Maybelline Vibrant Mandarin ColorSensational Vivids Lip Color ($7.49 for 0.15 oz.) is a bold, medium-dark orange with strong red undertones and a satiny finish. MAC Scarlet Ibis is very similar, but it has a matte finish. OCC Psycho is also similar, perhaps a touch more orange. MAC Sail La Vie is very comparable, both in finish and color. Giorgio Armani #405 is more orange and has shimmer. Dolce & Gabbana Sheer is very similar but glossier.

It has very rich color payoff, but there’s a very slight translucency where a hint of the natural lip color comes through–unless you have really, really naturally pigmented lips, it’s not going to interfere with the color, though. A benefit of the lightweight, translucent nature of the product is that it doesn’t look heavy, like a richer, more opaque cream-finish shade might. This shade had some slip to it, so it was both creamy and balm-like. It glided on evenly and without pulling or tugging on the lip, and it left a natural sheen behind. Vibrant Mandarin was lightly hydrating, wore for five and a half hours, and left behind a very slight stain (not quite as prone to staining as the other shades I’ve reviewed).  Because this one had added slip to the consistency, it did have a tendency to leave lines if I pressed my lips together, but luckily with the bolder color, they were less noticeable than if this had been a very pale color.

Maybelline Vibrant Mandarin ColorSensational Vivids Lip Color

Maybelline Vibrant Mandarin ColorSensational Vivids Lip Color

Maybelline Vibrant Mandarin ColorSensational Vivids Lip Color

Maybelline Vibrant Mandarin ColorSensational Vivids Lip Color

Maybelline Vibrant Mandarin ColorSensational Vivids Lip Color

Maybelline Vibrant Mandarin ColorSensational Vivids Lip Color