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ColourPop Succulent & Mars Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks Reviews, Photos, Swatches

ColourPop Succulent Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick
ColourPop Succulent Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Succulent Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick ($6.00 for 0.11 fl. oz.) is a vibrant, tomato red with warm, orange undertones and a very matte finish. It had nice color coverage that applied fairly evenly, though it is slightly thinner and dries down quickly, there is enough payoff that the streaking is very subtle (but there’s some on my upper lip, as working around the curves of the upper lip takes a little more time than the lower lip for me). The color wore for ten hours before I took it off, and it was fairly intact but had some fading from the center after a meal and loses a lot of its transfer-resistant quality as soon as you eat/drink (even just coffee). Tom Ford Beauty Flame (06) (P, $50.00) is lighter, brighter, glossier. Maybelline Craving Coral (P, $7.99) is lighter, glossier. Kat Von D Countess (P, $21.00) is warmer, glossier. MAC Mangrove (LE, $16.00) is glossier. MAC Scarlet Ibis (LE, $16.00) is glossier. MAC Dangerous (P, $16.00) is warmer, glossier. MAC Lady Danger (P, $16.00) is lighter, warmer, glossier. Hourglass Raven (P, $28.00) is glossier. Anastasia American Doll (P, $20.00) is better quality, more muted, warmer. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

ColourPop Mars Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick ($6.00 for 0.11 fl. oz.) is a brightened, medium-dark fuchsia-red with warm undertones and a very flat, matte finish. It had rich color coverage, and the texture wasn’t too thin or too thick, so it applied smoothly and evenly without streaking. There is very subtle flaking initially that I don’t even notice unless I’m looking for it, and a little color will rub off if you pat your lips with your fingertip, but after an hour, it seems to stop. On me, it lasted for ten hours with fading that began closer to the center of the mouth but wasn’t too apparent as it left a stain as it faded, which camouflaged some of it breaking down over time. It was lightly drying after six hours of wear and was more noticeably drying after eight hours. MAC Moxie (LE, $16.00) is cooler. ColourPop Toucan (P, $5.00) is warmer, glossier. MAC All Fired Up (P, $16.00) is glossier. MAC Pleasure Bomb (LE, $16.00) is glossier. Kat Von D Berlin (P, $19.00) is lighter, warmer. Maybelline All Fired Up (P, $7.99) is warmer, glossier. ColourPop Cougar (LE, $5.00) is glossier. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Formula Summary: ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick ($6.00 for 0.11 fl. oz.) 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. After playing with the packaging and the tubes, it appears that about 16 of the 25 shades I received were significantly overfilled and had regular overflow of liquid lipstick coming out of them for about 15 open-and-closes where I needed to use a makeup removing wipe to clean the rim of the tube prior to closing or else the lipstick would ooze out of the closing. I have not had this issue with any of my other liquid lipsticks (Anastasia, Hourglass, Kat Von D, Make Up For Ever, Stila) personally, though readers reported experiencing similar issues with Anastasia and the previous Kat Von D packaging.

Succulent

LELimited Edition. $6.50.
A-
A-
8
Product
9.5
Pigmentation
8.5
Texture
10
Longevity
4.5
Application
90%
Total

Mars

DCDiscontinued. $6.50.
B+
B+
7.5
Product
9.5
Pigmentation
8
Texture
9
Longevity
5
Application
87%
Total

See more photos & swatches!

ColourPop Succulent Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick
ColourPop Succulent Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Succulent Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick
ColourPop Succulent Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Succulent Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick
ColourPop Succulent Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Succulent Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick
ColourPop Succulent Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Succulent Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick
ColourPop Succulent Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Succulent Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick
ColourPop Succulent Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Mars Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick
ColourPop Mars Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Mars Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick
ColourPop Mars Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Mars Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick
ColourPop Mars Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Mars Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick
ColourPop Mars Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Mars Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick
ColourPop Mars Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Mars Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick
ColourPop Mars Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

Makeup Look
On face:
  • Guerlain Parure Gold Foundation
  • Urban Decay Naked Loose Setting Powder
  • Sleek Antiqued Blush
On eyes:
  • Zoeva Rose Golden Eyeshadow Palette

47 Comments

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Comments on this post are closed.
Nathalia Avatar

Hi Christine, do you think NARS’ Velvet Lip Pencil in Red Square might be a good dupe for Succulent? Maybe it’s slightly more red?

