When I first decided to exclusively buy cruelty-free brands, Colourpop was one of the first brands I really bought a lot of products from. It started with their Ultra Matte Lipsticks, and when they started releasing powder products, I also amassed a small collection of their single shadows and face products.
Recently, I have been buying more of their palettes since they've departed from their more neutral offerings and have started to venture into offering more colorful selections of eyeshadow. But the color lover in me still wanted something really colorful and versatile from Colourpop. Then, this palette came out.
Frankly, at this palette's initial release, I wasn't too intrigued by it. But after seeing some swatches, I decided to pick it up and give it a chance since it looked like I could put together a plethora of colorful looks with the colors I was given.
The Palette
The Chasing Rainbows palette is a mixture of matte and shimmer shades in bright and vibrant colors to inspire you to create a spectrum of ethereal looks. Since the copywriter in me adores how well Colourpop's content is written, I'll leave the brand's own description for the palette here:
" Don’t quit your daydream! We brought our wildest fantasy to life, this 15-pan palette is the perfect mix of bold, daring, and wearable. Sky’s the limit with the amount of looks you’ll create with matte, satin, and metallic finishes. Let the prism of colour inspire your next trendsetting looks. "
Encased in iridescent cardboard packaging and an equally iridescent clear plastic sleeve, this palette features 15 pans of eyeshadow, 9 of them are matte and 7 of them are metallic.
Before I talk in-depth about the eyeshadows, I will say that this product is not vegan as it contains Carmine and Magnesium Stearate, which are both animal-derived ingredients. Carmine comes from crushed beetles while Magnesium Stearate is usually a product of animal fat (though it can be plant-derived as well). It you prefer vegan products or happen to have an allergy to some sort to these ingredients, I suggest you skip this product.
The Shadows
For ease of use, this palette is divided into 3 different rows so you have a guide on a makeup look if you feel overwhelmed by all the color on this palette. I went by the swatches row by row with the colors built up on bare skin. The color names and descriptions correspond to the swatches from left to right.
First Row (Neutral):
Wiggles: Matte pastel peach Blurred Lines: Metallic opal with a gold flip So Meta: Metallic marigold Feeling It: Matte red brown with copper flecks Realness: Matte deep red brown
Second Row (Warm Tones):
Woke: Matte mid-tone salmon pink Wish List: Matte vibrant coral Manifest It: Matte fuchsia with pink flecks (This is a pressed pigment and might stain your skin) Keep Cool: Matte deep orchid Not Playing: Metallic lavender with a pink flip
Third Row (Cool Tones):
Lucid: Metallic eggplant with a blue flip Bring It: Matte teal On One: Metallic blackened turquoise Eclipse: Metallic taupe Prism: Matte blackened aubergine
Admittedly, it was a bit hard to swatch these colors out, especially the mattes as I struggled to get an opaque swatch that showed how the color shows up. In terms of putting them on your eyes, it's quite different. You don't really need to worry about the matte shades being patchy or hard to build up.
Though, you will need to decide between blending speed and pigmentation with the matte shades. You will need to set your eyeshadow base if you want the mattes to blend out a bit faster. If you want more color payoff, you should leave your primer wet and take the time to blend out the color. The metallic shades also show up better on wet primer too.
My Final Thoughts
I love the quality of the shadows on this palette. The mattes are soft and pretty easy to work with, so it's the typical Colourpop formula. The metallic shades mostly have a wetter and more foiled texture. Though they're not the best in terms of longevity, though I doubt you ever need to have your eye makeup on for more than 12 hours on a regular basis. If you plan to wear this for a night out though, some glitter glue might help. But overall in terms of formula alone, I recommend this palette.
In terms of color story however, I don't think it's really that unique or cohesive. I would have definitely liked a green shade and a straight-up blue somewhere in here. I don't think it's as dreamy or as colorful as a rainbow, and it just looks like Colourpop didn't take enough risks with this palette.
If you've been looking for the perfect rainbow palette to help you play with color but don't want a big palette (like, more than 20 shades big), this is one option for you. If you'd rather skip this one and wait for the brand to release a rainbow palette with no browns in it, you hopefully won't be waiting too long.
Given the fact that Colourpop is now releasing 9-pan palettes with just bright colors, a larger and more colorful palette with no neutral shades is definitely not a far possibility. I'm eagerly waiting for it too.
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