ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadows, my review

ColourPop is absolutely everywhere at the moment. And saying that I’m completely obsessed about this brand is not far from the truth!

I already introduced you to the brand in my Indie Makeup post and I also had a lot of questions about the brand, so I’m probably not the only one feeling very interested in it!

I have many ColourPop products to present so I will probably do more posts on the topic right after this one.

Today, I’ll talk in more detail about the ColourPop brand and I will also give you a review of its star product: the ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadows.

Colourpop, presentation:

• Story and concept:

As I mentioned, I have already introduced ColourPop briefly in my Indie Makeup post and I don’t really have much more information to add, I’m afraid…

The brand exists since 2014, I believe. I’m sure about one thing: the online store opened on May the first of 2014.

As far as I know (and it was difficult to find any info), ColourPop is an independent company based in Los Angeles and the products are all made in USA.

The brand started with the Super Shock Shadows (eyeshadows) and the Pressed Pigments. Then soon after, they launched the Lippie Stix (lipstick) and the Lippie Pencils (lip pencils).
Early 2015, it was the turn of their blush to be released (the Super Shocks Cheeks) and the brand has announced the launch of its Highlighters for this month.

The choice of colors is huge. There are a gazillion colors, even the most unexpected (mint or turquoise blue lipsticks for example) and also many limited editions. The brand doesn’t put any limits with regards to the choice of the colors.
If a color which is a limited edition has a lot of success and there are a lot of requests on Instagram to make it permanent, there’s a good chance it will be.

The products’ production time is rather short because all products are manufactured on site in the Santa Monica factory. For comparison sake, with a classic makeup brand, it takes between 12 and 18 months to develop a product. For ColourPop, the development is done in 1 month (but of course, you have to add the test phase, which takes a little longer, 3 months).
This means that their reactivity is very fast. If there is a trendy color that everyone wants right now, it’s very likely that ColourPop will have it quite fast in their collection.

However, you can feel that it’s still a small company with their delivery. Better to be patient, because when you order, it usually takes between 10 and 15 days for the parcel to arrive at your doorstep. (and for me, it takes even longer because of the delivery to the UAE via Shop and Ship)

Delivery is not international for the moment but hopefully given the huge demand, that will change soon, fingers crossed!

Another characteristic of the brand, its very low prices. Initially, there was a single price for all the products: $5. The value for money is one of the best in the market!

Blushes and highlighters are a bit more expensive: $8. But it’s still a very affordable price!

• Values:

ColourPop insists that all production is made in the USA. In this time of economic crisis and nationalism, it’s always a good selling point! wink

The products are not tested on animals, and of course ColourPop communicates about it because it’s also a very strong argument.
A majority of the products are also vegan (not derived from animal based product) and even 100% guaranteed gluten-free! (looool) ( but it’s better to avoid eating them wink )

Another great idea, the brand doesn’t hesitate to show its products directly on the skin, with many swatches. And not just on white skin! The swatches are made on a fair skin, a medium one and a black skin. I find this way of showing its products is super smart!

They’re also very accessible. Communication with the brand is easy either through their customer service or their different social media accounts. The proximity to their customers seems to be very important to them.
I’m not going to complain! smile

• Communication:

As I said earlier, the proximity with their customers is very important to ColourPop.
In each parcel, they include a hand written thank-you card, which is so sweet and makes you feel like you’re special to them!

They also communicate a lot via their social media: Facebook, Twitter and especially Instagram. So it’s very easy to get and share information directly with the community manager of ColourPop or the brand’s fan community (which is very active!).

ColourPop does not really do big advertisement campaigns but it doesn’t hesitate to associate with bloggers or youtubers, whether for reviews (they send the products) as well as collaborations. These are exclusive colors created with the blogger or the youtuber, which are clearly a commercial success and also gives the brand a very cool and trendy image.

