diff --git a/GLMakie/src/drawing_primitives.jl b/GLMakie/src/drawing_primitives.jl
index f6de625338d..a443639e33e 100644
--- a/GLMakie/src/drawing_primitives.jl
+++ b/GLMakie/src/drawing_primitives.jl
@@ -467,9 +467,7 @@ function mesh_inner(shader_cache, mesh, transfunc, gl_attributes)
         gl_attributes[:image] = Texture(const_lift(el32convert, color), minfilter = interp)
         gl_attributes[:color] = nothing
     elseif to_value(color) isa AbstractVector{<: Union{Number, Colorant}}
-        mesh = lift(mesh, color) do mesh, color
-            return GeometryBasics.pointmeta(mesh, color=el32convert(color))
-        end
+        gl_attributes[:vertex_color] = lift(el32convert, color)
     else
         error("Unsupported color type: $(typeof(to_value(color)))")
     end
diff --git a/GLMakie/src/glshaders/mesh.jl b/GLMakie/src/glshaders/mesh.jl
index 9b58628620a..a327ce56e06 100644
--- a/GLMakie/src/glshaders/mesh.jl
+++ b/GLMakie/src/glshaders/mesh.jl
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ function draw_mesh(shader_cache, @nospecialize(mesh), data::Dict)
     @gen_defaults! data begin
         shading = true
         backlight = 0f0
-        vertex_color = nothing
+        vertex_color = nothing => GLBuffer
         texturecoordinates = Vec2f(0)
         image = nothing => Texture
         matcap = nothing => Texture
diff --git a/ReferenceTests/src/tests/refimages.jl b/ReferenceTests/src/tests/refimages.jl
index 848851e994e..17cfca3cf54 100644
--- a/ReferenceTests/src/tests/refimages.jl
+++ b/ReferenceTests/src/tests/refimages.jl
@@ -31,3 +31,6 @@ end
 @testset "figures_and_makielayout.jl" begin
     include("figures_and_makielayout.jl")
 end
+@testset "updating_plots" begin
+    include("updating.jl")
+end
diff --git a/ReferenceTests/src/tests/updating.jl b/ReferenceTests/src/tests/updating.jl
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b6958ff17fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ReferenceTests/src/tests/updating.jl
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+using ReferenceTests
+@reference_test "updating 2d primitives" begin
+    fig = Figure()
+    t = Observable(1)
+    text(fig[1, 1], lift(i-> map(j-> ("$j", Point2f(j*30, 0)), 1:i), t), axis=(limits=(0, 380, -10, 10),), textsize=50)
+    scatter(fig[1, 2], lift(i-> Point2f.((1:i).*30, 0), t), axis=(limits=(0, 330, -10, 10),), markersize=50)
+    linesegments(fig[2, 1], lift(i-> Point2f.((2:2:4i).*30, 0), t), axis=(limits=(30, 650, -10, 10),), linewidth=20)
+    lines(fig[2, 2], lift(i-> Point2f.((2:2:4i).*30, 0), t), axis=(limits=(30, 650, -10, 10),), linewidth=20)
+
+    st = Stepper(fig)
+
+    foreach(1:5) do i
+        t[] = i
+        Makie.step!(st)
+    end
+
+    foreach(5:-1:1) do i
+        t[] = i
+        Makie.step!(st)
+    end
+    st
+end
+
+@reference_test "updating multiple meshes" begin
+    points = Observable(Point3f[(1,0,0), (0,1,0), (0,0,1)])
+
+    meshes = map(p->Makie.normal_mesh(Sphere(p, 0.2)), points[])
+    colors = map(p->RGBf(normalize(p)...), points[])
+
+    fig, ax, pl = mesh(meshes; color = colors)
+    st = Stepper(fig)
+    Makie.step!(st)
+    on(points) do pts
+        pl[1].val = map(p->Makie.normal_mesh(Sphere(p, 0.2)), points[])
+        pl.color.val = map(p->RGBf(normalize(p)...), points[])
+        notify(pl[1])
+    end
+
+    append!(points[], Point3f[(0,1,1), (1,0,1), (1,1,0)])
+    notify(points)
+    Makie.step!(st)
+end
diff --git a/src/basic_recipes/contourf.jl b/src/basic_recipes/contourf.jl
index eec960e0443..570c1566472 100644
--- a/src/basic_recipes/contourf.jl
+++ b/src/basic_recipes/contourf.jl
@@ -144,7 +144,6 @@ function Makie.plot!(c::Contourf{<:Tuple{<:AbstractVector{<:Real}, <:AbstractVec
         highs = levels[2:end]
 
         nbands = length(lows)
-
         # zs needs to be transposed to match rest of makie
         isos = Isoband.isobands(xs, ys, zs', lows, highs)
 
diff --git a/src/conversions.jl b/src/conversions.jl
index 95491813309..4d748c1e7d1 100644
--- a/src/conversions.jl
+++ b/src/conversions.jl
@@ -760,7 +760,7 @@ function to_color(p::Palette)
 end
 
 to_color(c::Nothing) = c # for when color is not used
-to_color(c::Number) = Float32(c)
+to_color(c::Real) = Float32(c)
 to_color(c::Colorant) = convert(RGBA{Float32}, c)
 to_color(c::Symbol) = to_color(string(c))
 to_color(c::String) = parse(RGBA{Float32}, c)