Since the end of 2019 until the time of me starting to work on this post, the collections from Colourpop haven’t been dark-skin friendly (or at least the items I’ve wanted haven’t been). Today, I’ll be discussing the bits and pieces from different collections I have purchased that work for me, to an extent.

GARDEN VARIETY COLLECTION

Garden Variety Palette

The design of this collection is so beautiful! Colourpop really excels at that. The succulents and lettering on the cover of the eyeshadow palette (and even the carton) are raised! I love the packaging and don’t see myself ever getting rid of it, even though I am not a fan of the shadows inside.

The color story is what I expected from the product photos. However, I made the mistake of not recognizing Herbivore, Over the Bloom, Succa 4 U, and Clay Day are a sequin formula, which I despise. It’s unfortunate because I love the base matte color of those shades. I just cannot stand the random “pearl” glitter specks embedded in the shadows.

The shade “Don’t Leaf” is a supershock formula. This was my first time experiencing a supershock shadow in a palette, so that was fun! This particular shade doesn’t make much of an impact on my lids though.

Although I knew the palette would lean on the light color spectrum, I figured I would be able to use them anyway due to Colourpop’s usual pigmentation level. However, these are not as pigmented as I’m used to and I find the shimmer quality to be lackluster compared to my other Colourpop shadows, even the oldest ones. The mattes are better, but they don’t deepen up the look as much as I need in my eyeshadow looks.

From my disappointment, inspiration struck! I decided to swap out most of the shades in this palette for similar, yet better performing Colourpop shadows. I am much happier with the selection I chose!

Whole Nine Yards Blush

I purchased the darkest shade of the four blushes in the Garden Variety palette. It looks extremely subtle on camera, but it shows enough in person that I can use it. I appreciate that despite being so light, it doesn’t have a grey tone or leave a cast on me. I do wish this was matte. It’s a “warm pinky terracotta with gold pearl,” and the gold specks are larger than I’d like in a blush. I prefer smaller refined pearl pigments like the kind in MAC blushes, but I’m glad Colourpop chose gold rather than silver glitter for this blush. Also, Whole Nine Yards is similar to a sequin eyeshadow in the sense that it is primarily matte when applied to the skin, as most of the glitter gets brushed away when blended. So, it isn’t enough to make me stop using it. It just isn’t going to be the first blush I reach for. Plus, I like being able to see the beautiful flower imprint in the powder. That kind of thing gets me every time!

Whole Nine Yards on the cheek with no highlighter, bronzer, or contour. Just the blush over Nars Sheer Glow.

She Grown Pink Jelly Much Eyeshadow

This “warm peachy pink with a gold shift” eyeshadow is stunning! On the innermost part of my arm, which is lighter than my eyelid, you can see the pink tones a lot better. In direct sunlight, it looks even darker pink than in swatches, but on my eye, the peach and gold overtake the look. I still love the way it looks. It takes a little finesse to smooth out the shadow in a nice even layer of product, but the effect is worth it.

The left column shows what it looks like upon initial application. The right column shows how it looks 8 hours later.

I noticed it first started to break apart around the six hour mark, so I would only use this if I was making a quick trip out or didn’t plan to stay long at an event. Of all the products mentioned today, I’ve used this the least, so I don’t know if there are tricks to make it last longer. I will continue experimenting to find out, but I’m happy with this item as it is.

There are three other Jelly Much shades in this collection, but She Grown was the most unique to me.

SAILOR MOON COLLECTION

Moon Tiara Ultra Glossy Lip

I purchased the Daylight kit, which included Moon Tiara and Usagi. The Moonlight kit has cooler-toned versions of these shades.
Moon Tiara is described as a “Yellow Orange with Gold and Pink Pinpoints.” I was worried this would look milky, but thankfully it does not. I still wouldn’t wear this on its own, but I enjoy how it looks over more pigmented lippies.

The formula is a bit sticky and has a pleasant sweet smell. The brush tip applicator was so stiff that I thought it was a solid bit of plastic until I used it enough times for the bristles to loosen up. I don’t mind that it’s not a doe foot, now that the brush tip is more flexible.

Usagi Ultra Blotted Lip

The designs on these lip products are so pretty! I rarely buy lip products because I’m mostly a balm or gloss kind of chica, but I couldn’t skip out on this packaging! Unlike the gloss, this has a doe-foot applicator.
Usagi is a mid-tone pink, and I honestly didn’t expect to like this. I’m very picky about lip colors and this is almost too bright of a shade, but it’s right on the cusp. I could wear this on its own without feeling insecure, however, I prefer the way it looks with Moon Tiara on top.

