The Colourette Velvetints were a hit for me when they first launched in 2018. There were three well-curated shades in a multipurpose formula that’s pigmented, comfortable, blendable, and affordable at P299 - I still have Birthday Cake on regular rotation! Colourette recently added nine more shades to the line with an improved formula and relaunched packaging so I was really excited to try these. Now at P349 each for 3.5ml of product (they used to be 3g), is it worth getting your hands on the new #VeryVelvet Velvetints?

Colourette claims that the “Velvetint is an intensely pigmented formula which dries down from a velvet to powder matte finish. This foolproof tint works 3 ways: eyes, cheeks, and lips — and stays all day while remaining comfy on skin.” I tested and used them as multipurpose products for a full week, and also tried both a light and full application on the lips as the brand suggests. The nine shades are:

After Party - nude brown
Toast - cinnamon brown
Pregame - mauve brown
Confetti - true red
RSVP - candy red
Plus One - brick orange
Stiletto - rich maroon
Rosé - nude pink
Birthday Cake - rosy brown
Bubbly - warm pink
Soiree - strawberry red
Debutante - wine berry

Here’s how they look on my NC30 skin!

After Party - light application

After Party - full application

Toast - light application

Toast - full application

Pregame - light application

Pregame - full application

Confetti - light application

Confetti - full application

RSVP - light application

RSVP - full application

Plus One - light application

Plus One - full application

Stiletto - light application

Stiletto - full application

Rosé - light application

Rosé - full application

Birthday Cake - light application

Birthday Cake - full application

Bubbly - light application

Bubbly - full application

Soiree - light application

Soiree - full application

Debutante - light application

Debutante - full application

One thing that impressed me with the Velvetints was how well Colourette nailed the formula for skin use. If you own any of the brand’s Colourtints, then you know that those require speed and caution for a nicely blended application. I still adore them but I admit that I sometimes find it hard to control the extent of my blush area with the Colourtints. With the Velvetints, the velvet-to-powder formula lends me more placement and pigment control. They diffuse easily without any streaking, even when I take my leisurely time blending them out with just my fingers.

The new Velvetints are now slightly taller and sleeker. They’ve kept the simple tube packaging and changed the cap from rubber to plastic. But let me say that I dislike the new packaging, especially the lack of a stopper and the new doe foot applicator with a wide base. The bulb around the base of the applicator collects too much pigment, which ends up messing the rim of the tube whenever I pull out the wand to use and when I put it back in.

This diffused Rosé took two layers. For the same amount of product, see how more pigmented the old and diffused Birthday Cake is.

It also made me sad to see that they weren’t able to keep the original shade of my fave Birthday Cake but I am loving the new Rosé. Formula-wise, I find that the new ones are less pigmented, but in a good way as they’re now a lot more beginner-friendly. I’d still warn you to go easy on the brighter and darker shades, and build up slowly! For those shades, it’s true that the tiniest bit goes a long way.

The Velvetints last the whole day on my eyes and cheeks, and about 4 to 5 hours on the lips. They also disappear after a meal so I make retouches after lunch part of the schedule. Somehow, I find these to be more drying than they used to be. While they improved for skin use, the powder finish is no longer as light and as comfy on the lips as I remember.

Having had the chance to try more velvet formulas since my first review, it’s hard not to compare the Colourette Velvetints to the 3CE Velvet Lip Tints (P974 for 4g at Sephora). Even with just these arm swatches, notice how the edges of 3CE diffuse into a nice soft-focus, cloud-like blur - these to me are velvet lips done right. The feel on my arms and on my lips when swatched is totally different, too. The slip that the silicone lends to 3CE makes it a nicer, softer, more comfortable lip formula. I suppose that you can get the Colourette Velvetints to look softer and more lived-in by blurring the edges with a q-tip like I did here for Debutante, but you can do that with practically any matte lipstick.

My top shade picks from the collection are After Party, Bubbly, and Rosé. If you happen to like all of the shades and are a big Colourette fan, the 12-piece vault is available for P3,499 which means you’re paying for 10 and getting two free. Some shades may look similar, so I would recommend to get 2 or 3 that you need.

Pros:

easy to blend
lasts the whole day on the skin
decent wear time of 4 to 5 hours on the lips

Cons:

becomes drying through the day
when worn as a stain, they look more like powder mattes than velvet mattes
when worn as a full lip, they look more like a matte liquid lip than a velvet tint
when worn on the skin, some shades appear too similar
messy packaging

If you’re looking for a good three-way formula that’s easy on the budget, this is a good buy overall. On the other hand, if you’re looking for that true, soft, plush, cloud-like velvet finish, then consider other options.

The new Colourette Velvetints are available in Lazada, Shopee, and Colourette stores.