Playtime with Catrice: Review of blush, foundation and other things nice....

Some of my Catrice lovelies. Brushes are from Real Techniques and Sephora.

So I have had some of my Catrice stuff for a month or two and tested them out. I have to say I made a beeline for the Blush Pearls in iROSEdescent from its Limited Edition Haute Future range only because it reminds me of Guerlain Meteorites. Except of course, this was much much cheaper, being about RM17.90 on sale.It's really quite cute.Colour-wise it lends a subtle pink sheen which I usually use like a highlighter over my actual blush (pic below).

The Defining Blush in Pinkerbell is actually a colour I won't normally get, seeing that it looks like quite a true pink in the pan. However as am trying out new colours, this way I get to do so without breaking the bank. I think this was like not more than RM15 on sale (cant remember exact pricings, sorry, since bought this a few months back). It really does pack a punch and needs a light hand and has a slight satin finish, which I prefer to totally matte anyway.

Another item that attracted me because it does look pretty, and also reminded me of Guerlain, is the Color Correcting Mattifying Powder in 010 Delicate Blossom, which was about RM22.90, I think.I've been swirling my powder brush and patting it over my foundation-ed face every since I got it. It's not bad at all, it didn't make me break out or turn ghostly white or anything. Just a normal finishing powder to me.

Don't mind the blemishes. Was testing out the Catrice blushes, powder, lipliner, highlighter and brow gel.  Was too lazy to slap on a primer too, hence the pores.

And then the Photo Finish 18-Hour foundation, which I originally got in Sand Beige..and then later on added Caramel Beige. The colour range is just too limited...Sand Beige is a touch too pale and ashy, while Caramel is too dark, so I figured I'll mix the two. For 30ml of product in a well-designed glass bottle for RM28.90 during sale....it was too good to pass on to play with. Especially since I discovered that it doesnt break me out and I actually like that unusual cool, silicone-ish feeling of the foundation. I still love my Bourjois 123 but this makes for a change every now and then. It has a more dewy finish too and looks better as the day went on. I think it probably has similar properties to Revlon's ColorStay Whipped Foundation (did a review on that here), which is why it somehow looks better the longer you wear it, though its in liquid form. I cant wait till they bring in more of their other foundation range here.

Catrice 040 ..And the Cherry On The Top Long Lasting Lip Pencil,  Made To Stay Highlighter Pen in 030 Eye Need, and the Eyebrow Filler Perfecting & Shaping Gel in 010.

I quite like the Lip Pencil actually. Creamy and long-lasting at RM14.90 with a selection of colours. I seem to be on an extended love affair with the colour red, hence chose this cherry red pencil aptly named And The Cherry on The Top. Its creamier and more long-lasting than Maybelline's.

Wasn't too keen on the Highlighter Pen, at about RM18.90, at first as it didnt appear to finely milled during my initial swap but as I swiped it as a brow highlighter, it turned out quite nice actually. Just need to blend it out more and I'd say it's a nifty easy-to-use brow highlighter rather than to highlight the inner corners of the eyes. It's not as fine as I'd prefer an inner eyes highlighter to be and the shape doesnt make it that easy to go poking in your inner eye corners either. Or maybe its just my eye shape, who knows.

Ah the Brow Gel. It's really long name would be the Eyebrow Filler Perfecting & Shaping Gel in 010, priced at around RM18.90 I think, and with a tinge of brown in it. I figured it would be a much cheaper alternative to Benefit's Brow Gel. It's wetter though and not as easy to control at first, perhaps because the brush is bigger than Benefit's, but it just takes a bit of practice. It's not too bad when you want  a more natural, subtle eyebrow look.

Swatch of the Lip Pencil and the Absolute Eye Colour in 640 Don't Touch My Mosserati on top of the                     18-Hour Photo Finish Foundation in Caramel Beige

The eyeshadows look beautiful too and even though I don't wear much eyeshadow at all, the moment I saw the green single eyeshadow in Don't Touch My Mosserati (yes, their products do have long but cute names),  I gotta have it in my collection. It's got great colour payoff, smooth and lasts reasonably well with eye primer (but note I have extremely oily eyelids and no eyeliner, shadows whatsoever have survived them, with primer making it marginally better). It's a beautiful mossy green with flecks of gold in it and was about RM12.90, I think.

All in all, not too bad really, especially for beauty on a budget. This line really will give the likes of Maybelline and Loreal a run for their money as it has a much more extensive line, reasonable quality and very competitive pricing. It's almost like Silkygirl's pricing but with better quality and much more de riguer or fashionable colours and packaging. I love their packaging, sturdy and quality stuff, better than Wet & Wild's, if looking at a similar price and colours point of view. Their eyeshadows and blushers are definitely better than Wet & Wild's too.

While it seems to me they are passing on whatever's discontinued in Europe to the Asian market, most drugstore brands seem to do that to us anyway (hey!). Another thing I noticed is that their products are made everywhere...from Italy, Poland, Germany to Taiwan and PRC.The QC must be impressive.

In any case, this brand seemed to be one of the most complete drugstore ranges I have seen here in Malaysia. What other brands have things like Brow Gel, Concealer set (this I will review separately...this post is too long as it is), primers, blush pearls, wide ranges of liners, lippies, mascara, nailpolish etc imaginable (talking little drugstore here, not brands with standalone stores)? Just wish more foundation and powders will make their way too as I see on their website they have some pretty interesting stuff there. There's plenty of high-end dupes to be had here and that's kind to your pocket too.

Which is probably why I have gotten the most diverse range of stuff from this one brand alone. I just noticed that as I put together this post :D

Enjoy!