Colour Pop Haul - Review and Swatches

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own. 

I feel really late jumping on the Colour Pop bandwagon, but I just placed my first order with them back in May when they did their anniversary special with a free limited-edition eye shadow. Add that in with the $5 coupon code that comes with signing up for their email newsletter, and it was a deal that couldn't be passed up.

When I was planning my order, I wanted to try a little bit of everything except their lip products, but that's just because I don't typically wear colored lip products. I ended up getting four eye shadows, one blush, and two highlighters.

Before we look at individual products, here's a quick shot of the packaging:

Their standard packaging for their eye and face products is a clean white jar with a screw top lid. I didn't think to take a picture of it, but the sides of the lid go down really far, about 3/4 of the way to the bottom of the jar itself. I'm guessing that is because the texture of their products is a cream/mousse type of consistency, so they run the risk of drying out if the container isn't sealed tightly. Because of that texture, you can't expect to see any palettes from this brand. It just wouldn't work.

The label on the back obviously gives you the name of the color as well as the type of product. What I think is a really nice touch is they also include the finish of the product (it's hard to read here, but it is under Super Shock Shadow).

On to the eye shadows! I didn't notice it when I placed my order, but you'll begin to see a trend here....

Plunge (Pearlized): Colour Pop describes this shade as a light warm beige with a golden sheen. That is pretty accurate. To me, it looks like a soft, golden bronze shade.

Truth (Satin): Colour Pop describes this as a neutral light beige with a warm satin finish, I don't really have anything to add to that description.

I Heart This (Metallic): Colour Pop describes I Heart This as a cool-toned silvery taupe with multi-colored glitter. Again, I would consider their description to be spot-on.

Birthday Girl - Limited Edition (Metallic): As I mentioned up above, part of what made me order was a free, limited edition eye shadow that was part of their birthday celebration. I don't have an official color description, but I would describe it as a warm golden bronze with multi-colored glitter, with silver being the prominent glitter color. It is deeper than Plunge but distinctly warmer than I Heart This. You've probably noticed the hot pink packaging. It is currently unique to this color.

Did you notice the trend? If not, let's see if this helps:

From left to right: Plunge, Truth, I Heart This, Birthday Girl

I don't know how I didn't realize it until I got my order, but I chose colors that were all very similar. Thinking back on it though, it makes sense. I had read a review from a smaller blog that complained about the ease of application. I was worried about a brush being able to pick up the product, so I wanted to choose lid-shades just in case I was only happy with finger application. The unexpected advantage of this choice was that I get to compare finishes within a very similar color family. 

Top to bottom: Truth and Plunge

Top to bottom: Birthday Girl and I Heart This

I have to say that I've fallen in love with the pearlized finish of Plunge. It's got more of a shimmery kick than Truth's satin finish, but it isn't bordering on over-the-top glitter like Birthday Girl and I Heart This. 

I'm happy to say that brush application isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I do have to work a little harder than with a normal shadow to get the brush loaded with product, and I tend to dip back into the pan more times to get the coverage that I want, but it is doable. Finger application is really easy too. I might venture out enough to get a crease or liner color the next time I place a Colour Pop order. 

As for wear time, these shadows are awesome! I use primer because I always use primer, but these look almost if not as good by the end of the day as they did in the morning. I haven't experienced any creasing, and there is little to no fading. They've even lasted through an entire workday and an intense workout at the gym. 

I wore I Heart This recently, and I did notice some glitter fallout by the end of the day. It wasn't an excessive amount where I wanted to run and hide instead of running errands after work. I don't think the people that I was interacting with during errands would have noticed anything, but when I looked a little closer than normal in a mirror, I could see it. The glitter factor is definitely something to keep in mind if you are looking at buying any of the metallic finish shadows. 

On to face products: 

Monster (Pearlized): Colour Pop describes Monster as a light pink with a highly-opalescent duochrome finish. To me, the base looks more white than pink because it is that pale, and the base color really disappears on the skin. The pink opalescence is absolutely beautiful.  

Lunch Money (Pearlized): Colour Pop describes this highlighter as a soft light gold with a reflective golden duo-chrome finish. I don't really see how this is a duo-chrome shade, but it is still beautiful.

Mochi (Matte): Colour Pop describes Mochi as a bright blue-pink, and I consider that to be accurate.

From left to right: Monster, Lunch Money, and Mochi

Although the formula is a similar cream/mousse texture like the eye shadows, there are distinct differences. The highlighters feel thinner and creamier than the eye shadows, and the blush feels much drier than the other two. 

