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Maybelline Hue Review: Shades by Season

Maybelline covers more of the drugstore shade spectrum than almost any other brand — and at prices that make trying a new color feel low-risk. Lifter Gloss runs $11. Cheek Heat is $8. SuperStay Matte Ink is $13. You can build a full lips-and-cheeks rotation for less than one department-store lipstick. The catch is the same one you hit everywhere: not every shade works on every person. So we scored every Maybelline shade below for all 12 color seasons. Find yours, skip the rest.

We ran every shade through TruHue's scoring engine, which analyzes undertone, depth, chroma, and contrast against your season's ideal palette. A shade scores YAY (70%+) when it harmonizes with your coloring, OKAY (35-69%) when it's wearable but not ideal, and NAY (under 35%) when it clashes.

Lifter Gloss ($11) — Full Scoring

The Maybelline Lifter Gloss is a hydrating, non-sticky gloss with visible color and a hint of hyaluronic acid. Eight shades, and nearly every season has a YAY in this line.

ShadeTop Seasons (YAY)Score
Ice
Translucent pink
Light Spring, True Spring, Bright Spring, Light Summer100%
Silk
Warm mauve gold
Soft Summer 100%, True Summer 79%100%
Petal
Warm pink copper
True Summer 96%, Light Summer 85%, Bright Winter 79%96%
Topaz
Sheer terracotta gold
True Autumn 100%, True Spring 85%100%
Rust
Ruby red gold
True Autumn 94%, Deep Autumn 94%, True Spring 79%94%
Amber
Yellow nude cream
True Autumn 94%, True Spring 79%, Bright Spring 79%94%
Stone
Rosy nude cream
Light Spring 93%, Soft Autumn 82%93%
Moon
Nude pink pearl
Soft Summer 85%, True Summer 79%85%
The standout: Ice scores 100% across four seasons — Light Spring, True Spring, Bright Spring, and Light Summer. If you want one gloss you can wear without thinking, and you're any of those seasons, Ice is it.

SuperStay Matte Ink ($13) — Full Scoring

The SuperStay Matte Ink is Maybelline's long-wear liquid lipstick — it dries matte and stays put for 16+ hours. Four shades scored here, and they split cleanly between warm and cool.

ShadeTop Seasons (YAY)Score
Pioneer
Warm nude pink
Light Spring 100%100%
Seductress
Berry
True Autumn 100%, True Spring 85%100%
Lover
Dusty mauve
Soft Summer 100%, True Summer 79%100%
Voyager
Deep burgundy wine
Deep Winter 79%, True Winter 70%79%

If you're a Light Spring, Pioneer at 100% is one of the highest-scoring drugstore nudes we've seen for that season. And Seductress is a true warm berry — a rare 100% YAY for True Autumn in a matte liquid lip.

Not sure of your season yet? Take the free color quiz — it takes about 2 minutes.

Cheek Heat Gel-Cream Blush ($8) — Full Scoring

The Cheek Heat Gel-Cream Blush is an $8 liquid blush that blends with your fingers. Five shades, and they fan out across warm, cool, and neutral seasons so cleanly that you can almost always find your match.

ShadeTop Seasons (YAY)Score
Coral Ember
Warm peach coral
Bright Spring 100%, True Spring 94%100%
Fuchsia Spark
Bright fuchsia
Deep Winter 100%, True Winter 98%100%
Nude Burn
Warm nude flush
Light Spring 100%100%
Pink Scorch
Warm pink
True Summer 99%, Light Summer 94%, Bright Winter 83%99%
Berry Flame
Deep berry
Deep Winter 85%, True Winter 83%85%
At $8, Cheek Heat is the lowest-cost blush we've scored with multiple 100% YAYs. Fuchsia Spark for Deep Winter, Coral Ember for Bright Spring, and Nude Burn for Light Spring — all perfect matches, all under ten dollars.

Sky High Mascara ($14) — Full Scoring

The Sky High Mascara is Maybelline's lengthening formula with a flexible bamboo-fiber brush. Two shades:

ShadeTop Seasons (YAY)Score
Very BlackAll 12 seasons90%
Burgundy HazeTrue Winter 88%, Bright Winter 79%88%

Very Black is a universal — 90% YAY across every season. If you're a True Winter or Bright Winter and want to lean into cool-toned detail, Burgundy Haze adds a subtle plum dimension without clashing.

Four products, 19 shades, and every season has at least one YAY under $14.

Your Top Maybelline Pick by Season

Here's the cheat sheet. One top-scoring Maybelline product and shade for each season:

Your SeasonTop PickProductScore
Bright SpringCoral EmberCheek Heat ($8)100%
True SpringCoral EmberCheek Heat ($8)94%
Light SpringPioneerSuperStay Matte Ink ($13)100%
Bright WinterPink ScorchCheek Heat ($8)83%
True WinterFuchsia SparkCheek Heat ($8)98%
Deep WinterFuchsia SparkCheek Heat ($8)100%
Light SummerPink ScorchCheek Heat ($8)94%
True SummerSilkLifter Gloss ($11)100%
Soft SummerSilkLifter Gloss ($11)100%
Soft AutumnStoneLifter Gloss ($11)82%
True AutumnTopazLifter Gloss ($11)100%
Deep AutumnRustLifter Gloss ($11)94%

Every season lands somewhere between 82% and 100% in this table. That's the advantage of Maybelline's shade range — the brand covers warm, cool, and neutral ground in a way most drugstore lines don't.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Maybelline Lifter Gloss shade works for cool skin tones?
For cool seasons (Summer and Winter), Moon scores 85% YAY for Soft Summer and 79% for True Summer. Silk scores 100% for Soft Summer. Petal scores 96% for True Summer and 85% for Light Summer. If you're a Winter, try Ice — it scores 100% across Light Summer and all three Spring seasons as a near-universal neutral.
Is Maybelline Cheek Heat blush good for all seasons?
Cheek Heat covers a wide range of seasons across its five shades. Nude Burn is a 100% YAY for Light Spring, Coral Ember hits 100% for Bright Spring, Pink Scorch scores 99% for True Summer, and Fuchsia Spark is 100% for Deep Winter. Between them, most seasons have at least one strong match.
Can you wear Maybelline Sky High mascara in any color season?
Yes. Very Black scores 90% YAY across all 12 seasons — it's a true universal. Burgundy Haze is more specific, scoring 88% for True Winter and 79% for Bright Winter, so it works if you want a cool-toned alternative.

Find Your Season

Search any product at TruHue and see your personal score — YAY, OKAY, or NAY.

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