First Impressions: Colour Pop Haul

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Colour Pop is a brand that is beyond popular on YouTube right now so I had to see what all the fuss was about. Colour Pop is a cruelty-free brand that is available only online. The items are drugstore priced so I picked up a variety of products to try.

The packaging is okay. I didn’t expect anything fancy given the price point, but it does seem a little cheap. It’s pretty bulky plastic and the lid to the lip liner I got doesn’t stay on. Like, you turn it upside down, and it just drops right off. Also, some of the lipstick gets shaved off when you twist it up because the bullet isn’t lined up right in the packaging.

 My order came with some cards that describe how best to use the products. Colour Pop eyeshadows and blushes are a unique formulation—not quite powder, not quite cream so there were some suggestions on how to apply (your fingers or a stiff synthetic brush). You also have to keep the cap on tight so that the product doesn’t dry out. They also included a cute note with my order!

Here’s what I ordered, and my first impressions:

Ultra Matte Lip in Bumble

I’ll start with what’s getting the most hype now. Colour Pop’s new Ultra Matte Lip liquid lipstick sold out immediately when they were first released. The second time around I picked out the color Bumble, a nice brick red (Colour Pop’s website describes it as a “dusty warm terracotta”). I love this color and it will be great for the fall. This product is matte, highly pigmented and dries fast. It applies nicely and smoothly—especially for a matte product—but I definitely recommend exfoliating before using. It dries down very matte and doesn’t budge. When I wore lip balm over it there was some slight transfer of the product to a glass, lips, etc. It settled into the lines of my lips (with or without balm). It has good staying power, but it did wear down around the inner part of my lips when I ate. Also, when it breaks down it kind of balls up which doesn’t look too good. YouTuber KathleenLights swatches the ultra matte liquid lipsticks here.

Lippie Stix in Lumière (Matte)

This lipstick (or lippie stix, as Color Pop calls them…) was made as part of a collaboration with KathleenLights, the same YouTuber mentioned above. This color looked gorgeous to me and I felt like it would be a good every day color year round—it is a berry nude. Even though this is a matte lipstick it isn’t drying like the Ultra Matte Lip, it is creamy like the Maybelline matte lipsticks, if you’re familiar with them. I still applied lip balm over it though. The product wore off in the middle of my lips after eating so I rubbed my lips together to redistribute the product. This is going to be a great color to take from the end of summer into fall.

Lippie Stix in Safari (Sheer)

Another new product line from Colour Pop is their sheer lip colors. I love sheer lip products, they look more natural to me no matter the color. Safari is a sheer orange color; it looks like you ate a popsicle. I’ve been looking for a good sheer orange all summer and this is it! It is easy to apply and reapply which is good because it wears off pretty easily. To me, this is to be expected because it is a sheer color that is balm-like. YouTuber EmilyNoel83 has a good lipswatch video of all these colors if you would like to check that video out here.

Lippie Pencil in BFF

creamy during application but then dries down, matte finish, goes on smooth good to wear alone (neutral on the brown side—90s lip that is in), as a lipliner for most lip colors or as a base to darken a lighter color or to top with gloss. BFF comes in 3 different shades depending on your skin tone, I got the lightest one, Browny nude. The one problem is I’m not quite sure how to sharpen it. The instructions say to sharpen it, but it’s made of plastic, not wood—and it seems silly to sharpen plastic. Maybe I’m missing something here. 

Super Shock Shadow in Hustle

The consistency of the super shock (eye) shadows is not quite cream and not quite powder—it’s almost spongy. I picked this color because I have been looking for a deep brick red/cranberry eyeshadow. I was disappointed when I swatched this color and it was more along the line of plum instead of cranberry. It looks a little more cranberry-ish on the eyes which is good. This color isn’t very pigmented and it takes a lot of work to build it up. I applied it with my finger (but this is hard to do in your crease), so I ended up using the Modern Minerals Duo Fiber Mini Round Brush I received in my February Boxycharm (read my review here) which worked okay. I put the bareMinerals 5 in 1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow all over my lid, Hustle in the outer v/crease and finished the look off with Lumière—a great look for fall.

Super Shock Shadow in So Quiche

This eyeshadow is a beautiful olive green with a gold-pink shimmer duo chrome. Beautiful! I applied this with my finger all over my lid. Given the description this color had the potential to be obnoxious, but it is really quite nice. It has good staying color and there was no glitter fallout.

