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Maybelline Dare to Go Nude Color Elixirs Reviews, Photos, Swatches

Maybelline Sandy Sensation (115) Color Elixir
Maybelline Sandy Sensation (115) Color Elixir

For spring, Maybelline released six new and limited shades of their Color Elixir ($8.99 for 0.17 fl. oz.) gloss. I picked up four of the six shades (the other two were tampered with), and the two shades I’m missing are Polished Petal (105) and Radiant Bloom (110). My local Walgreens just put out the display for this collection last week, and the glosses definitely move more slowly compared to the limited edition Color Tattoos. I’ve reviewed the formula in the past, so here’s a recap of the formula: it’s non-sticky for the most part (gets a little tacky after three hours of wear), has a creme brulee scent and somewhat perfume-y taste (can be a deal-breaker if you’re more sensitive to off-tastes or if you do a lot of drinking/eating with your gloss on!), and is hydrating. Maybelline pushes the gloss as having “high impact” color, the coverage tends to be more semi-opaque.

Maybelline Sandy Sensation (115) Color Elixir ($8.99 for 0.17 fl. oz.) is a very light, peachy-beige with fine gold shimmer. Applied, it looks less warm-toned due to the natural lip color coming through the semi-opaque color coverage. It settled into lip lines quite a bit, unfortunately, though it actually applied evenly otherwise. The milkiness of the gloss makes it better applied over a lipstick, as it will cut back on the settling. This shade wore for two and a half hours. MAC Innocent (LE, $20.00) is less glossy. MAC Orange Tempera (LE, $15.00) is pinker. MAC Fashion Whim (LE, $20.00) is warmer. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Maybelline Gleaming Gold (120) Color Elixir ($8.99 for 0.17 fl. oz.) is a muted, yellow gold with lighter, brighter gold shimmer and sparkle. This had sheer color payoff, which makes it one of the sheerer Color Elixirs I’ve tried. It seems to warm-up the natural lip color while adding plenty of shimmer and sparkle. This shade stayed on for about two hours. Bobbi Brown Bare Peach (LE, $24.00) is less shimmery. MAC Nectarsweet (LE, $20.00) is lighter. Bobbi Brown Pure Gold (LE, $24.00) is slightly warmer. Guerlain Gold Tchlack (P, $30.00) is warmer. Bobbi Brown Canary (P, $24.00) is more shimmery. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Maybelline Charming Cocoa (125) Color Elixir ($8.99 for 0.17 fl. oz.) is a medium, lightly warmed-up brown with a subtle rosiness to it. This shade had no shimmer, just a creamy, glossy finish. It had mostly opaque color covrage, and though it was a little milky, it applied evenly for the most part and didn’t settle into lip lines too noticeably (only if you’re upclose). This shade lasted for four hours on me when I tested the wear. MAC Show Me (P, $19.50) is darker. MAC Spice (P, $15.00) is darker, pinker. MAC Over Indulgence (LE, $20.00) is warmer. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Maybelline Almond Aura (130) Color Elixir ($8.99 for 0.17 fl. oz.) is a coppery-brown with warm, orange-red undertones and a fine gold shimmer. It had mostly opaque pigmentation, and it applied really well–even, smooth, and no settling into lip lines. Almond Aura wore well for four and a half hours on me. MAC Over Indulgence (LE, $20.00) is much lighter, sheerer. MAC Kiss Don’t Tell (LE, $20.00) is darker, more muted. Chanel Impertinence (P, $32.00) is cooler-toned, sheerer. Bobbi Brown Uber Suede (P, $24.00) is browner, less coppery/warn-toned, more shimmery. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Sandy Sensation (115)

LELimited Edition.
C
C
7
Product
8.5
Pigmentation
8
Texture
6.5
Longevity
4
Application
76%
Total

Gleaming Gold (120)

LELimited Edition.
C-
C-
7
Product
6
Pigmentation
8.5
Texture
6
Longevity
4.5
Application
71%
Total

Charming Cocoa (125)

LELimited Edition.
B+
B+
9
Product
9
Pigmentation
8.5
Texture
8.5
Longevity
4.5
Application
88%
Total

Almond Aura (130)

LELimited Edition.
B+
B+
9
Product
9
Pigmentation
8.5
Texture
9
Longevity
4.5
Application
89%
Total

See more photos & swatches!

Maybelline Sandy Sensation (115) Color Elixir
Maybelline Sandy Sensation (115) Color Elixir

Maybelline Sandy Sensation (115) Color Elixir
Maybelline Sandy Sensation (115) Color Elixir

Maybelline Sandy Sensation (115) Color Elixir
Maybelline Sandy Sensation (115) Color Elixir

Maybelline Sandy Sensation (115) Color Elixir
Maybelline Sandy Sensation (115) Color Elixir

Maybelline Sandy Sensation (115) Color Elixir
Maybelline Sandy Sensation (115) Color Elixir

Maybelline Sandy Sensation (115) Color Elixir
Maybelline Sandy Sensation (115) Color Elixir

Maybelline Gleaming Gold (120) Color Elixir
Maybelline Gleaming Gold (120) Color Elixir

Maybelline Gleaming Gold (120) Color Elixir
Maybelline Gleaming Gold (120) Color Elixir

Maybelline Gleaming Gold (120) Color Elixir
Maybelline Gleaming Gold (120) Color Elixir

Maybelline Gleaming Gold (120) Color Elixir
Maybelline Gleaming Gold (120) Color Elixir

Maybelline Gleaming Gold (120) Color Elixir
Maybelline Gleaming Gold (120) Color Elixir

