has a better range of shades.

Both are very pretty bronzers, and I am glad to have the Maybelline City Bronzer in my collection.

The Matte Bar Eyeshadow Palette, 9.7 g for $10.00

This palette is interesting to me for a couple of reasons. For one, Maybelline hasn't been using pressed pans in their palettes for a while, but in this case, they are.

Additionally, the mattes in this palette are pretty much the matte scheme in many of the higher end palettes we've seen for a while- The Modern Renaissance, the Queen of Hearts palette, the Urban Decay Naked Heat, and the Naked Petite Heat palette.

Did I necessarily need this palette? No, of course not. I do have these mattes in many different forms, but I do love the idea of a small, all-matte palette that is affordable.

Something else interesting? The shades have names! Printed on the back, of course, so I would never remember them.

So, from left to right, we have:

1. 1915, a peached-toned cream shade that is not showing up on my skin.
2.  Empire, a rose-toned pink very similar to MuG's Cupcake or Coloured Raine's Princess
3. Landmark, a berry, like Ladyship from CR
4. Groundbreaking, a literal wash of light orange? 
5. Hustle, an interesting salmon-toned orange
6. Flatiron (what is that name?) a yellow-toned cream
7. Grit, an orange-toned brown
8. Brickhouse, a red-toned brown

9. Gridlock, a true taupe

10. Hard Edge, a blackened brown

My Thoughts:

These mattes are very tightly pressed in the pans. Do not expect loose, buttery shadows here. There is color pay-off, and they are certainly buildable, but I would not recommend setting your entire eye after you've applied primer. 

The only shades I think are a waste of time are 1915, because I don't really see any pigment, and Hard Edge, which needs to be softer and darker. Other than that, this palette is extremely easy to use, especially in terms of how it is organized and how it helps you create depth and a gradient. 

If you don't have many neutral mattes in your collection, and prefer drier formulations that you can build up, I would recommend this palette. 

And now the last one!

Lash Booster Serum, $12.00

This is going to be my shortest and most ambiguous review because products like these take time to observe, and are really very subjective. 

Long story short, my eyes are extremely sensitive, but I have not had any reactions to this product. A couple of weeks ago, my lashes- which are usually just of a medium length and thickness- were weirdly stubby, so I started being more conscious of removing all of my mascara, and then applying this serum. 

I have not felt that my lashes were as bad as they were a couple of weeks ago, and mascara has been easier to apply. 

The site says to apply it twice a day, but I've only been doing it once. Maybe I should start...

The applicator is cotton, which I like:

So applying it to my lashes is very easy, and it doesn't pull on them.  

That's all from now, for now! Thanks so much for reading!!