As any self-respecting makeup enthusiast, I am not ignorant to the mass appearance of ColourPop cosmetics bombarding my social media feeds, blogroll and YouTube subscriptions. The super affordable, everything-under-$10 (most $5!) finally got the best of me and I placed my first order a month ago and I’m ready to give my first ColourPop review. To get a feel for a variety of their products, I picked up two shades of their $5 super shock eyeshadows (one lighter shade and one darker), a $5 lippie stick (their form of lipsticks) and one of their newly launched $6 Ultra Matte Lip liquid lip colors. Continue reading to find out my overall thoughts and if this is a brand you should give your hard-earned five dollar bills to…
[Some Biz Talk: ColourPop is a new-to-market, online-only, animal-friendly cosmetics company that focuses on vast color selection, speed and affordable pricing. They’re based out of California and are owned by Seed Beauty, which, from my high-level research, is a VC-funded LLC business – something new to the cosmetics industry compared to traditional brick and mortar stores, global or indie brands. The owners have combined funding, engineers and craftsmen into one house … all while using the same fast-turnaround production you find at clothing retailer, ZARA.]
Let’s start with the super shock eyeshadows ($5) because at my core, I’m an eye makeup addict. I really wanted to try out a couple of shades that were nothing like anything else in my collection. Challenge accepted. I ended up picking I Heart This (cool-toned silvery taupe with multi-colored glitter) and So Quiche (soft olive with gold and pink violet glitter). The texture of these shadows (and many of their eye and face products) is a unique, squishy mousse. They almost feel like a cream, but they’re drier to the touch, yet soft and super blendable. They work well alongside powder shadows, if you want a more intricate look. I find they’re best applied with your finger and wear a full 8 hours with or without primer.
I LOVE these shadows and totally recommend them to anyone. Those who like quick makeup looks will adore these and makeup newbies will find them super cool. Seasoned makeup aficionados will appreciate the unique shades and price point. They’re like nothing else on the market right now, particularly due to the sparkles they’ve infused in the color. Who would have thought to infuse an olive bronze with purple glitter?!
Now, onto the lip products. I’ll start with the Ultra Matte Lip ($6) which I purchased in shade Tulle (dusty mauve burgundy). The color is pretty in the tube, but when applied to my lips, it’s much darker. I really love the color, but the formula leaves much to be desired. As an ultra matte lip, I was prepared for matte and dry, but Tulle was super uncomfortable. It literally dried down like a matte paint for the walls, but if I drank or took a bite of food, it completely broke down. Not in a subtle way, either. Like straight crusty, pilling up and giving a totally patchy look. I happened to be at lunch with a friend while testing this product and she said something along the lines of, “Girl, if you’re testing this for the blog, this is a no-go. It looks horrible.” For $6, if you’re going out and not intending on eating or drinking, these may be a great option to try out the ultra matte, liquid lipstick trend, but for 90% of the population, there are better options out there.
Moving on to the Lippie Stix ($5), I picked up Tootsi (cool-toned grey beige), another shade that I definitely didn’t have in my peachy-nude infiltrated collection. Tootsi is part of their matte formula in their lippie stix – so it’s much less drying than the ultra matte lip because it’s applied from a lipstick bullet. It’s creamy upon application, a little thick with a bit of a waxy feel and has little-to-no sheen on the lip (what you would expect from a matte formula). ColourPop also makes coordinating lip pencils to match with most (if not all) of their lippie stix if lip pencils are a must-have for you. I like this formula and shade and would definitely pick up a couple other lippie stix in the future. This matte formula wears extremely well on the lips and is a great way to try out a bunch of lip colors without breaking the bank.
Ok, and here’s a super close up of the shadows (look at those SPARKLES!!!)
Overall, I think the shining stars of their products are the super shock shadows. They have six different finishes varying from matte to ultra-metallic, but I’m a huge fan of the metallic finish for the unique glitters and convenience of applying and walking out the door feeling put-together with your makeup look. Check out the entire ColourPop collection on their website here.
Have you tried ColourPop? If so, what are some of your favorites I should check out next? Let me know in the comments 🙂
Are you interested in checking out ColourPop, but wanted my thoughts on what would be a great shade for you to try? Comment below!
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Happy dollar-saving,
-Steffanie
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