It’s been all over the blogosphere that Kylie Kenner allegedly uses the same factory as Colourpop cosmetics to produce her pricey liquid lipstick kits, and that the Coloupop ‘dupes’ are SO close in ingredients, that you could be saving yourself almost a tenner a go, on the same product. Read on to see my comparisons and swatches…
Last year, Seed Beauty, the manufacturers of both Colourpop and Kylie Cosmetics finally admitted that Kylie Cosmetics is in fact a “sister company” to Colourpop, and that both products are produced in the Spatz Labs. See more in a video hosted by Refinery29 here. And to get really scientific, check out beauty guru Stephanie Nicole’s video here, where she explains how the ingredients are exactly the same, and suggests that Colorpop are in fact charging the additional cost on the Kylie Jenner lipsticks to pay for her branding. Aside from the controversy, if you’re interested in these formulas, I’d suggest starting with Colourpop and saving yourself some money.
Kylie Cosmetics
On my recent trip to NYC, I ordered the Kylie lip kit in Candy K, along with two liquid lipstick singles (Mary Jo K, and Posie K) to be sent to my hotel for my arrival. The lip kits cost $29 (£23.50) and the singles $17 (£14). Because I spent over 40 dollars I got free shipping too, but those in the UK ordering-in will potentially be left with some hefty import and customs taxes – which are usually around £20-£30, on top on the international shipping charge of $14.95 (£12). The first thing I noticed when I tried Candy K was the vanilla scent, which I really like. It’s like sweet cupcakes. The wand was small, and smooth, making application easy. The formula dries fast, and to avoid over applying, I found working fast and keeping to one layer was best. Absolutely zero transfer with this product, and it felt comfortable to wear, though did start to crack and flake a little towards midday – which isn’t unheard of for a liquid.
Colourpop
These Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks cost just $6 (just under £5) and though the same size, the wand was a little more Cynthia Rugrats, which meant application was a little trickier to keep neat around the lip line, however one dip gave me enough product for both top and bottom lips. Just like the Kylie formula I found that this too dries fast, and I mean fast, which gives both a very textured finish, but does mean transfer is minimal to none. For us over here in the UK shipping will cost around $9.99 (£8) and again, you’ll likely get stung by customs, however, these can be easily bought on Ebay, just be careful of fakes. I’ve bought genuine products from seller dee_lon121 for £9 including postage, which is around £4 more than their RRP, but cheaper than importing if you only want one or two.
Comparison
To compare the products, I put Kylie’s Candy K head to head with Colourpop’s Clueless, which I’d read to be very similar, however I’d say from comparisons, Colourpop Clueless is more similar to Kylie’s Posie K, which I’ve also swatched above here, along with Colourpop’s Viper:
Formula: the ingredients are the same, other than a few more fillers in Colourpop
Scent: Candy K smells delish, like butterscotch cupcakes, Clueless has no scent
Application: Both applied the same and dried fast, the wands are identical, but my Colourpop wand was fluffier
Colour: The colours are very similar but Clueless is more pinky to Candy K’s brown tones
Wear: They had pretty much the same qualities, but I did think I found Kylie’s had a slightly lighter feel, and more comfortable wear-time.
For other nude-pink comparisons I’ve also included Ofra Charmed and Anastasia Beverly Hills So Hollywood here:
