Maybelline has been quietly building one of the most ambitious lip care ecosystems in the drugstore space and the newest centerpiece of that system is the Maybelline Serum Lipstick, officially launched as the “Maybe It’s…” collection in 2025. It’s a bold promise at a bold price: serum-level skincare benefits in a full-coverage lipstick format, with 16 shades spanning matte and satin finishes, all for around $12 to $14 at your local drugstore. The result is a hydrating lipstick that genuinely competes with luxury formulas.
What Is the Maybelline Serum Lipstick?
The Maybelline Serum Lipstick sold under the “Maybe It’s…” branding at Ulta and the official Maybelline website is a hybrid lip product that blends the hydration and plumping benefits of a lip serum with the color payoff of a traditional bullet lipstick. The concept is straightforward: instead of choosing between a nourishing lip treatment and a pigmented lipstick, you get both in a single product.
Maybelline describes it as serum-level care in lush color. The formula is built around two core active ingredients hyaluronic acid and a nourishing oil blend that together deliver weightless, comfortable hydration while the pigment provides full coverage in one swipe.
It comes in a twist-up bullet format with a lip-hugging bullet shape designed to hug the natural contour of the lips for precise application, available in both matte and satin finishes across 16 tone-enhancing shades. It is a vegan formula suitable for all skin types.
The Formula: What’s Actually in It
Understanding what the Serum Lipstick formula delivers helps you evaluate whether it’s the right product for your specific lip concerns.
Hyaluronic acid is the headline ingredient a humectant that draws moisture from the environment into the skin (or in this case, the lips), plumping them from within and visibly reducing the appearance of fine lip lines. Maybelline’s clinical data supports a measurable effect: the formula delivers plus-35% instant lip hydration in testing, and provides up to 8 hours of plumping moisture per application.
Oil blend — the second key ingredient. Where hyaluronic acid draws moisture in, the oil blend seals it. Oils in lip formulas create a barrier over the lip surface that prevents moisture evaporation throughout the day, which is why this formula can credibly claim hours of sustained hydration rather than a brief initial softness that fades.
Practical results: The combination of these two ingredients produces a lipstick that is comfortable enough that you’ll forget you’re wearing it all-day wear without the tight, drying sensation common to matte formulas that don’t include conditioning agents. The formula is not transfer-proof but is feather-resistant, meaning it holds to the shape of your lips without bleeding into fine lines around the mouth while still allowing some normal transfer during meals and drinks.
This serum-in-lipstick philosophy mirrors what several luxury brands have been doing at much higher price points and the Maybelline version delivers on the same basic promise at a fraction of the cost, in much the same way their L’Oréal parent company approached the formula across multiple lip lines. For a broader look at how drugstore lipstick formulas have evolved to compete with prestige, our complete guide to L’Oréal Paris lipstick lines and formulas covers the full parent-company approach to hydrating lip care at the drugstore level.
All 16 Shades: Complete Guide
The Maybelline Serum Lipstick comes in 16 shades split equally between 8 matte and 8 satin finishes. Here’s the full breakdown organized by finish and tone:
Satin Shades (8 shades)
Satin shades deliver a creamy, slightly glossy finish polished and hydrated. Best for those wanting color with a comfortable, not-quite-matte feel.
- Upstate — Light cool brown satin; sophisticated neutral nude for fair to medium skin
- Speed Walk — Deep espresso brown; rich and dramatic on deep skin tones
- Time Flies — Mid-tone cool pink; dusty rose-adjacent, universally flattering
- People Watch — Mid-tone warm rose; peachy warmth ideal for warm and olive undertones
- Window Shop — Light warm pink nude; the softest, most natural flush in the satin range
- Corner Booth — Mid-tone dusty mauve; muted and sophisticated for day-to-night wear
- Rush Hour — Deep berry rose; the boldest satin shade with rose-warmed depth
- Golden Hour — Mid-tone warm terracotta; sun-kissed and especially flattering on warm skin tones
Matte Shades (8 shades)
Matte shades deliver full, flat-finish pigment without the typical dryness the hyaluronic acid and oil blend make them significantly more comfortable than most drugstore mattes.
- Maybe It’s… — Mid-tone terracotta; the hero shade, named after the campaign
- Maybe It’s… Soft — Light terracotta rose nude; the most wearable everyday matte
- Maybe It’s… Intense — Deep burgundy rose; bold but sophisticated
- Hold The Door — Mid-tone mauve matte; rivals Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk at a fraction of the price
- Shortcut — Light-to-mid cool pink matte; clean and editorial
- Side Street — Mid-tone warm brick red; bridges red and terracotta, highly wearable
- Late Night — Deep cool plum; vampy evening matte
- City Block — Mid-tone neutral nude matte; the most universally wearable shade in the range
Best Shades by Skin Tone
With 16 shades across two finishes, choosing can be overwhelming. Here’s the clearest path to your best shade:
Fair skin tones: Window Shop (satin) or Shortcut (matte) for everyday wearability. Time Flies (satin) adds a pretty cool-pink flush without overwhelming lighter complexions.
