Makeup Geek Mambo, Electric Slide, Twerk Showstopper Crème Stains Reviews, Photos, Swatches
Mambo
Makeup Geek Mambo Showstopper Creme Stain ($12.00 for 0.19 fl. oz.) is a rich, raspberry pink with cooler undertones and a matte finish. It was one of the more pigmented and easier-to-apply shades with minimal streaking, just “cracking” when I smiled where it was clear the color was pulling away at my lip lines. It had semi-opaque coverage, though it required three pulls of product just to get enough product on the lips for one layer. The consistency was thin, quick-drying, and lightly tacky after it dried down. It lasted for four hours before there was noticeable fading along the center of the lips, and it was drying after three hours of wear. (Surprisingly, it did not leave behind stain.)
The Showstopper Creme Stain formula is supposed to be “long-lasting” and “highly pigmented and offer effortless, buildable coverage.” Highly pigmented and buildable make it confusing what the coverage actually is, since something that is buildable means that it is less pigmented but can be layered for greater coverage. The majority of shades were medium to semi-opaque in coverage, hard to build as they often pulled up the first layer and shifted color around. The formula rarely applied well; it was streaky, dried so fast that there was no time for corrections (and attempts to correct just made it worse), and clingy. I found the applicator rougher, and the packaging made it seem that sometimes it was more like I wasn’t getting enough product on the wand to even coverage half of a lip (it seemed like the opening was wiping away too much product from the doefoot applicator). For every single swatch, I had to dip and pull the wand two to three times just to get enough product to cover my lips (it was impossible to stretch out the product very far as it dried as I was spreading it). It did dry to a transfer-resistant finish, but it did not survive eating well (most liquid lipstick formulas have survived better for me). Though transfer-resistant, it remained slightly tacky for one to two hours–and if you use more than one to one and a half layers, it often lifted and separated the color.
The brand’s swatches and lip swatches showcase a seemingly opaque product, but I could not achieve opaque coverage with several shades, even trying four or five layers, and the result after five layers of product was uneven, patchy, and cakey. The wear was average–four to six hours with significant fading from the center, which is more what I’d experience with a typical lipstick than a liquid lipstick–and surprisingly, little staining, even with deeper shades. So far, they have been slightly drying to somewhat drying. There are so many high-performing liquid lipsticks on the marketplace already, so I was caught off guard by the poor application and performance of this formula.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- NARS Let's Go Crazy (P, $27.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- ColourPop Poppin' (P, $6.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Menace (P, $18.00) is lighter, brighter (90% similar).
- Make Up For Ever M203 (DC, $22.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- Fenty Beauty Unlocked (P, $24.00) is lighter, brighter (90% similar).
- ColourPop Date Mate (LE, $7.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Noise (P, $22.00) is lighter, brighter (90% similar).
- NARS Carthage (P, $28.00) is brighter, glossier (90% similar).
- MAC Good Kisser (P, $19.00) is lighter, brighter, glossier (85% similar).
- MAC Flat Out Fabulous (P, $19.00) is lighter, cooler (85% similar).
Formula Overview
$12.00/0.19 oz. - $63.16 Per Ounce
The Showstopper Creme Stain formula is supposed to be “long-lasting” and “highly pigmented and offers effortless, buildable coverage.” Highly pigmented and buildable make it confusing what the coverage actually is, since something that is buildable means that it is less pigmented but can be layered for greater coverage. The majority of shades were medium to semi-opaque in coverage, hard to build as they often pulled up the first layer and shifted color around. The formula rarely applied well; it was streaky, dried so fast that there was no time for corrections (and attempts to correct just made it worse), and clingy.
I found the applicator rougher, and the packaging made it seem that sometimes it was more like I wasn’t getting enough product on the wand to even coverage half of a lip (it seemed like the opening was wiping away too much product from the doefoot applicator). For every single swatch, I had to dip and pull the wand two to three times just to get enough product to cover my lips (it was impossible to stretch out the product very far as it dried as I was spreading it).
