Maybelline Touchable Taupe, Stormy Sahara, Untainted Spice, Espresso Exposed ColorSensational Lip Colors Reviews, Photos, Swatches
Maybelline Touchable Taupe (940) ColorSensational Lip Color
For spring, Maybelline’s added ten shades of “nude” that range from the very, very palest beige to muted mauves to deep plums. I greatly appreciate that Maybelline considered the spectrum of skin tones when they thought about flesh-colored lipsticks, because what’s “nude” for one skin tone isn’t going to be nude for everyone.  Here are the last four from the new set of shades!  My favorite in this set was Untainted Spice.
Maybelline Touchable Taupe (940) ColorSensational Lip Color ($7.49 for 0.15 oz.) is medium-dark, muted brown with hints of rose and beige and a luminous finish. It had full, opaque color coverage, and it applied evenly and smoothly. It wore well for four and a half hours and was nicely hydrating during that time. MAC Bad Girl RiRi (LE, $16.00) is pinker and more matte. MAC Glamour Era (P, $22.00) is warmer, more matte. MAC Mocha (LE, $16.00) is more matte. MAC Double Shot (P, $16.00) is darker. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Marion (P, $18.00) is similar in color but matte. Bobbi Brown Uber Nude (P, $24.00) is slightly darker. See comparison swatches.
Stormy Sahara (945) ColorSensational Lip Color ($7.49 for 0.15 oz.) is medium, muted orange with a luminous shine. It had mostly opaque color coverage, and while the texture was creamy and comfortable to wear, it did streak a little. It wore well for four hours and was lightly hydrating. Urban Decay Naked 2 (P, $22.00) is lighter. Edward Bess Forbidden Flower (P, $32.00) is slightly warmer. Tom Ford Beauty Abandon (P, $48.00) is browner. NARS Isola Bella (P, $25.00) is similar. MAC Posh Tone (P, $22.00) is also similar. MAC Delectable (LE, $16.00) is lighter. MAC Cozy Up (LE, $16.00) is lighter. See comparison swatches.
Untainted Spice (950) ColorSensational Lip Color ($7.49 for 0.15 oz.) is a medium-dark, brownish-plum with a luminous shine. It had mostly opaque pigmentation when applied to the lips. The consistency was very creamy and emollient, and it applied smoothly to the lips without streaking or settling into lip lines. This shade wore well for almost five hours and was somewhat hydrating when worn. Chanel Farouche (122) (P, $34.00) is more matte. MAC Glamourdaze (LE, $16.00) is more plum. Chanel Bel Ami (P, $34.00) is less brown. Chanel Baroque (LE, $34.00) is more matte. Chanel Imperial (DC, $32.00) is warmer. MAC Sheer Plum (P, $16.00) is similar. See comparison swatches.
Espresso Exposed (955) ColorSensational Lip Color ($7.49 for 0.15 oz.) is a cool-toned, reddish-burgundy with a glossy shine. It had semi-opaque color coverage, but it applied very unevenly. It looked streaky on, possibly due to how creamy/emollient the consistency was. The color lasted six hours and left behind a stain, and it was somewhat hydrating during that time. I had some feathering along the upper lip lines, though, which is highly unusual for me. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Black Metal Dahlia (P, $18.00) is metallic. Urban Decay Shame (P, $22.00) is slightly darker. See comparison swatches.
Touchable Taupe (940)
PPermanent. $7.49.
Stormy Sahara (945)
PPermanent. $7.49.
Untainted Spice (950)
PPermanent. $7.49.
Espresso Exposed (955)
PPermanent. $7.49.
Maybelline Touchable Taupe (940) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Touchable Taupe (940) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Touchable Taupe (940) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Touchable Taupe (940) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Touchable Taupe (940) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Touchable Taupe (940) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Stormy Sahara (945) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Stormy Sahara (945) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Stormy Sahara (945) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Stormy Sahara (945) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Stormy Sahara (945) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Stormy Sahara (945) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Untainted Spice (950) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Untainted Spice (950) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Untainted Spice (950) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Untainted Spice (950) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Untainted Spice (950) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Untainted Spice (950) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Espresso Exposed (955) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Espresso Exposed (955) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Espresso Exposed (955) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Espresso Exposed (955) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Espresso Exposed (955) ColorSensational Lip Color
Maybelline Espresso Exposed (955) ColorSensational Lip Color
Stormy Sahara and the last one look pretty.
Yay!
You made a mistake, you gave Touchable Taupe 910 of 9 pigmentation points.
Fixed!
Untainted Spice is my favorite to, but I really like all four of these (and most of this collection).
I really liked that one, too!
Espresso Exposed kinda reminds me of Dark Deed by MAC. 🙂 By the way, it’s not a colour I’d usually reach for, but I definitely like it on you. 😉
Thanks, Kathi 🙂
Thank you so much for the effort in swatching all of these! I knew there would be a few that I really wanted, but with such subtle differencea in the middle range, I wasn’t quite certain which would work best for me. At first, I narrowed it down to 8, but now it’s down to 5. I definitely want the first 3 you revoewed, Sin-a-mon, and Espresso Exposed.