Super Shock Cheek in Bonus

Colour Pop blushes have the same unique consistency of the eyeshadows. This blush is a matte orangey color that would be great for spring/summer. I used the e.l.f. small stipple brush to apply this. It is very natural looking and you can build the color up. It has really good staying power too. I was looking for a good orangey/peach blush and I finally found it!

Swatches (left to right): Bonus, So Quiche, Hustle, BFF, Safari, Lumiere and Bumble

What do you think of the Colour Pop items I reviewed? Have you tried Colour Pop? Let me know your thoughts!

Disclaimer: All products are purchased by me or my lovely husband unless otherwise noted in the post. All opinions are 100% honest and my own. I do not provide positive reviews for payment. Products that work for me may not necessarily work for you. This post is not sponsored.

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Beauty Battle: Taupe Eyebrow Pencils

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The Beauty Battle Series pits similar products against each other to see who comes out the winner. Depending on the product, different factors go into determining what I think is the best product. You can read my past Beauty Battle posts here.

In this Battle two cruelty-free retractable eyebrow pencils in taupe will duke it out. A taupe eyebrow pencil is supposed to be universal for all hair colors. If you apply the product with a lighter hand you get a lighter color and if you use a heavier hand you get a darker color. Both have a spoolie on one end to help comb your brows into place and distribute product evenly. Both stay put on me all day.

The Contenders:

1. It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil in Universal Taupe

2. NYX Micro Brow Pencil in MBP01 Taupe

1. It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil in Universal Taupe

($24 for 0.005 oz. or $4.80 for 0.001 oz.)

I received a deluxe sample size of this brow pencil in my June 2015 ipsy glam bag and was so excited to try it. It does not disappoint. It is hard for me to find a brow pencil because my brows are dark and pretty full, but still need some filling in. I like that I can use a lighter hand with this to help lighten up my brows.

The product is not the typical shape of a brow pencil—it is a thicker oblong/oval shape. The shape can make it a little harder to be really precise with application. This isn’t much of an issue for me since my brows don’t need much work. Compared to the NYX pencil, the color of Brow Power is a lighter brown with a yellow undertone—it is on the grayer side, like taupe should be. The spoolie is bigger than one I would like for my brows.

It claims to have a special formulation that adheres the product to your skin so it won’t budge throughout the day and that the formulation mimics the look of natural hair. I feel like the product definitely stays in place, but it is no more natural looking than other brow pencils I’ve used. It is a good shade match though. It also claims to have a blend of brow-conditioning ingredients and vitamins. It is paraben, sulfate, phthalate, etc. free. For every pencil purchased, It Cosmetics donates one to a woman fighting cancer through their Cancer with Confidence program.

2. NYX Micro Brow Pencil in MBP01 Taupe

($10 for .003 oz. or $3.34 for 0.001 oz.)

I got this on sale at Ulta when NYX was buy one get one 50%. I’m looking for a cruelty-free drugstore brow pencil to replace my Maybelline Define-A-Brow.

The product is a thin, round retractable pencil. This shape makes it easy to get a very precise application. The product is harder to lay down than the It Cosmetics pencil though. Again, this makes for precise application but I feel like I have to push down harder than I should to dispense product into my brows. Compared to the It Cosmetics pencil, the color is a darker brown with a reddish undertone.

This claims to have a natural looking finish and to be precise, blendable and smudge resistant. I agree with the last three claims and, like the It Cosmetics pencil, it is no more natural looking on me than other brow pencils. It is a good shade match though.

And the Winner Is…

The NYX Micro Brow Pencil!

Both pencils perform similarly, but the NYX pencil has some features that I prefer—the traditional thin pencil shape (vs. the thicker oval of the It Cosmetics pencil) and the thinner spoolie that makes for more precise shaping of the brows. The two products are closer in price than I thought they would be; but then again, you can get NYX on sale making it even more inexpensive. I don’t think you can go wrong with either one and I would be happy to use either—this was a close battle!

Disclaimer: All products are purchased by me or my lovely husband unless otherwise noted in the post. All opinions are 100% honest and my own. I do not provide positive reviews for payment. Products that work for me may not necessarily work for you. This post is not sponsored.

