CoverGirl’s Stranger Things Collection Has Season 5 Easter Eggs
I tried the ‘80s-inspired makeup for a week, and I have some serious thoughts.
The end is near for Stranger Things. The fifth and final season of the dramatic Netflix series is set to drop in three parts on the streaming platform, starting Nov. 26. As a fan who regularly rewatches the show — and even traveled to Georgia to visit where Stranger Things was filmed — I’m not ready to say goodbye.
Even though I’m sad to close this chapter, I’m just as pumped to see how the Party is able to take down Vecna. To celebrate, I’ve got my Upside Down-inspired snacks for the marathon-watch, plus some makeup for a Stranger Things-coded look, thanks to CoverGirl’s limited-edition collection.
The CoverGirl x Stranger Things collab features a multi-palette for your face and eyes, along with pH-transforming blush, pH-transforming lip gloss, kohl eyeliners, and a color-changing makeup bag.
The full lineup of Stranger Things-inspired makeup is available now for a limited time on CoverGirl.com, the TikTok Shop, drugstores, and other retailers nationwide. To see which items are worth adding to your cart, I tested out the entire collection for a week. Ahead, you’ll find my honest review. You can trust me, because as Eleven said, “Friends don’t lie.”
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Fast Facts:
- Price: $114 for the entire Stranger Things collection ($16 for the The Crawl Face & Eye Multi-Palette; $13 for each shade of the Vecna’s Curse PH Transforming Blush; $12 for each shade of the The Bite PH Transforming Lip Gloss; $12 for each shade of the UpsEYE Down Kohl Eyeliner; and $12 for the The Upside Down Makeup Bag).
- Who this is best for: Detail-oriented Stranger Things fans.
- What I like: The nods to my favorite characters and potential Easter eggs for Season 5.
- What I don’t like: The pH-transforming products are as exciting as Season 2, Episode 7 (IYKYK).
- My rating: 2.75/5
The Crawl Face & Eye Multi-Palette Has Season 5 Easter Eggs
This multi-palette comes with everything you would need for the eyes and face, featuring four eyeshadows in shades Mall Rats (purple duo-chrome), Pollywog (emerald shimmer), Rift (red-orange duo-chrome), and Camazotz (deep navy matte). There’s also a Stranger Things red blush named Flayed, and two highlighters in Holly Jolly (gold illuminating), as well as The Piggyback (silver shimmer).
The packaging: My jaw was on the floor the minute I opened this palette to find an Upside Down design on the clear plastic protector featuring Eleven, Mike, and the rest of the gang on one side with a demogorgon on the other. The details alone wowed me and made it a collector’s item.
First impressions: There is a mix of everyday shades I would wear, and bold colors that scare me like Vecna in Season 4. The bright red blush is one of those colors that I’m not sure how to use without looking like a Raggedy Ann doll with clown-like cheeks.
The eyeshadows are also very hit or miss when it comes to pigment with some of the lighter shades not producing a ton of color on my eyelids. There are a few standouts, though, like the Holly Jolly highlighter, which I use the most. The Piggyback is too glittery for my cheeks, but makes a perfect highlighter for my eyes. In fact, I use it in the corners to open them up — a trick I discovered on TikTok.
I’m also a fan of the Camazotz eyeshadow. One of my favorite Season 5 fan theories is that Eddie Munson will come back as Camazotz, a bat god from the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Sure, the Duffer Brothers have said that Eddie is dead, but they didn’t say anything about Joseph Quinn making a guest appearance as some kind of demon bat. A girl can dream.
The results: I tried three different looks with the palette: a smokey cat eye with the Camazotz; a colorful blend of Pollywog and Mall Rats; and a more subtle highlighted look with just The Piggyback. With the latter, I also used the Frayed shade on my cheeks, and I fear it’s a bit dangerous for anyone who has blush blindness.
Vecna’s Curse PH Transforming Blush Takes Time To Figure Out
Each buildable, cream blush stick features a pH-transforming shade that appears one way in the tube and another on the cheek. The two colors available are Creel (shimmer purple to pink) and 001 (shimmer black to purple).
