Maybelline Shine Sensational Lip Gloss

When I saw the new Maybelline display at CVS, I was attracted to the pretty colors - like a moth to light. So many of the Shine Sensational Lip Gloss ($5.99) colors looked luscious.

There was a hint on the display that the glosses might be flavored, and I don't like flavored glosses. But I rolled the dice and bought one - the darkest color, #60 Berry Dazzle. Not all flavored glosses are alike, I reasoned, and perhaps this one had a subtle flavor. The Berry Dazzle color in the tube looked gorgeous - a deep berry that appeared to have a lot of pigment. My thinking was that I could keep the gloss in my purse or car and use it for quick color touch-ups.

Here's what Maybelline has to say about Shine Sensational.

More Shine. More Luscious. More Yum.

• Luscious shine, delectable feel
• Comfortable, non-sticky, moisturizing high-shine formula.
• Comes in 18 different enticing flavors and fragrances.

Here's my description of this gloss.

• The flavor is overpowering. It's not a simple side note or a transitory annoyance. It's like having bubble gum stuck to your lips.
• It's sticky. Heavy and sticky. Speaking of that moth, if he flew by, he might stick.
  
• There is almost no pigment in it. Remember, I bought the darkest color. It looks clear on my lips. Why have 18 colors when they all look clear? See the model in this ad? There is no way she is wearing only Shine Sensational on her lips.
  
• It is very shiny, but so are a bazillion other glosses.

I had hoped this new gloss might be a Best Drugstore Beauty candidate. It's not. I don't usually bother to write about slam-worthy products, but I feel it's my civic duty to warn you. Don't waste your money.

Update 3/25: Kathy had a good idea. This gloss is perfect for pre-teens. Find a BOGO, and you have party favors for those little girls who beg to use makeup, but are really too young.

Photos courtesy of Maybelline, which makes some of the best mascara I use