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Review of Josie Maran Black Oil Argan Mascara in Black

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Today I’m going to review the Josie Maran Black Oil Argan Mascara in Black. I got a sample size of this mascara as part of the Winter Dreams collection last year and still hadn’t used it. It’s one of the few cruelty-free mascaras I have in my collection so I wanted to test it out. The full-size is available separately for $22. It contains argan oil which is supposed to help condition your lashes. It claims to condition, lengthen, curl, volumize and lift your lashes.

The wand is big and is shaped like discs stacked on top of each other (I hope that makes sense, you can see it in the above photo pretty well). Even though the wand is big I haven’t had any issues with the product transferring to my brow. The formula is definitely on the dry side. I don’t know if this is how the formula actually is or if it’s drier because I opened the tube a while ago to see what the wand looked like. I can’t remember if I opened it when I got it…

This mascara performs well. I don’t have to curl my lashes beforehand since the mascara curls my lashes and holds the curl all day long (12+ hours). It definitely lengthens my lashes too. With one coat this is a very natural looking mascara. At two coats it still looks natural so if you want va-va-va-voom mascara this isn’t the one for you. Because it is natural looking it doesn’t add much volume to the lashes. I haven’t noticed any clumping. My only complaint is that this mascara flakes a little bit. The flaking isn’t offensive and might be due to the dryness of the formula (again, that could be because I opened the mascara months ago and let air in). Overall, if you are looking for a natural-looking cruelty-free mascara this is a pretty good one. I don’t see myself purchasing it because of the cost, but I wouldn’t mind having another sample.

Disclaimer: All products are purchased by me or my lovely husband unless otherwise noted in the post. All opinions are 100% honest and my own. I do not provide positive reviews for payment. Products that work for me may not necessarily work for you. This post is not sponsored.

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Bye Bye Beauty: The Body Shop Aloe Soothing Moisture Lotion SPF 15 (1.69 oz.)

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I am running out of day time moisturizer/SPF so I’m looking around for a new one. The Body Shop is a Leaping Bunny approved cruelty-free brand so I figured I would try one of their moisturizers. What’s Leaping Bunny? You can read my post about changing to cruelty-free makeup here.

Most of The Body Shop moisturizers only have an SPF of 15, which is not very high. There is one moisturizer (Vitamin C line) with SPF 30 but ingredients in it could potentially irritate my sensitive skin. So because my skin is sensitive, I went with the Aloe Soothing line which is geared toward sensitive skin.

The moisturizer is light and a little goes a long way. I don’t recall it having much of a smell. It took 10-15 minutes to dry down so I would put on all my eye makeup while the moisturizer absorbed into my skin. It did not irritate my skin at all and I thought all was well. At this time I was also trying out the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup (read my post here) and my skin was very oily. I thought it was the foundation since the moisturizer had absorbed into my skin and the foundation is supposed to be dewy. I returned the Urban Decay foundation and went back to the L’Oreal True Match foundation as part of my Finish 5 By Fall Challenge. A couple hours into the day my face was so oily it looked like I had poured olive oil all over my face (thank goodness for blotting papers ;)). That’s when it dawned on me that this moisturizer was making me oily, not the Urban Decay foundation. *sigh*

Needless to say, I returned this moisturizer. Very disappointing. I usually have dry to normal skin—it’s very hard for something to make me oily. I would not recommend this moisturizer because of how oily it made me—my makeup was shifting on my face! This product was returned and now I wish I still had the Urban Decay foundation…

Have you tried any moisturizers from The Body Shop? Let me know if they worked for you!

Disclaimer: All products are purchased by me or my lovely husband unless otherwise noted in the post. All opinions are 100% honest and my own. I do not provide positive reviews for payment. Products that work for me may not necessarily work for you. This post is not sponsored.

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Review of Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup

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If you read My Foundation Stash--What Will Be Left After Going Cruelty-Free? post you know that I am left with no cruelty-free liquid foundation going forward. I have the tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation (a powder foundation) to wear, but I wanted to try out one cruelty-free liquid foundation just so I have at least two foundation options. I have heard a lot of good things about the Urban Decay Naked Skin foundation and Urban Decay is cruelty-free (they also make awesome eye shadows). 

To Sephora we go!  …

Color Selection: I got the shade 1.0. There are 18 shades available at Sephora, with a good range of shades from light to dark.

Claims: This foundation claims to be weightless, light diffusing, paraben/sulfate/fragrance free, like you’re wearing nothing and have invisible demi-matte finish. It contains peptides, brightening properties, vitamins and antioxidants. That’s a lot of stuff! I can’t say I noticed a change in my skin after using this for about a week.

