ColourPop At First Crush Cheek Quad Review & Swatches
At First Crush
ColourPop At First Crush 4-Pan Cheek Palette ($18.00 for 0.3 oz.) is a medium-depth set of shades that includes a cream-to-powder highlighter, powder bronzer, and two powder blushes. The highlighter was the best performing, but all the products were consistent with my experience with the formulas over time–the powder shades could have been more blendable and easier to work with for me.
In my experience, ColourPop’s powder blush formula has a really smooth, silky consistency that can be on the more powdery side (which helps ensure it is more buildable than not) sometimes emphasizes dryness on my skin. I did find that to be true with these to varying degrees, as they were a little thin, flat, and weren’t always as effortless to apply as I would expect.
At First Crush
PPermanent. $18.00.
A Flutter
A Flutter is a light-medium copper with strong, warm orange undertones and a luminous sheen. It had opaque pigmentation when applied with a fingertip and more medium, buildable coverage applied with a stippling brush.
The texture felt smooth, emollient, and wet to the touch, which gave it great glide over bare skin as well as on top of foundation, but it turned to a more powder-like feel as soon as it came into contact with my skin. It wore well for 10 hours before fading visibly.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Rare Beauty Flaunt (P, $25.00) is less shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Tarte Candlelight (LE, ) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- MAC Just Whitney (LE, $42.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Chanel Or Rose (LE, $120.00) is less shimmery, cooler (95% similar).
- MAC Dima's Glow (LE, $42.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Huda Beauty Malibu (LE, ) is less shimmery, warmer (95% similar).
- Haus Labs Golden Pyrite (P, $40.00) is less shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Makeup Revolution Liquid Bronze Gold (P, $9.00) is less shimmery, lighter (95% similar).
- Huda Beauty Rich #2 (PiP, ) is more shimmery, cooler (95% similar).
- ColourPop Acting Up (P, $10.00) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$10.00/0.15 oz. - $66.67 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to have "buildable" coverage and can be applied with fingertips (which will yield "higher coverage") or a brush (for sheerer coverage). It's a cream-based product that has a subtle, "wet" feel to it but never has the thickness of a true cream-based blush.
It goes on with the smoothness of a cream formulation but diffuses and blends (without lifting up one's base) more like a powder product. The product sets to a powder finish, so the product won't slide around during the day.
On me, the wear tends to be between eight and 10 hours. Most shades have medium, buildable pigmentation with some being semi-opaque to opaque on occasion. They are typically blendable, easy to use, and long-wearing.
Browse all of our ColourPop Super Shock Cheek (Highlighter) swatches.
A Flutter
PiPPermanent in Palette. $10.00.
Giddy Like
Giddy Like is a medium, caramel brown with strong, warm undertones and a matte finish. It had medium, buildable color coverage paired with a soft, moderately powdery consistency that was slightly thinner and drier.
I’d recommend applying this over more mattified skin as it blended out more easily that way; on top of bare skin, it was harder to spread out and diffuse easily so I had to use very thin layers to get a fairly blended result. This shade lasted well for eight hours before fading noticeably.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- ColourPop CA Dreaming (P, $8.00) is warmer (95% similar).
- Laura Mercier Bronze (03) (P, $40.00) is more shimmery, lighter (95% similar).
- Too Faced Sunny Honey (PiP, ) is more shimmery, lighter (95% similar).
- ColourPop Bank Roll (LE, $12.00) is darker (95% similar).
- Haus Labs Medium Level 6 (P, $38.00) is darker (95% similar).
- ColourPop All the Feels (PiP, $8.00) is warmer (95% similar).
- Victoria Beckham Beauty Sand (PiP, ) is darker, warmer (95% similar).
- Dior Soft Bronze (03) (P, $48.00) is lighter (95% similar).
- MAC Medium Golden (P, $35.00) is lighter (95% similar).
- Haus Labs Light Level 4 (P, $38.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$8.00/0.25 oz. - $32.00 Per Ounce
ColourPop's Pressed Powder Bronzer is supposed to have a "super velvety-soft" feel that yields a "natural tanned glow." There was no mention of coverage, but the brand's promotional swatches showed full coverage. The bronzers had a soft, silky texture that was slightly powdery in the pan but tended to apply with ease, blended out nicely, and sat well on the skin. The majority of the shades seemed to have a semi-matte to satin finish, which helped them glide on and appear more natural (in finish) on the skin. The wear ranged from eight to eight and a half hours on me.