I love the highlighters. They apply like a dream. I have stuck with applying these with my fingers since fingers seem just as easy to apply a cream product like this to small areas of the face. They blend out nicely and last pretty well throughout the day. 

As already mentioned the blush feels really stiff and dry to me. The dry texture makes it harder to pick up product. Since I chose such a bright color, it makes it harder to over-apply it. Sadly, the dry texture also seems to make it a bit harder to blend out on the cheeks as well. It isn't impossible; it just isn't as easy as other cream blushes in my collection. After trying a few different brushes, I've decided that I prefer using a dense brush that still has plenty of movement, like the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. While the blush lasts pretty well throughout the day, I see quite a bit of fading by the time I get home in the evening. 

Final Thoughts

I really like the eye shadows that I got, particularly Plunge with the pearlized finish, and the highlighters are gorgeous. I'm not chomping at the bit to place another order immediately, but it is very likely that I'll order more in the future. The blush is nice, but I don't like it well enough to order more of them in the future. I think the only exception might be if they come out with a really unique color that I haven't seen someplace else. 

Have you tried Colour Pop? What products/colors are your favorite or are on your wishlist?

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own. 

Makeup Inventory - Face Products

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Since I've been working on finishing off products, I wanted to share my makeup inventory of face products. I'm pretty pleased with the amounts I have in these categories, but I also want to work on narrowing it down farther. I would love to have my face products narrowed down to a small set of holy grail items.

Here's a look at what I currently have as well as my goals for the future. 

Primers 

Tarte BB Tinted Treatment 12-Hour Primer in Fair (x2) - I have two of these because of a QVC TSV. One has been started already, and the other one hasn't been opened yet.

Too Faced Primed and Poreless - You might be able to see that  I've made pretty good progress with this primer. It's the one that I'm currently rotating with the Tarte one above.

The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost - I don't know if this is technically a primer, but it feels like one, and it does say that it should be applied after moisturizer and is a perfect base for makeup, so I've got it in this category.

Tarte Colored Clay CC Primer in Fair (x2) - This is another multiple thanks to QVC. Sadly, the shade is a bit too dark for me. I need to work on using these more to move them out of my collection.

Total number of primers: 6
Ideal number of primers: 1 or 2

Foundations

Paula's Choice Resist Instant Smoothing Anti-Aging Foundation in Porcelain - This is a pretty good shade match. I haven't used it regularly in a while to remember how well I like it.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in 0.5 - This is the foundation I've been using the most for a while now. It's the foundation that I've been working on using up. The shade match is pretty good, but there's something I haven't been liking about it lately.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation in Fair (After I took this picture I found another tube of Fair and a tube of Light...*sigh* Thankfully, I think my mom is going to take at least one of those tubes) - This foundation really annoys me. I had a tube that I bought not long after this foundation was released, and it was a really good match. Sadly, they seem to have changed the shade because this tube (and the tester in Ulta) is too dark.

NYX Invincible Fullest Coverage Foundation in Ivory - This foundation is one that was surprising to me. When it comes out of the tube, it looks like it is too dark, but it actually blends in and matches me really well. I like it pretty well.

Tarte Maracuja Miracle Foundation in Fair - Another Tarte foundation that is too dark for me.

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops in N10 - This is my most recent foundation purchase, and I'm really liking it. I haven't used it much recently because I'm trying to use up other foundations, but I think this might be a staple in my collection.

Tarte Amazonian Colored Clay Liquid Foundation in Fair - Darn Tarte! This is another foundation that is too dark for me. *sigh*

With the foundations that I have that are too dark, I have Life's Entropy Foundation Elixir in White on my wishlist to make them a better match. I would eventually like to only have foundations that truly match my skintone.

Silk Naturals HD Foundation Samples in N10 and N20 - The full-size of this product is in a stick form, which would this much easier to apply. I find it difficult to apply this from the sample pod. The N10 shade is a really good match for me though.

Total number of foundations: 7 full size and 2 samples
Ideal number of foundations: 1 to 3

Correctors

Silk Naturals Peach HD Concealer in 10 (full size and sample) - I recently finished the full size and sample I had of this product in shade 20. I personally find shade 10 too light. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with these since I'm not sure if I'll be able to make them work.

Pixi Correction Concentrate in Brightening Peach - I've been working on finishing off other correctors for so long that I haven't used this particular one in a really long time.

BareMinerals Correcting Concealer in Light 1 - I've already finished one of these in the past. I liked it well enough that I picked up a second one on sale during one of Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty.

Tarte BB Tined Undereye Corrector in Fair to Light - Yet again, I have multiples because of QVC sets. I've made a big dent in one of them, so I should hopefully be down to two soon.

