Maybelline’s Superstay Matte Ink Pink Edition: Fun, wearable pinks in a rock solid formula

Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink is a big favorite in the drugstore liquid lippie category, and earned the first runner-up spot during Project Vanity’s 2019 Beauty Awards! I don’t often use liquid lipsticks but I’ve been curious to know what the hype is about. The arrival of the new Superstay Matte Ink Pink Edition (P299 each) presented the perfect opportunity for me to finally try this cult favorite.

I know that there is a proper way to apply liquid lipsticks but I sometimes forget to remove excess product from the applicator before letting it touch my lips. Yet even when I did remember, I noticed that the Matte Ink tends to have a tackiness that never quite goes away. Even lightly pressing a finger against the dry arm swatches would result in it lightly sticking to the lipstick. It’s not a deal-breaker for me, because at least it doesn’t feel papery dry. And I really like that I achieve full opacity in a single application!

There are six shades in this collection, and I find them to all be quite wearable. Savant is a mellow medium reddish pink. Pathfinder is a vibrant cool-toned red-pink, the brightest shade out of the six. Successful is a berry-tinged medium pink. Initiator is a dark coral pink while Ringleader is a medium coral pink - the two have a similar hue but differ in intensity, which makes Ringleader look ever so slightly warmer. Finally, Revolutionary is a rosy, mauve-tinged MLBB medium pink.

After two hours of wear, the formula naturally dries out, and emphasizes all of my lip lines but without eating, the color really stays put. I fell asleep without removing the liquid lipstick, and found it to still be in good shape the next morning. The color lifts slightly from my inner lips when I eat, so there’s no big rush to retouch, but if the food is very greasy, the damage becomes more obvious. The color lifts starting from the inside towards the middle portion of my mouth, so reapplication is definitely advisable.

While the lipstick can be partially removed by eating, full removal was actually quite a challenge! Maybelline sells a Superstay Eraser for P299 but I didn’t have that so I had to get creative. Cleansing oil didn’t do much for me, but I found a squeeze tube of petroleum-based lip balm (I used Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1). I slathered it on, took my sweet time massaging it, then wiped it off with some tissue paper. I had to repeat the process about 2 or 3 times more to remove it completely! Tip: If you plan to use lip balm as a remover, squeeze tube packaging would be your best option. The tube makes it easy to dispense a generous amount of lip balm cleanly, instead of applying the balm directly to your lips.

If you want a lipstick that literally stays on all day, the Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink has a truly impressive formula. The Pink Edition has lovely colors that can be worn every day to give an instantly “blooming” look to an #FOTD.

Have you tried the Maybelline Superstay Matte Inks? What do you use to remove it at the end of the day?

Photography by Nicole Quindara