Maybelline’s Color Sensational Rebellion: The Rebel Bouquet

I love flowers. I love lipstick. Put them together in one pretty basket arrangement? You’ve got one very, very happy IanaBee (that’s me, FYI). Cue the seraphs singing! (Also insert a heart-eyed emoji here.)

Receiving the Maybelline Rebel Bouquet* was the highlight of my day and I could hardly wait to get my hands on all 11 lipsticks — but I waited — patiently, as a good beauty blogger should, and I took photos first so that you can get a glimpse of Maybelline’s newest line of lipsticks before you go out and grab some (or all). The Rebel Bouquet collection features pinks, reds, and mauves that are meant to be “pastel” with a punch. There are, in reality, only two shades that might pass as pastels in the set, but they are all definitely bright shades with a kick.

I wish the shades had names instead of number codes, and I also wish that they progressed in number as they do in shade (all mauves in order, all peaches and oranges together, then the reds), but I suppose that’s not too important in the end. What matters most is the formula, which is something that I find Maybelline is hit-and-miss with when it comes to lipsticks. Thankfully, these Rebel lipsticks are much better than most Maybelline lipsticks I’ve tried in the past.
At just 299.00 Php each, these lipsticks are on the affordable end. That shows mostly in the packaging design, which is ultra simple. Once you peel the cute plastic seal off (which shows the collection and product name, as seen in the first two photos from the left), you’re left with a standard squared lipstick tube with an orange translucent cap. In my opinion, keeping it simple actually makes it feel pricier than 300 pesos! Now let’s talk about the formula a little bit more: The Rebel Bouquet lipsticks are meant to be bold in colour and moisturising. There’s also that spiel about these being “pastels” with a kick, but really: they’re mostly brights with hardly any creme in there. Drop the pastel expectations and you will not be disappointed because these lipsticks are totally bold and moisturising. Maybelline has charged the formula with honey-nectar to keep the highly-pigmented hues smooth. See what I mean about there being hardly any pastels? Haha. Anyway, I’ll quit going on about that and just get to describing the colours now:

01 – Bright red with slight orange tone (jelly finish)

02 – Vibrant pink with a warm undertone (jelly)

03 – Bright pink (creme finish)

04 – Bright coral-pink (jelly)

05 – Deep orange

06 – Light peach (a pastel!)

07 – Tea rose (semi-matte / creme)

08 – Milky pink (a pastel!)

09 – Similar to 02, but with more pink and cool tones (jelly)

10 – Bright pink with a slight hint of plum (jelly)

12– Straight-up orange (jelly)

Each shade varies in intensity, but none are sheer. I do moisturise before wearing any of these, but I do that for any lipstick anyway! I mixed shades 07 and 08 to get this colour and I’ve been wearing it quite a lot. It’s the perfect balance of creamy and bright! I went to lunch wearing this and although it doesn’t stand up to food, it did not fade unevenly. The formula is much smoother than other Maybelline lipsticks I’ve tried in the past and it is more moisturising indeed, although I did prep with a lipbalm like I mentioned earlier.

In case you’re wondering: the flower crown I have on is made by my friend, Pauline Suarez. Maybelline happens to have partnered with her for this collection’s release and I think it’s super fitting! Check out her awesome designs at Moonbeam by Polina. In sum: I do really like these lipsticks. At 299.00 Php, they are such a steal! The one issue I have with them is that they really aren’t pastels. So if you keep that in mind and if what you’re after is a fun, bright lipstick, this might just be for you! *PR Sample