Total number of correctors: 6 full size and 1 sample
Ideal number of correctors: 1

Concealers

NYX Full Coverage Concealer in Porcelain - I'm actually really happy with this concealer. This is the one that I use most days.

Meow Concealer in Inquisitive Siamese (Large and Small Jar) - I don't use this nearly as much as I used to, but I still feel like it is a staple in my collection. It is really handy to have a powder concealer for adding a final touch of extra coverage when a cream concealer doesn't quite cut it. I typically use this after I've finished my makeup entirely and need a little more help covering a spot. The reason there are two jars is because I transfer a small amount of product into the smaller jar instead of using it directly from the larger jar.

NYX Incredible Waterproof Concealer in Porcelain - This concealer lives in my purse along with another small jar of the Meow concealer. I am frankly terrible about touching up my makeup when I'm out, but they are handy to have around. Since this NYX concealer is so inexpensive, I don't feel bad about having it basically collect dust in my purse.

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil in CIA - I like this concealer, and I like the convenience of having it in pencil form. I use this on days when I'm a little to lazy to deal with the NYX jar concealer and a brush.

Total number of concealers: 4
Ideal number of concealers: 4

I am actually really happy with my concealer selection right now. I like having the option of a stick concealer or a jar and the powder concealer for a boost of coverage. Like I said with the NYX stick concealer, I like having an inexpensive product in my purse for the random times when I do feel the need to do a touch-up while out and about.

Powders

Meow Pampered Puss Mineral Foundation in Inquisitive Siamese - I used to wear Meow's foundation on its own, but now I wear it as a finishing powder for extra coverage.

Random Mix of Powders - Yes, this jar also says it is a Meow foundation, but this was actually an empty jar I used to combine a lot of random loose finishing powders I had. At this point, I don't even really know what all is in this jar. I know most of it is the illuminating BareMinerals Mineral Veil because I had several of those from...you guessed it...QVC. I know there is a mini regular Mineral Veil in there, and I'm pretty sure there is pure silica powder and silk powder in there as well. It's basically the dumping ground for loose powders that I don't hate but don't love.

Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder - I haven't opened this yet. I vaguely remember using a mini of this powder a while ago and liking it, so for right now, this isn't going to join the powder dumping ground (which is full anyway).

Too Faced Amazing Face Skin-Balancing Flexible Coverage Foundation Powder in Vanilla Creme - I bought this as a pressed powder foundation to try since I've used loose for so long. I've thrown this in my purse a few times when I've had something to go to after work. It's okay, but I don't love it.

Physician's Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation in Translucent Light - I bought this a long time ago because it was on clearance. It's a little too dark for me. I used up another compact a few years ago when I got a little bit more of a tan than I usually get. I haven't gotten that tan since. I've thought about crushing this up and adding it to my powder dumping ground.

Total number of powders: 5
Ideal number of powders: 2 - one with coverage and ones translucent

Correcting Concealer Powder(s)

You are probably wondering why these weren't up with the other correctors. I use this as a final step after I finish my eye makeup, and I arranged these pictures in the order I use them.

Silk Naturals Sleep in a Jar Light Peach and Medium Peach
Silk Naturals Translucent Cloud Powder

While there are four items here, this is really classified as one product for me. Light Peach is too light, and Medium Peach is too dark, so I mix the two together. I add in some of the Translucent Cloud powder because it isn't supposed to absorb oil, so theoretically, it is good for under my eyes, which tends to be drier. I still haven't found a balance here since I wish I could just skip this step in my routine, since I'm sure it dries out the skin under my eyes, but I like the extra coverage.

Total number of correcting concealer powders - 3 (or 1 depending on how you count them)
Ideal number of correcting concealer powders - 3 (or 1 depending on how you count them)

Mattifying Products

Mally Evercolor Poreless Face Defender (x2) - I have a full size and a smaller size of this. Theoretically, this product is great. I've already mentioned the fact that I rarely do touch-ups during the day, so these don't get used very often. I need to use them more. 

Face Blotting Papers (ELF and Paula's Choice) - I stocked up on the ELF blotting papers a long time ago operating on the theory that I would use them regularly. I should, but I don't. The Paula's Choice blotting papers can as a freebie in an order I placed. 

Total mattifying products: 6 (there is a blotting paper packet not pictured)

Ideal number of total mattifying products: 1

What are your thoughts on face products? I know some people really love trying out new foundations and concealers. I would love to have a set routine that just works and stick with it. I think I'm actually getting close and look forward to clearing out some of these excess products. 

