ColourPop Stratus Update & Dreamaholic Ultra Glossy Lips Reviews & Swatches

Christine — Sun, 18 Nov 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Stratus Update

ColourPop Stratus Update Ultra Glossy Lip ($6.00 for 0.11 oz.) is a light-medium, minty green with subtle, warmer undertones and cooler, green pearl. It had sheer coverage, which was as expected based on the finish, but it could have applied a bit more evenly as it seemed to show slight streaking along the edges, though it didn’t pull into my lip lines. The gloss had a smooth, spreadable consistency that was non-sticky and comfortable to wear for the two and a half hours it stayed on for. I found the formula to be lightly moisturizing while worn.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

Top Dupes

View Swatches View All Dupes

MAC Just Hustlin' (P, $21.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
Fenty Beauty Single (LE, ) is lighter (90% similar).
ColourPop Nonsense (LE, $10.00) is more shimmery, less glossy (90% similar).
Too Faced Mermaid Tears (LE, $19.00) is less shimmery, more pigmented (85% similar).
Too Faced Unicorn Tears (LE, $19.00) is less shimmery, lighter, more pigmented (85% similar).
MAC Yellow Jacket (P, $21.00) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (80% similar).

View Swatches

Formula Overview

$10.00/0.11 oz. - $90.91 Per Ounce

The formula is supposed to have "hi-shine" with a "non-sticky" texture that "feels amazing" and includes five finishes "from 3-D pearl to sheer tinted colour." They are designed to be a sheerer formula, so many shades are sheer with a smattering of shimmer or sparkle and then a few are more tinted with sheer to semi-sheer coverage but no shimmer. Each gloss has a short, brush-type applicator, which worked better than I expected and didn't leave streaky results behind (in general). They had a sweet, vanilla scent but no discernible taste.

The "Tinted" finish ("glass-like shine with tint of sheer colour and no shimmer") was the least consistent--sometimes prone to unevenness and getting into lip lines, particularly with deeper/richer shades, whereas Pearlescent ("glass-like shine with subtle shimmer") and Prismatic ("glass-like shine with floating multi dimensional pearl and glitters") are sheer to translucent with the major difference being finer shimmer in the Pearlescent finish and larger, more glitter-like particles in the Prismatic finish. Both finishes tended to look plush and more smoothing on my lips. The Creme finish is a "medium-coverage gloss with a creamy finish that does not contain any pearls or glitter." The Metallic is described as a "full-coverage gloss with a mix of pearl and metallic finishes."

The wear time varied by shade but the sheerer ones tended to wear between two and three hours as the formula was, indeed, non-sticky and smooth, which made them lighter-weight and comfortable to wear but shorter wearing. A lot of the sheerer shades ran together, so I would recommend just picking up one or two rather than several as the differences are likely to be lost! Also, keep in mind that sheerer lip colors can look different from person to person due to much of the natural lip color coming through.

Browse all of our ColourPop Ultra Glossy Lip (Discontinued) swatches.

Ingredients

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Octyldodecanol, Synthetic Beeswax, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Flavor, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Octocrylene, Silica, Tribehenin, C12-16 Alcohol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Palmitic Acid, Hydrogenated Polybutene, Betaine, Momordica Grosvenori Fruit Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), 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.

Stratus Update

LELimited Edition. $10.00.

8.5

Product

Pigmentation

8.5

Texture

Longevity

4.5

Application

86%

Total

Dreamaholic

ColourPop Dreamaholic Ultra Glossy Lip ($6.00 for 0.11 oz.) is soft lavender with subtle, cool undertones and violet to teal shifting pearl. It had sheer to semi-sheer coverage with a moderate amount of finer shimmer, which helped give it a very smooth, almost creamy, consistency that was easy to spread across my lips and comfortable to wear for the three and a half hours it lasted for. The base color seemed to give my lips more of a tinted appearance. The formula was hydrating and made my lip lines appear less prominent.