In summary, ColourPop describes itself as the cool kids makeup brand and that is quite right! You can totally picture the products of the brand used for a great Coachella makeup! (By the way, this song too, is super cool!;))

ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadows, presentation:

– Innovation and formula:

The texture of these eyeshadows is really surprising. It’s really a hybrid texture between a cream eyeshadow, a powder and a mousse: it’s almost bouncy when you touch it.
It’s very curious and this is the first time I am dealing with this kind of texture…
It makes me think of the Illusions d’Ombres by CHANEL but with a more “powdery” feeling.

What’s more, it can be quite unsettling at first because you don’t know how to use it.

Also, be careful to keep the jar lid tightly closed otherwise the texture will dry!

– Colour range and finishes:

The big strength of the brand. The color range is almost endless… There are over a hundred of different shades!
Neutral or crazy colors, you will definitely find something for your taste!

And I think they’re all beautiful. Even the crazy colors are sublime. And it was very hard to resist them, even if most of the time, I’m wearing neutral colors on my eyelids. All this shades make you want to be bolder and audacious with your makeup. Luckily, with ColourPop, you can!

There’re also a huge variety of finishes: matte, satin, metallic, iridescent, glitter, neon … In short, enough to make you lose your head!

– Packaging:

The packaging is very “pop 60’s“: a round white plastic jar, very “Courrèges” in my opinion! The ColourPop inscription is in hologram silver, which reinforces this very futuristic aspect.

The packaging is obviously very pretty and “Instagram-friendly” but it’s also very bulky…
I dream of a practical storage system for all these small jars because for now, it  really takes a lot of room in my makeup drawer…

– Application:

The texture is very special, it took me a while to figure out how to use them.

ColourPop gives a lot of tips for the application, which is very nice. The brand recommends to apply them with the finger tips for a better coverage but you can also use a brush if you prefer.

I’m not a fan of the finger application (I find it difficult to blend with my finger), so I tried with several of my brushes and I find that it works a lot better with firm synthetic brushes (you can get more product on them). If the brush is too soft, it doesn’t pick up anything.
So generally, I applied the Super Shock shadows with a brush, but if I want to give more intensity to my makeup, I apply it in the middle of my eyelid with my finger.

It’s possible to do a full makeup look with only ColourPop eyeshadows, it works, but especially with the very iridescent eyeshadows, what I love to do is pairing them with traditional powder eyeshadows.
I usually do my makeup with my classic powder eyeshadows and I end with a hyper metallic or glittery ColourPop eyeshadow to catch the light in the middle of my eyelid.

Here are my favorite brushes to used with my ColourPop eyeshadows:
– the Makeup Geek pencil brush,
– all Real Techniques makeup brushes for eyes (those that remain)
– the MAC 242,
– the ZOEVA brushes…

– Pigmentation and coverage:

They’re insane, as you will see in the swatches later in the post…

– Long-lasting power:

Again, it’s crazy! The colors don’t move all day. I always apply a primer because I have quite oily eyelids but if you have a dry skin, I don’t think it’s really necessary.

The metallic effect and the glitter stay in place for hours (on me, 10h), which is far from being the case for all iridescent shadows. Da bomb!

– Value for money:

5$ each, I don’t really need to say more… It’s clearly a bargain! smile

– Availability:

That is where the problem lies.

They are only available online but mostly ColourPop doesn’t deliver worldwide… For now, the delivery is only possible for the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.

I am sure that the delivery will extend to other countries, but the question is when…

For my part, I’m obviously using Shop and Ship… #shopandshipforeva

ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadows, the round-up:

Cop A Feel, Hanky Panky, To A T, Mittens, Effect:

These 5 shadows are matte, although the swatches may show teeny tiny iridescent particles, but they don’t show at all on the eyelids.

– Cop A Feel: it is a creamy beige pink, very well pigmented. I apply it mainly as a base to unify my eyelids and in the inner corner for a very natural highlight.

– Hanky Panky: the perfect transition shade. This is a fairly warm light brown. It’s really great to help blend the colors together for a nice and subtle smoky eyes.

– To A T: a lovely caramel brown eye, very warm. Also perfect as a transition shade or in the outer corner for a light and natural smoky effect.