Browse all of our ColourPop Pressed Powder Bronzer swatches.
Giddy Like
PiPPermanent in Palette. $8.00.
Got Butterflies
Got Butterflies is a brighter, medium-dark orange-coral with strong, warm undertones and a matte finish. The texture was moderately powdery, so I’d suggest using a less-dense brush and using a lighter hand when picking up color.
It had more medium, buildable pigmentation, so it was hard to pick up too much product, but it was easier to blend out lesser amounts as it wasn’t the most blendable formula. It wore well for eight hours before fading a bit.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Sephora Passionate (P, $14.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- Tarte Heir (LE, $29.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Milani Berry Rays #2 (PiP, ) is more shimmery, more muted, cooler (90% similar).
- Anastasia Coastline (LE, ) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Make Up For Ever B306 (P, $23.00) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (85% similar).
- ColourPop Wildcats (LE, $12.00) is lighter, cooler (85% similar).
- ColourPop Palatial (LE, $12.00) is darker, cooler (85% similar).
- Marc Jacobs Beauty Tan-tastic Glo (Blush) (LE, ) is lighter, cooler (85% similar).
- Cover FX Spiced Cinnamon (Left) (PiP, ) is darker, cooler (85% similar).
- Milani Coral Beams #4 (PiP, ) is lighter, cooler (85% similar).
Formula Overview
$12.00/0.28 oz. - $42.86 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to go on "smoothly" and have a "natural and healthy flush" that has "long wear" and "can be layered to your desired intensity." It is a lightly to moderately powdery powder blush with semi-sheer to semi-opaque, buildable color payoff. The consistency has a drier, thinner feel and though it feels silky to the touch, I found it the type of powder blush can be tricky to blend out evenly on the skin, depending on one's skin type or base preferences. The drier the skin/base, the better the formula would blend, but any natural oils or slip caused the blush to go on unevenly and was difficult to blend out. The wear was between seven and eight hours on me on average.
Browse all of our ColourPop Pressed Powder Blush swatches.
Got Butterflies
PiPPermanent in Palette. $12.00.
Hi Infatuation
Hi Infatuation is a medium-dark pink with moderate, warm undertones and a matte finish. It had medium color coverage in a single layer, which was buildable to full coverage with two to three layers. The powder blush had a smooth, silky consistency that was thin and somewhat powdery.
As a result, it was more prone to sticking and not wanting to blend out if my skin had any dewiness to it, so it was easier to blend out when applied over powdered or mattified skin. It stayed on nicely for eight hours before fading visibly.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Zoeva CR010 (P, ) is darker (95% similar).
- MAC Hey, Coral, Hey (P, $29.00) is lighter (95% similar).
- Essence Rosy Rosewood (P, $5.99) is warmer (95% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Winter 2018 (Blush) (LE, $60.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- ColourPop Hotline (P, $7.00) is darker, more muted (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Cherry Blaze (Right) (PiP, ) is lighter (90% similar).
- Pat McGrath Paradise Glow (LE, $44.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Makeup by Mario Creamy Peach (P, $24.00) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- ColourPop Lil Bashful (PiP, $12.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- LORAC Technicolor (PiP, $23.00) is lighter (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$12.00/0.28 oz. - $42.86 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to go on "smoothly" and have a "natural and healthy flush" that has "long wear" and "can be layered to your desired intensity." It is a lightly to moderately powdery powder blush with semi-sheer to semi-opaque, buildable color payoff. The consistency has a drier, thinner feel and though it feels silky to the touch, I found it the type of powder blush can be tricky to blend out evenly on the skin, depending on one's skin type or base preferences. The drier the skin/base, the better the formula would blend, but any natural oils or slip caused the blush to go on unevenly and was difficult to blend out. The wear was between seven and eight hours on me on average.
Browse all of our ColourPop Pressed Powder Blush swatches.
It’s nice. It’s in my “maybe” zone. The caramel toned bronzer may possibly be too warm for me, but maybe not?
A really good blush palette – too warm and orangey for me, but it has lovely tones to it.