Packaging: The packaging is plastic, but looks nice. The top is a typical Urban Decay metallic touch and the product is protected by two layers of clear plastic. The top stays on snugly so there isn’t a risk that product will get everywhere. There is a pump to dispense the product (always a huge bonus with foundations). You have to shake the foundation up before you wear it, and it sounds like you are shaking a can of spray paint.

Consistency/Application: This foundation is liquidy, which makes sense given that it is supposed to be weightless and sheer to medium coverage. I applied this using the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, and I prefer the brush. Since the foundation is so liquidy the sponge sucked up some of the product and the dampness of the sponge would actually remove the foundation from my face. Upon application, this foundation looks natural probably because of the thin consistency of the product. This is buildable up to medium coverage, I would say. I usually prefer full coverage but this was enough for me.

Finish: The foundation is supposed to have a demi-matte finish. For me, it was a very, very dewy finish. At some points, I looked downright oily with light reflecting off the “dewiness” even though my skin tends to be dry. If you like a dewy look then you might like this foundation, but it wasn’t for me.

Wear Time: Not so good for me. I found this foundation started to breakdown after a few hours, particularly in my t-zone and around the perimeter of my face especially if I applied bronzer to the perimeter. It also rubbed off very easily even if I used a setting powder.

I did have a co-worker comment that my “face looks flawless” which was very nice to hear. From far away this foundation does look very nice and natural. But when I looked in the mirror I did not like what I was seeing in terms of staying power and dewiness.

Needless to say, I’m returning this product and will continue my search for a cruelty-free liquid foundation. tarte has a liquid version of the powder foundation I use so I may try that out. I’m not in a rush though. I will be transitioning to cruelty-free foundation once my current products run out and I’m sure I will find a good alternative by then.

Have you tried the Urban Decay Naked Foundation? What are your thoughts? Let me know what foundations you are using or are interested in trying!

UPDATE: Upon further review, I think the extreme dewiness of this product may have been due to the moisturizer I have been trying out (post to come soon!). I'm not sure if the oiliness I was experiencing was from the foundation, the moisturizer or a combination of both. Staff at Sephora did say that this foundation is on the dewy side though. I'm contemplating giving this foundation another try down the road, just in case the issues I was having with it were due to the moisturizer. I may get a sample from Sephora. My advice: don't try multiple new face products at once....I knew better too!

Disclaimer: All products are purchased by me or my lovely husband unless otherwise noted in the post. All opinions are 100% honest and my own. I do not provide positive reviews for payment. Products that work for me may not necessarily work for you. This post is not sponsored.

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My Foundation Stash – What Will Be Left After Going Cruelty-Free?

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I wanted to take stock of my foundations to see what is cruelty-free, and you also get to see all the foundations I have in my collection. I currently have four liquid foundations and one powder foundation.

Liquid Foundations

I really like all four of these foundations, but none are cruelty-free so I will not be re-purchasing them.

1.  L’Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Makeup in Soft Ivory N1 Neutral. I included this foundation in my If I Could Only Have 5: Drugstore Edition post here. This is my favorite drugstore foundation. L

The next three were fully reviewed in Beauty Battle: Full Coverage Foundations. You can read that post here.

2. MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15.

3. Revlon ColorStay Normal/Dry Skin in 150 Buff.

4. CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation in 810 Classic Ivory.

I’m searching for a cruelty-free liquid foundation to replace these. I will most likely use these four foundations up so that I don’t waste products (most I got for free—read how in my Saving Series posts here).

Powder Foundation

I have only one powder foundation. The good news is I like it and it’s cruelty-free so at least I’m left with one foundation! The other good news is it has been my favorite foundation lately so I don’t need to change up my routine immediately. I’m talking about:

5. tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation in Fair-Light Neutral. I reviewed this foundation in my June 2015 Favorites. Thankfully, Tarte is a cruelty-free brand. I think I get the most natural look from this foundation so no complaints that it’s the foundation I’m left with. I may need to get a lighter color but there are a lot of shades in the range.

Stay tuned for a review featuring a new (cruelty-free) liquid foundation I’ve been trying out.

What foundation(s) do you use? Let me know if you have any cruelty-free suggestions!

Disclaimer: All products are purchased by me or my lovely husband unless otherwise noted in the post. All opinions are 100% honest and my own. I do not provide positive reviews for payment. Products that work for me may not necessarily work for you. This post is not sponsored.

