Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Colourpop Continued

I wasn't completely thrilled with my first Colourpop order, but I thought to give the brand another try. After all, my last order consisted only of their Super Shock eyeshadows and I wanted to test out some of their lip and cheek products. If I wasn't happy with those either, then at least I'd be satisfied I gave Colourpop a good go but things just didn't work out. When they were having a $5 off promotion around Christmas (sadly shipping was still exorbitant), I finally ordered a few items on my radar: Ultra Matte Lip in Trap and Midi, Lippie Pencil in Lumière, Super Shock Cheek in Monster and Super Shock Shadow in Nillionaire.





Colourpop Super Shock Cheek in Monster

The Super Shock Cheek in Monster was probably the product I was most excited about. I remember when Colourpop first came out with highlighters, Monster was the one shade that called out to me. I'm naturally drawn to highlighters that flash an opalescent/iridescent pink or purple as I find them rarer and more special than your typical gold, champagne or frosty/whitish variety. Seeing it reviewed and mentioned a few times on auxiliary beauty only reinforced that I needed it.

Fortunately Monster came as expected and its pronounced pinky/purple shift didn't disappoint. I can safely say I don't have anything like it in my bloated makeup collection, which is always pleasing and extra justification for purchasing. I'm still not 100% won over by the texture (very similar to their eyeshadows, if not the same) as I find it weirdly thin and emollient and capable of being blended away to nothing a bit too easily. However that same weirdly thin and emollient texture does have its benefits, like increased multipurpose use (for example, you could use Monster as an inner corner highlight, cream shadow, eyeshadow topper, or on top of lipstick for a metallic overlay or accent).



l-r: Super Shock Cheek in Monster, Super Shock Shadow in Nillionaire

The Super Shock Shadow in Nillionaire was entirely enabled by Tiffany. This one definitely did not look as good on me as it did her. I wished it was more of a neutral-to-warm gold leaf effect, but on my lids, it looks too greyish/greenish, dull and muddy. The underlying colour is like a medium khaki taupe rather than something closer to my all-time favourite shadow, the left side of the NARS Kalahari duo. It's a typical problem I have with similar colours (think L'Oréal Infallible eyeshadow in Sahara Treasure), but clearly I never learn.

I've also concluded after trying 6 Colourpop eyeshadows that I simply dislike the texture of them. Sure, the shimmery shades have the advantage of no fall out, but you have to apply them with your finger, they need to be layered multiple times to achieve desired opacity, and any blending needs to be targeted and careful otherwise it will become a glittery mess quickly.





l-r: Lippie Pencil in Lumière, Ultra Matte Lip in Midi and Trap

Moving onto the lip products. These I generally liked. I was tempted to order a single Lippie Stix (it probably would've been Tootsi) just to see what they were like, but in the end I decided to keep my cart as tight as possible.

The lip liners (Lippie Pencils) tend to garner more raves than the lipsticks from reviews I've come across, so I opted for the shade made in collaboration with KathleenLights, Lumière. It looked good on her (worn in this video) and was featured in her November 2015 Favourites, plus it's been compared with NARS Audacious Lipstick in Anna, so I had high hopes. It's a great lip pencil for the price. Very pigmented, a nice texture (not too dry, not overly soft and creamy), long lasting and fairly comfortable on the lips. These kind of deeper, purply rosy mauve shades are fashionable now, so it's fun to experiment with a trendy shade without breaking the bank.

Speaking of trendy lip colour, the Ultra Matte Lip in Trap was an unabashed foray into that world. After Monster, it was the product I was most excited about (and we're talking a very close second). Trap is decidedly darker, more cool-toned and greyish than Lumière, though the two certainly have their similarities. So long as the rest of your face makeup works with it, it's a striking statement colour that isn't too out there and certainly not unflattering.

Midi is a lighter, nude, less purple version of Trap. It's warmer and more pink. I think it's super pretty, though like most nude shades, it requires a flawless base to shine, otherwise it can emphasise any areas of redness and unevenness in the complexion.

There have been comments about the formula of these liquid matte lipsticks not being the best. Personally, I don't find them too bad, though your lips do need to be in good condition (if you have dry, chapped or flaky lips, forget it). They're slightly drying, but nothing major. I didn't experience separating, cracking or flaking, though I usually don't wear a lip product for longer than 1-2 hours until I start eating and it all comes off, or I just remove it because I can't be bothered anymore and I dislike the feel of product on my lips. You can apply a lip balm or gloss over these to make them more hydrating and change the finish while retaining the colour.

l-r: Lippie Pencil in Lumière, Ultra Matte Lip in Midi and Trap, Super Shock Cheek in Monster, Super Shock Shadow in Nillionaire


Overall, this was a more successful order than my last one, mostly thanks to the lip products and Monster meeting expectations. To me, the appeal of Colourpop is its ability to deliver a huge product range with trendy, creative and more unusual shades at an affordable price point (so long as you live in the States). I'll be steering clear of the eyeshadows from now on though.

