Catrice Spring/Summer 2014 New Products

Catrice Spring/Summer 2014 New Products

Available from February 2014.

Khol Kajal - a violet-blue and a mint shade. 2.29€.
Eyeliner Pen Waterproof- a rainbow blue and a pearly nude shade. 3.49€.
Longlasting Eye Pencil Waterproof. 3.59€.
Eyebrow Lifter. 3.49€.
Lash Couture False Lashes - strip and individual lashes. 4.29€
Glamour Doll Curl & Volume Mascara. 4.29€         
Ultimate Lash Multimizer Volume Mascara - black and ultra black. 4.49€.       
Eyebrow Pencil - a new dark blonde shade. 2.59€.

Absolute Eye Colour Mono - six new shades including a sun yellow, peach, pink, coppery brown, ice blue and royal blue. 2.89€.
Absolute Eye Colour Quattro - three new combinations. 4.69€.
Absolute Bright Eyeshadow Palette. 5.19€.

Prime And Fine Pore Refining And Anti-Shine Base (30ml). 4.49€.                                     
Prime And Fine Anti-Red Base (30ml). 4.49€.
Defining Blush - new shade called Rosewood Cheeks. 3.49€

Sun Glow Shimmering Bronzing Powder. 4.99€ 

Multi Colour Blush. 3.99€.                         
Prime And Fine Mattifying Powder Waterproof - one transparent shade with an included mirror. 4.99€.                                               

Ultimate Shine Lip Colour - three new natural shades – berry, nude and toffee. 3.99€.

Made To Stay Smoothing Lip Polish- a lipstick, lip tint and lipgloss hybrid in six shades. 5.19€.

Ultimate Colour Lip Colour - five new shades including berries, a light pink, a fire red and hibiscus. 4.19€.

Infinite Shine Lip gloss - three new shades: a poppy red, pink and warm berry. 3.29€.

Crushed Crystals Nail Polish - Endless Nail Dimensions. 3D effects set new limits and are the ultimate trend. The new Crushed Crystals offer a brilliant and sandy finish. You have a huge choice of fashionable shades with high coverage ranging from taupe and rosé gold to classic red, pink and coral. The fine crystals cover your nails like diamond dust to create an incomparable structure as well as an exclusive and wearable nail design. Available in a total of six shades. 3.29€. You can see one of them here.

Ultimate Nail Lacquer - thirteen new colours. 2.79€.

I'm interested in how those Made To Stay Smoothing Lip Polish will look and in that berry lip liner. Anything caught your eye?

Have a great day!

BALEA

BALEA




It seems that Balea has a knack for making delicious smelling shower gels. On my recent trip to DM, after weeks of searching, I finally came across Balea Dusche & Creme Cocos & Nectarine shower gel and let me tell you, it smells divine. Remember those Hubba Bubba peach favoured chewing gums (which I believe are unfortunately discontinued, but they were my favourite when I was a kid)? This smells exactly like it - like a very sweet peach bubble gum. I adore it. I don't get any coconut, just the juicy bubble gum note. If you are a fan of such scents, have a sniff of it when you're in DM. The price is the usual 0.85€ and I believe it's permanent.


I also have the deodorant Cocos & Nectarine, but unfortunately it doesn't smell anything like it. That one is a soapy version of creamy coconut and nectarine scent.


Have a great day!

REN Resurfacing AHA Concentrate

REN Resurfacing AHA Concentrate

REN Resurfacing AHA Concentrate is a product from REN's Radiance range which also includes the famous Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask. I was pondering whether to get the mask or the concentrate and choose the latter because I'm just too lazy with masks (I'm getting better though). This is my third product with AHA's, the other two beingClarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner and Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant.


The concentrate contains a complex of alpha hydroxy acids with glycolic, lactic, tartaric and citric acid, but also some hyaluronic acid. It claims to be a gentle exfoliator, making the skin more radiant, brighter, more even toned and smooth. It's supposed to reduce appearance of pore size, fine lines, improve moisture retention and promote cell turnover. Their website says you can use it one of two ways - use every day for 1 week and then wait 3 weeks to let the skin complete the renewal process or apply every other night. I tried both and I see no difference between them. I do find it gentle enough to be used everyday, but I follow the instructions.


It is a very light serum and I apply it drop per drop on individual areas of my face. I use four-five drops in total, one on each cheek, another on my forehead and the rest on my nose and chin. I find that it doesn't tingle, it did only on two occasions and even that lasted a second or two, but my skin isn't sensitive at all. It leaves the skin dry to the touch, but moisturised and I don't feel the need for an additional moisturiser. Some people say they use a moisturiser afterwards, some claim it works better without putting anything else at all, I usually use a few drops of Nuxe oil and I see no difference in performance.


