Maybelline Color Jolt Vs. Too Faced Melted: DUPE? Or Not?

Do you remember my post from last year when I talked about lip paints? No? Allow me to refresh your memory riiiight here. Lip paints are the perfect compromise of a lipstick and a gloss--think pigmentation of a lipstick combined with glossiness of a lip gloss. You get a bit more wearing time than a traditional gloss and they aren't as sticky. Another way to think of them is as a liquid lipstick.

One of my fave liquid lipsticks is from Too Faced, but it's $21. And a few months ago I heard about the Maybelline Color Jolt being released this summer, and secretly hoped it would be a dupe. After a week of testing, I'm here to share my results. Is it a dupe or not?

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick--pictured is Chihuahua

• $21, 4 oz.
• 18 shades
• Ulta, Sephora
• scented (smells like candy to me)

Maybelline Color Jolt Intense Lip Paint--pictured is Stripped Down

• $7-$9, .21oz
• 7 shades
• Walmart, Amazon (drugstores and more to follow soon)
• scented (smells like watermelon to me)

Okay, so we've got some obvious differences in price, size, and shade range. Let's look at the applicators--both have a fuzzy doe foot, with the Maybelline having a hole in the middle for product to come out of. Too Faced has 5 tiny holes where product is dispersed. The TF applicator is slightly larger.

Now let's look at swatches. I apologize for the lighting, but the only time I had to shoot these was at midnight, so I had to bust out the artificial lighting. They look similar, but the Too Faced has a little more brown and is a glossier. This is interesting, as the Maybelline packaging is actually more brown than the TF one. Pictures are without and with flash.

Here is a half-and-half swatch. On your left is Too Faced, on your right is Maybelline. Very slight difference, right? However, when I used a lip brush to apply it on a friend, the difference was more obvious. It really depends on your lip pigmentation. The Maybelline Color Jolt in Stripped Down 05 is closer to my natural lip color.

When I recreated this on myself of the half TF/half M for my friend, she couldn't tell they were different from a distance. When I asked a 2 year old, she ran off (#typical). And when I asked the 6 year old she said, "You look like a hatch in progress."

What? ;)

So overall, look-wise, they are very, very close (on my lips). Feel-wise, glossiness-wise, staying power-wise, I really like Too Faced the best. I do like Maybelline, but it is SO tiny, y'all, for that price. Tiny.

Have you tried either of these?

Have you ever tried a liquid lipstick or paint?

Extra Elle:

• Happy early Fathers Day to my step-dad! We love you.
• Thanks Biana for letting me know the new Essie gel polish was on Amazon. I got it that day and have been wearing it all week. Gorgeous! Did you see my Snaps (ellesees) of it?
• If you're in Atlanta this weekend, stop by the Makeup Show so we can chat! I'm going as a guest of BeBe & Bella. I can't wait to do some shopping!