ColourPop Tea Cakes Cheek Palette Review & Swatches
Tea Cakes
ColourPop Tea Cakes 4-Pan Cheek Palette ($12.00 for 0.3 oz.) includes one cream highlighter, one shimmery powder blush, and two matte blushes: pearly orange, shimmery coral, matte pink-coral, and matte, mid-tone brown. They were fairly as-marketed with respect to pigmentation; the blushes were more buildable and hard to over-apply, though they had enough payoff to show up on skin.
I found that the texture of the blushes was very smooth and finely-milled, which didn’t seem to adhere as well to my arm (which is quite dry) but worked well on my face (ultimately, where I test cheek products!).
Tea Cakes
PPermanent. $18.00.
Most Necessary
Most Necessary is a light-medium orange with warm, brownish undertones and flecks of pink and gold pearl throughout that gave it a soft, luminous sheen that wasn’t overly shimmery. The texture was smooth, emollient, and wet to the touch, just like the twist-off jars of Super Shock highlighters have been. It had sheerer, more buildable coverage when applied with a brush and more medium, buildable coverage applied with a fingertip (as expected). It stayed on nicely for nine and a half hours before fading visibly.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Stila Painted Lady (LE, $30.00) is more shimmery, cooler (85% similar).
- Makeup Geek Daybreak (P, $20.00) is more shimmery, lighter (85% similar).
- Becca Own Your Light (LE, $38.00) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (85% similar).
- ColourPop Hope St. (P, $10.00) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (85% similar).
- Becca Spanish Rose Glow (LE, $38.00) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (80% similar).
- ColourPop Everybody's Got a Weakness (LE, $10.00) is more shimmery, lighter (80% similar).
- ColourPop Chiffon (LE, $8.00) is lighter, cooler (80% 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.
Most Necessary
PPermanent. $10.00.
Pralines
Pralines is a medium coral base–not too pink or too orange–with contrasting, lighter gold shimmer that gave it a soft, glowing finish. It had semi-opaque, buildable pigmentation with a soft, more velvety texture with noticeable powderiness, though I found it worked better in practice than swatched. The skin on my arm is drier than my face, and the powder had more of a tendency to push around, rather than adhere, on my arm. It wore well for eight hours before fading noticeably.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Marc Jacobs Beauty Lines & Last Night (502) (P, $42.00) is more shimmery, cooler (95% similar).
- Make Up For Ever B314 (P, $23.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- MAC Sippin' on Stars (LE, $31.00) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Laura Mercier Peach (P, $30.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Guerlain Gold Palette #7 (LE, ) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
- ColourPop My Sun and Stars (DC, $12.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
- Milani Coral Beams #3 (PiP, ) is less shimmery, lighter, cooler (85% similar).
- Hourglass Incandescent Electra (P, $38.00) is lighter, cooler (85% similar).
- Kaja Atmosphere (P, $19.00) is darker, cooler (85% similar).
- NARS Deep Throat (PiP, $30.00) is more shimmery, darker, 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.
Pralines
PiPPermanent in Palette. $12.00.
Snickerdoodle
Snickerdoodle is a brighter, medium-dark pink-coral with a matte finish. The texture was soft, silky, and moderately powdery, and I found it adhered better to my skin with some natural oils, rather than my arm, which is fairly dry in comparison. It had medium, buildable color payoff, which was as marketed, that blended out with ease and lasted well for eight hours before fading a bit.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Victoria Beckham Beauty Major (P, $42.00) is darker, warmer (95% similar).
- MAC Hey, Coral, Hey (P, $29.00) is warmer (95% similar).
- ColourPop Oh Gingersnap (PiP, $12.00) is less shimmery, lighter (95% similar).
- Phytosurgence Simmer (P, $17.07) is warmer (95% similar).
- MAC Sweet Sweet Fantasy (LE, $24.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- ColourPop Aloha Honey (LE, $12.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Smith and Cult Warm Pink (P, $24.00) is less shimmery, more muted, warmer (90% similar).
- LORAC Technicolor (PiP, $23.00) is warmer (90% similar).
- Haus Labs Pomelo Peach (P, $38.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Makeup by Mario Soft Coral (P, $28.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (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.
Snickerdoodle
PiPPermanent in Palette. $12.00.
Yummy Bite
Yummy Bite is a medium, reddish-brown with moderate, warm undertones and a matte finish. It had medium, buildable color coverage that adhered evenly to my cheeks and blended out well, though it didn’t adhere as well to my arm (which was drier) when swatched. The texture was somewhat powdery, though it was finely-milled, smooth, and blendable. The color showed signs of fading after eight hours of wear.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Chanel Brun Rouge (604) (P, $45.00) is darker (95% similar).
- Kosas Contrachroma (High Intensity) (Blush) (PiP, ) is darker, cooler (95% similar).
- ColourPop Bubbles (P, $7.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Chanel Lumieres de Kyoto (LE, $70.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Wet 'n' Wild Mellow Wine (P, $2.99) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Benefit Starlaa (P, $29.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- ColourPop Coastal Drive (LE, $8.00) is lighter, glossier (90% similar).
- Milani Berry Rays #2 (PiP, ) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Pat McGrath Paradise Glow (Left) (LE, $38.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Intense (P, $40.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (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.
With the exception of Snickerdoodle, these colours wouldn’t work for me but they seem a great value and really nice.
I’m totally loving the shades of blush in this quad! Very beautiful for this time of year and beyond. Tea Cakes is perfect for me!
Ok…perhaps I’ll put up with the possibility of broken packages. Were the pan sizes big enough for blush brushes?
The re-sent ones came okay!
This is really gorgeous cheek quad, where all the shades work well together and complement each other. I think it’s one of the best that CP has released.