I chose this Crème Gel Liner in the shade BrewHaHa, a super-dark brown eyeliner with a tiny precise tip in a twist-up pencil. It is so creamy that almost no pressure is needed to lay down a deeply pigmented line minus any skips or clumps. It really does apply like a gel liner and it stays in place nicely, more so on my upper lashline than the lower. The unique inky brown colour and convenient packaging make this a great everyday liner to reach for when stark black eyeliner is a bit much, and it's only $5 USD, a bargain despite our pitiful current exchange rate.
 | ||||||
| TooLips Ultra Satin Lip & BrewHaHa Crème Gel Liner |
I've struggled with parched lips all winter, so I took a pass on the majority of the matte liquid lipsticks that have been all the rage for last year or more. Since they are almost universally drying on lips, I shied away from products that were guaranteed to highlight and worsen my flaky-lipped troubles. Thankfully, ColourPop released a new liquid lipcolour that's less drying than their famous Ultra Matte Lip but just as stunning, the new Ultra Satin Lip which I got in the shade TooLips. I am smitten with the colour and formula of this lipstick, and for only $6 USD. It's absolutely my favourite lippie worn alone, mixed with a lighter shade or topped with different glosses for endless effects. What you should know is that it does look matte once applied (you can see the finish in the swatch here), and although this lipstick is not transfer-proof, it will stay on your lips with a vengeance for hours, through food and drink. It also wears off more naturally (without flaking) than traditional matte liquid lipsticks, and is correspondingly much more comfortable on the lips as well.
But the real reason I was drawn to the ColourPop website was the recent celebrity collaboration with Karrueche Tran, a dark-skinned beauty whose colour choices for this line work particularly well for persons of colour. I opted for the KaePop Super Shock Shadow Collection which includes these four beautiful shades in their trademark cool bouncy formula that is delightful to apply, layer and blend, with or without primer. I'm impressed by the colours chosen for this set, they're all I need for anything from a quick and demure daytime look to sparkling nighttime drama. Best applied with firmer synthetic brushes, silicone applicators or fingers, these are habit-forming; after my first one, it was only a matter of time before I had to buy more.
This Super Shock Shadow in shade Sunset Blvd is the only pearlized finish of the foursome, in a beautiful coppery-gold that catches the light and makes eyes sparkle. It's sublimely dazzling, and the ColourPop formula is miraculous for how tidily it places glittery shadow with precision since there is zero fallout. This looks beautiful on deeper skintones, alone as a shiny wash of shimmer all over the lid or layered to spot intensify areas like the centre of the eyelid, tear ducts and lower lashline.
Wilshire is the next shade (going from lightest to darkest), a flesh-toned shadow so versatile that it's an instant beauty staple. Completely matte, it evens out the coloration of my lid area and creates a smooth base for more impactful shades, and is a dream to blend with any look. For fairer complexions, this hue would work as a subtle contour shade, a winner no matter your skintone.
Crenshaw is this matte medium brown shade, perfect to contour, intensify and blend out almost any makeup look, day or night. It adds depth in the outer corner of the lid and is just dark enough to smoke out eyeliner on the lower lashline. For those of us with darker skin, this warm neutral is the most perfect transition shade, and something in the creamy texture heightens the smooth, diffused effect. I'm absolutely obsessed with this particular shadow.
Last in the collection is Beverly, a dark burgundy matte shadow that's deep and richly pigmented so it never shows as pink on my darker skin. It's lovely to layer and smoke out eyeliner and to add dramatic intensity on the lid for nighttime looks. I'm so pleased with the four colour choices in this collection, each one is so versatile alone, and they are a dream to use together. Super Shock Shadows sell for $5 USD each, and this set was $20 USD. Both times I've ordered, my package arrived about a week later, in perfect condition, with a sweet personalized note and some helpful product info. If you haven't used ColourPop before, I strongly suggest you give them a try, I've loved everything I've ever used from this brand.
No comments:
Post a Comment