No problem, Amy! 😀
Oooh Stormy Sahara looks pretty. And it’s interesting to see all those pale colors followed by Espresso Exposed. To me, it shows just perfectly how darker, bolder shades can make you look very sophisticated and mature – not necessarily in a bad way – and paler more nude shades make you look more fresh and youthful.
Exactly! I love that there is just such a wide range of what Maybelline is calling “nude.”
The buffs were finally out at my Walmart. I purchased nude lust and stormy Sahara. I think I’m happier with stormy Sahara. It is gorgeous. An everyday color. Nude lust is a very nude.. Like skin color(or a bit lighter) so it blanks out any lip color which is great for dramatic smokey eye looks! I’m super happy with this new line. It was needed for maybelline.
Happy to hear that Stormy Sahara is working so well for you! What have you been wearing it with (eyes/cheeks)?
Yesterday for date night I used it with my MAC margin blush and my naked 2 pallet!
Thank you!
I really like Touchable Taupe..it doesn’t pull yellow or orange
Very true! It’s almost cool-toned, though not quite.
I’m having total ’90s flashbacks while seeing all these brown-based lipsticks 🙂 Most of them are too dark/brown for me, but I’ve really enjoyed seeing how Maybelline approached a collection of browns in 2014, and I think this is a shade range that has probably been quite underrepresented in recent times. 😀
I think because I missed the 90s, I don’t have the same knee-jerk reaction to browns, lol!
I’m 40, and I remember the brown lipstick of the 90s, as well as the same brown lipstick of the 70s. I even remember the bright/neons of the 80s… it simply proves that trends get “recycled”, and it doesn’t have to be seen as a negative. Frosty, pale pinks were also huge late-80s-early-90s, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them again, soon!
Lining the actual waterline is also a “vintage” trend, yet many ofnus do it, although not very long ago, it was touted a makeup “don’t”.
Also, lets not forget the vivid, bright eyeshadows of the 80s everyone seems to be craving these days, and the matte eyeshadows of the 90s, although many often complain about the lack of matte eyeshadows…
I don’t actually think the brown lipsticks of the ’90s were a negative thing – I just strongly associate them with that era! I was a child of the ’80s/’90s, so I wasn’t really in the makeup zone at the time in a personal sense, but I do remember them.
It’s funny to see how things roll past again and again, in fashion and in makeup. Unfortunately for me, I haven’t found a brown yet that I can wear, but that’s due more to my skintone than any dislike of brown lipstick in general 😉
I didn’t take it that way, but I was pointing out how nothing ever goes away. I don’t actually remember browns or nudes being very prevalent in the 90s, though, more berries & frosty pink. I remember browns were popular for a very short time.
Being as I got into makeup in the 80s, that is the era that really sticks with me, and I guess because I associate the really bad trends with the tim (and there were some really bad ones!), I just can’t bring myself to wear makeup that reminds me of those days.
Untouchable Taupe has touched my heart! 😉
Aww! 😉
I like Untainted Spice. Do you think it’s similar to MAC’s Creme In Your Coffee, Christine? It looks really good on you, by the way. 🙂
I think Creme in Your Coffee is pinker?
These are beautiful, a lot of them fuel my love for a brown 90’s lip! Such a pity Espresso Exposed performs so poorly though, because it’s the kind of shade I would reach for a lot. By the way, your skin looks absolutely incredible in this photoset, can I ask what you’re wearing?
I believe this is just Guerlain Parure de Lumiere + Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Liquid Highlighter
Touchable Taupe and Stormy Sahara are definitely calling my name. Just a tiny correction MAC Mocha is listed as LE in the dupes for Touchable Taupe, it is Permanent.
Thank you!
Im fair and touchable taupe throws off more rose for me. Its really pretty. I also have espresso and it is close to macs carnal instinct but without the copper shimmer…the formula is quite good for drugstore. But I did have the unevenness with the espresso color as well. You;ll need to do a few passes.
Great to hear it’s rosier on you!
I really like these as well as the last set you reveiwed! In the UK, Maybelline has a completely different colour selection all of which are either too cool, pale or neon for my skintone (they might add them, but doubt it as the Uk seems to have different everything – no full and soft mascara, different shades for eyeshadow etc). I wish more drugstore brands ones would include shades for a variety of skintones.
I can’t tell you how absolutely annoying it is that a lot of drugstore brands don’t release the same things globally OR when they do but they rename/renumber everything just so it can be super confusing on everyone. Did Maybelline release a “The Buffs” collection the UK with different shades or is it just that the regular/permanent line as different beiges/browns at present?
I’m just so happy that Maybelline created shades for women (and men) of all different skin tones with this collection of nudes. 😀
Me too!
Story Sahara looks STUNNING on you! If only it looked that way on me… 🙂
Thank you, Kat! Have you tried any other shades from the range?