It did dry to a transfer-resistant finish, but it did not survive eating well (most liquid lipstick formulas have survived better for me). Though transfer-resistant, it remained slightly tacky for one to two hours–and if you use more than one to one and a half layers, it often lifted and separated the color.
The brand’s swatches and lip swatches showcase a seemingly opaque product, but I could not achieve opaque coverage with several shades, even trying four or five layers, and the result after five layers of product was uneven, patchy, and cakey. The wear was average–four to six hours with significant fading from the center, which is more what I’d experience with a typical lipstick and a liquid lipstick–and surprisingly, little staining, even with deeper shades. So far, they have been slightly drying to somewhat drying. There are so many high-performing liquid lipsticks on the marketplace already, so I was caught off guard by the poor application and performance of this formula.
Browse all of our Makeup Geek Showstopper Crème Stain swatches.
Ingredients
Polybutene, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polyethylene, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Microcrystalline WaxCera MicrocristallinaCire Microcristalline, Dipentaerythrityl Hexahydroxystearate, Octyldodecanol, Dicalcium Phosphate, WaterAquaEau, Alumina, Tin Oxide, Silica, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Aluminum Calcium Sodium Silicate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Alcohol, Fragrance (Parfum), Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, [+/- Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Iron Oxides (Ci 77499), Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Bronze Powder (Ci 77400), Carmine (Ci 75470), Copper Powder (Ci 77400), Manganese Violet (Ci 77742), Orange 5 (Ci 45370), Red 6 (Ci 15850), Red 7 (Ci 15850), Red 21 (Ci 45380), Red 27 (Ci 45410), Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850), Red 22 Lake (Ci 45380), Red 28 Lake (Ci 45410), Red 30 Lake (Ci 73360), Red 33 Lake (Ci 17200), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (Ci 15985)]
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Mambo
LELimited Edition. $12.00.
Electric Slide
Makeup Geek Electric Slide Showstopper Creme Stain ($12.00 for 0.19 fl. oz.) is a deep, cool-toned violet purple with a matte finish. It had medium coverage, which I was not able to build well at all; every attempt led to parts of the initial layer lifting and moving. Sometimes it seemed to just erase what I had done in the first place–and I did wait for it to dry down fully! The consistency was thin, almost emollient like there was more oil in it, but it dried pretty quickly on my lips. I felt like it had already started to dry down before I could spread the product across my bottom lip more than half-way. I had to get three pulls of product to complete a single layer of coverage (not trying to build it up at all, just to lay down some color everywhere), as there seemed to be so little product on the wand. The result was patchy, uneven color that pulled into lip lines, looked “cracked” when I smiled, and lasted four hours before there was significant fading from the center of the mouth. I tried to eat with this shade on, and I had almost no product left by the end of the meal. It was slightly drying while worn.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Kaleidos Siren (P, $12.00) is lighter (95% similar).
- ColourPop Be-dazzled (LE, $6.50) is lighter, brighter (90% similar).
- Make Up For Ever M502 (DC, $22.00) is lighter, glossier (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Pandemonium (P, $18.00) is lighter, brighter (90% similar).
- Fenty Beauty Undefeated (P, $24.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- KVD Beauty Roxy (P, $20.00) is lighter, brighter (90% similar).
- ColourPop Chaps (LE, $6.50) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Melt Cosmetics Mariachi (P, $19.00) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (80% similar).
- Anastasia Violet (LE, $20.00) is lighter (80% similar).
Formula Overview
$12.00/0.19 oz. - $63.16 Per Ounce
The Showstopper Creme Stain formula is supposed to be “long-lasting” and “highly pigmented and offers effortless, buildable coverage.” Highly pigmented and buildable make it confusing what the coverage actually is, since something that is buildable means that it is less pigmented but can be layered for greater coverage. The majority of shades were medium to semi-opaque in coverage, hard to build as they often pulled up the first layer and shifted color around. The formula rarely applied well; it was streaky, dried so fast that there was no time for corrections (and attempts to correct just made it worse), and clingy.
I found the applicator rougher, and the packaging made it seem that sometimes it was more like I wasn’t getting enough product on the wand to even coverage half of a lip (it seemed like the opening was wiping away too much product from the doefoot applicator). For every single swatch, I had to dip and pull the wand two to three times just to get enough product to cover my lips (it was impossible to stretch out the product very far as it dried as I was spreading it).
