There is absolutely no denying it… when it comes to Colour Pop – I’m absolutely happy, ecstatic and in love with this brand. Come on now – I own over 50 of their eye shadows and more than 15 of their lippy stix, so it’s quite obvious I have major crush issues. As soon as I heard that Colour Pop was bringing in blushes, highlighters and bronzers, I had to snatch a few of them up in heart beat. Last year (2014), I actually used several of my favorite eye shadows from ColourPop as blush and highlighter so knowing I could get the real thing had me dancing in the streets… literally. I have been playing with some of the new highlighters now for a bit and I wanted to share with you my thoughts on them. So were the new ColourPop highlighters love at first sight for me?
I ordered: Lunch Money, Spoon, Wisp, Most Necessary and Butterfly Beach. Wisp, Butterfly Beach and Lunch Money all looked like shades that would compliment my warm skin tone and something I could use for a gorgeous highlight for summer and Spoon looked like a shade that I could use year round offering a great highlight for me at night. Most Necessary – while I thought would be a great blush – I purchased because as I tan in the summer months, it would offer a sunkissed glow.
Each highligher is just $8.00 and comes in the usual ColourPop packaging. They have 4.2g/0.15oz of product in each and the highlighters have that same mousse like texture we have grown to love with CP. I find that they are best applied with my fingers, but also enjoy blending them out for a subtle highlight with my ELF Small Stippling brush. The embossing on these highlighters are different from the blushes, bronzers and shadows and each one I ordered has a gorgeous shimmer and glisten to them.
It’s obvious that I was gonna jump on these as soon as they were released, let’s face it – I’m addicted to the brand and price point… but I had high hopes for these and while they work for me, I was a bit disappointed with them overall. While my skin is normally dry, as the summer heat hits Hawaii, I find that my skin lends to be a little on the oily side during Summer months. Because of this – I noticed that when my skin is oilier than usual – these offer a VERY subtle highlight – not nearly what I would expect from a brand I have grown to love. If I use it on my normal/dry skin – the highlight is deeper and much more pigmented. While I know these will work well for me as an every day highlight, I find that it still doesn’t give me that “look at that highlight tho” kind of look that I crave. Honestly, I get better highlight from Girly (a CP shadow) blended onto my cheek bones – then I do with these. Don’t get me wrong – I’ll still use them and use them often, but I’m disappointed that they are not that “wowzers” kind of highlight I had expected.
I do not use Foundation or Concealer so I’m not sure how these would perform over face products like those. I find that applying these first and then adding some of my favorite powder highlights like BECCA Shimmering Powder in Moonstone offer a really nice effect. Keep in mind that I found these highlighters to flop for me when my skin was oily… when my skin was on the drier side, I noticed the highlighters all showed up fairly okay on me, so I don’t know if oily skin is the factor.
In the photo above I am using Lunch Money blended onto my cheek bones, on my cupid’s bow and lightly on the bridge of my nose and forehead. As you can see – it offers a subtle highlight in this photo. I am using a moisturizer with SPF so my skin is a little more on the dewy side and even when applied with my fingers or my ELF Small Stippling brush, I found that the color faded on me within a 30 minute time frame. If I set the highlighter with a powder, it will give me longer staying power and if my skin is dry that day – I can get a few hours of longevity out of each one.
Overall while I’m a bit disappointed with the longevity and staying power of these on oily skin – they worked well with my dry skin and I love the shades I have. I pull for these a lot because application is fun and easy and I do not have to worry about dirtying a brush to apply them. I love the color range available from ColourPop and the five shades I ordered are really pretty. You can’t beat the price and they work well as a base for your powdered highlights. Are they a complete miss for me? Nah, I am sure I will make them work… but I think that if you normally have oily skin, these may not give you the pigmentation you would expect of ColourPop. If you use Foundation/Concealer these may offer you a little longer staying time, but I use these on bare skin. I have not tried them over a face primer.