34 comments:

  1. Ohhhhhh, thanks for the heads up on the eyeshadows! My sister was putting together a ColourPop cart and I saw she listed some eyeshadows. She's the type to never look at reviews before ordering though, so I might just let her know, haha.

    She's also been looking at lippy shades similar to your swatches, so yeaaaa. I've never heard much about the lipliners though. I've been so out of it, meep!

    X

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    1. Your sister may still really like the eyeshadows if she tries them for herself. I haven’t seen many (or any, really) neutral to negative reviews about them (mostly just raves), so I may just be alone in my thoughts here, haha. The lip liner is one of the best I’ve tried for the price point! I love that they have soooo many shades to choose from as well.

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  2. I'm glad you tried out more from them! The highlighters are one of my favourite products from them, the particular shade I have is just so naturally sheeny and glowy, yet quite intense! I love it. I'm glad you like Lumiere too! I'm not overly tempted to try their matte liquid lips, though those shades do look awesome!

    Tasha // shiwashiful.

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    1. I was bummed I missed out on the Stila trio set of liquid lipsticks (the one with Baci), so I guess I consoled myself with this Colourpop order. I just really wanted to try the trend of greige/dark dusty mauve lips and they were the cheapest option. Happy with the lip liner though picking which shade to get is always the hardest part!

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  3. I love the shades of the eye shadows so pretty and those lip colours are lovely. I definitely need to get my hands on a few colour pop products

    Nashia | MakeupandBeautyMayhem

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    1. If you’re in the States, they’re definitely on the affordable side. However they only ship internationally to a limited number of countries and the shipping rates are pricey.

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  4. I have t been interested in the eyeshadow sand a shame it didn't work well. I am in love however with the lippies and love the colors. I just wish they shipped to my country so I could try them as I'm looking for an adorable matte liquid lipstick.

    Jackie | fashionxfairytale |

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    1. I’m sure they will eventually expand the countries they ship to as the company grows. It’s only a matter of time! The brand gets quite a bit of buzz on YouTube but outside the online community, I’m not sure if it has that much exposure or reputation, especially outside of the US.

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  5. I'd love to get my hands on a few of their lip products. I can't get over how pigmented they are!

    Emily xo
    www.britishbeautyaddict.com

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    1. They’re definitely pigmented! No sheer or shy shades here.

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  6. I really want to try some products from them but can't seem to get them in the UK :(

    www.shonaox.blogspot.com

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    1. I’m sure they will ship there eventually since it’s such a huge market to be tapped. Eventually!

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  7. I wish Colour Pop was easier to get hold of. I do love how wide their colour range is.

    Rachel | www.currentlyrachel.com

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    1. They’re not shipping to as many countries as they could, but I’m sure they’re working on it. Their huge colour and product range is definitely appealing to us makeup enthusiasts!

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  8. I was tempted to pick up Nillionaire as well because I've heard so many raves about it. Swatches online can be a bit tricky but I'm glad you pointed out it's got a bit more of a khaki base. On some other photos it really looked like a sparkly gold shadow.

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    1. Yeah, it really depends on what your skin tone is, and to a lesser degree any bases or complementary eyeshadows you wear with it. I always have high hopes for these kinds of shades (neutral looking bronze with slight pewter/old gold slant), but usually end up disappointed. I think I’ll stick to warmer copper or rose gold shades as they suit me more.

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  9. Monster looks so cute! I'm not a huge blush fan but I love how versatile the shade is! I think it would look gorgeous as an eyeshadow too :)

    www.sayyip.blogspot.com.au/

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    1. Not sure if I’d ever wear Monster as a blush – it’s already quite adventurous for me just as a highlighter, haha. I tried it on the eyes and it does work well :)

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  10. I'm haven't tried anything from the brand since they still don't ship to Europe...
    The only thing I would probably get would be the blushes and the highlighters. And maybe the Liquid Lipsticks...the eyeshadows don't really call for me. Unless I could depot them - which I cannot.
    I'd rather get nabla or makeupgeek eyeshadows - which are now available at BeautyBay, without the fuzz of extra taxes and getting my package stopped at custom services.