Ashleigh Avatar

Hopefully these come back in stock soon! Kept trying to put an order in last night and wasn’t going through, and they’re all out of stock this morning. I suppose that is probably a good thing, gives me more time to distance myself from impulse purchases, ha.

Celia Avatar

Yeah, the release did not go well. I was sort of anticipating something like this happening as ColourPop gets more and more attention/hype so I wasn’t too disappointed but I am sorry for everyone who tried for as long as they could. I tried a bit and figured it wasn’t happening but I know lots of folks spent hours trying to purchase. I managed to get a couple in my cart but never got further than that as the error kept popping up. Hopefully the restock happens fairly quickly. But at least it gives us more time to think on shades and curate our orders better with the avoidance of impulse purchases, as you said 🙂

Ginny Avatar

Can you use a lip pencil under these, or around the edges to sharpen the line? Or dab a lip brush against the applicator and then even out the edges? I’m a practiced lipstick wearer but it even takes me a little while to get the shape right, primarily because my lips are pale and my lip line kind of disappears in the corners.

Danielle Avatar

According to ColourPop you can use a lip pencil with them, they suggest it, and a brush. It’s listed on all of the shades in Application Tips. 🙂 They had a video on Instagram of Ellarie applying Trap with a brush and it came out nicely.

Vanessa Avatar

Thanks so much for the review! Do you have a favorite formula from all the matte liquid lipstick brands that you’ve tried? Which, in your experience, are the least drying?

Nancy T Avatar

These colors are so beautiful and just look really velvety on your lips! I’m not so sure that I will go jumping on the liquid matte look though, only because I hate it when my lips are utterly DRY with not even a hint of balminess.

Christine Avatar

I’d probably try one if you happen to get the urge and see a really GREAT shade, but realistically, probably not an ideal formula for you. They don’t feel super clingy like a Retro Matte when they’re good, but they aren’t by any means a balm-like texture, lol!

Kat Avatar

These are both GORGEOUS and totally my kind of shades! Succulent is definitely going onto my wishlist. I think I’ll wait a week or two for the craze to die down/stuff to go back in stock, then try to make an order. I also want to see more reviews and swatches before I decide!

Katherine T. Avatar

I can’t pull off these bright neon matte colors (I have fuller lips and feel like the color just overwhelms my petite face), but they do look pretty

Annie Avatar

I bought a few of the lippies and your swatches were very helpful as usual! I also bought the metamorphosis palette and cricket eyeshadow. My first Colourpop purchases… excited! =)

Monika Avatar

Yowza, these are gorgeous! I know there are some slight issues with these lipsticks, but I’ve been waiting for a cheaper alternative to all the other liquid matte lipsticks that have been rolling out for months. As much as I wanted to buy these now, I’m happy to wait for the restock and will order as soon as I can!

Jessica T Avatar

The colors are gorgeous, these just look so tight and uncomfortable on the lips. I’m typically not a fan of super matte products.

popscockles Avatar

Holy cats, their site was down all night yesterday and now they’re temporarily out of stock. I, too, will wait a couple weeks for them to get their first round of shipments out and get their stock back. Succulent is so pretty, they both look great on you, Christine! So summery~!

Nicole Avatar

Wow, I love Succulent. I wish it was just a regular lipstick. So, in your opinion,these are as drying as Kat Von D’s Or more drying? I’m reaching I know. I guess I’m wondering if someone may have created a non drying formula? Lol..I guess, Flame stays on my wishlist!

Chelsea Avatar

Christine, Have you asked Colour Pop about the over fill issue? I wonder what their take on it is. Since it’s new packaging for them, I wonder if they just bungled the first fills.

Stacy Avatar

These shades are pretty (most of the shades in the line are). But honestly, I’m struggling to understand why that flat wall-paint finish is so wildly popular. I get that it’s a trend, and that it can certainly be attention-grabbing and sort of dramatic. But it’s like… lips don’t even look like actual LIPS any more. And I honestly think the people who can pull these off successfully are going to be a *tiny* minority (Christine, you’re definitely one of them!)… for most of us mortals, these are going to look harsh, aging, flaw-enhancing, and decidedly not cute.

Christine Avatar

I think people dig the way they end up looking – perhaps it is that it isn’t an easily achieved finish without these types of products? Maybe in the way that blue lipstick is popular with some but not the others. They take some prep, and I know a lot of people will put balm on first to help!

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