Saturday, July 15, 2017

What I'm Not Buying: Colourpop X Karrueche She Palette


Colourpop is having a palette moment, and their latest release is a collaboration with Karrueche Tran.

And I won't be buying. 

As I've said, Colourpop is having a palette moment, and I have to say that I find it a little exciting. Several months ago, I wrote a post on why I no longer purchased from Colourpop. But that was before the launch of their pressed shadows. And I have to say, I have been pretty happy with all of the pressed shadows I've purchased from Colourpop, including their recent and very popular Yes, Please! palette. 

So when I heard they were releasing another palette, I admit that I was interested to see what it would look like. And I have to say, I'm just not all that inspired. This looks like a pink-toned palette with champagne, taupe, and berry shades. And yet, this palette is already sold out. 

Let's talk about that for a second. I recently purchased the Yes, Please! palette. I knew when it was going to be restocked, that time happened to work with my schedule that day, I got on the website when it became available, and purchased it. It was no biggie for me. But then I saw that the palette sold out in less than fifteen minutes. That's bonkers to me. And it feels very, very intentional on Colourpop's part. I went onto the Colourpop Instagram later that day and saw literally thousands of comments of people pleading with Colourpop to make the palette permanent, to restock again, or to have enough stock so that people didn't have to buy it within seconds of its release and plan their entire day (including their work schedule) around buying makeup. 

I absolutely believe that Colourpop, like so many other brands, orchestrated the hype around the release of the Yes, Please! palette. I believe they launched with intentionally low stock and then restocked with intentionally low stock. When something sells out in minutes, it gets people's attention. Even people who didn't have this palette on their radar will all of a sudden become interested when they know that the palette is so popular that it sold out that quickly. And then people who didn't even want the palette will not only want it, but they will have to have it. They will obsess over it and try to track it down until they have it. And that is exactly what Colourpop wants. 

Before going in to buying that palette, I told myself that if the site crashed, I was out. It's simply not worth it for me to put up with that kind of mania for a makeup item. I also told myself that if I was unable to get the palette, that it would be totally okay. But, as I said, it was a relatively breezy experience for me, so I was pretty disappointed to see that the experience was not the same for so many people. 

And I think the mania surrounding Yes, Please! also helped Colourpop in the launch of the She palette. What's so funny to me about this is that so many people stalked the website for this launch and pounced on the release, and I don't think the colors are all that special. Additionally, apparently Colourpop released the palette an hour or more before other items in the collection were made available, so many people ended up placing multiple orders because they were afraid that if they didn't jump on the palette within seconds of it being released, they would miss out on it entirely. Shipping is free on orders over $30, but since the palette is $16, many people ended up paying the shipping fee on their multiple orders. Again, I don't think any of this is coincidental. 

And, look. I get it. I love that Coloupop offers good quality pressed shadows that are on trend for affordable prices. I think every other makeup brand should follow their lead. However, manufacturing hype to get more money out of people just feels so gross to me. And especially for the colors in this palette, I don't think it's worth it. 

Let's look at the palette again:


And swatches:



I admit that this color scheme is very pretty, and I am drawn to it. But it is absolutely nothing new. It has been around since the Naked 3:


And Lorac Unzipped:


In recent years, it looks like several palettes from Tarte, including Make Magic Happen:


Tartelette Tease Clay:


Dream Big:


Don't Quit Your Day Dream:


Tartelette in Bloom:



And Tarteist Pro:


It also looks a bit like Zoeva En Taupe:


There are many more palettes that have the same colors as in the She palette (like the new Sephora Pro Cool palette), but these were the ones I could think of that had the most similar color schemes. 

I mention my custom palettes a lot in these posts, but that's important because it's a good reminder for me to really look at how many similar colors I have in my collection. And in this palette:


I have all of the colors in the She palette and then some. 

Something I would like to point out as I wrap up this post is that the She palette costs $16, and I have been really happy with all of the Colourpop pressed shadows that I have purchased. So, if you are someone who does not have many eyeshadows and are really excited about the color scheme of the She palette, it is certainly the least expensive of any of the palettes I've mentioned above. And for good quality, I don't think you can really beat that price. But this anti-haul is for all those other makeup lovers who have all of these colors already in their collection, or who maybe even have one or more of the above palettes, who are being lured in by the hype and marketing tactics. If you already have all these colors, you don't need to add another palette, no matter how cheap it is. And if you are trying to justify buying this palette when you know you already have all the colors by saying you want to just try the Colourpop pressed shadows, why don't you pick out a few singles instead? They already have a ton of colors, so why don't you pick out a few that look gorgeous to you that you don't already have and then try out the formula? You don't need to add an entire palette to your collection with shades you already own because you are curious about a formula and are looking to justify the purchase and buying into the hype. 

Just let the hype pass. Soon Coloupop will come out with another palette that people will be going crazy for, and the hype around this one will be gone. And there are so many brands coming out with new palettes all the time that the intense hype seems to only last a few weeks before it passes. 

For me, I know I already have all these colors, so this palette is an easy pass for me. I wish that Colourpop would really calm down on the hype and hysteria tactics and just let their products speak for themselves. With that, they should significantly up their stock so that customers can have an enjoyable purchasing experience instead of a stressful one where if you don't hit the site within five minutes you won't get an item you want to buy. It shouldn't be so hard for a company to take your money. Just remember that. 

2 comments:

  1. I've read your whole blog or most of it, and I've been wondering whether you bought palettes when you specifically didn't mention not buying them. Specifically, I was wondering if you would buy the Yes, Please palette. It looked like such a good one. Thanks for telling us. I also have been really interested in why it's so scarce. I hope everybody who wants one can ultimately get one. I wonder whether you get Sephora's Editorial palette - because you didn't say you didn't - or if that's just yet to come.

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    1. Ha, what's so funny about this is that I am currently writing a post (right now) of my looks from this past week, featuring both of those palettes. Yes, I bought the Sephora Editorial palette as well, and I'm explaining why I bought both in the post I'm writing! Thanks for reading.

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