I love the idea of these. They remind me of those swivel-up stick concealers (the kind that are packaged like lipsticks). Touchable Taupe looks great on you, Christine 🙂
Thanks, Al!
Some of these Maybelline lipsticks are so nice and pigmented, then they let the ball drop with the lighter shades. I found Nude Lust dry and it didn’t apply evenly.
It tends to be an issue with lighter colors (generally), unfortunately!
I love that you tested all of these. I loved the browns in the 90s and I love them now. I like Untainted Spice. I have had good luck with that one. I however, had the same issue with Espresso Exposed. It even felt gritty when I applied it. It does look lovely on you as does Untainted Spice.
By the way, I bought Too Faced La Creme in Pink Chocolate based on your pictures and reviews. I LOVE it and the formula.
And my husband that you posted Urban Decay’s Spring stuff, because I LOVE anything Urban Decay.
Gritty? Eww! Untainted Spice really wears and applies well.
So glad you are loving Too Faced’s La Creme formula, Tara! 🙂
I picked up Untainted Spice today after reading your positive review, and I love it! I’m pretty fair (Guerlain LdP 01) but I love the contrast of a darker lip, it really helps perk up my complexion. For me this in the same family as Mac Creme in your Coffee, Too Faced Sweet Maple, and also the Palladio “Brownie” tinted balm. Question: I notice Untainted Spice has quite a few dupes in common with another shade that’s on my wishlist: Buxom Runaway–how do they compare?? Thx!
Runaway is definitely warmer and a little rosy in comparison 🙂
Okay My picks… Untainted Spice and Maple kiss! Though I have Sheer plum from MAC and the shade is similar to untainted, I really hate how dry and uneven it aplies! 🙂
You’ll definitely like the formula of this better then! 🙂
Untainted Spice is FAB! And now this is happening in my head:
“Once I ran to you…now I’ll run from you
this unTainted Spice you’ve given, I give you all a boy could give you
take my tears and that’s not nearly all
Oh…unTainted Spice”! ;D
Haha! 😀
Christine, these colors all look SOOO good on you! I’ve heard TONS of criticisms that these colors are too zombie/”poop” looking on lips, but all these swatches convinces me otherwise!
Happy to offer an alternate viewpoint 🙂
So glad you reviewed these Christine! I wasn’t sure which shades to get now I know. Stormy Sahara and Untainted Spice are my favorites out of this bunch. I’ll pick up Maple leaf and Untainted Spice soon!
Enjoy your new lipsticks, Denis! 🙂
I really love what they’ve done here – eventhough I can’t stand the “dead lips” trend, there is something understated and elegant about the right nude lipstick for you.
I think Maybelline has been sensational overall – even from a decade ago I loved their mousse blush – still one of the best blush formula I’ve used, hands down.
I love that they did a true range of flesh-toned shades – not just pale beiges!
Untainted Spice looks great. Nice to see this color range and formula in the drugstores. I just have to head over to my local store tomorrow.
Let me know if you end up picking any up, Jan!
Touchable taupe looks so nice on you!
Thanks, Malia! xo
Wow such beautiful colors. They look good on you 😀 If I had to pick a favorite,it would be taupe!
Thanks, Mattania! 🙂
I’m usually skeptical with drugstore brands, it’s hard to tell if they deliver what they promise. I admit these colors are pretty appealing, especially Untainted Spice (950). You mentioned it was somewhat hydrating and lasted for 5 hours, would you recommend using it with lip balm/lip gloss? Thanks in advance! 🙂
I didn’t need a lip balm, but you could certainly use one with it if you wanted – maybe a little balm beforehand, then lightly pat/wipe off so it’s not too emollient prior to applying the lipstick! If you wear with lip balm or gloss, it might reduce wear time a little bit!
Wow. Espresso Exposed is seriously amazing. I will most likely be picking that up!
I have Espresso Exposed, and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it applied much redder than in the tube, where it looked really brown. The formula is definitely sheerer and glossier than the other, creamier lipsticks in this line, but I didn’t have any issues with unevenness or feathering. It doesn’t last as well as I’d like, but other than that I thought the formula was great. Also, this shade makes teeth look ridiculously white.
Happy to hear it applied easy for you!
Def pick expresso exposed, most unique and flattering
It’s a nice color – just wish it applied better!
Touchable Taupe wasn’t even on my radar until now lol. I really like the way it looks on you! Stormy Sahara and Espresso Exposed are on my list as well. This line is too pretty!
If you try any, I’d love to hear which shades work well for you!
Finally, some useable neutrals from the drugstore!! I only hope the fragrance is not a deal breaker!
I thought I wouldn’t like it, but I picked up Stormy Sahara after I got two others (Truffle Tease and Sin-a-mon) and I like it! Neutral, but my lips don’t disappear into my face. I’m also looking to pick up Touchable Taupe and Untainted Spice!
That’s amazing, Cat! So thrilled to hear you found a good one for you!
What shade Emily Didonato wears?
I don’t know, sorry!