Melt Cosmetics Review: Bold, Vibrant Makeup for Trendsetters

Are you a makeup lover always on the hunt for trendsetting brands that push boundaries with their innovative products and striking color stories? If so, you need to put Melt Cosmetics on your radar ASAP. This ultra-cool indie brand has skyrocketed in popularity thanks to their highly pigmented, long-wearing formulas and edgy, outside-the-box color schemes. Melt is not for the faint of heart – their bold shades and unconventional palettes are designed for true makeup artists and experimentalists.

As a passionate makeup enthusiast myself, I‘ve been an avid Melt fan for years and have tested nearly every product they offer. In this comprehensive Melt Cosmetics review, I‘m sharing my honest thoughts on the brand‘s bestsellers, diving into ingredient quality, and giving you the full scoop on Melt‘s cruelty-free status, customer service, and more. By the end, you‘ll have all the deets you need to decide if Melt is worthy of your hard-earned cash. Let‘s jump in!

The Story Behind Melt Cosmetics

Founded by celebrity makeup artist Lora Arellano and entrepreneur Dana Bomar in 2012, Melt Cosmetics began with a simple mission: to create the bold, highly pigmented makeup they wanted to see in the beauty world. Frustrated with the lack of vibrant matte lipsticks on the market, the duo started Melt as an indie brand selling just lipsticks. They poured their entire savings into launching with five statement-making lipstick shades.

The lipsticks were an instant hit, selling out almost immediately. Melt quickly developed a reputation for unparalleled color payoff and staying power. Lora and Dana continued expanding Melt‘s lineup, branching out into eyeshadows, highlighters, blushes and more. Today, Melt has a full range of professional-quality color cosmetics and over 3 million Instagram followers. The brand has been featured in major publications like Allure, Nylon, Refinery29, and collaborated with celebrities like Kehlani and Toni Romiti.

Despite their explosive growth, Melt remains an independent brand committed to its original ethos of unapologetic self-expression through makeup. In Lora‘s words, "Melt encourages people to stop apologizing for being themselves and do whatever the f*ck they want. It‘s makeup for the misfits."

Melt Cosmetics Product Overview

Ask any Melt Cosmetics fan what the brand is best known for, and they‘ll likely say eyeshadow stacks and palettes. Melt‘s ultra-pigmented powder shadows come in both magnetic singles you can mix and match in the Melt Stack Pro Palette, and pre-made color story palettes. Some bestselling eyeshadow stacks include:

• The Haze Stack: A smoky metallic quad with deep red, gold, copper and champagne shades. Perfect for creating sexy date night looks.

• Rust Stack: Grungy terracotta shades ranging from burgundy brown to fiery orange, ideal for fall looks.

• Amor Eterno: A neon-bright rainbow palette that screams summertime fun.

Melt‘s single powder eyeshadows are equally popular, especially unique shades like Love Sick, a deep brown-toned burgundy, and Industrial, a gritty charcoal taupe. All of Melt‘s powder shadows have phenomenal color payoff, silky-smooth texture, and impressive longevity.

Melt‘s lipsticks are also top notch with a comfortable matte formula that feels weightless yet lasts for hours. Some of my fave shades are:

• Catsuit: The perfect pinky-nude that flatters a range of skin tones.
• 710: A spicy deep mustard that makes a major statement.
• Laced: A grungy mauve-brown 90‘s throwback shade.

In recent years, Melt has added cream blushes, bronzers and highlighters to their lineup as well, including the popular Cream Blushlights and Shadowplay Face Palette. All of Melt‘s cheek products have a smooth, blendable formula that creates a radiant, skin-like finish.

Product Quality and Performance

So how do Melt‘s products actually perform? I‘ve personally tested almost everything Melt makes, and I‘m continually blown away by the quality. Here are my thoughts on some of the brand‘s standouts:

The Rust Eyeshadow Stack was my first Melt purchase, and it‘s still one of my most-reached-for palettes. The color story is impeccable – the shades look incredible together and suit a wide range of skin tones. You get a velvety matte cream shade, vibrant orange, burnt terracotta, and deep rusty brown. The mattes are insanely pigmented yet blendable, while the shimmers have a foiled, metallic finish. Zero fallout and they last 12+ hours on my oily lids.

Another huge hit for me is the recently released Cream Trance Blushlight in the shade Buzz Kill. It‘s the most stunning warm apricot with a luminous sheen. The formula is a dream to apply – it blends seamlessly with a finger or sponge and creates the perfect natural flush. Lasts all day without fading too.

Many of Melt‘s products have quickly achieved holy grail status for me. The quality is simply unmatched by other brands at this price point. Of course, Melt‘s products are designed for bold looks, so you need to be comfortable with intense pigmentation. A little goes a long way with Melt eyeshadows and lip products especially.

