I am obsessed.

I love to wear long-lasting liquid lipsticks, so when I took my recent trip to America I expected to pick up a liquid lipstick from almost every brand that offers them, knowing that many don’t ship to the UK or only do so at the extortionate shipping costs of $30+ even for one lipstick. A few weeks before I was due to fly out I saw ColourPop post pictures of their newest shades of UItra Matte liquid lipsticks on Instagram. ‘More Better’ was a pretty, wearable rich berry shade it’s not easy to find in a liquid lipstick, and at $5.99 a pop I figured it was worth ordering a few other shades to try along with More Better. With free shipping over $30, I went ahead and ordered 5 shades outright. I figured that was only $10 more to order those 5 than it cost to buy a single tube at the $20 a pop that a lot of the stateside cosmetic companies charge. As it turns out, I had just purchased a handful of my new favourites.

L to R: Creeper, LAX, Avenue, More Better, Mars, Highball, Bad Habit, Bumble, Solow.

On my first day out in Texas I tried the red shade, Creeper, and was immediately impressed. It lasted through a full day’s wear running around to Wal-mart and Target, a pasta lunch, a photoshoot, swing dancing and 1am Taco Bell looking great. I did touch up a little after the pasta I ate for lunch since no lipstick, whether liquid or otherwise, and certainly regardless of its lasting claims, will last perfectly when introduced to grease or sauce in food. The touch up was minimal, though, and it didn’t give me that rubbery, uncomfortable feel some liquid lipsticks can develop once you add a fresh layer of product over a partly destroyed existing layer.

It wasn’t until 11pm at swing dancing that my lips began to develop that uncomfortable-lipstick feeling, and even then I’ve certainly experienced worse. I took it off at 2am once I was full of fast food and ready for bed and knew then I had found a favourite.

The next day I ordered myself 4 more shades and a tube of Creeper for my friend Sarah, since this gem needed to be shared.

In various lights, L to R: Solow, Bumble, Bad Habit, Highball, Mars, More Better, Avenue, LAX, Creeper

The formula has great pigmentation, is lightweight and comfortable to wear. I touch up minimally after eating, unless I’ve just been to town on something super sticky and greasy like a fast food burger or take out Chinese, but otherwise it stays in place for hours. It applies with a doe’s foot wand, which typically I’m not a huge fan of for liquid lipsticks as precision in application is key with liquid lipsticks and doe’s foot wands can lack that. However I find this wand is really easy to wield precisely with no accidental globs or stray fibers dispensing product where you don’t want it.

The packaging is simple and chic, with the name printed in holographic silver type on the clear tube. That silver type did rub off on my much-used tube of ‘Creeper’ even by the end of my trip in America, so expect the same to happen to yours if you wear them daily and pop them in and out of your handbag. It’s a minor downside to live with given it doesn’t effect the product at all, and what a great product it is.

Colourpop are cruelty free, or more accurately, in their own words, ‘100% fur baby friendly, bunny approved, and only test our products on humans – the ones in our HQ to be exact.’ Many of their other products are vegan, but not these Ultra Matte lippies. I love that on their website Colourpop show swatches of all their products on women of colour as well as Caucasians because it makes it easier to gauge what shades might suit you, which is always the hardest part about buying cosmetics online.

Colourpop Ultra Matte liquid lipsticks cost $5.99 each and are available in over 40 shades, from nudes and neutrals to all manners of bright pinks and rich reds, straight through to the more unusual shades of multiple blues, true purples, rich green and roaring orange. Domestic shipping in the US costs $4.99 or is free on orders over $30. They ship internationally to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, and APO’s. They are working on expanding shipping to other countries, so if you don’t have a buddy in any of those territories who’d be willing to mail your order on to you then I suggest you sign up for their newsletter or follow them on Instagram to make sure you’re in the know for all their latest expansion and new product news.