This is my first experience with the Ultra Blotted Lip formula. It is intentionally sheer. To my knowledge, it was originally marketed with the popsicle lip trend in mind. Now, their selling point is that it’s a “buildable diffused matte.” Even though it dries matte, it feels comfortable on the lips.

It’s an interesting formula that I do like. One thing I learned is that if I accidentally touch my lip while it’s half dry, trying to cover the bald spot back causes an oddly noticeable demarcation between the newly covered spot and the surrounding area that overlapped with additional product. What you see in the image above of the blotted lip alone is the best I could do to cover the naturally darker spot on my lower lip. I have extremely dry lips that are difficult to care for without a consistent lip care routine. This blotted lip formula isn’t something I would use on its own if I haven’t created a completely smooth canvas that day. That’s why I like pairing it with the gloss because the shine distracts the eye from noticing color inconsistencies and hyperpigmentation.

Moon Prism Power Glitter Gel

This is pretty. This is also a jar of evil. I’ve complained in the past about my dislike of glitter, but using glittery eye shadows and highlighters this year made me start to like them a little more. However, using this product three times now reminded me why I used to HATE glitter. When I think it’s all off my face, I find more.

I bought this with the intent of using exclusively the larger crescent moon and star shapes. I thought I would be able to separate them from the jar easily. My assumption proved incorrect. This would be fine if I could successfully remove the glitter from my face without finding little specks everywhere for the rest of the day and even the next, despite multiple face scrubbings and showers.

In the photo below, I kept the glitter to the outer corner of my eye. I didn’t want to take a chance putting it anywhere closer to my eyeball since I am a contact lens wearer and the glitters are not eye-safe. By the time I finished taking pictures, the glitter somehow moved to the inner corner of my eye, my cheek, my chin, etc. I will continue to use this in the future, but on very special occasions or special eye looks. This is just my personal issue. This isn’t a bad product. If you like glitter, you will probably enjoy this.

Cat’s Eye Blush

Right away, I have to talk about how cool the packaging design for this blush is! I don’t recall what this type of image effect is called, but it shows three different images when you turn it at different angles. It’s so fun! And the imprint of Luna in the powder is ridiculously cute! I bought both shades, but From the Moon looked too light for me, so I sold it. It’s unfortunate because that shade was matte and I generally prefer a matte blush. Cat’s Eye is a, “pearlized rosey pink with silver pinpoints.” The color is warm, which I like, but the silver glitter isn’t as flattering. I don’t mind because I just wanted this for collector purposes anyway. I have enough blushes that I won’t miss using this if it’s strictly for display only.

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Cat’s Eye on the cheek.

MULAN

Gold Lip Mask

The multicolored pattern on the jar is a reflection of the shirt I was wearing when I took the photo. It’s actually a beautiful mirrored gold shade. The mask itself looks pretty in the jar and goes on the lips clear with fine gold sparkles. It does not have a scent. Even though the consistency is thicker than the Moon Tiara gloss, it’s less sticky and feels lighter on the lips. I use this like I would any other balm by wearing it alone.

Jasmine Face Milk

I was initially annoyed that I couldn’t get the lip mask without buying it in the set with this, but I’m glad I finally tried the face milk formula! It’s lightweight and feels hydrating on the skin. The jasmine scent is mild, which I’m glad about. I don’t enjoy heavily scented skincare. I liked this product so much that I bought a different full-size face milk!

CUSTOM PALETTE AND FINAL THOUGHTS

Aside from my Kathleen Lights x Colourpop So Jaded palette and the Garden Variety palettes which are currently holding eyeshadows in the color stories of my choosing, I put all my depotted and single Colourpop shadows in one gigantic magnetic palette. The depotted palettes are: Semi-Precious, Element of Surprise, All I See Is Magic, It’s My Pleasure, Lilac You A lot, Blowin’ Smoke, Blue Moon, Just My Luck, and Uh-huh Honey. The unused shades from the So Jaded and Garden Variety palettes are here as well.

I respect Colourpop for staying with the trends and for their business savvy, marketing, and ingenuity. However, my last few purchases have been purely for packaging. I want to keep my collection manageable and buy things I will actually use. Colourpop has made it a bit easy to stay away while they aren’t making things brown-skin friendly. However, I am actively going to try and limit my purchases from them, as I’ve never been blown away by Colourpop’s quality. It’s okay or good most of the time, but I have too many products from other brands of excellent quality to want to settle for just “okay.”

That’s all for today! Thank you for reading!

-Lili ❤