Maybelline’s Color Sensational The Loaded Bolds Lipstick Collection Is A Load Of Fun

Maybelline New York excels at staying on top of beauty trends, at keeping its metaphorical finger on the pulse of the pop culture zeitgeist and, moreover, at taking bold risks in order to remain current and fresh. It’s no surprise, then, that the new Maybelline Color Sensational The Loaded Bolds lipstick collection is the brand’s edgiest yet, a refreshing deviation from any mass market lipstick collection to date. Consisting of 20 shades, each retailing for $7.99 at drugstores, The Loaded Bolds collection goes beyond your standard lipstick shades — the dainty pinks, perky corals, and classic reds — and ventures into uncharted territory, offering navy blue, black, white, and deep violet shades alongside vamp-y Merlot shades, rich chocolate browns, and moody neutrals.

Sure, we’ve seen blue lipstick popping up on runways (and, to some level, on the street) but, until recently, only a few brands were daring to produce such shades — namely Urban Decay, Lipstick Queen, NYX Cosmetics, MAC Cosmetics, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, and Kylie Cosmetics. Out of these brands, only NYX Cosmetics can be described as a non-prestige brand — not because it lacks prestige, of course, but because it specializes in affordable makeup. With The Loaded Bolds, then, Maybelline is showing its willingness to address the changing beauty tides —even if that means shoring up some unlikely lip colors for those with an adventurous spirit.

The presence of midnight blue, white, and black shades isn’t the only factor that makes this collection unique. There’s also a vast array of brown lip colors — from 780, Coffee Addiction, a reddish brown shade that reminds me of the color of a Chestnut horse’s coat, to 785 Chocoholic, a deep dark brown which might just conjure up images of the glossy coating on chocolate-covered espresso beans. Given that the grunge-inspired beauty looks of the ’90s have been making a swift comeback, this seems like a very deliberate and smart move on Maybelline’s part. Moreover, the collection includes quite a few dark and vampy shades of red, another strategically smart move given that these tones, usually only in vogue during the fall and winter seasons, have broken past those seasonal limitations and become coveted hues for spring.

The Maybelline Color Sensational The Loaded Bolds collection does, however, have some limitations. First, the colors are described as having a “creamy matte” finish, but its more of a demi-matte finish in my opinion. Second, they don’t have a lot of staying power so, if you plan on wearing one of the darker shades, prepare to line and fill your lips with a lip pencil, before applying the lip color of your choice. Third, not all of the shades deliver full opacity — for instance, when you apply the Pitch Black shade (which isn’t a truly abyssinian black at all, by the way), you’ll likely notice that it isn’t as richly pigmented as its name suggests and that it goes on in a very patchy and uneven way. Still, there are some scene-stealers in here: Sapphire Siren is fun and playful, Raging Raising has a delicious wickedness to it, and Gone Greige is a fresh alternative to your everyday nude lipstick.

Below, you’ll find swatches of 14 of the lipstick shades in the collection, so you can decide which you must run out and buy!

First off, we have the shades Rebel Pink, a fun-loving and ’80s-flavoed hot pink; Midnight Merlot, a dark aubergine with a decadent feel; and Gone Greige, a medium beige shade with grayish undertones.

Next, we have Fiery Fuchsia, another electric pink shade but one with more of a reddish tonality than Rebel Pink; Coffee Addiction, a medium brown with reddish undertones; and Berry Bossy, a fun reddish plum hue.

Moving on to some of the more unorthodox shades in the collection, we have Nude Thrill, a neutral light cream color that’s almost like a French vanilla hue; Chocoholic, a deep espresso brown for those who want to experiment with The Craft-like lip looks; Smoking Red, a dark and sanguine red shade with cool undertones; and Sapphire Siren which, despite its name, teeters between indigo blue and violet.

Last, we have some of the most unorthodox shades in the lot! There’s Wickedly White, a chalky white shade; Raging Raisin, a brownish red shade; Pitch Black, an asphalt black hue; and Midnight Blue, a blackened navy blue hue. Sadly, both the Pitch Black and Wickedly White shades were a bit of a let-down  since neither delivers full coverage. As for Midnight Blue, the shade itself is lovely but the formula doesn’t deliver as even a layer of pigment as with the Sapphire Blue shade.

Overall, I’m pretty impressed with this collection. Sure, not all the shades flatter my complexion, but that’s true of any lipstick collection. For instance, the Nude Thrill hue literally washes me out to the point where you can barely even tell I have lips. It’s almost as if I’d applied foundation over my lips! And the Wickedly White shade makes me look like I ate a box of powdered donuts. Not cute or high-fashion. That said, I’m over the moon about the Sapphire Siren, Gone Greige, Rebel Pink, Berry Bossy, and Smoking Red shades. I do, however, always line my lips prior to application since, as I mentioned earlier, they fade quickly.

Want to see how some of my favorite shades look on? Check out these pics!

Here, I’m wearing Gone Greige, which I love because it has the versatility of a nude color but it has this mauve-ish quality that keeps it from washing me out.

Next, here’s a shot in which I’m wearing the Rebel Pink color. I love a fun perky fuchsia, so this was right up my alley!

Below, you’ll find some pics in which I’m wearing Midnight Merlot, a shade that I’ve come to love since it makes me feel powerful and opulent. It’s got a bit of a gothic vibe, but it’s still elegant and feminine.

And of course, a red shade (we all know about me love affair with red lips!). Here I am wearing Smoking Red:

So there you have it, gals!

If you want to give your lipstick game a bit of a jolt, check out one of these shades!