I also wanted to share the one ColourPop bronzer I have in Carry-On. This bronzer is the perfect shade for me and offers a subtle bronze look. It’s matte, creamy in texture like the other mousse like products from CP and retails for $8 with 4.2g/0.15oz of product. I am using this bronzer for a subtle/light contour in the photo above and it works. If I use this bronzer alone, it works well and while it fades, it still gives me that bronze look I desire. If I apply a powder bronzer over this product, I notice that there can be light oxidation after having the product on for several hours. Applying this with your finger in the hollows of your cheeks can be a bit of a challenge if not careful so I definitely suggest a synthetic contour brush.
Just figured I would throw this in since it is only one product. Have you tried any of the highlighters or bronzers from ColourPop? What are your thoughts on these items if you have? If not, do you have any on your wishlist?
Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are honest, 100% unbiased and my own. I was not paid to provide this review or my thoughts. There are affiliate links through out.
32 Comments
I’m with you I crave the ‘look at dat highlight!’
lol – yes, it’s very important 😀
Be still my heart! I think I need them all *gulp*
I think Wisp would be gorgeous on you!
Kind of bummed to hear these highlighters didn’t perform.
I would have loved them to work well overall… but they only really do the job I like when my skin is on the drier side… who’s got time to wait.? lol
I have oily skin so I will pass, thanks for the review!
yeah – I was quite bummed because this was going to be my go-to for summer… :/ thankfully – my skin is always dry with exception to this time of year.
I have heard that the highlighters aren’t the greatest… but I’m still in love with ColourPop! I need to make another order ASAP
girl… I know… it does not make my addiction any less. lol 😀 I am counting down the days for Thursday when I can get some liquid lippies.
Yuuup, me too! I read that someone said they were like drying and crumbly on the lips which sounds frightening so I’m only gonna grab a couple (dying for Mars and Ouija) and see how they go… but at the same time I’m definitely grabbing some more shadows!
I like these for the price point and they might be fun to play with but I have super oily, skin during the summer too. I really don’t have time to reapply during the day so they wouldn’t work. I am super pale though so who knows!
It definitely could just be me… but like you – once I apply something, It better stay all day because I never touch up my makeup and don’t take any with me except a lippy if i need it.
These are just a bit to creasy for my skin (the shadows and one blush that I have tried). I would be willing to try these out.
I think you may like it 🙂
Bummed that you didn’t like these. I wonder if they’d work better on my lighter skin tone.
I love them when my skin is dry – which is my normal… with exception to summer time… once it hits winter, I’m sure I’lluse these all up.
I still haven’t tried anything from colorpop. I plan to buy some eye shadows soon.
you will love the eyeshadows.
Cream highlighters work better for me than powders. You should try RMS it is gentle for sensitive skin and looks gorge! Love those blues on you Honey.
same for me – I love a great cream highlighter… love how they last all day so I’m gonna check out RMS. 🙂 thanks love.
When I finally take the plunge I’ll start with one highlighter to see how it works (and lots of eyeshadows!). I like the colors but I’m not into glitter on my face.
you will love the shadows… and I think the highlighters definitely do the job if needed and you can work with it.
Sounds like I should skip these, my oily skin would probably not agree with it.
If you had to try one – I would try wisp or lunch money… everyone’s skin is different and it may not be whether my skin is oily or dry but just my skin… I really am not sure.
Bummer! I just ordered the In Bloom Collection with the blush and highlighter and I’m hoping that I have better luck with them, even with my oily skin, because I wear foundation/powder. I prefer a subtle highlight, anyway. Hopefully they won’t be TOO subtle!
the highlighter in the inbloom collection is on a whole different level… it works well and I love it. That is why I was so excited to order the other highlighters since I had such great experience with that set. So I don’t think you have to worry about it. But I also think that the highlight shade in that set was not made specifically to be a highlight as the others were… more of a highlighted blush, if that makes any sense. I think you’ll enjoy that set – it’s one of my favs.
You are the queen of colourpop. You have humongous collection
So gorgeous! I want the most purple shade…as an eyeshadow lol I haven’t bought any of the cheek products yet!
These look beautiful! Really loving Wisp!
YASSSSSS Give me all the things!
Sorry you weren’t WOWED but I definitely will need to try these.