I Tried ColourPop's New Blush & Lite Stix & I'm Low-Key Obsessed With Them For Summer

Few things symbolize the start summer to me quite like the act of switching over my beauty routine from heavy liquids and cakey powders to breezy, blendable creams. Something about a smooth, lightweight cream formula that I can tap in with my fingers or swipe on from a stick just feels easy and relaxed, and the effortless look screams summer, IMHO. That said, I was obviously psyched to do a ColourPop Blush and Lite Stix review with swatches, especially after trying out the formula IRL and feeling how silky smooth these babies truly are. Read on for swatches, thoughts, and of course, some selfies of moi.

Overall, ColourPop dropped a whopping 18 shades of blush and eight shades of concealer, and in my humblest of opinions, they couldn't have done a better job with the shade range. There are lighter, sheer shades, mega-pigmented deep shades, a good mix of cool and warm tones throughout, and multiple highlighters to suit every skin tone. When I first saw the new releases, my eyes went straight to the coral blushers and champagne shimmers, but truly, this collection has it all.

Plus, the packaging couldn't be more gorgeous. The blushes come in pink tubes and the highlighters in orange:

Each has the shade name on a special, color-coded sticker right atop the lid. Cute and convenient:

You can buy each stick individually, or in any of five trios, all of which were sent to me by the incredible team at ColourPop to try out:

This is the Call Me Big Poppy set, with "Under Pressure," "Aloha," and "Bullz Eye," on my light-medium skin with neutral to yellow undertones:

This is the Orchid You Not set, with "Pretty Thing," "Flying High," and "Cool It":

This is the Rose To The Top Set, with "Roosevelt," "Invite Only," and "Acting Up":

This is the Peony For Your Thoughts set, with "Flamenco," "Mini Me," and "Urth":

And finally, this is the Moonlight & Magnolias set, with "25/8," "Star Bright," and "Hooked":

Bold pink? Check. Bronzy nude? Check. Fire coral? Check. Demure mauve? Check. Sweet peach? You already know it's a damn check. As for highlighter shades, I love the range, from warm, wearable gold "Bullz Eye" to opalescent purple "Flying High." In addition to the shades in these trios, there are eight more Blush Stix in "More Is More," "Sidewayz," "Totes," "Splash," "Dash Zero," "Mic Drop," "Mercy M," and "Wallaby," and three more Lite Stix in "Hope St.," "UOENGO," and "Boss."

Swatching these was beyond easy — the perfect amount of pigment was dispensed in one smooth, easy swipe. Before removing a few swatches, I attempted to blend them in as I would on my own face with small taps and smears, and the result was beautiful. After doing so, I decided to apply a mix of and "25/8" and "Hooked" from the Moonlight & Magnolias set on my cheeks.

You can swipe right onto the face, apply the product to a brush, or streak your fingers and tap. I did the final option, in search of the most natural blend and finish:

To ensure my "Star Bright" highlighter was placed juuust so, though, I applied straight from the stick, and then tapped it out with my fingers:

My first impressions? Pretty damn good:

No filter, honey, just the blessing that is my bedroom window's lighting! These two blush shades are similar to what I'd typically gravitate towards when selecting a cream blush, so they get a gold star from me. Charlotte Tilbury's "Moon Beach" Beach Stick ($45, sephora.com) is my go-to stick at $45 a pop, and these can really keep up for a fraction of the price. "Star Brite," though, was way more reflective than most of my cream highlighting sticks, and the glow was above and beyond in the best way. She's on the tops of my cheekbones, my brow bone, the bridge and tip of my nose, and my cupid's bow. Still, it was all shimmer, no glitter, so while the highlight was intense, I didn't feel like it was too much for everyday wear at all. In fact, it was just enough.

And real talk, your girl has texture, but this uncomfortably up-close shot shows how well this formula glided overtop for a smooth finish:

Overall, I'm super impressed by the formula, and considering one trio costs $22, I'd say you get your money's worth and then some:

Oh, what's that on my eyes, you ask? It's none other than ColourPop's recent Birthday Collection, and I already had it on before the Stix showed up at my door. Do I look like a fake fan to you? I also dabbed "Hooked" Blush Stix on my lips to complete the look, and I have zero regrets about it. If you want to pick up some of the new Blush and Lite Stix, too, you can head over to the ColourPop site now to shop the entire collection.