L-R: ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Mars, Drive-In, Lychee, Zipper, Bumble & Limbo

When these babies restocked I ordered immediately. I wasn't taking any chances since I'm sure you heard the horror stories surrounding its initial launch. However, none of those issues were at hand this time. There was enough stock for everyone and if I'm not mistaken all shades are still in stock including the new shades that were just released. Read all about that here.

I did restrain myself so I only ordered six shades, although my initial list was double. But after getting the chance to see swatches and other people's reviews, I felt it was best to try out a couple shades for myself first to see if I liked the formula or not.

ColourPop Bumble, Limbo, Mars, Drive-In, Lychee & Zipper on Dark Skin

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Bumble

Dusty warm terracotta

This is one of the must have shades out of the collection. It applies perfectly with one coat and is a shade that will look great on everyone. Also doesn't hurt that it's a dupe for more expensive versions like the new Kat Von D Double Dare, Lime Crime Riot or LASplash Latte Confessions. So it's safe to say this is also a popular shade since all these companies just so happened to make the same one. It's also a dupe for Milani's LE Amore Matte Lip Cream Beloved. I will be reviewing those soon finally so if you haven't been able to find them yet you can cross one off your list.

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Limbo

Deep chocolate brown

I don't usually go for brown shades but I wore it out and I like it. It's deep enough to still contrast with my skin tone and not just look like my lips. I love it on lighter skin tones because I always find the contrast of deep shades on lighter skin beautiful. But it looks great on all skin tones and it's also a one coat shade like Bumble. So add this to your must have list as well. Oh and did I mention it's a dead on dupe for Lime Crime Salem?!

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Mars

Red fuchsia

This shade reads as just hot pink on my lips, which is disappointing because I wanted the more unique pinky-red look. It's still a nice shade but more common then what I was expecting. I found the formula on this shade troublesome. Above is the good swatch applied over ColourPop's Primer. Below on the left you'll notice it caught on more of the lines of my lips. My lips were getting dry at this point with watching and this shade made it noticeable. On the right is a pic from my phone that shows what my camera didn't show as much, which is how uneven it applied. I knew prior to purchasing it that some people experienced issues but I was determined to make this shade work for me. And with the primer it did but I am just a little disappointed that on my darker lips it doesn't quite show the shade I was expecting. It happens.

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Drive-In

Bright magenta

This shade is very close in color to Lychee but leans more pink. It's just a tad deeper than pictured here. I didn't experience any unevenness with this shade and it applied smoothly. One layer was good but two made the color stand out more. This is a possible dupe for Lime Crime Utopia but I don't own it to confirm and I haven't seen a comparison yet.

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Lychee

Bright warm violet

My camera has issues with some shades especially purples so this shade didn't show true to life. It's a little darker, which is why I included the pic below from my phone. If you're a fan of Kat Von D's L.U.V. liquid lipstick then you'll be happy to know this is a dupe for that shade. This shade applied evenly and was opaque with one layer. But two brought the true color out even more.

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Zipper

Here's all the shades on my face as I know some people prefer to see it this way. I forgot to take one with Bumble. Sorry but trust me get it. Also forgive my tired dark circles as I did not put any makeup on aside from some concealer around my mouth to even out my skin tone.

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip Swatches on Dark Skin

The directions do say use on dry lips. I didn't do this. I had some lip balm on because I knew these were very drying. While this worked for most of the shades it does interfere with the lipstick being able to adhere to the skin. So exfoliate and use on dry lips as advised. The shades that go on evenly with just one coat are amazing. No issues whatsoever. However, shades that needed a second layer proved slightly troublesome. I found if I applied more than one layer it would start to crack and flake. Two layers worked sometimes but that was the limit. Once on, they last a good while but fade most in the center from eating/drinking. They feel dry on the lips but not anywhere near as drying as LASplash. After wearing it a couple times it's not that noticeable. You could also even dab a little lip balm on top after it dries.

So while the price is very friendly, this isn't my favorite formula but I do think it is a great option for those looking to try liquid lipsticks without breaking the bank. Plus they have an excellent range of shades. I think with time their formula will get better. If all their shades could be like Bumble and Limbo, I'd definitely buy more. To read more about the Ultra Mattes, check out my post here.

>>UPDATE: I have purchased more Ultra Matte Lip shades in Dr. M, Be-Dazzled and More Better that I haven't reviewed on yet but the formula is improved. I don't know if they reformulated the problem shades mentioned here but I'd definitely recommend any newer releases. I have no issues whatsoever.

Happy Hunting!




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