ColourPop Pressed Powder Eyeshadow Review

Pressed shadows! How excited can a person be over small metal pans with pigment in them? ;D When ColourPop released the pressed shadows I immediately made an order. I like their shades and the quality of the super shock shadows is good, but I don't want to dirty my hands when doing my eyes, as I don't keep my make-up in the bathroom but in a vanity. So I need to get up, go wash my hands, and then continue. Pressed shadows seemed perfect, and they even came with a free empty palette per each four pressed powders you buy. I settled on ten shades I wanted and got two palettes.

It seemed like a waste to only have four pans in one palette, and I heard some people had taken the cardboard from the palette out to fit in more pans, so I tried the same. The glue is pretty sturdy, but the results are good. On one palette the cardboard came clean off, but on the other it ripped the magnetic plate with it, but I simply proceeded to tear off the cardboard (well, my husband did, because he's super nice and I didn't want to break my nails) and glue the magnetic part back.



Let me start with saying that the palette is very nice! The design is pretty, not too busy, the magnetic area is strong, pans stay easily in place, and the plastic window is small, so your shadows are safe. The window is usually the weakest point of a cardboard palette, but it's needed so you can see what it holds without opening the palette.

A ColourPop Pressed Powder empty palette out of the box.

A ripped out cardboard and foam insert.

The glue is quite strong, but it can and will come off if you want to! If the glue is stuck on the magnetic plate, your can just roll it off with your fingers.

A palette without the cardboard insert. The whole black area is magnetic.

And the shadows I got? There weren't many colourful ones that I usually go for, but I've been using a lot of neutrals lately and many appealed to me. I chose these ten: Fire Fly, High Strung, Take it Slow, Come and Get It, Cute Alert, Liar Liar, Backseat, Cloud Nine, Let Me Explain and Hear Me Out. Quite a mouthful!

Instead of four you can fit ten pans close to each other. Shadows on top row left: Take It Slow, Let Me Explain, Liar Liar, Cloud Nine, Fire Fly. Shadows on bottom row from left: Come And Get It, High Strung, Backseat, Cute Alert, Hear Me Out.

All the shadows in their cardboard sleeves. Cute Alert had moved a bit in the packaging, but arrived intact.

The sleeves are not taped shut, they have a little tab you open.

You can see the back of the pan through a hole in the sleeve, so no labels are needed on the sleeves.

Inside the sleeve the pans are protected by clear plastic packaging that also closes with a tab rather than tape on glue, meaning that you could easily put the pans back if you want to sell them or pack them very securely for a trip.

A pan out of the packaging. They are about 2,5 cm wide.

On the back of each pan is a label stating the name of the shade.

Cute Alert

Come And Get It

High Strung

Backseat

Take It Slow

Let Me Explain

Liar Liar

Cloud Nine

Fire Fly

Hear Me Out

And then swatches! These are done over foundation (Missha Perfect Cover BB-cream), powder (NYX HD Studio Finishing powder) and Urban Decay Primer Potion with fingers. Some of the lightest shades were insanely difficult to photograph, but I did my best!

From top to bottom: Cute Alert, Hear Me Out, Fire Fly

Top to bottom: Backseat, Come And Get It, High Strung peeking from the bottom.

Top to bottom: Come And Get It, High Strung, Cute Alert

Top to bottom: Take It Slow, Let Me Explain, Liar Liar

Top to bottom: Liar Liar, Cloud Nine.

All of the shades are of very nice quality. Creamy, lots of pigment, blend easily. They all work well on my green-blue eyes, especially the reddish dark browns Cloud Nine and Cute Alert really bring out the green. The only one I might not keep is Fire Fly. I ordered a couple of skin tone shadows so I could try them and see how they work on my skin tone, as you can never be sure of photos and monitors and all that affects how the shades look in the shop. Skin tone shadows can have the tiniest differences that have a huge impact on how they work on each person. For me Hear Me Out is the perfect skin tone that's just a little bit lighter than my skin, so I can use it as a highlight on tearducts and brow bone. Fire Fly is very close and just as light, but has pink undertones, where my skin leans more towards yellow. There's nothing else wrong with the shadow, the shade is just not for me, I'll always go for Hear Me Out when I need a skin tone highlighter.

