Maybelline Super Stay 24 Colour

Road Testing Long Wear Lipstick Series

One essential item for all pinups is red lipstick. There are so many on the market and everyone will tell you their favourite, go to bold red lip. You can go through the adventure of trial and error until you find your perfect shade that provides the optimal wear and comfort for your price range. OR you can learn from my adventures (and fails) in this multi-part Road Testing Long Wear Lipstick Blog Series! I will try out different red lipsticks and rate them accordingly. I aim to offer a range of long wear lipsticks.

Why just long wear lipsticks? We are vintage lovers in the modern world, we sometimes don't have the time and effort to be constantly reapplying our lipstick to keep ourselves primped and preen like our inspiring women of the 1940's and 1950's. We can also take advantage of modern advancements in makeup development and have a red lipstick that will stay on and be transfer proof for hours - or so the packaging states!

Rating Criteria

Here are my 5 criteria - Rated out of 5 (1 =poor, 5 =good):

1. Application
2. Transfer (initial and after 1 hour)
3. Cost and accessibility
4. Wear throughout the day/ eating and drinking
5. The next day

Each lipstick will be given a total score out of 25.

Here we go!

Maybelline Super Stay 24 Colour in 'Optic Ruby'

After many years of holding out hope that Aldi will bring back their 24 hour lipstick and the winner so far of this series, I have had to start my quest again in finding the ultimate long wear red lipstick (as I am just about to run out of my last tube of Lacura!)

I picked up this Maybelline product as it has a very similar look and theory of the good ol' Lacura - featuring a liquid lipstick and a balm. This was the only red available in the line up on this fateful day, however, on inspection it is more of a cherry red colour and I would be keen to try out a few other reds available if all goes well and this lipstick rates high during the test. 

1. Application

The packaging instructs: apply a thin layer of colour to clean lips and allow it to dry completely (about 2 minutes). Apply conditioning balm topcoat for shine and comfort. Reapply as needed to refresh throughout the day. To remove use an oil-based makeup remover. The applicator wand allowed an adequate amount of colour to be added and it was easy to smooth on my lips and use the tip for lining. 

After applying the colour, I waited about 5 minutes while I was doing other stuff and checked to see if they were dry to the touch. Then I applied the balm and was impressed to see that there was no transfer from the colour onto the balm. 

Rating =  5 out of 5

Not my first rodeo for this type of application, so nothing bad to report. 

2. Transfer

On the initial kiss test, all that transferred was the balm - which is pretty impressive. After about 20 minutes the balm 'sinks in' and you get a clean no-transfer kiss. After 1 hour there were just little specks of colour on my water bottle. 

Rating =  5 out of 5

For the initial and 1 hour transfer it performs. However, see how it wears throughout the day. 

3. Cost

Like the cheap skate that I am, I score this one special for about $12 at Big W just while I was out running errands. As it is a common drug store brand, you will have a high chance of finding it discounted somewhere at any given point in time. It is also fairly easy to get your hands on physically and online within Australia. 

Rating =  4 out of 5

4. Wear throughout the day/eating and drinking

Now it did wear pretty well throughout the day, it didn't feel too dry or cakey. At about 3 hours the colour still looked vibrant - but all I had to eat was a muesli bar and some water. 

Sorry some photos are blurry :(

So you know how I really love to test these lipsticks to the extreme. Even though it suggests using an oil-based makeup remover I still need to know if it will stand up again oily foods. Therefore, I got to lunch time and thought of the oiliest lunch available in my kitchen - toast with my homemade pesto - which yep, oil is one of it's main ingredients. 

Now, it did pretty good. I purposely try to forget I am wearing lipstick during these tests and just eat like normal and not a dainty lady. From afar the colour still looked good but there was slight bleeding in the corners and a little fading in the center. 

After another hour (~4.5 hours in) they were feeling a little dry, so I applied a layer of the balm and there was some transfer onto the balm - with the kiss test showing a lot transfer. However, keeping in mind that the balm was still 'moist'. 

After about 20 more minutes the balm 'sunk' back into my lips and I was able to get back to a transfer free kiss. Now at the 7 hour mark (after chips and icecream - don't judge!) and there was noticeable fading in the inside giving more of an ombre look, I applied a layer of balm and smoothed my lips together but the fade was still there. 

Then the ultimate dinner test - spaghetti bolognese! Safe to say that it was past saving but was sitting at the 9 hour mark. But I did still have a stain of colour which from afar still looked like I had some lipstick on. 

Rating:  3 out of 5

Look, it got to 9 hours but was showing signs of fading and smudging after one meal. Still fairly good for a long wear lipstick but no where near the 24 hours they claim. 

5. The next day

It was pretty easy to remove with my regular makeup remover and later that night I didn't feel like my skin and lips were suffering from the effects of wearing makeup all day. The next day my lips were at their normal health with no ill effects from this long wear lipstick - win!

Rating:  5 out of 5

Total Score =  22 out of 25

Pretty solid effort from the Maybelline Super Stay 24 Colour, the initial zero transfer and lightweight feel will make it one to reach for and seek out different colours for sure (when on sale!). 

Keen for more? Check out these candidates for the 'Road Testing Long Wear Lipstick' series: 

Aldi Lacura Duo 24hr Lipstick

Rimmel Stay Satin 

Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink 

Like your regular creme lipsticks? Check out Makeup Artist's Jo Ward's Ride or Die Red Lipsticks.

xoxo

*Price and availability current as of May 2023.  

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