Comparing Melt Cosmetics to Other Indie Brands

If you‘re an indie makeup lover, you might be wondering how Melt Cosmetics compares to other popular brands like Lunar Beauty, Kaleidos and Glamlite. In my experience, Melt has the upper hand in several key areas:

Color Payoff and Longevity – Hands down, Melt‘s eyeshadows are the most vividly pigmented I‘ve ever tried from an indie brand. They even outperform shadows from luxury brands like Pat McGrath and Natasha Denona in terms of color intensity and staying power.

Unique Shade Range – Melt creates color stories you won‘t find anywhere else. No boring neutrals here! Kaleidos comes closest with their Futurism palettes, but Melt still has them beat in terms of pushing boundaries.

Customer Service – Melt‘s team is incredibly responsive on social media, and they have a very generous return policy. You can exchange products even if you‘ve used them as long as it‘s within 30 days. Most other indie brands are final sale only.

Lunar Beauty is probably the most similar to Melt in terms of aesthetic – both brands cater to edgy makeup fans who want high-impact colors. Lunar‘s Moon Prism Powders are amazing, but Melt has a wider product range overall.

Cruelty-Free and Vegan Status

Great news for my fellow animal lovers: Melt Cosmetics is 100% cruelty-free and mostly vegan. The brand does not test on animals at any stage of production, and most products are formulated without animal-derived ingredients. The exceptions are a few products that contain beeswax or carmine. Each product page on Melt‘s website clearly lists whether an item is vegan or not.

Melt Cosmetics Customer Reviews

Don‘t just take my word for it on Melt Cosmetics‘ incredible quality – there are thousands of glowing customer reviews to back it up. On Melt‘s website, most bestsellers have hundreds of 5-star ratings. The Gunmetal Eyeshadow Stack has over 250 reviews with an average rating of 4.8/5.

Buyers rave about the "unreal pigmentation," "buttery soft mattes," and "all-day wear." One review sums it up: "Holy grail status! The formula is unbelievable, the color story is incredible, and the packaging is adorable and secure."

Melt products also get tons of love on retailer sites like Sephora. For example, the recently launched Cream Shadowstick in Burnish, a smoldering chocolate brown, has 4.5/5 stars across 56 reviews. Customers call it "the creamiest shadow ever" and say "the staying power is ridiculous."

Where to Buy Melt Cosmetics

Ready to get your hands on some Melt goodies? You can shop the full range directly from Melt‘s website, MeltCosmetics.com. Melt offers international shipping to over 150 countries, plus free US shipping on orders over $80.

Select Melt products are also sold at Sephora, both in-stores and online. The brand is a frequent flier in limited-edition Sephora and Ipsy marketing campaigns and beauty boxes too.

For my international makeup lovers, good news: Melt is stocked at Beauty Bay, which offers affordable global shipping. You can sometimes snag Melt on other retailer sites as well, like Revolve, Dolls Kill, and Camera Ready Cosmetics.

Melt Cosmetics Promotions and Coupons

Now I know what you‘re thinking – all these rave reviews are amazing, but Melt‘s prices are a bit steep. The brand definitely caters to makeup pros and enthusiasts, with single eyeshadows priced at $17 and most palettes over $50.

Luckily, Melt offers sales and promotions pretty regularly! I always wait to buy pricier items until I can score at least 20% off. Right now on Melt‘s site, they have price drops on several popular eyeshadow stacks and lipsticks – some are marked down nearly 50%!

A few other ways to save on Melt:

Sign up for Melt‘s loyalty program, The Melter‘s Club – You earn points on every purchase that you can redeem for a discount on future orders.

Follow Melt on Instagram and TikTok – They announce all sales and offers discount codes exclusively to social media followers.

Subscribe to Melt‘s email newsletter – You‘ll get 10% off when you join, plus be notified about future deals.

Final Thoughts on Melt Cosmetics

By now, I‘m sure you can tell I‘m a huge Melt Cosmetics stan – and for good reason! While pricey, Melt‘s products are worth every penny in my experience. With their endless color combinations, stunning finishes, and incredible longevity, they‘ve earned a permanent place in my pro kit.

I love that Melt is a cruelty-free, indie WOC-owned brand with a finger on the pulse of the latest trends. Lora, Dana and the Melt team continue pushing the envelope with every new launch while maintaining the brand‘s signature edgy aesthetic.

In terms of downsides, the main one is price point. Melt is definitely a splurge. The brand also doesn‘t have many basics like wearable neutral tones. Some products can appear patchy if you don‘t use a primer too.

But overall, if you‘re a budding makeup artist, a colorful cut crease aficionado, or simply a beauty lover who isn‘t afraid to experiment, Melt Cosmetics is a must-try. Be prepared to fall in love!

Do you have any favorite Melt products? Planning to make your first purchase soon? Let me know in the comments! And feel free to leave any other questions about Melt – I‘m always happy to help out my fellow beauty addicts.

Until next time, may your blending be seamless and your cut creases be sharp. XOXO!