So far my absolute favourite is Come And Get It. It's a warm medium rose pink with a gold shift. Very much like NARS Orgasm blush, which I also adore, and the pink once again brings out the green in my eyes. A light, very easily usable shade, and works with every other shade in my palette, except maybe for Backseat.

Take It Slow, Let Me Explain and Liar Liar are very nice light shimmery skin tone shades, easy to combine with almost anything and work as highlights if you like shimmery highlight. I usually go for mattes for highlights (on the eyes), so I've used these on the lid and put something darker in the crease and outer part of the lid for a very easy everyday look. Not unique shades, but handy to have in a palette.

Backseat is more blue and less green than I expected. I though based on the shop pictures that it would be a sea green or more of a petrol shade, but on me it looks plain blue. I'm not good with blues, but it is a lovely medium shimmery blue, if that's your thing :)

High Strung is a lovely copper. Very red, very metallic. It works as a crease shade with Come And Get It, but I like matte shades for the crease better to get some depth there. It could make for a wonderful smoky eye with green eyes, but I have yet to try that.

All in all I'm very happy with the shadows and the palettes. Everything works like it should and 5 dollars per pan is a steal for this quality. To me it seems the quality is equal to my Naked 2 palette, but then again the Naked 2 has 12 shades and costs about 50 dollars, so per pan the shadows are actually cheaper than ColourPop. I do appreciate being able to customize my palettes and to be able to take just a couple of pans with me to trip if I don't feel like hauling the whole lot, so the price is justified in my opinion. Shipping was fast and everything arrived well packed and in time. So once again ColourPop has made me happy!

I Always Fall for Your Kind aka A Million Dark Red Lipsticks

I guess everyone has a few favourite shades they always end up buying. Like looking at pictures of a new make-up collection and instantly falling in love with one shade of lippie, only to notice you already own a bunch of almost similar ones.

So. Much. Lipstick.

I'm not even trying to convince myself that I need all of the make-up I own, it's more of a hobby of collecting stuff. Some people collect stamps, I collect lipsticks. Dark red lipsticks especially it seems.

I went through all of my lipsticks and picked out the ones that were dark red or dark purple, as those are the shades I always fall for. They feel easy to wear for me and I find myself always reaching for a comfy dark red when in doubt of what shade to wear. I found it interesting to see how many different reds there are in my collection, and to compare then with each other. So I present to you: 27 shades of red (or purple)!

The whole bunch. I didn't differentiate between finishes or lipstick types, there are everything from liquid mattes to satin traditional lipsticks.

Milani 24 Black Cherry , Mac Viva Glam Ariana Grande, Kat von D Studded Kiss in Vampira, Wet n Wild Ferguson Crest Cabernet, Milani 21 Sangria, Wet n Wild Vamp it Up, Mac Cyber. 

 I like traditional lippies too, but the staying power of liquid to matte lipsticks is what I really enjoy. I'm not big on touching up make-up on the go, I'd much rather spend the time to do my make-up and then have it last until I take it off. Matte traditional lipsticks last a lot better than those with a shiny finish. I've found that using traditional lipstick in the middle of the lips and a matte to liquid one on the edges is a great way to avoid the drying feel of the liquid lipsticks and they don't crumble as easily if you have re-apply in the middle of the lips. The wax based lipstick can melt the liquid lipstick a bit, but matte wax based lipsticks don't make a mess.

Black Moon Cosmetics Purgatory, ColouPop Ultra Matte Lip in Guess, Notoriously Morbid Arcane, LASplash Malevolent, ColourPop Sookie, LASplash Valentina, Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream Copenhagen, LASplash Untamed, Kylie Cosmetics Kourt K, Kat von D Exorcism, Anastasia Beverly Hills Sad Girl, Sleek Vino Tinto.

 Liquid to mattes are my absolute favourites. I have lots of different shades, but the dark red and purple ones I always come back to. Insane staying power, no feathering, no liner needed, these babies are simply awesome! The picture is missing my OCC Black Dahlia Lip Tar, but there's a swatch of that later in this post too.

Mac lip pencil in Cyber World, Kylie Cosmetics lip liner in Kourt K, Mac lip pencil in Nightmoth, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics pencil in Black Dahlia.

