Swatches + Review: The Maybelline Loaded Bolds Lipstick Line

Maybelline has been releasing a new lipstick collection every other month lately, and while these are on point, I've been wondering when they'll run out of new colors for us to play with. I mean seriously, how many browns, pinks, reds, and plums can there conceivably exist for our lips? At some point they'll start to look alike. And then the Maybelline The Loaded Bolds Lipsticks (P299) came along.

This line has bright shades of pink, red, and purple, but with the interesting addition of a deep blue (Audacious Blue), black (Pitch Black), and white (Wickedly White). The latter three shades may be worn alone if you're going for an editorial look but they are intended to be mixed with other lip colors to create entirely new ones. Think of those lip palettes from Anastasia and Pony Effect! The weird shades open up the potential of your other lipsticks for greatness.

The formula of the Loaded Bolds are smooth and *generally* opaque in one swipe (I hear the black is patchy). They have some slip upon first contact so it's a wee bit hard to get a straight lip line if you're not careful; the slippy texture dries quickly though and becomes a good, long-lasting matte. These stay on for three to four hours on me.

I have Wickedly White here plus what seems to be four minor variations of red. Here are my swatches and shade notes!

• Wickedly White is an opaque white shade that's made for mixing with other lipsticks. It should also work as a matte highlighter and face paint too.
• Chocoholic is an intense red with a mocha base.
• Berry Bossy is a red with a light fuchsia undertone.
• Smoking Red is a retro bright red that's absolutely gorgeous on my skin tone! This is my favorite shade. I wore this to an event and got compliments all around.
• Midnight Date is a deeper, winier red.

As I mentioned, the reds look rather too much alike to the naked eye. Their differences are a bit more obvious once I added Wickedly White on top of the colors.

• Chocoholic + Wickedly White becomes a beautiful MLBB
• Berry Bossy + WW becomes a rather cool pink
• Smoking Red + WW becomes a cheery bright pink
• Midnight Date + WW becomes a mauvey pink

The swatches showed some of the white lipstick on the edge of my lip line even though I was careful. If you have a cosmetics spatula and palette, I suggest mixing up a generous batch and storing the product in a jar for later use. I do recognize that's a hassle for most of us who merely dabble in makeup, but if you're a makeup artist, it might be worth your time to mix up custom colors using the blue, black, and white in this collection.

If you're going to get anything from The Loaded Bolds, I would recommend the "weird" colors more than anything else here. They are a great extension to your existing lipstick collection! The normal colors, while pretty, are not anything particularly special. I'm interested in purchasing Audacious Blue as I don't have a blue in my stash right now.

What do you think of Maybelline's new lippie collection? Did anything interest you?