Hi friends!
I was over the sailor moon to get my hands on the Sailor Moon x Colourpop collection. It was announced just before it’s release late in February and I already knew from the hype it received on social media that it would be quite the launch. Hello? Nostalgia calling! I just had to pull out my Sailor Moon wand and Tuxedo Mask mini figurine to complete the shoot!
I had an alarm set the day of the launch and even then, I didn’t get everything I wanted. Within minutes, things from the collection were selling out. However, I did manage to get my hands on quite a few items including: the 2 Ultra Blotted Lipstick in shades “Usagi” and “Bunhead” (both $8 CAD each).
I also got the eyeshadow palette ($20 CAD,) as well as the body glitter in “Moonlight Legend” ($9 CAD) – which I mistakenly thought the glitter was loose glitter for eyes 😅
Packaging:
Before we get into each product, let’s talk about that packaging. GIRL, it needs a moment! They definitely captured the dreamy, celestial essence of Sailor Moon.
All the boxes are pink with little foils of iridescent gold. The palette cover featured a holographic and iconic Usagi/Serena when she sees a cute boy (because same 😍).
The pink lids of the glitter and lipsticks also matched with gold accents.
The Pretty Guardian Shadow Palette
To be honest, I hadn’t purchased anything from Colourpop for a while. Previously, I tried the “Golden State of Mind” palette and I was disappointed. I did hear since then that they revamped their formula, so I was curious to see if this was the case with this collection…
As you can see from the swatches, they looked pretty decent for a first impression.
I did have a chance to try out almost all of the shades from the palette several times over the last few weeks to give it a fair review. The shades blended really nicely and I have to say, the quality has come a long way…but overall, it honestly still left me disappointed in the end. At first I wanted to love it but ultimately it was not as good as I thought it was from it’s appearance (just like a lot of my relationships lol). The colour payoff just wasn’t there 🤷🏾♀️
Don’t get me wrong, I love the bright coloured matte shades in the bottom row because they are a little more pigmented than the other shades (I will definitely use these in the future). The shimmers are also pretty but take a little more effort to apply. The packed glitter shades are a definite improvement in formula but they can be a lil chunky if you try to build it up. The neutral mattes applied smoothly but are very tame. That being said, if you like a more subtle eye look, this palette can definitely be used to achieve that with a little pop of colour.
Or it can be used to achieve a colourful glam look, but requires you to pack it on. I really had to dig in to get the pigment to show up. It looks pretty and soft but that is after a lot of building the colour.
As you can see below, the shadows transferred and I had a lot of fallout on my lashes.
The colour story is definitely visually appealing and matches the theme of the overall collection but I wish they had incorporated the other sailor scouts. It would have been nice to have a uniform blue or an emerald green to represent Sailor Jupiter! I love Sailor Moon but let’s be real, the Sailor Scouts are so colourful and would have added to this collection. Maybe there will be an expansion of the collection or maybe this was just a quick release to make a few bucks – You be the judge of that 😉
Ultra Blotted Lips
Before I purchased these two lippies, I didn’t know anything about the blotted lip trends. I honestly wanted to get the glosses from the collection but like the blush, they were also gone early. Still, both ultra blotted lipsticks are pretty shades of pink, so I decided to give them a try. I was unaware that the blotted lip trend is meant to be for more natural looking matte lips, so it doesn’t look as intense as it does in the bottle (unless you layer it on).
While I like the idea of a very simple lip for a very natural, no makeup-makeup look, it’s not really my style.
It’s really drying and settles into my lips (especially since I wore it during winter.) It’s not something I would personally wear often.
Body glitter gel in “Moonlight Legend”
As I mentioned above I thought this glitter was a loose glitter for eye looks. Clearly, I was just too excited to get my hands on this collection. Instead it’s meant to be applied to the body and hair. The claim is that it provides intense sparkle and shine. It applies like a gel and is a bit sticky, so I would say be careful as it does transfer.
When applied it does reflect light nicely and sparkles but I wouldn’t say it’s very intense. In fact, it doesn’t apply as smoothly as I thought it would and the texture makes it look chunky instead of a uniform smear on the skin. It’s pretty in small doses but I can see it becoming a nuisance after a while (like me). If you’re going out clubbing or maybe on a beach vacation and need a little sparkle, it would totally be a nice little touch.
Overall, the collection is very pretty. If you’re a fan like me, it’s nice to have for old times sake. If you’re a makeup pro however, you could probably do better (I also give myself the same advice when it comes to dating). While it is inexpensive, the amount of effort that went into the quality of the packaging, should have gone into the pigment of the shadows. It also doesn’t feel like a lot of elements from the actual series went into the inspiration behind the collection. I genuinely wanted to believe that this collection would be super duper incredible but it was cute, nothing special.
Lately I feel like a lot of cosmetic companies are simply creating collaborations just for the hype and to take advantage of it. Maybe this experience just tainted my view. Let me know if you tried anything from this collection or if there is a collaboration that you actually enjoy!
As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to follow along with me on Instagram @byallmeens for more frequent updates on beauty and lifestyle products. I’m also on TikTok now with the same handle!
Until next time,
You know I can’t (tuxedo) mask my true thoughts!
– Meens
Special thanks to @williamashleyco for lending me Versace “Butterfly Garden” Dinnerware for these photos!
by all meens: 