I think it’s safe to say that everyone has either heard of or own some Colourpop cosmetics. But for those who are unfamiliar, Colourpop is a cosmetics brand from the US that sells affordable and unique makeup. Their Ultra Matte Lip blew up in the last year or so. Now, they have a huge offering from face to eyes and lips. They are known for their signature, spongey powder formulas that almost feel cream to powder and are particularly famous for their liquid lipsticks that come in a variety of finishes at USD$6 a pop.

The hype on Colourpop is deafening, especially with Youtubers and other beauty influencers singing it praises. Until last month, international shipping was not offered to the official Colourpop site, which was why it was difficult to get your hands on them here in Singapore. You could get them from resellers on Carousell or other sites, but they tend to hike up the prices. Plus I always get suspicious when it comes to resellers. So, once they offered international shipping, I was over the moon excited.

Then, I thought I would share my overall experience with Colourpop as an international customer. So, if you guys ever wanna purchase anything from their site, you would know what to expect.
 

 
 

Wait Time

As you would expect, wait time is about 3 weeks. Orders from UK and US tend to take around that time, unless expedited. I ordered on the 25th of September and received the package mid this week, second week of October. What’s interesting was that my order was not packed and despatched until a whole week after my order was confirmed. The confirmation email say that you will receive a tracking number once shipment has been despatched. I didn’t receive that tracking number until a full week after my order was confirmed.

So don’t worry if you are faced with radio silence after they took your money and your order was confirmed. Apparently Colourpop takes, on average, 3-4 days to actually assemble your package, excluding weekends and holidays. And on promotional periods, it can take longer. I was having anxiety that my order got lost somewhere, but I simply had to wait. Hence, it is something to take note of, as I would imagine that they have a high volume of orders, considering how popular they are.

What I did appreciate was the tracking number that let’s you see the check points your package went through before arriving to its destination. It gave me a sense control over the whole thing and I could roughly gauge when the package is likely to arrive.

 

Presentation & Packaging

The box that it arrives in is unique to Colourpop. Outwardly it looks like a regular package, but inside it has the Colourpop logo with fun designs. The products themselves are padded with only flimsy foam sheets, hence they aren’t tightly packed and do rattle around. Some of the Lippie Stix boxes were open and none of the individual boxes are sealed in any way. I was initially worried that someone went through my package but turns out there was no issue. That’s just how they roll.

The actual product packaging was the standard Colourpop packaging. One of my Super Shock Shadows was cracked (but salvageable) and my Ultra Satin Lip in “Mess Around” came without a stopper, hence the wand was completely glopped with excess product. I then asked my other friends who also ordered around the same time as me, Sofi from Singapore and Liz from France. They had some issues with their product packaging as well. One Liz’s lipgloss came without a stopper like mine and Sofi’s blush came completely shattered. It’s interesting to note as well that out of the 3 Ultra Satin Lips I owned, 2 of them came without a stopper.

 

 
 

Final Thoughts

The products themselves are great quality for the price. The Ultra Satin Lips’ formula is one of my favourite lip formulas of all time. They are pigmented, opaque and go on the lips like butter. They are also so comfortable on the lips. Personally, I can’t wear the Ultra Matte Lips, but my sister enjoys them. The Super Shock Shadows are ultra creamy and pigmented. Best applied with fingers. However, I own quite a few of them and they have the tendency to dry out after a while, especially the matte and satin formulas. So make sure you screw the lid on tight to prevent it from drying out quicker.

Unfortunately, I am unimpressed with how poor their quality control is. I get that they have large volumes of orders. But it doesn’t make it okay to send customers lip products without stoppers that help remove excess product. And this wasn’t just my experience. I knew lots of friends who received products this way, which is one too many. I understand if only one of items arrived that way, but to find so many people experiencing the same issue is quite concerning.

While I do like the mail packaging overall, I think that they should’ve wrapped their fragile cream-powder formulas in bubble wrap to protect them from being shattered in transit. I have shopped at many online retailers and they will usually wrap each individual product to prevent breakage or use packing peanuts to prevent the products from rattling around in the box. Considering how soft the Colourpop formulas are, I thought that this would be a standard packing process for them. I get that how roughly the packages are handled by the post is not their fault, but Colourpop could’ve packed the products in a manner that can minimise possible damages.

 

  

 
 

Eyes : Game Face // Elf Mad About Matte Palette 

Lips : Matte X Lippie Stix in Hollywood Blvd

 
 
Overall, I think their prices are great! And their products perform well. I LOVE their colour range and I am OBSESSED with their Ultra Satin Lips. So soooo good.

However, upon reviewing my personal experiences and my other international friends’, I don’t think that it’s worth the risk as an international shopper. On top of the price of shipping, you can get charged for customs (like Liz did) and for the products to come shattered, cracked and without a freakin’ stopper, I think that I’ll wait until I have a friend in the States who can help me order some.