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Cruelty-Free Cosmetic Brands

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In this post, I’ll list some of the more prominent companies that are and are not cruelty-free. I got my information from two main sources: Leaping Bunny’s cruelty-free database and PETA’scruelty-free database. For those of you who missed my post on switching to cruelty-free cosmetics, you can read it here, the post includes the differences between Leaping Bunny and PETA cruelty-free criteria.

I’ll mark if the brand is cruelty-free based on Leaping Bunny standards (LB) and/or PETA’s standards (PETA). Brands marked with an * denote brands whose parent company is not cruelty-free; I do my best to mark these brands. This list is by no means exhaustive, and if there is a brand not mentioned, I recommend searching for the brand in one of the databases. Keep in mind that just because a brand isn’t certified by Leaping Bunny or PETA that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are not cruelty-free. I suggest checking the brand’s website or emailing their customer service. Also, a quick Google search of “Is THIS BRAND cruelty-free?” usually yields results. Let’s get into it, shall we?

Brands That Test On Animals (According to PETA)

Almay

Aveeno

Benefit

Bobbi Brown

Caudalie

ChapStick

Clean & Clear

Clinique

CoverGirl

Dove

Estee Lauder

Kiehl's

L'Oreal

Lancome

L'Occitane

MAC

Maybelline

Olay

Organix

Origins

Pantene

Revlon

Secret

Shiseido

St. Ives

Stila

Tresemme

Vaseline

The good news is that there are a lot of well known brands that are cruelty-free!

  

Cruelty-Free Brands 

Acure (LB, PETA) Alba Botanica (LB, PETA) Anastasia Beverly Hills (PETA) Ardell (PETA) BareMinerals* (PETA) Bellapierre (LB) BH Cosmetics (LB) Bite Beauty* (LB, PETA) Burt's Bees* (LB, PETA) CAILYN Cosmetics (LB) Cover Fx (PETA) Dr. Bronner's (LB, PETA) Dr. Dennis Gross (PETA) e.l.f. (PETA) EcoTools (PETA) Flower (PETA) Formula X (PETA) Hourglass (PETA) IT Cosmetics (PETA) Jack Black (PETA) Jordana (LB & PETA) Josie Maran (PETA) Kat Von D (PETA) Lavanila (PETA) Marc Jacobs (PETA) Milani (LB, PETA) Murad (PETA) NYX* (PETA) OFRA Cosmetics (LB, PETA) Ole Henriksen (PETA) Pacifica (PETA) Physicans Formula (PETA) Smashbox* (PETA) Supergoop! (PETA) Tarte* (PETA) TATCHA (PETA) The Body Shop*  (LB, PETA) Tom's of Maine* (LB, PETA) Too Faced (PETA) Urban Decay* (LB, PETA) Wet'n'Wild* (PETA)

Observations

I was surprised at the number of brands that market themselves as all-natural/more of the peace, love and happiness type of brand that are not cruelty-free (I’m looking at you, Origins—you broke my heart). I’m also happily surprised at the options still left in terms of buying cruelty-free. The majority of my lip products and skin care are not cruelty-free so that is disappointing. It is going to be hard to replace a lot of my Holy Grail items (why, Origins, why??). And as with most things, you usually get what you pay for so a large number of drugstore brands are not cruelty-free, however there are some solid choices such as e.l.f. and NYX that are cruelty-free but won’t break the bank.

I’m going to be gradually working toward having only cruelty-free cosmetics and home care products (ideally, Leaping Bunny approved since their criteria are more stringent). It will be a gradual change because this can be an overwhelming process. I think I might work on switching over one or two items at a time. I’ll also try my best to make anything new I buy cruelty-free. I’ll keep you updated on my progress!

What are your thoughts on going cruelty-free? Let me know in the comments.

Sources:

http://features.peta.org/cruelty-free-company-search/index.aspx

http://www.leapingbunny.org/shopping.php

https://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/LeapingBunny

http://www.peta.org/living/beauty/companies-that-still-test-on-animals/ & two PDFs from this webpage: Companies That Don’t Test on Animals PDF Format and Companies That Do Test on Animals PDF Format

Disclaimer: All products are purchased by me or my lovely husband unless otherwise noted in the post. All opinions are 100% honest and my own. I do not provide positive reviews for payment. Products that work for me may not necessarily work for you. This post is not sponsored.

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