Maybelline Color Whispers-Review + Swatches + Dupes

*These products were purchased by me.*

Maybelline created their answer to the Revlon Lip Butters, with the Maybelline Color Whispers! These lipstick/lip balm hybrids deliver a lip color that is supposedly more translucent and hydrating than your average lipstick, according to Maybelline. There are 20 shades in the full Color Whisper range, but today I'll be reviewing 4 of them. Let's get on with the review!

Image from Maybelline.

Maybelline's claims:

• "Pure color pigment surrounded in weightless gel."
• "No heavy waxes or oils."
• "Soft, sexy, see through color."
• "Get truly translucent gel color."
• "Just a kiss of shine."

These are very similar to the Revlon Lip Butters in many ways, but the Color Whispers are stand alone lip colors regardless of Revlon. Before I compare them to the lip butters, let's start with what the Color Whispers are actually like! The Color Whispers are more translucent than a lipstick, but not by much. They are extremely buildable, so you can sheer them out or build them up to almost full opacity. They do feel like a gel formula; even before I read Maybelline's claims I always thought they felt like a gel! And by a "gel formula," I mean that they are lighter than most moisturizing lip sticks. These are moisturizing, but since they are gel based, I feel like the moisture mostly sits on the surface of my lips, and does not actually get absorbed. Therefore, while these don't dry out my lips, they don't necessarily improve the quality of my lips either. At the same time, Maybelline does not claim these are moisturizing, but they are to some extent. The Color Whispers do add a bit of shine, but nothing overpowering. I'd say it's the perfect amount of shine!

The Color Whispers feel much lighter on the lips than the Revlon Lip Butters, due to their light weight gel formula. So if you felt that the Lip Butters felt too heavy on the lips, you'll love the Maybelline Color Whispers! I personally love the way the Lip Butters feel on my lips, since their heavy balmy texture reminds me of some of my favorite lip balms. As a result, I do prefer the Lip Butters since I do feel like they add moisture to my lips much more.

As for wear time, both the Maybelline Color Whispers and the Revlon Lip Butters have short wear times, and will probably wear off in about 2 hours. I don't mind reapplying either of these lip products, however, since I like adding more moisture and shine. The shine on the Color Whispers will wear off first, than the color.

The shade range of the Maybelline Color Whispers is rather amazing. Additionally, the Color Whispers do meet all of Maybelline's claims. There is one way they do differ from their claims, however. I wouldn't describe any of the 4 shades I have as translucent. Lust for Blush, Pin Up Peach, and Pink Possibilities have medium coverage, while Berry Ready is fully opaque and super pigmented! I'm perfectly fine with that, to be honest.

These have a light fruity scent, but it is almost unnoticeable when placed on the lips. It's a very subtle scent.

One last note: the packaging! They come in a sleek, translucent tube with the word "Color Whisper" written in cursive. The color of the tube reflects the color of the actual product. These are sleeker and skinnier than the Revlon Lip Butters, and I highly prefer the Color Whisper packaging. Also, the Lip Butters tend to clump on the sides of the tube when you roll the product up and down. The Color Whispers aren't quite as soft as the Lip butters, so you shouldn't have this problem!

Pros:

• Great shade range (20 shades in total)!
• Good pigmentation, ranges from medium to full coverage depending on the shade. I do know some of the shades (like One Size Fits Pearl) are more sheer, but I don't think that one shade accurately represents the entire line.
• Does not feel heavy on the lips whatsoever, so it is very light weight and gel like in consistency.
• Adds the perfect amount of shine.
• Is lightly moisturizing.
• These are super buildable!
• A light fruity scent. Not overpowering and cannot be smelt on the lips.
• Great sleek, color-cordinated packaging!

Cons:

• The moisture sits on the surface of the lips, and is not actually absorbed. This makes them feel moisturizing, but that moisture does not penetrate or improve the quality of your lips.
• These really aren't translucent, but I'm perfectly fine with that.
• I personally prefer the heavy feeling of a more moisturizing lip color, but you may not.
• These have a short wear time, which is common of more moisturizing lip colors.

Shades from left to right: Lust for Blush, Pin Up Peach, Pink Possibilities, & Berry Ready.

Shades from left to right: Lust for Blush, Pin Up Peach, Pink Possibilities, & Berry Ready. 

Shades from left to right: Lust for Blush, Pin Up Peach, Pink Possibilities, & Berry Ready.

Review of individual shades:

• Lust for Blush: A cool-toned, soft pink cream. If you love cool-toned pinky nude shades you will love this color!

Lust for Blush

Swatch of Lust for Blush

Lip swatch of Lust for Blush (indoor lighting)

Lip swatch of Lust for Blush (outdoor lighting)

Me wearing Lust for Blush (indoor lighting)

Me wearing Lust for Blush (outdoor lighting)

Swatches of similar shades: Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake is also cool-toned, but much pinker. MAC Creme Cup is extremely similar, just more pigmented. I'd call the Maybelline Color Whisper in Lust for Blush and MAC Creme Cup dupes!

