This Indie Makeup Brand Has All the Colors

Now I love me some high-end makeup as much as the next girl. There's just something more luxurious about it, and the products tend to perform better than their less expensive counterparts. So when I heard about ColourPop, a cruelty-free indie makeup brand based in California, who sells all of their individual products for just five dollars each, I was skeptical. I mean, very few drugstore brands can even keep up with those prices while still delivering quality makeup. But since it has been blowing up on YouTube as of late, I figured it was worth a try.

ColourPop makes three types of products: eyeshadows (what they call Super Shock Shadows), lipstick (Lippie Stix), and lip liner (Lippie Pencils). While their product variety may not be that vast, their color variety sure is, as the brand takes a pretty refreshing stance on makeup. According to their website, colourpop.com, they're all about just having fun with it:

Love to play? ColourPop is a great way to have fun with new looks and bold, vivid colorful makeup— without serious commitment. Priced for experimentation, you can hit it and quit it without totally blowing the budget.

And they're not kidding about experimenting. There are lipsticks (and matching liners) in every shade of pink, orange, red, and purple as well as a pastel blue, a frosty green, and a pearlized grey (to name a few).

And their shadows? Whether you prefer brights, neutrals, glitters, or mattes, they've got you covered.

Well this all sounds pretty good, but how do they actually perform?

Left to right: Lippie Stix in I Heart This, Heart On, Bound, and Lippie Pencil in Bound

Lippie Stix come in four formulas: glossy, satin, matte, and pearl. Each has at least one matching liner (nude shades have different ones for added dimension) to really help that color pop (I had to, right?) and stay put. I've found though, that even with the glossy formula, these lipsticks are already fully opaque and don't bleed. So although I appreciate all the matching lip liners, I don't find them necessary except to maybe experiment with an ombré lip. However, none of the formulas are particularly drying, and still stay on most of the day. And the best part? These lippies have totally cheeky names like LBB, Fetch, Heart On, and Bull Chic.

Left to right: Super Shock Shadows in Lace, Cricket, Game Face, and Amaze

Now I'm not usually a single-eyeshadow kind of girl. I'm more of a palette type. But I have to say, these are just so unique, both in texture and in color that I'm okay with the bulky packaging. There is a patterned embossment on each shadow that disappears when a finger is dipped in. The shadows feel wet and spongey to the touch, but then go on like a powder. Now these are not all consistent with how bouncy and smooth they feel, but the pigmentation is pretty solid across the board. My only real issue with these is wear time. I have pretty oily eyelids, and always use a primer. But even with one, these do not last as long as other eyeshadows. However, layered over another eyeshadow, these last longer than on their own.

Overall, this brand is so appropriately named. Their products are super pigmented, come in an impressive shade range, and are quite unique. But honestly, would I be raving about these products if ColourPop were a high-end brand? Probably not. This is not how I would expect 30 dollar products to perform. But for a small fraction of that price? These are totally worth the hype.

Images: Miki Hayes (2)