Meow Minx — Purring Over the ColourPop x Hello Kitty Makeup Collection

While we were all busy trimming our trees, wrapping Christmas gifts, preparing yummy holiday dishes, and ushering in 2017, Hello Kitty did some partying of her own: the beloved Sanrio character celebrated her birthday on November 1st. To commemorate the special occasion, Sanrio joined forces with Southern California-based makeup line ColourPop to launch a limited-edition collection of cosmetics worthy of some trilling, meowing, and purring.

The ColourPop x Hello Kitty collection consists of: four creme-to-powder Eyes shadows; three non-sticky Ultra Glossy Lips gloss colors, all with a high-shine finish, three Lippie Stix hues that deliver medium to full coverage and feature a creamy and cushiony on-lip feel; one Ultra Metallic Lip shade, a pigment-saturated liquid formula with high impact metallic pearls; two Ultra Satin Lip lipsticks that feature a satin finish; one Blush shade with a matte finish; one creamy Pearlized Highlighter with an iridescent duo chrome finish; the Mama’s Pie eyeshadow foursome; a Hello Pretty full-face makeup kit; and a Hello Kitty Makeup Bag.

All the colors in the collection capture Hello Kitty’s coy and coquettish nature, with a heavy emphasis on pout-ready candy apple and ruby red, bright fuchsia and magenta; and light rose and nude pink. The lipstick and lipgloss offerings are covetable in their own right (even for those who don’t harbor a Hello Kitty obsession), but long-time fans and collectors will swoon over the adorable packaging: the plush bows printed in shiny silver on lipgloss and lipstick tube caps, as well as the blue boxes with overlapping bow graphics in red, cobalt, and white.

I’ve been playing with three lip products from the collection, and they’re as irresistible as catnip! In particular, I’ve been toying with the Lippie Stix in Let’s Play and two Ultra Glossy Lips hues: Supercute! and Arigato. Below, check out photos of these products, color swatches, and more!

COLOURPOP x HELLO KITTY ULTRA GLOSSY LIP IN ARIGATO AND SUPERCUTE!

The ColourPop x Hello Kitty makeup collection contains three Ultra Glossy Lip shades, of and I had the chance to test out two: Arigato, a sheer, near-magenta, blue-toned bright pink enhanced with hot pink glitter; and Supercute!, a sheer shade which is almost reminiscent of a seashell pink but has the warmth of a peachy nude and which, for added impact, is saturated with light pink glitter. Each one retails for only $6 at ColourPop.com, so they’re an absolute steal!

Below, check out swatches of the shades:

As you can see from the photos above, these glosses are rather sheer so, if you’re a bold lip kind of gal, you might want to wear them on top of a lip pencil or lipstick — particularly Supercute!, which looks like a golden nude pink when applied to the skin. Also worth noting, Supercute! is rather heavy on the glitter vis-a-vis Arigato so, if you’re looking for just a touch of sparkle, then you might find Supercute! a bit overwhelming. Think of the difference in sparkle as what separates a MAC Lipglass from a MAC Dazzleglass product. Both Ultra Glossy Lip shades, then, are more of a wink-wink than a full-on eyelash flutter, enhancing your pout’s natural coloring while also adding a touch of sparkle.

COLOURPOP X HELLO KITTY LIPPIE STIX IN LET’S PLAY

Admittedly, I favor full-coverage lipsticks over sheer lip glosses any day of the week, so my absolute favorite product in the collection is this Lippie Stix color, which has the creamy consistency of a lipstick, is loaded with pigment and offers full opacity. The collection includes three Lippie Stix shades, and I got to try Let’s Play, a cranberry red loaded with hot pink pearls that move the deep red away from the solemn and vamp-y territory of deep burgundy and merlot shades and instead position it as a frisky, cheeky, fun-loving rouge. The lipstick has a satin finish and, while it does contain quite a bit of shimmer, the effect is demure, so that you won’t look like you’ve been kissing a Christmas ornament after applying the shade onto your lips.

Not only is the color gorgeous, but it stays on forever — I wore it during a busy Sunday and my lipstick remained vibrant from brunch at 11:00 am all the way to a holiday event at 8:00 pm. After eating, sipping mimosas, having coffee in the afternoon, and drinking countless glasses of water, I only retouched my lip color once (and, really, it wasn’t even necessary since the color had barely faded).

Check out swatches of the Let’s Play shade below:

And, since I feel like a minx whenever I wear the shade, here’s a photo of me rocking the lipstick color. If I’m smiling like a cat who just ate a canary in the pic, it’s because this shade brings out my frisky and mischievous side. No wonder they called it Let’s Play!

The Lippie Stix shade retails for just $5 at ColourPop.com