Swatches from left to right: Maybelline Color Whisper in Lust for Blush, Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake, MAC Creme Cup.

• Pin Up Peach: A warm coral peach with small gold glitters. You can see the glitter in the tube, but it's hardly noticeable on lips. The barely there "glitter" isn't gritty nor can you feel it on your lips. It simply makes this shade shinier than the other colors. If you love peachy pink shades and hate chunky glitter, this shade's for you!

Pin Up Peach

Swatch of Pin Up Peach

Lip swatch of Pin Up Peach (indoor lighting)

Lip swatch of Pin Up Peach (outdoor lighting)

Me wearing Pin Up Peach.

Swatches of similar shades: Nars Velvet Gloss Pencil in New Lover is much more of a strawberry pink in tone with more gold glitter. The Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait is similar, but peachier, more pigmented, and has way more gold glitter. If you hated the glitter in Peach Parfait, but loved the color, get Maybelline Color Whisper in Pin Up Peach instead! Tarte Lipsurgence Lip Luster in Achiote is also similar, but pinker, more pigmented, and with more glitter. Pin Up Peach is most similar to either Peach Parfait or Achiote, though they are not exact dupes.

Swatches from left to right: Nars Velvet Gloss Pencil in New Lover,  Maybelline Color Whisper in Pin Up Peach, Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait, Tarte Lipsurgence Lip Luster in Achiote.

Swatches from left to right: Nars Velvet Gloss Pencil in New Lover,  Maybelline Color Whisper in Pin Up Peach, Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait, Tarte Lipsurgence Lip Luster in Achiote.

• Pink Possibilities: A medium pink cream. A lovely neutral pink that's not too warm or too cool.

Pink Possibilities

Swatch of Pink Possibilities

Lip swatch of Pink Possibilities (indoor lighting)

Lip swatch of Pink Possibilities (outdoor lighting)

Me wearing Pink Possibilities.

Swatches of similar shades: ELF Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Pink Umbrella is peachier in tone. Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart is pinker and warmer in tone. Revlon Lip Butter in Sorbet is even pinker and more pigmented. Sweet Tart and Sorbet are very close, even dupes of each other, just not of Maybelline Color Whisper in Pink Possibilities! Revlon Balm Stain in Sweetheart is a much darker and brighter pink. I switched gears and re-swatched Pink Possibilities and compared it again to the Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake, and they are very similar, with Pink Possibilities being warmer in tone. They are similar, but I wouldn't call them dupes.

Swatches from left to right: ELF Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Pink Umbrella,  Maybelline Color Whisper in Pink Possibilities, Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart, Revlon Lip Butter in Sorbet, Revlon Balm Stain in Sweetheart.

Swatches from up to down: ELF Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Pink Umbrella,  Maybelline Color Whisper in Pink Possibilities, Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart, Revlon Lip Butter in Sorbet, Revlon Balm Stain in Sweetheart 

Swatches from up to down: Maybelline Color Whisper in Pink Possibilities and Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake.

• Berry Ready: A true berry creme. It has red and purple undertones, but leans more cool. This shade is way more pigmented than the other Color Whispers, and is very opaque, yet buildable.

Berry Ready

Swatch of Berry Ready

Lip swatch of Berry Ready (indoor lighting)

Lip swatch of Berry Ready (outdoor lighting)

Me wearing Berry Ready

Swatches of similar shades: It was hard to find a similar shade in my collection, especially since I don't really have a massive lipstick collection. Berry Ready is most similar to Wet 'N Wild 907C Mauve Outta Here, but Mauve Outta Here is less of a berry, pinker, and matte. So no dupes for this one, but it's a great Berry that is very unique to my stash!

Swatches from up to down: Maybelline Color Whisper in Berry Ready and Wet 'N Wild 907C Mauve Outta Here. 

Swatches from up to down: Maybelline Color Whisper in Berry Ready and Wet 'N Wild 907C Mauve Outta Here.

Beauty in the Breakdown:

• Brand: Maybelline
• Product: Color Whisper lip color
• Shades: Lust for Blush, Pin Up Peach, Pink Possibilities, Berry Ready
• Price: About $6-7 (price varies by location and sales)
• Where to get: Target, Drugstores, Ulta
• Package Quality (out of 5 stars): ***** 
• Overall Rating (out of 5 stars): **** (Very good)
• Recommend: Yes
• Repurchase: I would consider repurchasing the shades I already own when they run out, but I might not buy any more, since I prefer the Revlon Lip Butters. If I did buy another shade it would be Mocha Muse, a neutral nude.
• Side Note: The only reason I did not give these an A, is because I prefer the heavy texture of the Revlon lip butters. If you prefer a lighter feel on the lips, you will prefer the Color Whispers!
• Grade: B+

Disclosure: These products were purchased by me for review purposes. I was not paid or compensated in any way. All opinions are my own.