– Mittens: a sublime chocolate brown I love in my outer V or on my entire eyelid  (I used is that way in my MUG Foiled eyeshadows’ post). It’s magnificent!

– Effect: A teal eyeshadow, between blue and green, one of my favorite colors. I love it applied along the lashline but it’s also great for a more intense and colorful makeup look, to change for the very classic brown or black smoky eyes.

Smash, Get Lucky, Lovely, I Heart This, Amaze:

These 5 eyeshadows are rather metallic.

– Smash: one of my favorites. A rather subtle satin golden beige. This is not the most metallic of the lot, so it’s very easy to wear, even during the day. This is the kind no-brainer color that can stand for itself!

– Get Lucky: a beautiful golden eyeshadow, not too yellow, more like an antique gold color (which I love). This is a true metallic eyeshadow. It’s very beautiful and simple used as an highlight on the center of the eyelid, for example.

– Lovely: a golden eyeshadow as well but with more orange undertones. It’s warmer and with a metallic and glittery finish. This is a fairly light orange shade, so it’s easier to wear than it looks! It’s very bright and the glitter is relatively discreet and subtle.

– I Heart This:  I Heart This eyeshadow (obviously ^^). It’s a sublime pewter, between a light gold and a silver, a kind of metallic taupe with multicolored glitter. This is one of the most luminous shadows I own. It’s perfect applied all over the lid along with a nice black eyeliner or even in the inner corner for an ultra-highlight effect!

– Amaze: a true rosegold (or copper if you prefer) shade, with warm orange undertones… Very metallic with gold glitter, it’s very sparkly. I’m a little pale for this kind of color at the moment, but as soon as I have a little bit of a tan, it will be perfect! smile

Eye Candy, So Quiche, Bae, 3:

And to end this review, 4 ultra glittery/fairy tale/princess shades!

– Eye Candy: a light purple eyeshadow dotted with pink and silver glitter. I know, the description may be a little scary (Barbie Power !!!) but it is rather easy to wear because the flakes won’t be seen that much and then it’s a pretty clear eye! In addition, it brings out green eyes …;)

– So Quiche: I love this shade because it’s truly unique. It’s an olive green golden beige with warm undertones with pink and silver glitter, giving an true duo-chrome effect. A gem! Because I love it so much, I usually use this shade alone on my eyelid and that’s it!

– Bae: this eyeshadow is a real star. It’s very surprising because when you see it in the jar, you would expect an intense teal eyeshadow and it’s actually a purple shade with tons of blue-green glitter! Surprise! smile It’s very nice for a smoky or even in the outer corner. An amazing and sublime shade IMO.

– 3: it’s a very glittery neutral brown eyeshadow with silver glitter. I love it applied in the outer corner or along the lash line for an intense and luminous effect.

Finally, some makeup looks:

On the first look, I used Cop A Feel as a base all over the lid, Hanky Panky in the crease, Smash on the entire eyelid, Get Lucky as a highlight on the center of the eyelid and finally To A T very slightly in my outer corner.
A black liner and lots of black mascara to give intensity and voila!

It’s a bit my every day look. It’s easy and it goes with everything.

This look is much more colorful and fun, perfect for a summer evening!

Here too, I applied Cop A Feel all over the lid, I Heart This on the inside of the eyelid, Eye Candy on the outside of the eyelid and finally Bae on the outer corner and along the lower lash line (but only on the outside). I used Effect as a liner along the upper lash line.

Finally, I added a teal liner in the waterline and lots of black mascara.

In summary:

[wprs-pros][wprs-cons]

The Super Shock Shadows are available on ColourPop website for 5$.

And you, tempted by  ColourPop eyeshadows? Can we all sign a petition for worldwide delivery?

Photos credits: bonnie-garner.com

Cet article est aussi disponible en français: ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadows, mon avis

EDIT (12/07/16):

Great news! Worldwide delivery is finally available for ColourPop! (Well, to be precise, it will be tonight wink )
The brand is now delivering all over the world, except China and Turkey. I don’t know all the details yet but apparently the delivery fees will depend on the location and the weight of each package.
FINALLY!!!