Colourpop! Worth the money?

Colourpop! Worth the money?

Let's talk about Colourpop - the brand that's been taking over social media over the last couple of years.

Colourpop is an American brand, based in Los Angeles - this is also where they make Kylie Jenners their products. Founded in 2014, they started with liquid lipsticks and have now branched out to eyeshadows and pigments, bronzers, highlighters, lipsticks, glosses and eyeliners. They have collaborated with a number of well-known Beauty gurus such as Kathleen Lights and, inexplicably, an ex-girlfriend of Chris Brown. (I have no idea, apparently she's also an actress).
That aside, the brand has become extremly famous for, among other things, their extremely low prices. We're talking 6 dollars for a liquid lipstick, 5 dollars for an eyeshadow or liner - extremly low.
In the US they offer free shipping with a spend of 30 dollars, internationally with a spend of 50 dollars. While you can get quite a lot for 50 dollars, if you are an international customer you will probably end up paying Customs taxes which sucks. My first order was for about 75 dollars and I paid around 25 euros in customs, so make sure you factor that into your budget. The best thing to do is create an account and wait until they offer free international shipping, which they do a couple of times a year. Even then if you want to order more than 50 dollars worth make two separate orders to avoid being charged - No customs, no worries.

So, on to the products. I have in my collection 1 Creme Gel Eyeliner, 1 highlighter, 2 lipglosses, 2 satin liquid lipsticks, 2 matte liquid lipsticks and 7 LippieStix. 

Creme Gel Eyeliner in Swerve, 5 dollars
Meh. Slightly too fine, tends to break off at the tip. Smudges nicely though for a smokey look. Probably wouldn't buy again. 

Super Shock Cheek Highlight in Wisp, 8 dollars
I LOVE this highlighter. It's the oddest formula - it's sort of 'bouncy' and is neither a cream nor a powder, but it works. It's a beautiful gold colour that works best on the face when I'm tanned, but is also stunning on the eyes as a base for gold shadows and to give them extra depth. I've had mine for over 6 months and have used it so many times and there is still a good amount left. I've seen people say that they don't like the consistency of the product and find it hard to blend, and for that reason I use it with either my fingers (pat lightly onto eyes/cheekbones/nose) or a Beauty Blender. Absolutely recommend if you are looking for a gold highlighter/eyeshadow base. I will definitely buy more shades next time I shop Colourpop.

Ultra Glossy Lip in Tokyo Tea and Sookie, 6 dollars each
So far the lip glosses are probably my least favourite. Sookie is a deep berry colour and Tokyo Tea is a bright coral - I do love this colour but find the formulation lacking. For me they are slightly too 'liquid' and therefore sink into the fine lines of my lips, which is not at all a flattering look. When I compare them to my ABH lipgloss in Metallic Rose, which is creamy, opaque and can be worn without a lipliner, they are worlds apart - and yes, I realise that the ABH costs 15 euros more, but I also wear it more - my Colourpop lipglosses have been worn a couple of times maximum. Would I buy again? Not these colours, but I won't rule out trying others as I like to scandalize my bank manager have seen really good reviews on their nude glosses, which are generally more forgiving anyway.

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Ultra Satin Lip in Hutch and Dopey, 6 dollars each
The fact that these two are from the same line is a constant source of wonder to me (and maybe says something about quality control/formulation regularity at Colourpop). Both are stunning colours - Hutch is a berry, Dopey a gorgeous, muted pink. Hutch goes on beautifully and looks gorgeous and dramatic, but after an hour or so migrates to my chin/face and I end up looking like a hot mess. This is down to the satin finish, which is slightly less than matte, doesn't dry down completely and goes everywhere. Dopey on the other hand is utter perfection and it's easy to see why it's one of their best sellers. The colour is gorgeous, it dries down completely (is more matte than satin) and doesn't move - even after food and drink. I've gotten 5 hours of wear withour reapplying. Would definitely repurchase this shade and other lighter coloured Satin Lips. 

 Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick, 6 dollars each
I have Notion, which is very similar, actually almost the same colour as Hutch, and Avenue, a stunning dark red. I can see why Colourpop became famous for their liquid lipsticks, they are pretty great. If you are someone who likes this type of product you will probably love these. Are they drying? Yes, slightly. But then again I find all matte lipsticks drying, even MAC and NARS. What impresses me is the pigmentation. We are talking one swipe and you're done, and that goes for Dopey aswell. Avenue is my absolute favourite, and is the most beautiful deep, vampy, autumn/winter red. I've gotten around 5 hours of wear from it, it doesn't crack or crumble. I think that more is less with these, use as little product as you can and spread it as far as you can - this avoids the crumbling and dreaded 'butthole mouth' as I call it.I would absolutely try a couple more Colourpop mattes. Swatches and a pic of Yours Truly wearing Avenue below!

LippieStix, 5 dollars each
I've pretty much saved the best for last here. The LippieStix range is my absolute favourite, and the first thing I do on the Colorpop website is see if they have new colours. They come in a few different finishes - Matte, Matte X and Creme. Like the liquid mattes, these mattes are a bit drying but I'm willing to forgive that as they are so amazingly pigmented. The Matte X are the most matte, while the Mattes can be slightly creamier, and the Cremes are more like a regular lipstick finish. My favourites are She Bad, Hype Girl, Contempo and Trust me. Swatches and a pic of me wearing Hype Girl and She Bad mixed together below.Would absolutely buy more the next time free shipping is on offer!

From Left to right -
Top row - Hype Girl, Lumiere, Trust Me
Second Row - Oh Snap, Poppin', Contempo
Last - She Bad

I don't have much to say about the packaging of these products, the highlighter screws shut so it doesn't dry out, which is great. The lettering tends to rub off the lip products easily but I'm not too bothered about that.

Colourpop is great value if you love good quality, low priced products and want to expand your makeup collection without spending a fortune. While not every single product is amazing, there are some brilliant ones. I have 16 Colourpop items in total and  love twelve of them. The lipglosses, eyeliner and one Satin Lip didn't work out for me, but thats generally the case with every brand I come across - some things are fab, some aren't. You can also pick up bundles on the site where you get, say, 4 lip products/eyeshadows for 15 instead of twenty, and they do have sales where you can score products for 3 or 4 dollars. Overall I have no regrets about buying Colourpop - while I haven't had much luck with the cheaper brands available in Europe like Essence and Catrice (sorry, a lot of their products generally just feel cheap, there is nothing worse than the feeling of a cheap, waxy lipstick) Colourpop products just don't feel cheap to me. Yes, as I said the packaging is lightweight and the lettering rubs off, but formula is king and the LippieStix, highlighter and liquid lip products are fab overall. It's also nice to have something different - I'm always so jealous of people in the US who have such easy access to brands that we just can't get in Europe.
Verdict? Go on, give Colourpop a go. Create an account and keep an eye on your emails, and they next time they offer free international shipping grab a few bits - I recommend the highlighters, LippieStix and liquid lipsticks.

I hope you've enjoyed reading!
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Do you have any Colourpop products? Let me know in the comments!
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