Disclaimer: I was contacted and sent these products by ColourPop Cosmetics for the purpose of reviewing. I am not and will not be paid by any monetary means to write this review. This review is strictly based on my honest and personal opinion of these products and the company.
The Company
ColourPop Cosmetics is a relatively new company base out of Santa Monica, California USA that I, like most people, discovered through its popularity and presence on Instagram. The company's selling point is color pay off and color selection of their products. They market their products at a (ridiculously) low price of $5 USD each and take pride in the fact that
none of their products are tested on animals. All of their product are made with quality in the USA.
The Products
This will be a review of ColourPop Cosmetics Super Shock Shadows from the Fall Collection which launched toward the beginning of August (oopsies). As of right now, ColourPop Cosmetics only has a line of eyeshadows. They have dozens of colors in various finishes from Metallic, Pearl, Pressed Pigment, Satin, Tie Dye, and Ultra-Metallic. The eyeshadows are sold individually and in quads. ColourPop is launching their line of lip products which include Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencils September 18, 2014.
Shipping
My package came in a standard brown box. Inside the brown box was a ton of packaging paper. Underneath was a white box containing a smaller box which held the actual product. The smaller box that held the product was wrapped in multiple layers of bubble wrap, which I appreciated because any time of powder product in 100x more fragile in the post. Also, keep in mind that ColourPop ships out of Santa Monica, CA. I live outside San Francisco, CA and received mine the next day.
Contents
The box containing the products is a pull-out box. The containers of product are firmly set in a stiff foam. The foam lining goes only up to the screw off lid. If you like, this can be used as a sturdy palette for your ColourPop shadows. I also received a hand-written greeting card, which was placed at the very top inside the package. I honestly feel like the greeting on mine is kinda generic. ("Hey Babe--", really?) From what I have seen on Instagram, ColourPop Cosmetics typically writes out the customer's name in the greeting which sounds so much more genuine. Either way, the fact that the company includes a hand-written card in all their order is a very personable touch. Not many companies do so. On the back of the card is actually a mini description of their Super Shock Shadows and "tip & tricks".
Packaging
The physical packaging is quite bulky in comparison to standard eyeshadow packaging such as MAC eyeshadows. Because of the texture and type of product the ColourPop shadow is (more on this in a bit), it comes in a screw top container. The surface area is slightly larger than my MAC ED eyeshadow (Sorry, I don't own any permanent MAC shadows.) and contains oh-so slightly more product. ColourPop contains a Net Weight of 1.8g/ 0.06 US OZ. MAC Extra Dimension shadow contains a Net Weight of 1.3g/ 0.04 US OZ.
Super Shock Shadow Texture
On the back of the greeting card, ColourPop describes its Super Shock Shadow texture: "This long-wearing creme powder has an elastic-like texture that is totally party proof. Avoid the fall out from traditional powder shadows and say goodbye to racoon eyes!"
The texture to me is somewhat of a foamy mousse feel, but not quite. In my mind, I think it is like the Maybelline Bouncy Blush but I have never tried them. The best why I can describe it, which was also the first thing that popped in my mind when I began swatching, is the extra shimmery shadows (Dust, Buzz, Trick) in the Urban Decay Naked3 palette. In my particular palette, Buzz is very soft and has chunks of fall out as oppose to dusts of fall out. As you can see, Buzz gives in and leaves an indentation when I gently jab it with the back of my eyeshadow brush. I am not sure if Buzz does this for everyone, but it does in my palette.
Fall 2014 Collection
The colors I received are from the Fall 2014 Collection. Altogether, there are 12 shades and I was sent 6 of the 12 at random. I received: Tea Party, Lace, Bae, So Quiche, Cricket, and Mittens. The other 6 Fall shades which I did not receive are: Game Face, Bandit, Mooning, Hammered, Shameless, and Krinkle.
I had a mishap with Bae. (No pun intended.)
Tea Party
Website description: A versatile soft peachy pink with gazillion silver glitters and subtle hints of pale pink glitter. Highlight anything and everything with it! This shade is made for you if: you love pink champagne, sparkles, and tea parties (duh).
See the flecks of shimmer?
FYI: All swatches on this post are 2 swipes.
Lace
Website description: A deep rich blue violet with a pearlized finish. My lace, my lace my lovely lady lace.
Bae
Website description: Ay Bay Bay, this rich eggplant purple with an emerald, and turquoise, glittery duo chrome metallic finish is legit better than anything else.
So Quiche
Website description: A soft olive with a highly reflective gold and pink violet glittery duo chrome metallic finish…there are no words in the dictionary to describe this. Not even urbandictionary.com . Aka: this shade is hotter than hot – the F**king Queen of shadows.
Cricket
Website description: A smoky mid-tone plum with warm and cool highlights of soft glitter. There won’t be any awkward silences when you wear this…
Mittens
Website description: A deep warm brown with a red violet undertone leaving a satin finish – As warm as your coziest pair.
Very minimal shimmer.
Overall
I think these are amazing quality eyeshadows! The thing that most impress me was the pigmentation! I think these shadows are honestly worth more than $5! As you read earlier, these contain more product than the MAC ED shadows and are significantly more affordable! The only thing that I'd like everyone to keep in mind is the texture. It should be treated differently that your regular shadows. It is a foam-mousse texture which makes it so much more fragile than a pressed powder compact. (Repairs are super easy though. No rubbing alcohol required!) Since it is fragile and the packaging is bulkier, I wouldn't carry this around in your purse and be extra careful when traveling with them.You also need to be absolutely sure you close and seal the containers properly to prevent the product from drying out. However, the texture is what give this product the out-of-this-world color pay off!
Direct sunlight
Indirect sunlight (indoor)
Indirect sunlight (outdoor)-- Truest to color