    But those shades are just gorgeous! Although I'm more into the NYX matte lipsticks, which have an interesting formula in my opinion. Oh and I also want to try the Kat von D liquid lipsticks :3

    Take care*

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    1. Me too! Heard so much hype about them. I also want to try the Dose of Colors Stone one that seems to be super popular on YouTube.
      What’s nabla? Never heard of it.
      I definitely prefer Makeup Geek shadows to Colourpop, though they are quite different. Makeup Geek are more traditional in their eyeshadows (in terms of formula and texture) whereas Colourpop are a little different with their signature cream shadow feel and white screw top pots. For that reason you can’t depot them. I’m sure they’re working on expanding their shipping options!

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    2. Nabla it's a new italian brand, their system is quite similar to MakeupGeek, except I believe their shadows are bigger and they have other options - like cream shadows.
      I have to give them that, it really is their signature mark...the problem is that it's a signature mark quite hard to keep up with :(
      I really hope so, I want to try out at least their blushes and lip products...

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  11. I was worried when I first tried their eyeshadows because they seemed lo lose pigmentation immediately when used with a brush and they applied stunningly with fingers but I hate using my fingers to apply eyeshadow. Then I switched to a dense, non-flat synthetic eye brush and the results have been wonderful. I get great pay off and I love how they look. I adore their eyeshadows. x

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    1. Which brush do you use to apply them? Usually a flat synthetic brush (kind of like a concealer brush) works well for my other cream shadows, but didn’t seem to do the trick for Colourpop. I think I tried something like the Zoeva Concealer Buffer but it didn’t give me results close enough to if I applied the shadows with my fingers, so I gave up. I tried to give the shadows another go today though, so I’m wearing Game Face. 4-5 layers, but I do admit the colour is gorgeousss.

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  12. I've been tempted by Monster for ages but the shipping to Canada (combined with terrible exchange rate at the moment) is really putting me off the idea! Seems like a big order (to make the most of the shipping costs) is the best way to go. I'm still not entirely sure if I'm ready to jump on the ColourPop train yet, though! By the time I make a decision the brand will probably be passé, haha.

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    1. I can relate with a terrible exchange rate – the AUD is absolutely tanking! How I wish I stocked up on USD back when it was PARITY with the Australian dollar (*cries*).

      Lol you’re so right about brands being passé. It’s something we don’t think about in the midst of hype, but like anything, the moment of relevance comes and goes and everyone moves onto the ‘next big thing’.

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  13. I got my first Colour Pop shipment the other day. I got Stereo, BAE and Porter plus the Lumiere Lippie. I am happy with them all (bloody exy shipping whoa!!), but I wish I chose differnt shades as all mine are very similar ie: burgundy/wine/maroon shades oh well. xxx

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    1. Haha we can’t help but be attracted to what we like! That’s the funny thing with shopping in general – we have so much of the same things we get excited about repeatedly, and nothing of the not-so-exciting things we actually need. I do wish their shipping was more affordable – it’s so expensive that it really puts people off.

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  14. I also really like the Ultra Matte line from colourpop. I'm with you on the eyeshadows though, I got two and one was just okay, and the other I didn't like. I'd like to try that highlighter, though, I love how pinky and iridescent it is :) Great Review!


    Samantha Series

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    1. Their matte liquid lipsticks are pretty well done for the price point, especially with the trendy colour selection. I don’t have any complaints. I think we’re in the minority when it comes to the eyeshadows though – I’ve mainly heard really positive things about them. The highlighter is so unique and eye-catching, definitely a fun one!

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  15. You've making me really want to go on a colour pop rampage and buy everything haha!
    Charlotte // charlottespicks.blogspot.com

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  16. Glad it was more of a successful experience than your previous one! I really need them to ship to the UK as I want to get my hands on their liquid lipsticks! xx

    www.adaliascloset.blogspot.co.uk

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  17. Yep (so long as you live in the States) for sure it's amazing for the price. But everywhere else (mostly) aren't that impressed bec of the taxes and (usually) exorbitant shipping! :( sadface

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  18. Oh dammnn!! Monster was the only highlighter that caught my attention when they were first released too. My friend just made a Colourpop order and asked me if I wanted anything and I totally forgot about Monster! I did pick up Telepathy and a couple of the liquid matte lipsticks though.
    Haha I love that you have concluded you don't like the formula of the eyeshadows. Honestly I was super on the fence about them as well but after purchasing my Morphe brushes, I find that they work really well together?

    chloé⎪ status.chlo

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    1. Maybe I just haven't found the right brush for them! What brushes do you recommend from Morphe to use with Colourpop shadows?

      Which liquid matte lippies did you get? :)

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