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

I'm Back (I Think) - Still Working on Finishing Products

Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Well...I'm going to try and start blogging again. I doubt I will be very consistent because life still feels really crazy sometimes. We'll see how things go. I'm not going to give a personal update yet explaining where I've been the past year, but maybe I will eventually. The short of it is that life keeps moving forward, and I keep moving with it.

Even though things have been silent here over the past year, I've still been working on my project to use up some of the products in my collection. That's where I've decided to pick things up again.

Just as a reminder, part of the reason for trying to use up some of these products is that they are by brands that aren't cruelty-free, and I'm trying to get those products out of my collection without just throwing them away. If the brand is cruelty-free, odds are pretty good I chose the product because it was a smaller size or already had a decent dent in it. I don't want to overwhelm myself with what I'm trying to finish.

Here's a current look at what I'm trying to finish up and move out of my collection.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in 0.5 (or NYX Invincible Fullest Coverage Foundation in Ivory) - I've been working steadily on the Urban Decay foundation, but lately, I haven't been liking the look of it very much, so I will probably do some alternating between the two. As you can see, I've got a good dip in both of them, so I hope to see one of them gone within the next couple of months.

Tarte BB Tinted Undereye Corrector in Fair to Light - I've got a pretty good stock of correctors (including two more of these), so this was just the next one in the lineup to work on finishing.

Urban Decay Primer Potion Mini - This primer hasn't been working all that well for me lately. It's really frustrating. Thankfully, with the next product, my shadow still lasts all day.

Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten - Stila isn't a cruelty-free brand, which is why I'm specifically trying to use up this product. Like I mentioned above, this really does help my eye shadow last longer. Because of the heavy shimmer, I stick up just apply it to the lid and keep it off my crease and browbone. That weird dent in the middle was made with a cotton swab because I wanted to see how close I was to the bottom of the jar. Sadly, I'm not nearly as close as I thought.

Lorac Pro Palette - Okay...you are probably looking at this page thinking I'm nuts right now have a whole palette listed. I'll admit, it is quite the undertaking. This year, I stumbled across Amber F on YouTube, who does a Pan that Palette Challenge. Last year, she panned the Naked Palette (yes, the entire Naked Palette). This year, she is panning the Lorac Pro Palette. I personally chose the Lorac Pro Palette because Lorac isn't cruelty-free. Do I expect to finish this entire palette by the end of the year? Absolutely not. My goal is to finish off as many of the colors as I can. Once I've finished off quite a few of them, I'll depot the rest and stick them in a Z Palette. It's a little hard to see in this picture, but I've finished off Cream. I also finished off Light Bronze (there was only one use left when I took the picture). I've got a lot of pan showing on White, and I've got good dips going in Nude and Champagne. I just finished the crease shade that I was working on (that was an individual pan), so I'll be starting to work on Taupe now too.

Lorac Baked Matte Satin Eye Shadow in Posh - This is another Lorac product that I'm trying to use up since the brand isn't cruelty free. The dome is basically gone, and you can see that I've got some pan showing. Since this is the shade I use on my browbone every day, I'm hoping to see it gone soon.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils in Zero and Ransom (Minis) - I chose a couple of mini pencils since they will be easier to work through the full-sizes. They also work well with eye shadows I'm trying to use up. I've been topping Ransom with Deep Purple from the Lorac Pro Palette. The two together balance each other out and make a bright purple that isn't too bright for daily wear. Zero is working well with a shadow I have below. 

Silk Naturals Shantung Eye Shadow - This was a gift with purchase shadow from Silk Naturals a long time ago. I think I even have a second one. I don't necessarily want this out of my collection, but it doesn't exactly do any good just sitting in a palette. It's a subtle highlight shade that I use in my inner corner occasionally. I need to try and remember to use it more often.

Nars Laguna Bronzer Mini - This was one of those products I chose to work on finishing off because it was a mini size, making it more manageable to try and finish. 

Silk Naturals Guava Blush Sample - I've finished off several Silk Naturals blush samples this year, and this is just another one to finish off. The color is nice for the summer, which is why I chose it over some of the other samples I have left.

Darling Girl Torrid Eye Shadow - I have had this sample since Darling Girl was just a fledgling indie brand. It's just another sample I chose to work on, particularly because the teal color is nice for the summer. I've been layering it on top of UD's Zero to make it a little deeper. 

DKNY Be Delicious Perfume Duo - I have a lot of perfumes (mostly rollerballs) that aren't cruelty free. The Be Delicious scent is a nice one for this time of year, so I chose to work on it. Obviously, I've been working on the original scent side, but I'll move on to the other one next. 

Well....those are my products that I'm currently working on finishing up. Obviously, some seem pretty manageable while others are much more ambitious. 

Are you working on using up any products? 

Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own.