Hey everyone!
After a satisfying first purchase from ColourPop, I’ve been following their social media feeds for updates on their upcoming launches. But as I delved deeply into their catalogue, I find myself amazed at how quickly a relatively new set-up is able to grind out a wide variety of decent-quality products in so many inspiring shades and finishes at such affordable prices. Apart from liquid lipsticks, they also boast an array of regular lipsticks, lip pencils, eye shadows, bronzers, highlighters and blush. With gel liners already in the works, their offerings seem to be almost on par with that of the largest cosmetics companies around, don’t you think?
But as a lip junkie, I am more riveted by their selection of lip products. For their Fall collection released in late August, 6 new shades namely Contempo, Dazed, Grunge, Nevermind, Poison and Oh Snap were added to the lipstick (lippie stix) and lip liner (lippie pencil) range. The low cost enabled me to buy more of their products without feeling much of a pinch, so I got myself 4 matte lipsticks – 3 with their complementary lip pencil and 1 standalone shade. That’s 7 items in total for just US$30 (after discount)! And after conversion to Sing dollars, each item is still about S$6 (or around S$8 after shipping). Mad cheap. I don’t think any local drugstore cosmetics of similar quality has a price that close.
Packaging
ColourPop Lippie Pencil
ColourPop Lippie Pencil
ColourPop Lippie Pencil (from top: Oh Snap, Grunge, Poison)
I noticed the disparity in the colour of the “ferrule” and the tip. I was hoping that the colours on the lips would turn out to be the one on the ferrule because they seem more vibrant and saturated.
ColourPop Lippie Stix
ColourPop Lippie Stix (from top: Oh Snap, Dazed, Grunge, Poison)
I’m not really fond of the name “Lippie” or anything that has unnecessary suffix as a matter of fact. The same goes for “Stix”. ColourPop is probably trying to be different by coming up with a unique-sounding name for their products but they just look, I don’t know, juvenile? Or twittish in Singaporean context.
Also, if you have little kids, you may want to keep your Lippie Stix away from them because much as I find the packaging of the lipstick and lip pencils really distinctive and perhaps handy, they bear a really strong resemblance to real colour pencils and crayons. The Lippie Stix, for instance, reminded me of those twistable crayons I was absolutely crazy about in my primary school days. So yeah, just a precaution lol.
A quick overview: The swatch of the Lippie Stix and their complementary shades look largely identical
The lipsticks and lip pencils are packed in white plastic packaging which I felt was extremely prone to becoming dirty, especially at the area near the cap. Already some of my lip pencils are stained with the product even when I had tried to put the cap back on really carefully.
#1 Oh Snap Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil
Oh Snap Lippie Stix (US$5)
Oh Snap Lippie Stix
Oh Snap Lippie Stix
Oh Snap Lippie Pencil (US$5)
Oh Snap Lippie Pencil
Oh Snap Lippie Pencil
Oh Snap Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil
Oh Snap Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil
Oh Snap Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil
Oh Snap Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil
Oh Snap is described as a pale dirty nude pink with a matte finish. It’s a shade that would probably show better on lighter skin tone. While the swatch of both lipstick and lip pencil appeared to be similar on my hand, it differed slightly when applied on my lips. The colour from the lip pencil actually seemed darker. It’s good in the sense that it may add a little more depth to the colour but the difference isn’t stark enough to be noticeable at all.
The lipstick has mostly opaque pigmentation with a natural shine in a single swipe and like the other lipsticks I bought, it smells like chocolate. It has a slippery consistency which helps to spread the lipstick around easily. However, it felt fairly streaky on the lips and I didn’t like how it tended to settle into my lip lines.
Oh Snap Lippie Stix – swatch comparison with other brands
#2 Poison Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil
Poison Lippie Stix (US$5)
Poison Lippie Stix
Poison Lippie Stix
Poison Lippie Pencil (US$5)
Poison Lippie Pencil
Poison Lippie Pencil
Poison Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil
Poison Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil
Poison Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil
Poison Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil
Poison is described as a deep brown red with a matte finish. The lip pencil colour is exactly that of the lipstick and it follows the natural curves of the lips to enhance its appearance even more.
The lipstick has a rich, smooth and velvety texture with an intense pigmentation that gives a comfortable and long-lasting wear. It provides an even coverage with a relatively lightweight feel. The added shine at the end also helps to plump up the lips a little to give them a more sultry look 😉
#3 Grunge Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil
Grunge Lippie Stix (US$5)
Grunge Lippie Stix
Grunge Lippie Stix
Grunge Lippie Pencil (US$5)
Grunge Lippie Pencil
Grunge Lippie Pencil
Grunge Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil
Grunge Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil
Grunge Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil
Grunge Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil
Grunge is described as a cool-toned plum brown with a matte finish. Like the other Lippie Pencils mentioned earlier, the lip liner delivers a flatter and drier texture which helps to prevent the lipstick from bleeding over the lip line.
But if you only need another US$5 in your order to fulfill the requirement for free delivery, you can drop the lip pencil and go with just the lipstick because it is able to stay in place on its own. The lipstick offers a semi-opaque coverage with a creamy texture and a slightly luminous sheen that lasts all day. It glided on very smoothly without tugging the lips and I didn’t have to apply many coats of the lipstick to get an even coverage.
Grunge Lippie Stix – swatch comparison with other brands
Notice how similar in terms of colour and finish Grunge is to MAC’s Paramount, which has a satin finish. ColourPop’s matte lipsticks don’t possess the qualities of a traditional matte lipstick, which often appear drying and chalky like Whirl on the extreme right.
Grunge, Oh Snap and Poison Lippie Pencils – swatch comparison with MAC lip pencils I own
Interestingly, the texture of the lip pencils do not contrast much with my MAC lip pencils. The darker shades appear denser and more pigmented while the lighter shades have a thinner consistency.
#4 Dazed Lippie Stix
Dazed Lippie Stix
Dazed Lippie Stix (US$5)
Dazed Lippie Stix
Dazed Lippie Stix
Dazed Lippie Stix
Dazed Lippie Stix
Dazed Lippie Stix
Dazed is described as a berry red with a matte finish. It is the only Lippie Stix I got without an accompanying Lippie Pencil because.. yeah, you probably guessed it. I had hit my minimum spending requirement for free shipping 😆
This lipstick applied fairly evenly on my lips and has a lightweight and slightly chalkier consistency as compared to the other Lippie Stix. It isn’t entirely opaque because my natural lip colour could be seen peeking through the lipstick. However, I prefer this to Poison because of its cool/pink undertones. It’s so gorgeous and it doesn’t come across gaudy unlike Poison which may seem a little too heavy for me. I would recommend Dazed if you’re looking for a more muted red to wear on a regular basis.
Poison and Dazed Lippie Stix – swatch comparison with other brands
All in all, each shade of the matte Lippie Stix is richly pigmented with great colour payoff. They reflect light to create a fuller appearance and are hydrating on the lips. They are long-lasting (no doubt about this) but can be quite difficult to remove fully. I don’t think it’s necessary to purchase the complementary lip pencil unless (you can’t line your lips properly, of course) because the lipsticks are quite static on their own, so chances of feathering is pretty low.
Having said that, I must say that ColourPop has once again surpassed my expectations of a low-cost cosmetics brand with their excellent quality. It’s like the poor man’s version of MAC with its wide spectrum of lipstick shades to choose from.
What do you think about their Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencil? Do you agree with my views? Let me know in the comments below! 🙂
Thanks for reading!
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