ColourPop So Charming Creme Gel Liner Duo Review & Swatches
So Charming
ColourPop So Charming Crème Gel Liner Duo ($14.00 for oz.) includes two bolder, matte liners in pinky-red and deep burgundy. Lover Boy was the star of the duo, while Charmer was so poorly performing that it ruined the duo.
Ingredients
So Charming
LELimited Edition. $14.00.
Lover Boy
Lover Boy is a bright, pinky-red with cool undertones and a matte finish. The color coverage was mostly opaque in a single layer, while the texture was smooth, moderately creamy but denser and a little thick.
It was that thickness that made it harder to apply evenly and layer up, so it was better applied in a thin, fluid motion rather than in shorter, overlapping layers for me. This shade stayed on well for eight and a half hours and stained slightly. (This shade is not intended for use around the immediate eye area.)
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- ColourPop Fruit Fantasy (P, $7.00) is warmer (95% similar).
- MAC Aim for Gorgeous (LE, $19.00) is lighter, cooler, glossier (85% similar).
- MAC Flat Out Fabulous (P, $19.00) is darker, cooler (85% similar).
- Bite Beauty #092 (P, $18.00) is lighter, cooler (85% similar).
- Make Up For Ever M201 (DC, $22.00) is lighter, cooler (80% similar).
- KVD Beauty Backstage Bambi (P, $20.00) is lighter, cooler (80% similar).
- MAC Breathing Fire (P, $19.00).
Formula Overview
$7.00/0.007 oz. - $1000.00 Per Ounce
The updated formula is supposed to have "18-hour" wear that is waterproof and be "super pigmented" for both the lash line as well as the waterline. The brand stated that the formula will set "after around 10 seconds." Many shades had semi-opaque to opaque, buildable coverage, but some shades had uneven, sheerer coverage that did not layer well, so they were more challenging to apply and to use.
The majority of shades were creamy enough to glide across the lash line without tugging or pulling, though a few shades were stiffer, more prone to breaking or dragging.
The formula seemed water-resistant based on testing with water, but the wear was more like 10 to 13 hours (depending on the shade) rather than 18 hours of solid wear. A lot of the shimmer shades lasted four to six hours on the waterline, while more matte shades tended to last five to seven hours on my waterline. These are long-wearing times for a pencil eyeliner, generally, but they are a fair bit short of the 18-hours claimed so a lot of shades rated lower than they might seem if you aren't a stickler for 18-hour wear!
Browse all of our ColourPop Crème Gel Liner swatches.
Ingredients
*not intended for use in the immediate eye area. dimethicone, trimethylsiloxysilicate, ceresin, polyethylene, stearoxy dimethicone, silica, carmine (ci 75470), mica (ci 77019), red 28 lake (ci 45410), titanium dioxide (ci 77891), yellow 5 lake (ci 19140), yellow 10 (ci 47005).
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.
Lover Boy
LELimited Edition. $7.00.
Charmer
Charmer is a deep burgundy with subtle, col undertones and a matte finish. The texture was firmer and drier, which showed in the swatch where the product skipped around and did not layer well at all. It had sheerer coverage that tugged during application. The color lasted for seven hours before fading visibly. This seemed a lot drier/rougher compared to the last version I reviewed.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Formula Overview
$7.00/0.007 oz. - $1000.00 Per Ounce
The updated formula is supposed to have "18-hour" wear that is waterproof and be "super pigmented" for both the lash line as well as the waterline. The brand stated that the formula will set "after around 10 seconds." Many shades had semi-opaque to opaque, buildable coverage, but some shades had uneven, sheerer coverage that did not layer well, so they were more challenging to apply and to use.
The majority of shades were creamy enough to glide across the lash line without tugging or pulling, though a few shades were stiffer, more prone to breaking or dragging.
The formula seemed water-resistant based on testing with water, but the wear was more like 10 to 13 hours (depending on the shade) rather than 18 hours of solid wear. A lot of the shimmer shades lasted four to six hours on the waterline, while more matte shades tended to last five to seven hours on my waterline. These are long-wearing times for a pencil eyeliner, generally, but they are a fair bit short of the 18-hours claimed so a lot of shades rated lower than they might seem if you aren't a stickler for 18-hour wear!
Browse all of our ColourPop Crème Gel Liner swatches.
Ingredients
DIMETHICONE, TRIMETHYLSILOXYSILICATE, CERESIN, POLYETHYLENE, STEAROXY DIMETHICONE, SILICA, TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE. MAY CONTAIN: ALUMINUM POWDER (CI 77000), BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE (CI 77163), BLACK 2 (CI 77266), BLUE 1 LAKE (CI 42090), BRONZE POWDER (CI 77400), CHROMIUM HYDROXIDE GREEN (CI 77289), CHROMIUM OXIDE GREENS (CI 77288), COPPER POWDER (CI 77400), FERRIC AMMONIUM FERROCYANIDE (CI 77510), FERRIC FERROCYANIDE (CI 77510), IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), MANGANESE VIOLET (CI 77742), MICA (CI 77019), RED 40 LAKE (CI 16035), TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), ULTRAMARINES (CI 77007), YELLOW 5 LAKE (CI 19140).
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.
At the risk of asking a really dumb question, these are EYE liners, not lip liners? I don’t own a single thing from Colour Pop but it seems to me there was a time where they could hardly put a foot wrong and their shadows were just first rate AND affordable but in recent years, it seems they’re coming out with new stuff almost hourly and not much of it is very good….
Well, this formula is for their eyeliners, but they do use color additives that aren’t approved for eye usage (via FDA, but they’d be fine for eyes under EU regulations) so some shades are not intended for the eye area. Charmer is an eyeliner, Lover Boy is technically not.
Thanks, Christine. The colours themselves are what had me wondering (but then I’m someone who eschews red shadows, pink shadows – anything red-toned around my eyes, as I’m sure people are tired of hearing about!)
I had a terrible experience with Charmer, so I’m glad to know I’m not alone. I love the CP creme gel liners, but that one was unblendable and didn’t last on the waterline or lashline. It didn’t go on opaquely either — no thanks!