I don't have a lot of lip liners, but I have gotten four almost similar dark red ones. The Mac ones are clearly different, and the Kylie one was part of a lip kit and meant to be worn under a liquid lipstick. Black Dahlia helps with OCC Lip Tar feathering and I wanted a shade that matched the lipstick perfectly. I also use dark red lip liners for my brows. My current favourites are Nightmoth and Black Dahlia, but any of these will do. My roots are dark wine red so they match nicely.

Left to right: Black Moon Cosmetics Purgatory, ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip is Guess, LASplash Lip Couture in Malevolent, Mac Cyber, Wet n Wild Vamp it Up.

Left to right: Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in  Black Dahlia, Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Copenhagen, Sleek Matte Me Ultra Smooth Matte Lip Cream in Vino Tinto, ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Smitten, Kat von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Exorcism, Kylie Cosmetics Matte Liquid Lipstick in Kourt K. 

Left to right: ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Smitten, Kat von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Exorcism, Kylie Cosmetics Matte Liquid Lipstick in Kourt K, Kat von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Vampira, Mac matte lipstick Viva Glam Ariana Grande, Milani lipstick in 21 Sangria, Milani lipstick in 24 Black Cherry, LASplash Lip Couture in Vampire.

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Smitten, Kat von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Exorcism, Kylie Cosmetics Matte Liquid Lipstick in Kourt K, Kat von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Vampira, Mac matte lipstick Viva Glam Ariana Grande.

From left to right: Wet n Wild Fergie lipstick in Ferguson Crest Cabernet, Notoriusly Morbid liquid lipstick Arcane, ColourPop Ultra Glossy Lip in Sookie, LASplash Studio Shine Lip Lustre in Valentina.

Top to bottom: Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in Sad Girl, LASplash Lip Couture Untamed, Kat von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Damned.

Lip liners from left to righ: Mac lip pencil in Nightmoth, Mac lip pencil in Cyberworld, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Cosmetic Colour Pencil in Black Dahlia, Kylie Cosmetics Lip Liner is Kourt K.

Whew, that was a lot of lipstick! I'm still of the opinion that no two are exactly the same, but all have different undertones or lean more towards red or brown. It's the tiny differences that count! Do you have a specific shade or a product you always fall for, even when you know you have lots of similar ones already?

I can confess I have two more dark red lipsticks ordered at this very moment ;D

Kat von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick and Studded Kiss Swatches

Last weekend I was in Stockholm, and since Stockholm unlike any city in Finland, it means shopping for new cosmetics! Kat von D products were released in Sweden in February. Previously I've only gotten them from trips to the States, but this is much more convenient! I like Kat von D beauty's aesthetics and shade selection, and the packages are to die for. I got three new liquid lipsticks (one went to a new home as the shade was not very me), a regular lipstick and a gift-with-purchase mini lippie, which is the cutest thing ever!

I was supposed to swatch all my Kat von D lipsticks, but apparently forgot one. Sorry!

Gift-with-purchase Underage Red is so cute! The middle one is Vampira and on the right is Poe, which I forgot to swatch.

Everlasting liquid lipticks. From top to bottom: Exorcism, Lolita, Damned and Echo.

The swatch pictures are unedited, as I wanted to show the shades as close to reality as I can. Thus they look a bit grey and flat.

Damned, Echo, Lolita. Damned is a dark, cool red, very dramatic. Echo is an interesting medium blue.

Echo, Lolita, Exorcism. Lolita is a really nice shade, it's a peachy nude. I also got Lolita II, but it was way too orange on me, so it went to a new home. 

Lolita, Exorcism. Exorcism is a much warmer red than Damned, and a bit lighter. Not the most natural shade, but much easier to wear than Damned and very different too!

Exorcism, Vampira, Underage Red. Vampira is quite close to Exorcism, but a sheerer formula as a Studded Kiss lipstick, and a teensy bit lighter. Underage Red is not a shade I would have bought, but I think I can make it work! Both Vampira and Underage Red look much lighter when swatched on skin than on lips, as lips are a lot more pigmented. On skin Underage Red looks almost neon, it's so bright! The shade is an orange based red, very very red and bright, but a shade that works well with many skin tones.