The packaging: This reminds me of a skinnier version of Rhode’s iconic Pocket Blush sticks.
First impressions: I love a little science with my makeup, so I’m always drawn to pH-transforming products. I was especially intrigued by a black to purple blush since I don’t normally go for darker shades on my cheeks.
The color-changing aspect was exciting, but both shades sort of looked the same in the end. The purplish-pink also made my cheeks look more bruised than blushed if I wasn’t careful. It took me a few days to figure out, but eventually, I fell in love. You do need a good brush for blending, so make sure you have one in your kit.
The results: This is way more than I would normally apply in my day-to-day routine, but I loved the pink tone these blushes gave my cheeks.
The Bite PH Transforming Lip Gloss Missed The Mark
Similar to the blushes, these lip glosses are meant to use PH transformation to change colors once you apply them on your lips. There is Hawkins Lab (green to shimmer pink) and Mouthbreather (black to pink).
The packaging: This is a simple lip gloss tube, but with Stranger Things details like Vecna’s tendrils featured on the cap.
First impressions: I was most excited to try these glosses since I have a few pH lip products in my collection that I love, like Tarte’s Maracuja Juicy Shift. The green and black colors went on pretty much clear, and nothing really changed from there. After a few hours, I did see a slight pink tone on my lips after wearing the Hawkins Lab, but I also could have just imagined that. Despite their lack of pigment, these glosses are really shiny.
The results: The gray tone of the Mouthbreather shade does appear slightly darker on my natural lips — only if you’re really looking, though.
The UpsEYE Down Kohl Eyeliner Lasts All Day
The two-in-one liner and brush gives you everything you need for a statement eye. It comes in three shades: For Eddie (black shimmer), Will the Wise (purple holographic), and Fireball Him! (red satin).
The packaging: On one end is the eyeliner, and the other side is an angled brush to create the perfect winged look. It’s a simple pencil design. I just wish it was one of the twist-up versions, or came with a sharpener since I always seem to lose mine.
First impressions: Other than the black, I normally wouldn’t go for these bold shades. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how my hazel eyes popped with the red. The purple is also gorgeous and goes well with a lot of the eyeshadow colors in the palette. As an Eddie fan, I also appreciated the nod to our lost Hellfire Club leader.
The results: These eyeliners stayed on all day. I needed to triple cleanse to fully remove everything, so they’ll definitely be by your side like Steve’s trusty spiked bat.
The Upside Down Makeup Bag Comes In Handy
This black and gray makeup bag has heat-activated fabric that turns slightly blue at the touch.
The packaging: This is a basic fabric bag with a zipper on top, and features references to the show like Vecna, demobats, and the mind flayer.
First impression: I really didn’t notice the color-changing at first, because the transition from black to blue is *so* subtle.
The results: At the end of the day, the color-changing technology is better than the lip gloss, and this pouch fit everything in the collection perfectly.
Is CoverGirl’s Stranger Things Collection Worth It?
My excitement for this collection may have set my expectations a little too high. Ultimately, there wasn’t any one product that really stood out as my favorite, so it’s not a huge must for casual Stranger Things fans. However, as a diehard since Day 1, I loved all the nods to one of my favorite series and potential Easter eggs for what’s to come. I even noticed that many of the names are specific episode titles that the Duffer Brothers said are important to rewatch before Season 5, like “The Piggyback” and “Will the Wise.”
Along with its details, CoverGirl’s collection is also super affordable and fun to experiment with — especially with all the bold eyeliners and eyeshadow shades. I wouldn’t recommend this for makeup pros who have their faves already, but if you like to try new things and can’t wait to marathon-watch Season 5, this is a great way to celebrate one last trip to the Upside Down.
About Me:
As the experiences writer at Elite Daily, I’m always trying new and trending products from your fave celebrities, TV shows, and TikTok. When I’m not testing out lipsticks and bold blushes, my typical makeup routine is casual with a little mascara, a tinted SPF, and a moisturizing lip oil, like Millie Bobby Brown’s from Florence by Mills.
