ColourPop Melonade Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick Review & Swatches
Melonade
ColourPop Melonade Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick ($6.50 for 0.11 oz.) is a rich, medium-dark red with cool undertones and a flat, amtte finish. It had nearly opaque color payoff that applied smoothly and evenly across my lips in one layer. The texture was thin, lightweight, spreadable, and dried down to a flat, matte finish that didn’t emphasize my lip lines. The formula felt a little drying after four hours of wear, though the color was still going on strong after six hours of wear. It left a moderate, pink-red stain behind as well.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- ColourPop Ribbon (LE, $6.50) is darker, cooler (95% similar).
- ColourPop Season 10 (LE, $6.50) is lighter (95% similar).
- Make Up For Ever M401 (DC, $22.00) is lighter, cooler (95% similar).
- MAC Chateau M (LE, $21.00) is cooler (95% similar).
- Urban Decay Rock Steady (P, $18.00) is cooler (95% similar).
- MAC Self Esteem (LE, $19.00) is lighter (95% similar).
- NYX Perfect Red (P, $6.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- ColourPop Besame (LE, $6.50) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop Weekender (LE, $6.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- NARS Amontillado (LE, $27.00) is lighter, more muted (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$6.50/0.11 oz. - $59.09 Per Ounce
It is a long-wearing, pigmented lipstick that starts off glossy and dries down quickly to that super flat matte finish. They have minimal transfer with some of the lighter shades having almost none for the first few hours of wear, but any time you’ve had a meal, they lose that transfer-resistant quality to a noticeable degree. They tend to wear anywhere from six to ten hours with darker shades maintaining better color coverage and wear over a longer period of time.
Some shades get a little drying about two-thirds to three-fourths through the wear, while a few shades have been fairly non-drying even many hours into wear. They fade away evenly with most color loss occurring from the center of the lips if eating a more oil-based meal but the majority of color survives a meal.
Reapplication has been hit or miss and tends to depend on how well it wore away and how easily the shade applies normally, but reapplication tends to emphasize the lip’s natural texture significantly compared to initial application and gives lips a very wrinkled, dried-up look. I’ve layered gloss on top of some shades with moderate success, though it will obviously lose the matte finish and will transfer and I’ll get tiny flakes where the matte lip color has lifted by mixing with gloss but has been pretty minimal. The formula had no discernible taste or scent.
Browse all of our ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick swatches.
Ingredients
Isododecane, Diisopropyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Nylon-12, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Silica, Polypropylsilsesquioxane, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Red 6 (CI 15850), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850).
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
I was really hoping this was a deep pink the color of really fresh, sweet watermelon, but that red is still gorgeous. It’s really close to what I’d call a ‘glamour red’, like what I picture when I think of 40s-50s era mega-actresses; bold but not garish and neutral enough to look good on everyone. I feel like this type of red has taken the back-burner in recent years in lieu of nude, MLBB, and non-traditional lip colors but I think that’s going to change soon. Sometimes it’s hard to predict when these trend cycles will die down, though. Regardless, the color looks great on you, especially paired with that eye look; they complement each other in a way that makes your makeup look balanced but still unique. If I had to name your makeup look in this post I’d call it “Synergy” because everything comes together in a really pleasing way that pulls focus to every detail with equal interest. I was a little skeptical about that Linda Hallberg palette (I was afraid it’d be all concept and little payoff) but it looks incredible- I can’t wait to read your review!
Beautiful shade of glam red! Only oddity is the name of it? LOL!
I have been hearing that CP reformulated their UMLS, which leads me to ask you if you noticed any significant difference between this and their previous UMLS’s?
They have been different to me for awhile? Like within a year or so of the initial launch? It doesn’t feel recent to me.
Probably so! However, going off this link’s info, they reformulated these again?
See this Instagram post by @colourpopcult https://www.instagram.com/p/BxP-iUnHgP5/?utm_source=ig_web_button_native_share
Haven’t tried those! I find there’s a fair amount of variation in their formula from shade to shade – like some are thicker, some are thinner (this is thinner), but no, this didn’t strike me as vastly different than their previous (matte) liquid lipsticks.
In that case, I will probably leave them alone, as the very word “drying” (even if after 4 hours!) just scares me. I mean, if even many regular tube mattes feel dry to me…? I never even use my 3 KVD ELL’s anymore, either. ?
I do feel like the summer is d r y i n g me out already – hopefully, I can get around to trying the shade extensions but we’ll see!
This color looks beautiful! So tempting. Does it dry too much? I find Colourpop’s matte formula a little uncomfortable, but I used one years ago, maybe they improved.
I found this particular shade to be a little drying! They have said they have reformulated, though this particular shade didn’t feel substantially different than the ones I’ve tried over the last year or so (but different than the original launch of the formula).
Love the shade, but not the matte drying finish.
I still don’t own a CP Ultra Matte; now that they’ve apparently refomulated them (some of them?) I might eventually give it a shot, but historically, they always looked dry and drying in any picture of them being worn.