Maybelline Master Strobing Stick | Review & Swatches

Maybelline Master Strobing Stick ($7.94 at Walmart) is brand new for Summer 2016 and I spotted these at Walmart last week. As far as I know, they haven't shown up at any drugstores or even at Bed, Bath & Beyond yet (which is weird because they usually get things first). If you can't find them in stores, they are available on Amazon.com here.

Packaging: 

The Master Strobing Sticks come in a chubby, twist-up stick like the Master Glaze Blush Sticks. The label has a pretty ombre effect that looks shiny and luminous like a highlighter, making it easy to tell these apart from the blushes, which had brightly colored labels that matched the shade inside.

There are two shades available, 100 Light Iridescent (a soft, pearlescent pink) and 200 Medium Nude Glow (a warm golden champagne).

One thing I want to mention is that you don't get a lot of product with these. The amount that I have them twisted up in this photos is as high as they go, so the packaging is deceptive as far as making it look like you get a lot of product. Still, these are so pigmented, you only need a little bit, which makes me feel like they'll last quite a while.

Formula: 

The formula is gorgeous...very creamy and highly pigmented in one swipe. They remind me a lot of Benefit's Watts Up! highlighter in the sense that they don't need a lot of build-up to get great color payoff and impact.  They don't feel greasy and the shimmer is very finely milled giving more of a pearly sheen rather than obvious glitter.
They go on so smoothly with very little effort...you only have to touch them to your skin lightly to get great color payoff and they blend so beautifully and set with a powdery finish.

Shades/Swatches: 

The colors are beautiful as well!  Light Iridescent is the perfect pinky champagne shade for my fair skin, while Medium Nude Glow is equally as beautiful (if not a little bit dark for me personally). You can see in the swatches how well they catch the light and yet you can't see any obvious glitter (or stray glitter particles anywhere).

These swatches are one swipe of the stick, so the pigmentation is fantastic. Also, they blend really easily so you can customize how intense you want them to be. You can swipe them on and just pat them lightly to keep them looking more intense, or feather them in with your finger or a brush to sheer them out. Either way, they look gorgeous on the skin.

Comparison Swatches: 

I wanted to swatch these next to some of my other cream highlighters so if you own any of these you can see how the Maybelline Master Strobing shades compare.

First, I swatched the Maybelline Pink Iridescent next to some of my pink-toned highlighters...if you like any of the other shades, I'll link them underneath the photo.

Maybelline Pink Iridescent ($7.99), Colourpop Teasecake($8), Wet n Wild Marigold Round (Ltd edition, not available online), Sonia Kashuk Persian Sunset ($10.99), Revlon Pink Light (new-not online yet, but in drugstores), L.A. Girl Luminous

Here's Medium Nude Glow next to some of my golden/bronze highlighters:

Maybelline Medium Nude Glow ($7.99). Benefit Watts Up! ($30), Flower Beauty Honey Bronze & Gold Coaster ($9.98), Sonia Kashuk Sparkling Sands ($10.99), Colourpop Wisp ($8), Colourpop Highly Waisted ($8). 

Final Verdict: 

I absolutely love the new Maybelline Master Strobing Sticks and will say these are definitely my new favorite drugstore highlighters! I've been waiting for a Watts Up! type of formula at a more affordable price and I finally feel like we have one.

Have you tried the new Maybelline Master Strobing sticks? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

You can find them at Walmart stores or at Amazon.com