Quite the lovely lip product for 5 USD, I must say. Did I give away too much by saying that?
THE BACKSTORY: Goodness me, I’m falling more and more in love with Colourpop as I go through their product arsenal. The quality is top-notch and the prices are just so student-friendly. I want to try so many more products from them… I’ll have to work harder!
THE PRODUCT: This particular Lippie Stix falls under their Matte formula but it’s more of a… satin. Really.
It claims to have a matte finish but it, in fact, has a more forgiving semi-matte formula. I reckon the shine stems from ingredients like Shea Butter, Avocado Oil and Vitamin E that the product is formulated with.
That offers you a little more wiggle room than a typical matte lipstick would, which is precisely why I enjoy it. It’s comfortable on the lips. But I’ll say this: my lips do feel dry when I put this on unprepared, dry lips. It’s always better to prep with some lip-balm before applying long-wear lipsticks like these. I do think it lasts well on the lips, even though it can crumble and flake if your lips are, like I mentioned before, unprepared.
It, of course, is supremely pigmented and opaque with just one swipe.
‘Contempo’ is a stunning cool-toned mauve-pink with some grey in it. I do think it leans more mauve than rose (unlike the official website’s description).
It comes packaged like your average Colourpop lip product, in its slim white tube. There’s a colour-coded label on the bottom to help you distinguish colours if you were to buy more than one shade. I also detect a slight scent when I apply it but it dissipates moments after.
INGREDIENTS: Lauryl Laurate, Polyethylene, Synthetic Wax, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Stearyl Dimethicone, C11-12 Isoparaffin, Stearoxy Dimethicone,Glyceryl Hydrogenated Rosinate, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Zeolite, HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Hydrated Silica, Flavor, Ethyl Vanillin, Allantoin, Mangifera indica (mango) Seed Butter, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea Butter), Glycerin, Tocopherol, Persea gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Glycine soja (Soybean) Oil, C12-16 Alcohol, Silica, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Palmitic Acid, Betaine, Momordica grosvenori Fruit Extract, Blue 1 lake (CI 42090), Iron Oxides (CI 77492, CI 77499), Red 28 Lake (CI 45410), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891).
SWATCHES AND SHADES AVAILABLE: There is a myriad of shades available for you to choose from. You can go wild.
The Lip Swatch makes the product look like it has matte finish while the Arm Swatch reflects its true semi-matte formula.
‘Contempo’ is a stunning cool-toned mauve-pink with some grey in it. It’s a little darker than what you’d expect and I think the different tones in this lip-colour will register differently on different skin-tones.
PRICE AND QUANTITY: 5 USD for 1 gram of product.
AVAILABILITY: Online only, on colourpop.com
♥ OVERALL: The colour’s ridiculously pretty and I love it solely for that. Also, for 5 dollars, I think it’s a pretty good formula. Am I being too simple? Simple is good, you know.
Colourpop Lippie Stix in 'Contempo' (Matte).
Pros
- It's very pigmented and opaque.
- 'Contempo' is a lovely shade! If you're uninterested in shades like these, you have plenty of others to choose from.
- The price is rather student-friendly.
- It is vegan and cruelty-free.
- It has good lasting power.
Cons
- It can be drying if your lips are unprepared. Prep with some good lip-balm! Always!
- Availability is an issue.
