ColourPop Haul + Ordering ColourPop to the UK!

When ColourPop had free international shipping for about a week, just about everyone went crazy! I had so much self-restraint at the start as I had spent my monthly budget already, but after being egged on by a friend to make an order, I succumbed on the final day of the offer.

Ordering and delivery

To qualify for free delivery, a minimum of $50 had to be spent and it didn’t take me long to get to that total. I spent $54, with a $5 coupon for joining the mailing list, but my order would have been a whopping $79 if I had to pay for delivery. I placed my order on the 26^th September 2016, and received a customs fee card in the post from Royal Mail on the 10^th October 2016. The package itself came very safely packaging, and all the products arrived intact.

UK Customs

If you receive a package from a country outside the EU you will probably have customs charges. You have to pay import VAT (20%) for any goods imported over the value of £15, as well as a Royal Mail handling fee of £8. This means when I went to pick up my order, which totalled £43.11, I had to pay £16.50~, bringing my total cost to around £60.

Lipsticks

I picked up a range of their lipstick formulations to test out, swatched below. So far I’m finding the matte formulas more drying than I would like, and the satin finish seems to be the most comfortable. I generally prefer the Lippie Stix to the liquid lipstick formulation as I find they’re fairly easy to apply on the go and don’t require as much attention as you would need with the latter. I like to apply all over a thin coat of a lip balm as it is more comfortable that way. The lipliner is a shade slightly lighter and pinkier than that of my own lips, and I’ve been loving wearing it under all nude lipsticks. I like all the shades I purchased, and can definitely see myself wearing them daily. However the next time I order I would like to pick up a few bolder shades.

Cami | $5, Lumiere | $5, Aquarius | $5, Frick N’ Frack | $6, Times Square | $6 

Eyeliners

I never thought of trying out their eyeliners until I visited the category to pick up a product from KathleenLight’s latest collaboration, Mr. Bing. I bought the Crème Gel Liner in that shade, as well as two other Crème Gel Colours in the traditional potted form. The Creme Gel Colours are so easy to work with, I very rarely wear eyeliner so it takes me a fairly long time to put on, but these applied perfectly the first time with an angled brush – I’m so impressed!

I’ve become obsessed with the shade Over Board as I think it is such an original colour which will suit almost any eye colour. I have brown eyes, and this certainly makes them appear a lot lighter and brighter, but I imagine this would also look amazing on green and blue eyes too. Call Me is also a lovely brown colour, which would also compliment Over Board well if worn underneath it. Mr. Bing, I’ve yet to decide if I like. I like the warmness of the shade, but it hasn’t worn well on my waterline and seems to fade fairly quickly. I’ve only worn it once so I won’t give up on it yet.

Mr. Bing | $5, Over Board | $6, Call Me | $6

Eyeshadows

ColourPop eyeshadows, I would say, are the most popular of their products with their unique formulation and affordable price tag. I wanted to pick up so many more shadows, but I was very much aware of my budget and didn’t want to go too wild. I picked up the three swatched below: one matte, one metallic, and one satin finish. If I ever make a second ColourPop order I will definitely be picking more colours up.

Paradox has incredible colour payoff, and is a perfect colour for this season, I can’t wait to play with it. Similarly, KathleenLights is also a beautiful copper shade which would also look great worn alongside Paradox. Cornelious is a matte shade which, when applied to my eyelid without colour correcting the natural darkness, doesn’t show up much. I think this shade is more well suited for the lower lash line or for paler skin tones.

Paradox | $5, KathleenLights | $5, Cornelious | $5

 

Overall

I’m very impressed with the brand so far, and it has definitely lived up to my expectations of good quality makeup for an unbeatable price. I do think the $25 shipping cost is ridiculous, and that alongside the custom charges makes the products considerably more expensive and no longer as affordable. That is definitely a factor that plays into whether or not I will make a second order. For now, I am happy with my purchase, and unless ColourPop offers free international shipping a second time, I don’t think I will be making another order any time soon. Although I have heard of using a shipping forwarding company, unless I desperately want something I’m not sure I feel comfortable using one.

 

Have you tried ColourPop before? Do you have any favourites from the brand?

Note: Since the publishing of this post, ColourPop have actually brought back their free international shipping offer for orders over $50! It ends on the 31st December 2016, so if you had your eye on anything, now is a good time to buy it!

 

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