I've been wearing Everlasting Liquid lipsticks every day after going shopping :> The formula is really nice, light on the lips, very good staying power, not too drying for a liquid matte lipsticks, and the shades are very easy to wear. I'd almost go so far as to say the Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks are my favourite formula of the liquid to mattes, but it's still a tie between them and the Blackmoon Cosmetics lipsticks!

Matte Lip Product Swatches

I'm a big fan of long lasting matte lipsticks, because I'm way too lazy to touch up my lips during a night out. I took the time to swatch my favourite ones. I mainly wear dark shades and am interested in indie cosmetics, so there are many more shades and companies in the matte lippie world, but these are just my personal faves so far.

Top Shop Velvet Lips in Plush, Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 07, Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Copenhagen, Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Transylvania, MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Kooky, Fyrinnae Liquid Matte Lipstick in Graffiti, Fyrinnae Liquid Matte Lipstick in Desire, Fyrinnae Liquid Matte Lipstick in Naughty & Nice.

There are differences in the formulas. The Sephora lip stain in very pigmented and not as drying as the other mattes. It also has a slight shimmer to it, not making it completely matte. The Nyx products are also of a satin type of texture. They don't dry down as the rest of the products shown here and can smudge a little bit if you are not careful.

Kooky and Plush are the thickest formulas and feel quite drying on lips, but last well. Fyrinnae mattes are the nicest to wear and apply. They dry to a fully matte finish and stay put just as well as the thicker ones, but they are much thinner in consistency and the tube needs to be shaken vigorously before applying the product. While they look splotchy on my arm, they actually go on the lips very nicely.

Most of the matte products don't allow you to apply another coat. Once you have applied one coat, the second one will melt the first one and make things look splotchy. If you need to touch up a spot, do it by padding the product on, don't brush.

Transylvania is notoriously hard to apply evenly, but I usually wear a dark lip liner underneath it. Normally you should not apply anything underneath the matte long lasting products, as even a coat of lip balm makes them not adhere well. Always apply on clean, dry lips, the only exception is Transylvania, and it loses much of the long lasting feature when applied on lip pencil.

For removal you need a make-up removal product that works for water-proof make-up. I use one by Lumene. Usually the oily ones that separate into two parts in the bottle are the best. If you don't have a good remover, try any oil, like coconut oil. It's more messy than using make-up remover, but does the job. Mattes are water resistant, but oil soluble!

New Sugarpill Eyeshadows!

Sugarpill recently came out with some new shades and I stayed up late to place an order as soon as they were released. The package arrived yesterday and I just love each and every shade! Here are swatches and pictures of the shadows in jars.

Pastelle, Strangeling, Penelope, Countess and Charmy

I'll go over each shade briefly. Most are permanent additions to the catalogue, but one is a limited edition shade. The swatches are done over Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Pastelle in the jar.

Pastelle

The only limited edition shade of the bunch, Pastelle, is a pale pastel pink with a load of gold sparkles. It's light and easy to use for many looks. The sparkle fades a bit when blended. Sticky base works best for Pastelle, because the microglitter has the tendency to get everywhere.

Charmy in the jar.

Charmy

A medium peach shade with golden shimmer. Charmy is quite red based, not pastel and while it is bright, it's not neon-bright. Works well for defining the crease with Pastelle on the lid. 

Strengeling in the jar.

Strangeling

Strangeling is replacing Hysteric, which is discontinued (see my Hysteric swatch here!) Compared to Hysteric, Strangeling is warmer and has more red microglitter in it. A very usable medium purple that will surely see lots of use in my collection!

Countess in the jar.

Countess

Countess is a metallic wine red. In the jar it has lots of blue glitter, but that hardly shows up on skin. Some reds make you look ill, but on my skin Countess work really well. Works with Charmy especially well.

Penelope in the jar.

Penelope

Penelope sure is an odd one! In the jar it's in a semi loose form. When used over regular primer, it acts like a glitter and goes on very sheer. On a sticky base it's a gorgeous, very shiny copper. Most Sugarpill shadows list mica as their first ingredient, but these metallic shades (Grand Tiara, Goldilux and Penelope) have it lower in the inci list which explains the sheerness. Penelope is a gorgeous true copper, perfect for steampunk make-up looks! It cannot be used on regular primer as a crease shade, unless you apply a dark shadow first and Penelope on top. It's best used on its own over a sticky base, or in the same way you would use glitter to enhance a loot.