Lip Obsessed: My Quick & Dirty ColourPop Lippie Review

L-R: ColourPop Lippie Stix in Bitchette, Lumiere, Dalia, Leather, Creature, and Brink

L-R: ColourPop Lippie Stix Swatches in Bitchette, Lumiere, Dalia, Leather, Creature, and Brink

L-R: ColourPop Lippie Pencils in Lumiere, Dalia, Leather, Creature, Brink, Brills, and Wet

L-R: ColourPop Lippie Pencil Swatches in Dalia, Leather, Creature, Brills, and Wet (Lumiere and Brink swatches can be found in my previous ColourPop review)

 I stated in my previous review that I hated my ColourPop Lippie Pencils. That was a lie. I hated that they didn't give me my desired nude lip. I enjoy the colours in my birthday haul immensely. My favourite by far is Wet, but that's because it pairs nicely with a lot of the hyped 'greige' lipsticks currently on the market. The formula is creamy, and if applied all over well hydrated and exfoliated lips, beats the look and lasting power of almost every other matte lipstick I've tried. I wore Leather once on drier lips and it was a disaster. The colour settled into all my fine lines and made my mouth look like a shriveled up prune. Not an attractive look for anyone.

My opinion on the Lippie Stix is much different. All the shades I purchased were matte, and all of the them had a very waxy texture. It felt like I was using a crayon rather than a lipstick. The finishes aren't true mattes, and they do have a sheen to them. They're very pretty, but in the end, I couldn't get over the sensation of these on my mouth. I've only worn them for short periods of time so I can't really comment on their staying power or colour transfer. They do come off easily though, and don't leave a stain behind like the NYX lippies did. My final thought on these: Dalia and Creature are basically the same shade, with Dalia just pulling a bit more brown. It's hardly noticeable. I don't know why I thought I needed both.

BONUS Super Shock Shadows & Cheek Swatches: 

ColourPop Holiday Haul

I am not a makeup junkie. My skincare routine is as elaborate as possible to ensure that I don't have to spend hours on makeup. Usually I just slap on a layer of Benefit's Porefessional, some concealer under my eyes and a layer of mascara and I'm good to go. Unfortunately, this doesn't work for the holidays. One is expected to look better than the everyday at parties and other outings.

I did a massive makeup purge earlier in the fall, so I was basically left with nothing to put on my face in December. After securing the basics, I started researching online for the cheapest, but most attractive makeup items to complete my holiday looks. Enter ColourPop. At $5 per shadow, lip liner, and lip stick, how can you go wrong? After putting enough items in your shopping cart, the $14.95 international shipping fee seems almost reasonable.

I decided to purchase the Lip Pencils rather than the Lippie Stix because one of the constant opinions expressed in the online reviews is that the matte Lippie Stix have more of a satin finish. Regardless, I ended up hating these, but that's my own fault. I keep trying to pull off the perfect nude lip and failing. My natural lip colour is almost an exact match to Lumiere, so that was a wash. Brink and Frida made my lips look barely a shade darker and lighter. They're beautiful, just not on me. Maybe I'll take the hint, slap on some lip chap and call it a day on the neutrals. Or maybe I'll forget all about my failure and go back and buy the Brink/Frida/Lumiere Lippie Stix and fool myself into thinking I'll get a different result.

My shopping cart originally had every metallic shade that ColourPop offered, but I managed to reign myself in and just purchase their metallic holiday set, Down With Decorum. Most of their holiday sets are contain limited edition products, but I chose this one because Game Face, Liberty, and Mooning are part of their standard collection and I could repurchase them when I ran out. I love love LOVE these shadows. Even Glitterati, which is significantly less pigmented than the others. ColourPop recommends applying these with your finger to get the best coverage, but I am way too heavy-handed for that. The first time I tried the shadows using my fingers, I ended up looking like I smeared mud all over my eyelid. I now use a stiff shadow brush and achieve the same pigmentation by layering the product. I'm officially obsessed!

MAC vs. The Competition Box Dupes Vol. 1

Between the upcoming holidays, family illnesses and a rush of kiddie birthday parties, I feel like I haven't had time to do anything for myself. I've actually started and stopped this entry about four seven nine times within the past week two three weeks.

I've had the dance kit makeup I wanted to test against the little girl's MAC collection sitting in my room for about a month now, just waiting to make its way on to a face chart. Alas, it seems that this is not to be. Instead, I will have to just be happy presenting hand swatches until I get this whole face chart mess settled. Hopefully by then I will also have received the complete collection of the second brand recommended to us, Arbonne.

First of all, I'd like to say that my DD has super sensitive skin. She cannot wear just any brand of makeup. Everything I buy has to be hypoallergenic, but also professional quality for the stage. MAC is about the heaviest she can wear without having a reaction. Unfortunately, this gets pretty expensive, since we replace her makeup every season or every other season, depending on the product. As much as I would like to save some cash, I don't want to risk her having a reaction to expired/contaminated makeup. I try to keep it sanitary, but when you're in a rush to re-apply backstage, sometimes poop happens. This is what set me on my mission to find affordable, but quality duplicates.

When I went into the supplier to select the products, I only purchased the ones that focused on coverage and colour. I find that most people use their own mascara (preferable formula: volume) and eyeliner (gel or liquid) and primer. I used Makeup Forever's HD Microperfecting Primer and Benefit's Stay Don't Stray for my swatches. Here's how my selections held up against the recommended MAC items:

FACE: MAC Studio Fix Foundation in C4 VS. TCB's Dual Foundation in 42

Results: Unfortunately, I made the mistake of buying the dupe foundation based on the DD's winter skin tone, and not her spring skin tone (which is what she usually looks like during competition season). I forgot take into account the fact that we fly south every winter for the holiday, right before intense dance rehearsals start. Basically, the colours don't match, but even if they did, MAC's Studio Fix appears to have much better coverage than the dupe I picked up. The dupe applies sheer and has a more natural look, while MAC cakes itself on. For the stage, Studio Fix is the kind of makeup you need.

