I’ll be honest, I had never heard of Alexis Ren until I heard news of this collaboration with Colourpop. I’m not sure what rock I must have been hiding under as this Instagram model has no less than 8 million Instagram followers! Anyway, Instagram followers aside, when I saw sight of this collection it just screamed Summer at me and during the depths of Winter in New York, this was extremely appealing, after all who doesn’t want to look like a golden goddess all year round!
It is a relatively modest collection comprising of two liquid lipsticks (which I didn’t buy), three blotted lip lipsticks (which I will come onto shortly), and the product that appealed to me the most, the Topaz Pressed Powder Face Duo, a bronzer and highlighter duo. The bronzer, named Golden Moment, is a warm, matte bronzer that is a great shade for my light to medium complexion, it is not muddy at all and is easy to blend. I think if you had particularly pale skin then this may be a little warm for you, but it personally works well for me. I would not recommended it for contour though as I think things would start to look a little orange!!
The highlighter, named She’s Here To Stay, is a shimmery golden highlight which compliments the bronzer well. The shimmer however, is a little chunky for my personal tastes, which tends to emphasise fine lines and looks a bit too obvious for everyday. That said, I think it may look better during the summer months when I have more of a tan and it blends in with my skin tone a little easier. I do like to wear bronzer and highlight duos though as eyeshadows too, using the bronzer through the crease and the highlighter on the lid and this looks very pretty with this palette. There is a little fallout with the highlight shade but nothing too dramatic and both blend very nicely.
I avoided the liquid lipsticks in the collection (as I am not the biggest fan), but was really intrigued in the Blotted Lip Lipsticks. When I first saw these and read the description, they reminded me of the Glossier Generation G Lipsticks, which I have recently discovered, so I was interested to see how these compared. They are a sheer matt lipstick, that when applied gives the finish of a ‘blotted lip’, so more of a tint than an opaque lipstick. I personally find these sorts of lipsticks very appealing in bold shades as they are much more subtle and definitely do not require a lot of effort!
I picked up all three shades, because at only $5 each who could refuse? I was instantly attracted to the shade Exotic, a coral-red that I know suits my skin tone well. The other shades are Lexi, a more cool-toned red and also De Ja Vu, a deep pinky nude. All three shades are very wearable, and even though they have that blotted lip look, I do not find them to be drying at all. Granted they are not moisturizing, but I find them to be very comfortable and also very long-wearing, even lasting through eating and drinking. If you are afraid of wearing bold colors on your lips, definitely give these a go and if you prefer more a juicy lip, just add a touch of lip balm and you are good to go.
Pictured above is me wearing the Alexis Ren X Colourpop Topaz Pressed Powder Face Duo on my face and eyes. On my lips is the Blotted Lips in Exotic.
This collection is selling out fast and has recently been restocked due to its popularity, so be quick if you want anything as it won’t be around for long. Shop the whole collection here.