Review: ColourPop Brow Color & Brow Pencil (in Jet Set Black)

[ColourPop Brow Products]

About month ago on March-10, ColourPop Cosmetics released their first ever brow products. Obviously, before they were released I had scouted them out and gathered ever ounce of information on it via Instagram! (What can't you find on Instagram when it comes to beauty deals and beauty products?) - I was super excited to see the color range! One issue I have with any cosmetics company when it comes to brow products is the fact that they almost never release just a simple, plain black! I have pure black hair and thus my body hair is black, so it only makes sense that I would like my eyebrows to be filled in with a black color, right? - They released 2 different types of brow products: A brow pencil and a brow creme gel, which are pictured above.

[ColourPop creme gel for brows in Jet Set Black]

The creme gel formula is priced at $6 and is very pigmented. It glides on smooth and gives the brows a sleek appearance. Since this is a creme gel, it goes on a bit wet. It's definitely not runny by any means and it does stay in place, however the color can still smear or move before it sets. This is actually a good thing, because should you make a mistake it can easily be erased and if you're using more than 1 color the colors will have a chance to blend. To be honest, I have not done a minute-by-minute test, so I couldn't tell say the exact time it takes to set. All I can say is that I usually put my brows on first and then do the rest of my make-up and it set by then. I would say no more than about 5-10 minutes or so. Once it does dry down it stays all day and I have never had a problem with it running or smearing. ColourPop boasts a 10+ wear on it and I'd say I get more than 10 hours easily out of it.

[ColourPop Brow Pencil in Jet Set Black]

The pencil is $5 and comes in a skinny tube and the product is a round flat top. It is self sharpening, which I love! However, WARNING- It does not go back down once the product has been pushed up! This is a brow product, so it applies a nice and natural color to the brows. It is nicely pigmented. The pencil does set faster than the creme gel.

I ordered the products the day they came out and they arrived to me just before my recent trip to Los Angeles, California. (You can read more about my trip here.) I thought they performed well through each long day and held up nicely. Not to mention they fill my brows in perfectly! I'm a fan!

I used the gel to sharpen the outline of my eyebrows and smooth out any patches. Then I took the pencil and cleaned up the lines and filled in the brows. I think it turned out nicely and like I said before, I am a huge fan of these products!

Final Verdict

For $6 and $5 they're well worth! If you're a person who uses brow products daily, this will help your wallet a lot! It also helps if you're one to blend multiple colors together, because just two pencils is $10 and only $12 for the creme gel. I think they perform wonderfully and last through an entire day! They're well worth it and I didn't have to break the bank to get them! My only issue is that the pencil cannot go back down, but it is self-sharpening and that has been a tremendous help!

Let me know if you've tried these brow products by ColourPop and what your thoughts and opinions are!

Update: Not Moving

So, a quick update from my last post: I'm not moving now. -That's the life of the military. My husband is in the military and we were told that they needed staffing on the east side of the country. However, at the end of this week they told us they're changing priority to Alaska and so our orders to New York were cancelled. So, we'll be in California for a while longer!

Moving! & Possible Giveaway?

My consistency has not been the best in the first third of the year, but I've been busy and to top it off I just found out I have to move across country. If you have followed my blog, you know that when I first started I was moving from the east side of the USA to the West. I moved from Tennessee to California. Now, in a matter of months, I will be moving from California to New York, which is a very big change for me! I've never even stepped foot in New York, so I'm nervous and excited! Aside from that, I still have been getting consistent feedback and views on my blog daily! I cannot believe it and it makes me feel good that there are people out there who want to share and learn with me! So, I am almost at the point of hitting 10,000 views on this blog and I think when I do I would like to do a small giveaway to commemorate! Any thoughts, suggestions, or requests would be appreciated! Also, if you have hosted a giveaway yourself and have any advice then I would love it hear it!

Keep on beautifying the world!