It did dry to a transfer-resistant finish, but it did not survive eating well (most liquid lipstick formulas have survived better for me). Though transfer-resistant, it remained slightly tacky for one to two hours–and if you use more than one to one and a half layers, it often lifted and separated the color.
The brand’s swatches and lip swatches showcase a seemingly opaque product, but I could not achieve opaque coverage with several shades, even trying four or five layers, and the result after five layers of product was uneven, patchy, and cakey. The wear was average–four to six hours with significant fading from the center, which is more what I’d experience with a typical lipstick and a liquid lipstick–and surprisingly, little staining, even with deeper shades. So far, they have been slightly drying to somewhat drying. There are so many high-performing liquid lipsticks on the marketplace already, so I was caught off guard by the poor application and performance of this formula.
Browse all of our Makeup Geek Showstopper Crème Stain swatches.
Ingredients
Polybutene, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polyethylene, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Microcrystalline WaxCera MicrocristallinaCire Microcristalline, Dipentaerythrityl Hexahydroxystearate, Octyldodecanol, Dicalcium Phosphate, WaterAquaEau, Alumina, Tin Oxide, Silica, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Aluminum Calcium Sodium Silicate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Alcohol, Fragrance (Parfum), Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, [+/- Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Iron Oxides (Ci 77499), Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Bronze Powder (Ci 77400), Carmine (Ci 75470), Copper Powder (Ci 77400), Manganese Violet (Ci 77742), Orange 5 (Ci 45370), Red 6 (Ci 15850), Red 7 (Ci 15850), Red 21 (Ci 45380), Red 27 (Ci 45410), Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850), Red 22 Lake (Ci 45380), Red 28 Lake (Ci 45410), Red 30 Lake (Ci 73360), Red 33 Lake (Ci 17200), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (Ci 15985)]
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Electric Slide
LELimited Edition. $12.00.
Twerk
Makeup Geek Twerk Showstopper Creme Stain ($12.00 for 0.19 fl. oz.) is a deep, forest green with cool undertones and a matte finish. It had semi-sheer coverage in one layer, and it was buildable to a patchy, streaky mess of “medium” coverage (in places). The consistency was thin and was difficult to spread across the lips, as parts of it started to dry down almost immediately and I could only cover half of my bottom lip with all the product on the wand, so I had to get three pulls of product just to do about one layer on my lips. It emphasized the texture of my lips and looked “cracked” when I smiled, despite being thinner. It was transfer-resistant but was slightly tacky throughout the wear. This shade started to wear away from the center with three hours and was somewhat drying after four hours of wear.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Bite Beauty #052 (P, $18.00) is more shimmery, darker, glossier (90% similar).
- Maybelline Smoky Jade (P, $7.49) is lighter, more muted (90% similar).
- ColourPop Dr. M (DC, $6.50) is lighter, brighter (85% similar).
- Bite Beauty Kale (DC, $26.00) is darker, glossier (90% similar).
- MAC Deep with Envy (LE, $19.00) is lighter, glossier (85% similar).
- Anastasia Requiem (P, $20.00) is more shimmery, lighter, brighter (80% similar).
- Kaleidos Agave (P, $12.00) is lighter, cooler (80% similar).
Formula Overview
$12.00/0.19 oz. - $63.16 Per Ounce
The Showstopper Creme Stain formula is supposed to be “long-lasting” and “highly pigmented and offers effortless, buildable coverage.” Highly pigmented and buildable make it confusing what the coverage actually is, since something that is buildable means that it is less pigmented but can be layered for greater coverage. The majority of shades were medium to semi-opaque in coverage, hard to build as they often pulled up the first layer and shifted color around. The formula rarely applied well; it was streaky, dried so fast that there was no time for corrections (and attempts to correct just made it worse), and clingy.
