As soon as the new Maybelline Super Stay Teddy Tints launched, social media flooded with reviews. At first, mostly positive… but the more I scrolled, the more complaints I saw from beauty lovers who had been “duped” by videos raving about the formula. Some people called them their new holy grails, while others complained about stickiness, patchiness, and dryness. So what gives? Why do the Maybelline Teddy Tints have such mixed reviews?
The Super Stay Teddy Tints from Maybelline are $12.99 each, boasting up to 12 hours of transfer-proof, waterproof, kissproof and smudgeproof color in a buildable vegan formula. You can apply them sheer, blurred, or build them up to a solid bold color. Plus, they can be used as liquid blush.
Let’s just get straight into it: these are a matte lip formula that don’t claim to be hydrating… and they’re not. They feel like a traditional matte liquid lipstick. They’re drying, and they are not chapped lip friendly. Exfoliation and moisturizing will be super helpful to prep your lips for this product (but remove excess lip balm before applying for an even finish!).
In recent years, we’ve gotten a lot of “comfort matte” lip products with hydrating ingredients, but this isn’t one of them.
Swatches top to bottom: Skinnydip, Petalcore, Coquettish, all swatched with 2 swipes.
Ingredients
Maybelline Super Stay Teddy Tints (minus color)
Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Nylon-611/Dimethicone Copolymer, Isododecane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, C30-45 Alkyldimethylsilyl Polypropylsilsesquioxane, Lauroyl Lysine, Silica Silylate, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Linalool, Silica, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Tocopherol, Parfum / Fragrance.
Maybelline Super Stay Matte Inks (minus color)
Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Isododecane, Nylon-611 / Dimethicone Copolymer, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, C30-45 Alkyldimethylsilyl Polypropylsilsesquioxane, Lauroyl Lysine, Alumina, Silica Silylate, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Limonene, Aluminum Hydroxide, Paraffin, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol, Citronellol, Parfum / Fragrance.
Speaking of ingredients, I dug a little deeper and compared these to the Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink Liquid Lipsticks. They struck me as similar– though sheerer– and frankly I thought they may be the same product but with more dimethicone in the formula. Comparing the ingredients side-by-side above, there are definitely a few differences but a lot of overlap (highlighted ingredients). I’m not a cosmetic chemist, but all of the mutual ingredients make me feel like I’m not that far off.
Maybelline mentions three lip looks you can achieve with the Teddy Tints: one swipe of color will get you a sheer wash of color, two gets you a blurred matte look, and three gives you a bold look resembling a regular matte liquid lipstick. With that said, I think that when you pull the applicator straight out of the tube, the amount of product on the wand is somewhere between “blurred” and “bold.” You really have to wipe off the excess to get sheer color. The formula has a thin whipped mousse consistency.
With the different levels of color also comes a completely different wear experience, and this is why I think we’re getting such mixed opinions from customers and influencers alike.
Above you can see two wear tests I did with the Maybelline Super Stay Teddy Tint in the shade Skinnydip.
Bold Test
The first time I wore it, I applied the tint generously for nearly opaque color payoff. Because the formula is thinner and a bit translucent, you do have to work at getting an even application.
At first, I got subtle transfer on straws I was drinking out of, but it became transfer-proof after about an hour. This was actually on Thanksgiving, where it survived both my breakfast and my full dinner spread of ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and pumpkin pie. The results speak for themselves: the color was still very much bold and even, 9 hours later.
However, it was truly a displeasure to wear throughout the day. Living in the desert, I have perpetually dry lips, and they were super uncomfortable throughout the day. Not only that, but the product stayed tacky all day. If I pressed my lips together, they felt sticky and product could even be peeled up if I wasn’t careful. You can see a little bit of patchiness toward the center of my bottom lip where this happened. The color also settled around my dry patches as well, which caused some unevenness.
Sheer Test
A few days later, I decided to re-test it with only a sheer layer of product. This time, it only stayed tacky for a couple hours– the feeling did end up going away completely. It was also transfer-proof nearly right away. The sheer wash of color stayed visible through 9 hours of wear and eating. And on another day, the sheer color lasted 11 hours! It was still drying, but the feeling wasn’t as noticeable since it was in a much thinner layer. Overall, it was a much more positive experience, though people with dry lips would still probably feel discomfort.
Even though the terms “lip tint” and “lip stain” have become more interchangeable recently, it’s important to note that these do not leave a stain behind on the lips, even when worn bold.
Wearing the shade Skinnydip on both the cheeks and lips.
On the Cheeks
I am typically not a fan of 2-in-1 lip and cheek products. To be honest, I never feel like they perform well in both areas. I actually loved how this wore as a blush, and may even prefer it that way. The color starts out sheer but can be built up and blends easily with just the fingers. It sets quickly but doesn’t feel or look dry on the cheeks– probably because it’s layered on top of my moisturizer, primer and foundation. Applied as blush, I also don’t feel stickiness at all.
If you’ve already picked a few shades up only to discover you don’t like the feel of the finish, I definitely recommend testing them as blushes so you can still make use out of them.
Conclusion
After my tests, I still have a weird relationship with this product. I love the way I can achieve a sheer level of blurred color that actually lasts– it’s an innovative product for sure. However, I’m just not the biggest fan of how it feels, even when applied sheer. I would never apply this built up to bold again.
This is a product I’d specifically reach for when I need the lasting power, but at the same time, I don’t necessarily want to be wearing these for extended periods of time as someone who has dry lips. If you have a higher tolerance for a traditional matte feel, you may still like these!
You can find the Maybelline Super Stay Teddy Tints at Ulta Beauty.
Have you tried these? What was your experience?
– Miranda
