Colourpop Review: My First Experience (& Swatches)

Here I come with my Colourpop review, weeks after people decided they were oversaturated with this super-hyped brand. I swear 90% of the Colourpop reviews that I read are mostly exclamation points. People freak out about this brand! Not only is there juicy controversy about whether or not they are responsible for manufacturing other high-end cosmetics under different brand names, but the low price point places it below already budget-friendly beauty brands like Physicians Formula and Nyx, even CoverGirl.

A few weeks ago, I finally gave in and put in my first order at Colourpop’s website. Of course, the three days prior had been spent crawling every single inch of their inventory, making 100% sure that the two liquid lipsticks I was buying were the best ones. I wanted to spend less than $20 and with their $5 flat shipping rate (which is fine with me), that left me with two Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks and some change. Thanks to Colourpop’s across-the-board affordable prices, I also got suckered into trying out one of their gel eyeliner pencils, too.

Moments after my order arrived (okay, maybe two days), Colourpop announced their 2nd Anniversary/Birthday Sale – and every single order came with a free Super Shock Shadow in the limited edition color, Birthday Boy.

Sigh.

Obviously, I had to get something else so I can get that shadow that I know nothing about solely because it’s free. We all have our weaknesses. The excuse to try more of Colourpop’s massive range of makeup didn’t bore me, either. I ended up getting a brow gel and another liquid lipstick.

In retrospect, I feel like I should have tried one Ultra Satin Liquid Lipstick instead of getting three Ultra Mattes. Or, now that they’ve released them, the Metallic Mattes, but they’re all sold out. There’s still time, and they’re still only $6 each.

But let me talk really quickly about this shadow.

Colourpop Review: Super Shock Shadow

Colourpop’s eyeshadows are totally bizarre. If you haven’t tried one, the texture is… indescribable, but I’m going to try. It’s very soft, but when you press it, it doesn’t crush. It behaves almost like a very, very thick cream with very fine powder in it. Colourpop actually suggests you apply it with your fingers.

Colourpop LE Super Shock Shadow in Birthday Boy

This color is so crazy because it looks different in every photo I take of it. Much like the formula, this color is kind of indescribable. It photographed purple, gold, silver, and brown. What I know is that, on my skin, it looked like bronze with lavender and gold micro-glitter. Then, after staring at it for too long, it started to look pewter, both on my skin and in the pan. Then, it all started to look gray-purple.

In the above photos, the top one was taken in indirect natural light, and this bottom was taken in direct natural light. Such a huge difference!

I’m glad it’s limited edition because this could cause another blue dress/black dress catastrophe. It’s in a thousand pictures in this post because I swatched it on my arm first, so hopefully it’ll end up giving a somewhat rounded idea of what this enigmatic shadow actually looks like.

I know my swatch isn’t sexy or anything, but I’m still trying to figure out the best way to use this shadow formula. Fingers is an option, but I think I’m going to try applying some with a wet brush, too. I don’t know, but it also makes me want to check out other colors – just out of sheer curiosity! Each Super Shock Shadow is $5.

Colourpop Review: Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks

On to the three liquid lipsticks. I picked up Bumble and Trap in my first order, and then Pacific in my Birthday Boy order (let’s call a spade a spade).

Top to bottom: Pacific, Bumble, Trap

Basically, I chose the colors I did for two reasons: one is that I can’t seem to get myself away from gray-mauve-purple. One look at my liquid lipstick collection and you’ll see that I have a cool neutrals problem. Hence, Trap came into my life, and was really close to being a dupe for NYX Liquid Suede in Soft Spoken, but has a more lavender-gray tone that makes it unique. The other reason is that, for the last three months, I’ve been hunting down the perfect orange lipstick.

For a while, I though Pacific might be the one, but I quickly learned that the orange lipstick I crave is definitely darker, more burnt, and definitely not neon at all. I actually learned that Pacific wasn’t my perfect orange before I bought it, but I don’t have a single orange lipstick so I considered it to be “rounding out my collection” (& Other Lies I Tell Myself – a Memoir by Lindsay Ginn).