I found the applicator rougher, and the packaging made it seem that sometimes it was more like I wasn’t getting enough product on the wand to even coverage half of a lip (it seemed like the opening was wiping away too much product from the doefoot applicator). For every single swatch, I had to dip and pull the wand two to three times just to get enough product to cover my lips (it was impossible to stretch out the product very far as it dried as I was spreading it).
It did dry to a transfer-resistant finish, but it did not survive eating well (most liquid lipstick formulas have survived better for me). Though transfer-resistant, it remained slightly tacky for one to two hours–and if you use more than one to one and a half layers, it often lifted and separated the color.
The brand’s swatches and lip swatches showcase a seemingly opaque product, but I could not achieve opaque coverage with several shades, even trying four or five layers, and the result after five layers of product was uneven, patchy, and cakey. The wear was average–four to six hours with significant fading from the center, which is more what I’d experience with a typical lipstick and a liquid lipstick–and surprisingly, little staining, even with deeper shades. So far, they have been slightly drying to somewhat drying. There are so many high-performing liquid lipsticks on the marketplace already, so I was caught off guard by the poor application and performance of this formula.
Browse all of our Makeup Geek Showstopper Crème Stain swatches.
Ingredients
Polybutene, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polyethylene, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Microcrystalline WaxCera MicrocristallinaCire Microcristalline, Dipentaerythrityl Hexahydroxystearate, Octyldodecanol, Dicalcium Phosphate, WaterAquaEau, Alumina, Tin Oxide, Silica, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Aluminum Calcium Sodium Silicate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Alcohol, Fragrance (Parfum), Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, [+/- Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Iron Oxides (Ci 77499), Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Bronze Powder (Ci 77400), Carmine (Ci 75470), Copper Powder (Ci 77400), Manganese Violet (Ci 77742), Orange 5 (Ci 45370), Red 6 (Ci 15850), Red 7 (Ci 15850), Red 21 (Ci 45380), Red 27 (Ci 45410), Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850), Red 22 Lake (Ci 45380), Red 28 Lake (Ci 45410), Red 30 Lake (Ci 73360), Red 33 Lake (Ci 17200), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (Ci 15985)]
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
I honestly feel like MUG should feel a little ashamed of themselves for releasing such sub-par products. Thank goodness I have much superior green lipsticks in my collection already.
When I was applying them for photos, I was really, really puzzled by how badly they were applying. I was in a real state of disbelief!
Wow, Twerk might be the worst lip product I’ve ever seen. What a disaster.
It was so sad!
Well, the eyes look amazing anyhow! Wow, what a terrible-looking formula. I have so much trouble applying liquid lipsticks to begin with.
Thanks, Emily!
I don’t consider myself perfect at applying them, but I think I do a competent job – I tried soooo hard to get these to look decent!
Really appreciate your efforts, Christine! ? Trying to make products work is frustrating for most people, let alone someone who also has to swatch and test hundreds of other things :p
I need these colors in my life. Thanks for the reviews.
No problem, Chantel!
Dang this doesn’t bode well… 🙁
I haven’t had a good time with these so far 🙁
With Mambo being at *best*, semi-passable if it were just a $2-5 dollar lipstick, these are going to be a swift and easy pass for me, I believe.
There are better formulas out there!
Shameful. Maybe they ought to have spent less on the container….it’s a dupe for some year’s MJ…and more on formulation. They’re not edging towards ‘Mid-end’ equally well with all products. HE pkging may have been required for the soft highlighters, but it is an extra expense on these.
I had higher expectations – and the price point at $12 is more palatable than other lip products they’ve released (and these contain a decent amount). I don’t know why I struggled so much with these – I will be curious to see others’ reviews!
THANK YOU for making that MJ connection. Something was bugging me about the pictures, as they reminded me of something, and that was it.
As long as the container doesn’t, like, break, I’d rather have something in plain packaging that WORKS as opposed to a crappy product in fancy packaging!
These sound and look awful. I feel really disappointed and let down by Makeup Geek. Based off of their swatches and how these were described. Sigh!
Thank’s Christine! I totally would have splurged and ordered a few of these!
I saw their swatches and looked at mine, and I was startled!!
Electric Slide and Twerk just make me cringe.
Agreed!
