My Big ColourPop Haul – 2017! Hits and Misses and How I avoid customs tax

I am always quite envious of people who can get their hands on Colourpop cosmetics easily; their products look good and they’re very affordable (well…less so now since the value of the pound dropped but hey ho). One reason why I don’t buy directly from their website is because of customs tax! I don’t begrudge the tax, but it’s the extra charges that are piled on.  I did an order from them which was around $25 and the customs was £15! Never again. 

Anyway I made a series of hauls because Colourpop sometimes (but rarely) offers free shipping internationally on any value order.  So in those cases I will split my orders so I spend less than $20 per order to be safe.  Then I get no charges! I reuse all packaging. 

First off the Supershock colours:

I have used the Super Shock eyeshadows before and if I’m honest, I wasn’t too impressed because the texture is so unusual.  They are SO soft but dense when pressed that I found a bit strange. I couldn’t apply them with a brush and found the texture varied depending on formula.

Anyway this time around, I’ve decided to buy some more and accept the fact I would be using these with my finger for a wash of colour.

So I bought: Moonwalk, Nillionaire, Dare, Bae, Luckfully. 

Moonwalk: Duochrome greeny gold.

Nillionaire: Cool toned super glittery brown.

Dare: True violet purple with lots of sparkles. Actually quite sheer and leaves more of a glitter.  

Bae: Duochrome bruised purple-brown-blue type shadow.

Luckfully: Rich metallic navy. 

My favourite is Nillionaire, which I love for the shimmer and cool tones.  Dare is NOT what I thought it was – it looks like a sheer base of purple topped with glitter which I’ve realised I like but it’s not for you if what you want is an intense purple eyeshadow. 

Moonwalk is fine but doesn’t show up enough on my skin and Bae and Luckfully are nice but ones I would save for a party (so basically, never). 

Next up I purchased a selection of their pressed shadows as I’ve never tried their powder formula before. These do not come in a case. 

I actually managed to nab a magnetic case from them (it sold out super fast) for $7 which carries 12 of their shadows (I bought 9 so I still have some space in there). 

1. Wait for it – matter creamy pale ivory beige. 

2. Play by Play – Duochrome gold orangey coral

3. I Owe You – Vivid matte medium orange

4. Wait for it – Matte peachy pink

5. Take the lead – Matte taupe grey

6. Gamechanger – Duochrome silvery ivy green grey

7. Sideline – Duochrome khaki green metallic

8. Beackseat – Metallic blue

9. Come and get it – Golden peach pink shimmer 

All of these colours were quite soft and pigmented, I have no complaints about the quality for the price. I found Wait for it and Gamechanger the most interesting of the bunch, although I owe you is an interesting one and was supposed to be a dupe for Burnt Orange in the Anastasia Modern Renaissance palette (it isn’t, but it’s still good). 

I wish they clearly stated how many shadows fit in to the palette as I would’ve ordered another 3 for the sake of my OCD.

I also purchased two wildcard products – Super Shock Cheek products. A highlighter with tinges of green called Perilune and a purple blush called Sticky Sweet. 

Neither of these products are…well they are unusual but you know they are fun too. The Sticky Sweet blush would look stunning on darker skin tones. On me, it’s not bad, although I have to be light handed or it looks bruised.

The problem with the highlighter is that it’s quite gritty textured and glittery.  The green is there though which makes it fun although it’s not a “glow” more of a “sparkly” kinda look. 

Colourpop are best known for their vast lipstick range and at their low prices, I couldn’t resist stocking up.  

I bought 3 x Ultra Matte Lips (I have tried this formula before and hated it because it is so drying but I did it because I wanted to duplicate a lipstick look I had seen created with an Anastasia liquid lipstick and a Kat Von D one.  £40 vs £12 ya know?). 

I tried 2 x Ultra Satin Lips, , 2 x Ultra Blotted Lip and bought 5 of my beloved Lippie Stix. 

Ok let’s start. 

So I gave my little story about the Ultra Matte lips and why I bought them despite hating the formula.  

Here is the picture for reference:

I bought:

(Ultra Mattes)

1. Midi – nude light beige

2. Time Square – nude brown 

3.Tulle – rich browny plum 

Verdict: Yes I still hate this formula. It’s so so so so so drying on my lips and also even when I do a thin layer it really settles in to creases and looks awful. It seems to suck the life out of my lips. And layering it? Forget it. Ew. Totally not for me I have learned my lesson. 

(Ultra Satin)

4. Echo Park – A nude brown

5. Chandelier – Mid tone rose bright petal pink

Verdict: These are fantastic for my dry lips. The finish is not quite matte but certainly not shiny. They are pigmented, feel very comfortable and last well too.  I love this formula! I will happily buy it again. 

(Ultra Blotted Lip)

6. Split – Plum 

7. Double Scoop – Soft orange 

Verdict: Again, a brilliant formula for dry lips. The blotted lips created a diffused and yes, blotted look on the lips. It doesn’t seem to work at first – it’s a liquid formula, wetter than the other ones but as you blot it on both your lips it just becomes an effortless, soft, sexy, subtle stain.  It’s GREAT for daily wear as it doesn’t look too “much” despite the fact the colours are quite pigmented. LOVE. I will buy again 

(Lippie Stix)

8. Party Foul – Plummy deep purple (Matte x)

9. Bootie – Hot orange red (Matte x)

10. Aquarius – Pale nude brown beige (Creme)

11. Birdy – Light pink cream (Creme)

12. Only You – MLBB creamy pink brown nude 

Verdict: I am a big fan of these lipsticks – so pigmented but none drying. I got a mixed bag of shades and I am not unhappy with any of them but I’ve realised that I think I have all the shades I need. I don’t love any of them in particular so I really should stop buying these for the sake of it. If I had to choose, Bootie is a fun colour but the Matte X shades are VERY VERY dry so drag a bit. 

Swatches:

My favourites of all the lips are both of the Satin lips and both of the Blotted lips. 

The next time they do free international shipping, I will buy more Satin lips and blotted probably but that’s about it. 

So I hope you guys enjoyed that post – did you see anything you fancy?