Medium skin with warm undertones: Maybe It’s… (matte terracotta), Golden Hour (satin terracotta), or People Watch (warm rose satin) all three are specifically designed to enhance warm and neutral medium undertones.
Medium skin with cool undertones: Hold The Door (mauve matte) or Time Flies (cool pink satin) complement cool undertones without creating an icy, washed-out effect.
Olive skin tones: Maybe It’s… Soft (light terracotta matte), Side Street (brick red matte), or Corner Booth (dusty mauve satin) earthy, warm shades that play off olive’s natural warmth beautifully.
Deep skin tones: Speed Walk (deep espresso satin) and Rush Hour (deep berry rose satin) deliver maximum depth with genuine visual impact. Maybe It’s… Intense (deep burgundy matte) works beautifully for evening drama on deeper complexions.
Serum Lipstick vs. Other Maybelline Lip Products: How It Fits
Maybelline’s full lip ecosystem now spans several overlapping products, and knowing where the Serum Lipstick sits helps you decide if it’s the right addition to your current routine.
vs. SuperStay Matte Ink: SuperStay Matte Ink prioritizes maximum longevity and transfer resistance over comfort it’s the go-to for all-day, no-touch-up wear. The Serum Lipstick trades some longevity for dramatically more comfort and hydration. If you need a lip color that survives meals untouched, SuperStay wins. If you want something that feels nourishing throughout the day, the Serum Lipstick wins.
vs. Color Sensational: Color Sensational is the classic Maybelline bullet lipstick cream finish, wide shade range, comfortable but not specifically hydrating. The Serum Lipstick delivers measurably more hydration thanks to the hyaluronic acid and oil blend, plus 8 hours of plumping moisture versus Color Sensational’s standard wear.
vs. Lifter Glaze: The Lifter Glaze Oil Balm (hyaluronic acid, acerola cherry extract, hydrating oil blend) is a sheer, glassy lip balm with 24-hour hydration and 10 buildable shades. The Serum Lipstick is a full-coverage lipstick with 8-hour hydration and 16 shades in matte and satin finishes. They serve genuinely different purposes the Glaze for sheer everyday hydration, the Serum Lipstick for full color coverage with added skincare benefits. The two layer beautifully together: apply the Serum Lipstick for color and the Glaze as a topcoat for extra shine and extended hydration.
vs. Lifter Liner: The Lifter Liner Lip Liner (also formulated with hyaluronic acid) is Maybelline’s official pairing recommendation for the Serum Lipstick. Using both creates a cohesive hyaluronic acid system across liner and lipstick the liner defines the shape and prevents feathering while the lipstick fills with color and moisture.
How to Apply Maybelline Serum Lipstick for Best Results
Step 1 — Line first. Maybelline recommends lining lips with the Lifter Liner Lip Liner before applying the Serum Lipstick for a fuller, more shaped result and added feather-proofing. The liner’s own hyaluronic acid formula makes it the most compatible pairing in terms of both finish and hydration philosophy.
Step 2 — Apply from center outward. Start at the center of the upper lip (the cupid’s bow) and work outward toward each corner. Then apply to the center of the lower lip and work outward. This technique concentrates pigment where the natural lip shape is most prominent and creates the most natural-looking result.
Step 3 — For a blotted look. Dab the applied lipstick with a fingertip or tissue immediately after application to diffuse the color into a softer, stained effect rather than full coverage.
Step 4 — For a sculpted look. Apply the Serum Lipstick over the Lifter Liner for the most defined, shaped, and lifted lip appearance Maybelline’s own recommendation for maximum impact from the formula.
Step 5 — Touch up after 8 hours or meals. The Serum Lipstick is not transfer-proof, so reapplication after eating or drinking is expected. The 8-hour hydration claim refers to moisture retention rather than color longevity keep the tube in your bag for touch-ups throughout the day.
For those building a complete bold lip look from their Serum Lipstick including techniques for applying bold colors cleanly and precisely — our full tutorial on how to apply black lipstick covers the same lining, layering, and edge-cleanup fundamentals that apply directly to any bold or pigmented lipstick shade.
Is It Worth It? Honest Assessment
At $12 to $14, the Maybelline Serum Lipstick is one of the most competitively positioned hydrating lipsticks at the drugstore level. The clinical numbers are real plus-35% instant hydration and 8 hours of plumping moisture are verified claims, not marketing language and the 16-shade range is genuinely wide enough to serve a broad range of skin tones without the usual drugstore limitation of a handful of safe nudes and one bold red.
The primary limitation, as with most hydrating lipstick formulas, is transfer. If all-day, no-reapplication wear is your top priority, the SuperStay Matte Ink range remains Maybelline’s strongest formula for that specific goal. But if you want a lipstick that feels like a conditioning treatment while you’re wearing it that keeps lips smooth and comfortable throughout the day the Serum Lipstick delivers on that promise genuinely and consistently.
For anyone who has found traditional matte or long-wear formulas too drying but wanted the color payoff and pigmentation of a full lipstick, this is the product that bridges that gap at a drugstore price point. The matte shades in particular formulated with hyaluronic acid are significantly more comfortable than most drugstore mattes and represent the most compelling reason to try the line first.
