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Drugstore Lipstick: Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink Swatches & Review

maybelline superstay vinyl ink lipstick swatches and review - lippy - unrivaled - wicked - royal

A complete review of the Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink lipsticks with swatches – long lasting, non feathering lipsticks with a wonderful glossy finish!

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A few months ago, I had a new makeup obsession; that of finding glossy red lipsticks that wouldn’t feather or bleed.

I’ve been using a lot of matte lipsticks lately, especially from the MAC MACximal lipstick range, but I wanted to try drugstore products I had in my sights and hadn’t yet taken a chance on.

Enter the Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink, a couple of which I got in my local Acqua e Sapone in Rome, and two of which I purchased later on Maquibeauty.

In this review, I have four of the most popular Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink lipsticks to show you: 10 Lippy, 30 Unrivaled, 50 Wicked, 55 Royal.

Drugstore Lipstick: Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink Swatches & Review

maybelline superstay vinyl ink lipstick swatches and review - lippy - unrivaled - wicked - royal

Here’s what Maybelline says about the Superstay Vinyl Ink range:

Meet Super Stay Vinyl Ink liquid lipstick for budge resistant vinyl color and up to 16 hour wear. This longwear lipstick’s Color Lock formula defies smudging and transfer and provides an instant shine finish.

Read: 7 Lipgloss Shades For Dark Lips from Fenty to Juvia’s Place

Why Did I Buy Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink Lipsticks?

I bought two of the Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink lipsticks, Wicked and Royal, because I had been looking for the most perfect long lasting drugstore red lipstick.

That’s it.

I got a few others from L’Oréal, NYX, Max Factor and Deborah Milano while I was at it, but these Maybelline are the ones I’ve worn the most and haven’t felt the need to change yet.

The other two lipstick shades, Lippy and Unrivaled, I got because they seemed everything I love to wear – the former is a saturated mauve brown shade, the latter is a gorgeous berry lipstick.

The instructions are pretty easy: shake before applying on clean, dry lips, and you’ll have a lipstick on that won’t budge, won’t smudge, and won’t transfer for up to 16 hours.

Read: Kiko Milano Smart Fusion Lip Liner Swatches

Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink Lipsticks: Swatches, Application and Thoughts

When promises sound that great, I personally like when they’re actually kept

And they are, sort of.

When I swatched the lipsticks, I had actually forgotten you need to shake them before application, and you can see it with the swatches of Wicked and Royal, the two red shades.

You can also see that with 55 Royal, the fact I didn’t properly shake the bottle before swatching led to feathering.

Well, with the Superstay Vinyl Ink range, cleaning up is such a hassle that you’d be better off doing the job well once and for all than fixing the little mistakes around your lips (speaking from experience).

The upside is that even if that first layer of lipstick is not yet dry, applying a second one to get full opacity will not create more streaks of color on the lips.

I usually wear a lip liner to outline my lips when wearing these, because once they’re set, it’s true: they do not budge an inch.

Read: 7 Beautiful Summer Lipgloss Shades For All Skin Tones

However, it is important to note that, at least in my case, these were not completely transfer proof.

Is it due to applying two layers (which you need to get full opacity, at least for the shades I’ve picked)?

Is it due to not shaking the lipsticks for long enough when I wore them?

All I can say is even if they’re not completely transfer proof, the fact that you can have a shiny lipstick that almost won’t transfer at all is something I haven’t seen in other brands.

NYX, with their Shine Loud lipsticks for instance, does offer that type of transfer proof glossy lipstick, but you have to apply a layer of color, and then a coat of protective gloss to seal the deal.

Same thing with the famous Max Factor lipstick, and the Kiko Unlimited Double Touch lipsticks.

So far, Maybelline is the only brand I’ve come across with that type of innovative lip product.

Shop Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink LippyUnrivaledWickedRoyal

Read: 7 Gorgeous Pink and Coral Summer Lipstick Shades

Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink Lipsticks: Would I Buy Again?

All things considered, I would, and will buy new shades of Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink lipsticks as soon as I see some I’d really like in my stash.

I’m ever more interested in drugstore makeup brands, and I have been for years now, but this Maybelline product is one I’d never really paid attention to…

And should have.

If you check out the collection and are interested in other shades, make sure to cross check all the swatch pictures you can as some of them as different in real life than on shopping websites.

For instance, I thought the Superstay Vinyl Ink in Lippy would be much lighter, and it turned out to be a pretty dark reddish brown lipstick on my skin (which showed me it’s awesome for fair olive skin!).

I also thought that the shade 30 Unrivaled was this type of bright raspberry lipstick, and found myself swatching it only to discover it is a berry-toned purple lipstick.

The red shades, though, are pretty much similar to what is shown on the Maybelline website, and Wicked, with that slight blue undertone, is currently one of my favorite lipsticks.

Shop Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink LippyUnrivaledWickedRoyal

Read: Sheer Nails Basics: Essie Mademoiselle Nail Polish Swatch

Drugstore Lipstick: Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink Swatches & Review

maybelline superstay vinyl ink lipstick swatches and review - 10 lippy - 30 unrivaled - 50 wicked - 55 royal

I’d say that at about $10 a pop depending on where you shop for them, the Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink lipsticks are a blast.

Keep in mind to shake them, and you’ll find that the long applicator makes it easy to trace the outlines of the lips in a kind of precise way.

I don’t mind the occasional transfer on a glass, and even after a meal, the Superstay Vinyl Ink lipsticks don’t necessarily need a touch up, far from it – something that should remind you of the Superstay Matte Ink range, another one of my favorites from Maybelline.

With 20 shades currently on sale, it’s true that pretty much every skin tone and taste is covered, and I would definitely recommend you try at least one of these…

You might become as hooked on them as I have.

Until next time!

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