  
CHEEKS: MAC Powder Blush in Desert Rose VS. TCB's Blush in 114

Results: I wish I knew how to take photos/edit them better. These blushes swatched pretty much exactly the same on my hand, but have a colour difference in the photo. I'm not sure if that means they show up differently under bright lights and in photos or if I'm just a crummy photographer. The consistency and coverage also pretty comparable.

EYES: MAC Eyeshadows in Gesso and Espresso VS. TCB's Eyeshadows in 30 an 48

Results: Almost an exact colour match, the main difference between the two is texture and pigmentation. The dupes win hands down in both categories. The MAC Espresso had to be swatched a few times over to achieve the pigmentation that TCB's unbranded shadow displayed the first time it was applied. The dupes felt less grainy on my fingertips, which is probably why they went on smoother than the MAC shadows.

LIPS: MAC Lipstick in Russian Red and MAC Lip Liner in Vino VS.TCB's Lipstick in 142 and Lip Liner in Bordeaux

Results: Russian Red just won't go down. The unbranded lip colour isn't as creamy, matte, or deep as MAC's lipstick. Plus, it's too orange. I'll have to keep hunting for the perfect match. Not so for the lip liner though. Bordeaux applies much smoother than MAC's Vino, and looks less crayon-y. Is that a word? Regardless, the dupe lip liner is awesome!

FINAL THOUGHTS: I'm very happy with the results. I've managed to potentially replace four high priced items in my little dancer's makeup kit. Testing the products for staying power will be the next step before I feel confident in offering them as cheaper, yet quality alternatives to MAC products in my dancer's kit. I'm sure after doing some more research I will be able to find something to replace the expensive foundation and lipstick as well. I would also love to know of any other makeup products and colours that dance parents are looking for so I can start my hunt for those as well!

My Emergency Dance Makeup Bag

 
My little dancer is still too young to be expected to show up at events with a full face of makeup, but it doesn't mean that she isn't expected to look 'polished' when she is representing the studio. I sometimes forget that it could be required of her while at the studio as well.

Last night I had the pleasure of watching the studio's ballet examinations. I brought the DD in perfectly coiffed and neatly dressed, but after looking around, I realized that she should have been wearing light makeup as well. After attending her very first dance convention, JUMP, last year, I learned never to travel without the makeup basics. It didn't take much to run into the change room and give her a little makeover.

Carrying around a full makeup bag is pretty annoying. Fortunately, my subscription box addiction means I'm stocked up on sample sized products. I also tend to gravitate towards multipurpose cosmetics to keep my purse clutter at a minimum.

Here's What's In My Current Emergency Makeup Bag:

Benefit Stay Flawless / The Porefessional Primers (sample size): Let's be honest, young kids don't need full coverage foundation unless they're on stage or doing a photo-shoot. For conventions, examinations, and all other events, the more natural looking they are, the better. That, and the DD's fair skin tone, is why I tend to stick to light primers instead of using foundation. It's also less clutter in my purse and less messy overall, since I would have to carry a brush if I was using a liquid foundation and solid foundations in compacts have a tendency of cracking easily and leaving powder residue all over my purse.

Benefit Lollitint / Benetint Lip and Cheek Stain (sample size): I am obsessed with these two items. I will never carry anything else for lips and cheeks. They manage to go onto cheeks lightly to give a healthy, rosy glow, but pack a punch on the lips and give you the bright matte lip that's expected of all dancers at events. They also last for hours after the tints dry. A gloss or lipstick will never cut it because you'll have to keep re-applying, and powdered blush causes the same messy fallout as powdered foundation.

SharaShara Triple Shine Color Shadow in Yellow Brown (trio): This is a recent addition to my bag. I love this product because the colours are almost identical to her studio's standard eye makeup, but shimmer instead of matte. Up until I received this little trio, I was using Urban Decay Eyeshadow Pencils. I had no problems with the pencils, but this takes up way less room in my purse and I do find I can control the depth of the colours much better. I use a dry finger to dab the shadow on her eyelids so that I can achieve a soft look, required for something like a ballet exam, or a wet finger to apply it a bit darker so it will last longer for conventions.

Benefit They're Real Mascara (sample size): I appreciate any cosmetic item that allows me to control the look. This mascara can create a look as soft or dramatic as you'd like. It all depends on how many coats you apply and how you move the brush. The brush itself isn't huge, so it's perfect for tiny eyes. The formula is wet, but also dries much faster than the mess below.

Benefit They're Real Push-Up Liner (sample size): Once I'm done with this sample I don't think I'll be using this product it anymore. It may last a long time, but applying this on a child is a disaster. I much prefer a basic gel pencil liner to any liquid or pen because the formula isn't as wet and you don't have to worry about fluttering eyelids causing smudging or a double line.

I know there appears to be a significant amount of Benefit products, and although I absolutely adore some of them, it is mostly because they're the easiest multi-use samples to come by. Topbox and Ipsy seem to give them out every month, and Birchbox Canada looks to be following their example. Sephora always has them on hand as well if you ask at the checkout counter. The odd time they don't, they will make you a sample from their floor stock. The SharaShara product came out of my CutiePieMarzia2 Memebox, but it's currently on sale from the Memebox website for $5.