I got Bumble because it was a mysterious blend of burnt orange and red, I thought it might somehow fit the bill. Not quite dark orange, not quite red – it’s like a worn brick red-orange. On my lips, it looks dark but not vampy. It’s very warm but I feel like it would work as a neutral red for lots of skin tones.

As I said before, each liquid lipstick is only $6.

Top: Freshly applied & wet. Bottom: Completely dry & matte. Lip swatches below. 

Colourpop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Pacific 

Colourpop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Bumble

Colourpop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Trap

You can tell that I kind of lived in my new favorite bra for like a week straight, can’t you? Hm. Oh well.

A few notes about these liquid lipstick colors:

• Pacific went on particularly streaky for me, I had to apply 3 coats to get the opacity and mild evenness in the lip swatch below. Additionally, it felt the most drying of all three colors – and it shows. Up close, it’s definitely a little chunky. I’m not sure I would recommend Pacific to people looking for an orange matte liquid lipstick.

• Bumble was definitely darker in person than it was on the website, and more red. It’s described as a terracotta, but the arm swatches and lip swatch above are true to color. It’s more berry than it is orange, and I’m not mad at it, but it’s definitely different.
• Trap is amazing. No notes. This is a great color, and isn’t any more drying than any other matte liquid lipstick.

Colourpop Review: Crème Gel Liner Pencil

In my first order, I picked up one of Colourpop’s Crème Liner Pencils in HoneyDude. I’ve been watching YouTube beauty gurus use nude eyeliner on their waterline as an alternative to stark white. It works really well to make eyes look open and awake, and covers up redness. It was $5.

I am really happy with this purchase. This has been used several times on my inner waterline and only once has it ever clumped up and gotten in my eyes. That one time definitely sucked, though. Just be aware that you can build it up too much, but you can do that with any liner. I really liked the bright nude tone and am excited to try it with some really dark eye looks. It’s so much nicer than that little strip of pink on the waterline!

Here it is next to Pacific:

It’s definitely peachy, but also a little bit yellow which is nice for brightening your eyes. This is just a good little ace in the hole when it comes to beauty tricks!

Colourpop Review: Brow Colour

I picked up a Brow Colour in Dope Taupe. I liked it because all of the brow gels I usually find in my color range are all warm browns, and this gray-taupe is neutral, maybe a tiny bit on the cool side.

I don’t have a ton of brow products to compare this to, but I know that I like it! It’s very soft and since I’m careful to keep the lid closed super-tightly at all times, it stays that way. I usually get some on my brush and then wipe it around on my hand so I can shape the brush into a fine point with the color on it.

Here is Dope Taupe between Birthday Boy and HoneyDude:

A fair comparison would be NYX Tame & Frame, but I think the Colourpop brow color is more pigmented and less pomade-y. It doesn’t lock down my brow hairs, really, but it does help them to stay in place. NYX Tame & Frame is better at holding the shape of the brows.

Dope Taupe is pretty versatile. I think it would be good for a blonde, or a brunette, or even someone with auburn hair. It’s got a good amount of neutral gray in it, so it kind of calms down bolder brows. Also, if you have a dramatic eye look going on and don’t want a really warm or heavy brow, this is a great color that will still give you the fill you want without all of the attention.

So there it is – or should I say there they are: my first two Colourpop orders. Overall, I’m pretty delighted with what I was able to get for less than $40. The lipsticks were definitely drying – but I expected that. The eyeshadow was peculiar and enticing. I can’t wait to play with it some more. The brow gel has become my new go-to, and the cream liner is fantastic.

It might be worth mentioning that buying Colourpop products during one of their promotional events may result in extended shipping times. When they were offering the freebie eyeshadow, my order took considerably longer. This seems to happen during their flash sales, too.

Obviously, I’ll be going back for more, but I’m curious about what you guys would recommend from Colourpop! If you’ve tried out this brand, what products would you suggest? Which Colourpop products would you never recommend to anyone? I want to hear all the fails, too!