Love, Kaitie

Review: Lip Bar Holiday 2015 Collection

Pardon my 2 and 1/2 month blog break. It was unintentional. Between the holidays, being sick on and off, and then having inventory at my work, I was super busy! I'd like to report that I am fully recovered from the holidays. Though I was sick just this past weekend (the weather here is being crazy!), I'm on the mend! I'm feeling much better and though the weather can't make up its mind, it is getting warmer here -slowly! I also am happy to report that hard work pays off! Though my job spent a month and half preparing for inventory at my work, we did indeed improve from last year and were successful overall! So, now I'm ready to get back to blogging! I was very happy in accomplishing my goal in 2015 for blogging more than I did in 2014. I even started 3 other blogs! I want to blog even more in 2016 than I did in 2015 and I know I'm off to a rough start, but it's not too late! I'm going to catch up now!

I'm starting my 2016 blogging with a review from The Lip Bar. The lipsticks I'm reviewing are from their 2015 Holiday Collection. Unfortunately, the shades are not available anymore, but I feel this company needs more recognition! This is not my first Lip Bar purchase. I first heard of The Lip Bar on Hautelook a couple of years ago. I ordered some lipsticks in some unique colors. Most of those colors are discontinued now, but I love them. I may do a review with those later on. 

The story of The Lip Bar is amazing! The company is founded by Melissa Butler who was working in the corporate world of New York, but desired a more creative and colorful career. So, she started making lipsticks in her kitchen and now has a full line of lipsticks, lip glosses, and liquid lipsticks. The company also has a very cool truck that acts as a mobile shop! To top it off, she comes from my home state of Michigan! So, I have to try and support! - All the products are made to be vegan and natural, which is what initially drew me to the products. I am always in search of products that are natural and safer than what is normally found on the market.

[left to right: Crimson Wonderland & Frostbite in natural lighting]

Of the 2 lipsticks that were released this past holiday season, only 1 of them was actually new. "Crimson Wonderland" was actually released for the holiday season in 2014 and they brought it back in 2015. "Frostbite" was brand new for the 2016 holiday season. Both were released in November and I purchased them on a great Black Friday sale that they had! Originally, they were $25 a piece. I was able to purchase them for half off at $12 a piece. If you were lucky enough to catch their clearance price after the holidays they were $10 a piece! I just couldn't wait till the end of the holidays! To me, these just scream holiday party!

[swatches left to right: Crimson Wonderland & Frostbite in natural light]

Above are swatches on my arm of the shades in natural lighting and I think they are beautiful! They definitely are perfect for the holidays and very different from the company's normal lineup of bright and bold colors. These 2 are definitely more wearable and fit a lot of occasions.

 [wearing: Crimson Wonderland in natural light]

Crimson Wonderland is described as: "The perfect holiday red" and is suppose to have a semi-matte finish. To me, this is a cool toned red with a blue undertone. I also found this shade to be more of a satin then a matte. I do love the color though! The pigmentation is beautiful. The formula doesn't dry out the lips and actually does give some moisture too. The Lip Bar lipsticks boast about their ingredients; besides being natural and vegan, they also contain Vitamin E and Coconut Oil.

[wearing: Frostbite in natural light]

Frostbite is described as "semi-matte plum". To me, this a berry red shade in a satin finish. Like it's partner, this lipstick offers some hydration to the lips and does not dry out the lips at all. 

The packaging of these babies really sets them apart from other limited edition lipsticks released! The tubes look like the standard intricate design from The Lip Bar, but instead of having the matte black finish, they put these babies in a shiny gold finish. It was a nice touch. Not to mention the company has it's own tissue paper!

Final Verdict

The packaging and presentation is on point! I've always been impressed with how sturdy and beautifully designed The Lip Bar's packaging is for their lipsticks. The shades are beautiful, but honestly easily duped as well. What sets Crimson Wonderland and Frostbite apart are the fact that they're handmade and infused with good products for your lips. They're performance and pigmentation are great! The only issue I had with these is that they were advertised as a semi-matte and they're a satin at best. It's hard to have lipsticks be moisturizing and matte at the same time though. I'm personally fine with these not being semi-matte, because in the winter season I have problems with dry skin and lips and these help with that issue; I don't have to worry about having perfectly primed lips all the time when wearing them. Unfortunately, they're limited edition and the company is not making anymore. If you're interested I would wait until the holiday season, when I'm sure they will pop back up again and probably bring a new friend or two.

Update: I found that you can still purchase Crimson Wonderland here. It's at the full price of $25 and it looks like it's sold in the regular black packaging.