Oh dear the last 2 look terrible! On the plus side the Tarte metallic eyeshadows look lovely! Lol!
I know, right? They are sad to look at!
OMG, the last 2 shades look so horribly streaky and patchy, don’t know how they even got launched
lol, they are sooo streaky!
What on earth…? Who tested these and thought they were ready for release? They actually look unusable (with the exception of the pink, but that’s such a common shade it’s so easy to find an alternative at a decent price). The general swatches make me think the others won’t bode much better… oh well. Easy pass.
If they layered better, they might be usable, but I’m more in your camp – not worth fixing!
Electric slide is such a beautiful color it’s so unfortunate that it applied horribly. I have never seen anything apply so patchy and twerk is even worse. It’s just so sad
I know! It’s such a rich shade – wish it was better!
I’ve seen you make some pretty bad products look fantastic, so if you can’t make it work there is no hope for me lol! Thanks for the review!
Electric Slide/Twerk were the last two I swatched, and while a new formula might have a learning curve, I can usually figure it out within one or two, LOL!
“The Showstopper Creme Stain formula is supposed to be “long-lasting” and “highly pigmented and offer effortless, buildable coverage.” Highly pigmented and buildable make it confusing what the coverage actually is, since something that is buildable means that it is less pigmented but can be layered for greater coverage. ”
For me, this is the knowledge, integrity and sense I look for from you always. Lately there are certain buzzwords, with “pigmented” being a big one, that brands seem to always want to use to entice consumers, and many influencers and gurus follow suit without thought. But something being sheer is not wrong if it is meant to be, and sheer by itself has never meant “bad”. There are many products such as highlighter, foundation and bronzer that I prefer as sheer and buildable!
This is a terrible example of brands trying to cram buzzwords into their press release without considering what they actually are trying to say about their product. Thank you for calling this out. Brands need to be responsible for what they say about their product, especially when what they say is confusing or designed to sell without any further thought behind it. I am not just a sack of money, and I’m sick of being treated like one by a lot of social media-conscious brands as of late.
Based on using this one, I don’t think buildable would be the right direction (they dry too fast and don’t apply very smoothly on their own), but like you said – sheer, medium coverage, buildable, etc. are not bad words!
I myself like a medium coverage blush – something I can build up by going back once or twice more, but in general, I’d rather build up than have to buff and blend out due to being totally pigmented. I can appreciate, though, that there are those who prefer even sheerer coverage or want that true-to-pan intensity with one pass of the brush! It’s a shame that more brands aren’t willing to cop to something less than “highly pigmented.”
Thanks again, K! 🙂 Really reinforces that I’ve made the right call to use brand’s claims/marketing as the basis for judging a product’s efficacy.
Plus 100 on this comment. This is why I really like that Christine measures stuff based on what it’s meant to be – so if it’s *meant* to be sheer, and it is, then it can get a great grade. Take the product for what it’s supposed to be (as per the marketing) and start from there.
I have a feeling that many companies are trying to churn out as many similar products to other companies as they can without fully thinking things through. MUG does a few things quite well, but these lipsticks look just awful!
These have surprised me so much–but in the worst way 🙁
Wow, you do not pull any punches! I love reading your negative reviews best of all because your writing is so good at pinpointing the exact ways a product fails. LOL, if I had to write a negative review, I would probably just shout, “These are horrible!” but you always remain objective & fact filled. I especially appreciated your attention to detail in contrasting the company’s swatches with the fact that you could not at all achieve that same effect, even with a lot of effort.
Thank you, LeeLeeB! 🙂
Electric Slide and Twerk are awful, just awful!
See and what I find confusing is that Marlena said in the video on these that Twerk and Electric were “very pigmented” so they needed “several coats” (which makes no sense?). I also remember Marlena had mentioned issues with the packaging not pulling enough product on the wand in a Facebook Live Video so clearly it was a known issue that wasn’t resolved. I wonder if this would perform better if you removed the stopper.
It is a confusing statement – it is actually consistent? in a way with the description on their ecomm site of being highly pigmented and buildable (which is also confusing!). If the sentence read more like “It is a buildable product from medium to full coverage” – that would make sense.