Maybelline Gleaming Gold (120) Color Elixir
Maybelline Gleaming Gold (120) Color Elixir

Maybelline Charming Cocoa (125) Color Elixir
Maybelline Charming Cocoa (125) Color Elixir

Maybelline Charming Cocoa (125) Color Elixir
Maybelline Charming Cocoa (125) Color Elixir

Maybelline Charming Cocoa (125) Color Elixir
Maybelline Charming Cocoa (125) Color Elixir

Maybelline Charming Cocoa (125) Color Elixir
Maybelline Charming Cocoa (125) Color Elixir

Maybelline Charming Cocoa (125) Color Elixir
Maybelline Charming Cocoa (125) Color Elixir

Maybelline Charming Cocoa (125) Color Elixir
Maybelline Charming Cocoa (125) Color Elixir

Maybelline Almond Aura (130) Color Elixir
Maybelline Almond Aura (130) Color Elixir

Maybelline Almond Aura (130) Color Elixir
Maybelline Almond Aura (130) Color Elixir

Maybelline Almond Aura (130) Color Elixir
Maybelline Almond Aura (130) Color Elixir

Maybelline Almond Aura (130) Color Elixir
Maybelline Almond Aura (130) Color Elixir

Maybelline Almond Aura (130) Color Elixir
Maybelline Almond Aura (130) Color Elixir

Maybelline Almond Aura (130) Color Elixir
Maybelline Almond Aura (130) Color Elixir

Makeup Look
On face:
  • Guerlain Parure de Lumiere Foundation
  • Guerlain Les Voilettes Pressed Powder
On eyes:
  • (your left) Maybelline Beige-ing Beauty
  • Maybelline Caramel Cool
  • Maybelline Sleek & Spice; (your right) Maybelline Pure Nude
  • Maybelline Nude Compliment
  • Tarina Tarantino Spark of Envy Eyeliner

56 Comments

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Comments on this post are closed.
Chanel Avatar

I think gleaming gold and sandy sensation would look better over a lipstick instead of by itself but they’re still both very pretty.

Clarissa R Avatar

Charming Cocoa looks like it’s the prettiest IMO. Funny, because I would never have picked it based on the color of the packaging. Thank you! Love your blog!

Ash Avatar

This is the BEST color. I love it and I have ALL the nude shades. It is so amazing, I brought it on a road trip and all my girls wanted it and took down the shade. Too bad it is limited edition.

meganlisa Avatar

When I saw these on display they were ALL tampered with! I’m so happy to see you didn’t love them. In my mind the formula is mixed, with me really much preferring the more pigmented shades so I wasn’t so disappointed they’d all been opened.
But, while I do see more and more that the drugstores are making things (cosmetics) harder and harder to open, my experience here is too typical. I finally find a limited edition product but it’s been opened…which with a gloss is a no go!!!

Christine Avatar

Really wish Maybelline would make these harder to open as well 🙁 I couldn’t buy the lipsticks… they were too easily opened and there was no way to tell if they were or not. Sometimes it’s obvious, sometimes you don’t notice until you get home. No thank you!

beka Avatar

drugstores would probably sell a lot more product if they would just leave one as a tester! i know i prefer to be able to tell what i’m buying! i was wanting to try the new(ish) revlon matte balms, but i’ve never found one unswatched/unused!

Amanda Avatar

With lipsticks typically you can just hold it up to lights and look for lines.I find lipsticks are much easier to tell than glosses. Just my opinion 🙂

AS1929 Avatar

I’ve never understood the no-tester policy for drugstore makeup. I’m not about to spend 9 bucks on a drugstore lipgloss unless I can feel/smell the formula. I just had such a bad experience with Maybelline lipglosses being drying in the past that I stick with Revlon now.

Jules Avatar

Last time I was in a drugstore some girl was going through the makeup aisles testing EVERY lipstick on the back of her hand. She had something like 20 different shades on them. So disgusting. Some people have no manners and no shame…I wish more brands would wrap their lipsticks in plastic if they’re not going to provide testers. I’d rather buy a shade and regret it than not be able to buy it at all because they were all tampered with. I think I saw Cover Girl offering testers of some face highlighters recently…hope it’s the start of a trend…

_An_ Avatar

Charming Cocoa (125) & Almond Aura (130) look so nice!
But I’m so grossed out about the perfume-y taste from my other Elixirs that I’m going to avoid these too. >w<

Maybe I'll try some dupes instead. ;~;

Erica Avatar

I’m not a lip gloss girl anymore and tend to stick to a few nude or really vampy (Illamasqua) glosses. However, I bought the Charming Cocoa elixir and I love it! I even went back and bought a backup which I never do. It is not long lasting, 2-4 hours tops. I like it alone with a lip liner when running errands on the weekend or other times over a brownish nude or beige nude lipstick. I’m NC50/ MUFE 177 for reference.

Jules Avatar

Aww, it’s a shame Gleaming Gold isn’t more opaque! I’d love a true gold sparkly lip that wasn’t sheer…hell, I’d love an opaque ANY-color-other-than-red-or-pink sparkly lipgloss! Just so long as it’s not Lime Crime.

Anna Fantasia Avatar

So I was so excited to try gleaming gold until I applied it to my lips. Oh goodness NO. Wherever my batch came from, they forgot to apply the perfume! It smelled and tasted like the petroleum jelly your mom would apply on your bum when you had diaper rash in the 1970’s! Today’s Vaseline is more “scented- flavored,” but yea it was DISGUSTING! And I am not at all a scent-phobe. So sad because I loved how my lips looked 🙁

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