Clinique has added to its Pop Artistry collection with 3 new releases: Lid Pops, Pop Lacquer and Pop Glaze. The original pop stars - Lip Pop lipsticks and Cheek Pop blushers - are not only my favourite Clinique products, but some of my favourite lip and blush products ever, so I greeted the extensions to this line with open arms and high expectations.
Here's how I got on...
LID POPS
Clinique Lid Pops are a collection of eye shadows with a similar texture to the Cheek Pop blushers. The baked formula feels silky to the touch and much finer than traditional powder shadows. Performance varies between the shades, with deeper tones having a stronger colour payoff. Willow Pop, the deep golden olive, is more pigmented than Cream Pop, a light peachy gold.
This doesn't particularly bother me as I prefer deeper colours to look bolder and am loving Willow Pop for a more dramatic look, whereas I'm happy to wear Cream Pop as a more subtle wash of colour all over the lid or paired with a deeper shade for a smokey eye. Worth mentioning though in case you expect them all to be identical; there's not a huge difference, but it's there.
Both of the above shades have a satin shimmer finish. I've also tried Vanilla Pop (not pictured), a matte yellow toned cream - again very subtle but makes a great neutral base worn alone or under other shadows. I struggle to find a shade like this that cancels out red and covers veins without looking obvious or powdery, so this one is worth a look and works well with Willow Pop.
POP GLAZE SHEER LIP COLOUR & PRIMER | POP LACQUER LIP COLOUR & PRIMER
Let's call these Pop Glaze and Pop Lacquer for short or we'll be here all day...
Pop Glaze is a more sheer version of my much loved Lip Pop lipsticks. These have a nice amount of pigment for a more natural daytime look or anyone who doesn't like full on lipstick. They have more colour than the latest Clarins Joli Rouge Brilliant releases for example; I prefer these as they are semi sheer rather than very sheer and more easily buildable. This one is Melon Drop Pop, a bright Spring coral.
Pop Lacquer lies somewhere between lipgloss and liquid lipstick. More pigmented than your average gloss but more user friendly than your average liquid lipstick, which I can sometimes find a bit messy and overwhelming. Essentially, this gives the look of lipstick with gloss applied on top, in one quick step. The petal shaped wand fits into the lip shape perfectly and leaves a patent shine with built in primer, helping the colour last once the shine has worn off.
Cocoa Pop is the ultimate nude shade for me - the perfect amount of pink and brown that's just so flattering on. I've also tried Wink Pop (not pictured), a slightly paler, more milky nude, that's also pretty but would require lip liner to work for me. Cocoa Pop is so good I'm tempted to buy a back up - and that never happens. I just need to find the exact same shade in a regular lipstick.
SWATCHES
Apologies for the goosebumps - I was completely frozen when taking these pics. From the left:
- Clinique Pop Lacquer Lip Colour & Primer in Cocoa Pop 01 - rosy brown nude
- Clinique Pop Glaze Sheer Lip Colour & Primer in Melon Drop Pop 02 - peachy coral
- Clinique Lid Pop in Cream Pop 02 - pale peachy gold
- Clinique Lid Pop in Willow Pop 05 - golden olive
NB In real life, Cocoa Pop looks slightly more pink and less brown toned than it does in this swatch; the colour of the tube pic is exactly how it looks on the lips. (Can't tell you how many times I tried to get this right - clearly need to learn how to work magic on photos - any tips welcome!)
Clinique Pop Artistry launches 18 March 2016, available now exclusively at Harrods and clinique.co.uk My hands down top pick is the suit everyone nude, Pop Lacquer in Cocoa Pop.