I've been using it for two months now and I can report that my skin is smoother, softer and a bit brighter. I can't really comment on radiance, because my skin has a healthy glow since I've been using Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse. I see the biggest improvement on my forehead which used to be uneven and bumpy, but now it's as smooth as when I was using Estee Lauder Advance Night Repair. Another huge improvement that I noticed is that moisturisers and serums work so much better now. My skin retains moisture far better and for the first time I can use powders without having flakes appearing immediately. The old red blemish marks I've had for years on the chin under my lips have significantly reduced to a point I don't really need to use concealer to cover it and a light BB/foundation covers it enough for my needs.


However, as far as congestion goes it did not help with clearing pores or help with any existing blemishes. I still get some and this doesn't help to either reduce them or heal them. I don't notice a considerable reduction of blackheads or in pore size. It did unclog a massive blackhead on my forehead that I had for years, but there is a little hole left behind that is healing very slowly.





I like the scent, a lot of people say they can't stand and I can't see why. It's just a simple orange slightly alcoholicscent that isn't even that strong. Frankly, I hardly notice it any more.

Bottle is made from frosted glass and though it feels well-made, I'm always super careful with it not to drop it on the floor (though, it has happened once, but luckily only the plastic lid that comes with it broke). The applicator is a glass pipette, again something you have to be careful with.



In general I find the result are graduala nd I didn't wake up the first day to notice a massive change that some report (Dermalogica has faster results). But after using it for two months, my skin is more even, softer and I love the fact moisturisers work so much better now. This with combination of the Clarins toner significantly lightened the blemish marks, however, it did almost nothing to banish or help heal any blemishes. I find Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant performs better as far a spots go, but mind you it is also more expensive.


It is a really expensive product, but you do get results. I got it from HqHair for 30€ because I actually had a handsome discount code (It costs 56€ in Müller!). A bottle will last you quite a while and so far I've only used about a cm or two. Get it if you want to lighten blemish marks, get rid of dry patches and/or you want smoother more radiant skin. If you want something to help you with breakouts, maybe try something else.

Essie Really Red

Essie Really Red


When I was standing in front of the Essie counter with my 50% off coupon, already holding the After School Boy Blazer and Turquoise & Caicos in my hands, I spent an eternity deciding on the third polish. I knew I wanted a red because I never owned a proper red nail polish, but I never realised Essie has so many reds to choose from. And all look so close! So I went for the one with the most obvious name, Really Red, since it sounded just like what I wanted. It is amedium bright true red - a classic and elegant colour.
This is another great formula by Essie, just like Cute as a Button. I can get away with one coat, though on some nails I add one more if there wasn't enough polish on the brush the first time. I also like the size of their brushes, as they are just the right width for my nails.






Depend 036 (a bright orange toned tomato red), Essie Really Red and Essence 113 Do You Speak Love? (burgundy):

Have a great day!

L'Oréal Skin Perfection Serum

L'Oréal Skin Perfection Serum

This product was on my radar for a long time before I bought it and I read nothing but great reviews about it. Naturally, I expected a lot from it, but I must say I was sorely disappointed. The serums contains LR 2412 (sodium tetrahydrojasmonate), an ingredient it shares with Lancome Visionnaire and Vichy Idealia Life Serum, which is supposed to harnesses jasmine's ability to self-regenerate. Personally, I don't buy the marketing ploys and I rather put my trust into the honest reviews of the beauty blogger community. The serum promises to correct and improve visible skin quality by tackling problems such as large pores, red marks and uneven texture, however, in my experience it just doesn't deliver.


Texture: I actually like the texture of this serum. It's a light silky lotion that isn't runny and feels light on the skin. It sinks in fast and the skin is dry to the touch due to the high content of silicones, so the finish it leaves is akin to using a very light primer. Due to that I find it's a nice base for make up. The serum has a golden and pink pearl in it, which looks nice, but doesn't show up on the skin. It's hydrating enough on its own for combination skin and personally I don't feel like I need an additional moisturiser, though I do apply it. One thing that does bother me is that when I want to apply a moisturiser on top, I have to do it before it dries, otherwise the serum layer starts to flake.



Performance: Honestly, I saw no positive long term results whatsoever. In fact, my skin looked a lot worse than usual. I don't consider my skin's condition as being bad, but the longer I was using this the worse it got. It didn't happen overnight, but with everyday use my skin gradually got less smooth, my forehead became very bumpyand there were even some spots in places where I don't usually get them. I stopped using it for a few weeks and during that period I tried to fix my skin, which I did with L'Occitane products and my skin looked ok again. I still decided to give this another go, but again it gradually started to get worse, so I just stopped using it.

Scent: The scent is quite fresh and green. It reminds me a bit of satsuma or orange peels.


Packaging: Yes, the packaging is pretty. I'm not a massive fan of pink, but the pink ombre effect looks very cool. The glass bottle with a pump feels well made and looks great on a vanity. The pump works great as well.


Price and availability: I got mine for 15.99 € in Müller.


I just was not impressed by this serum. Though the texture is nice, it is just not working for me and it only makes my skin worse. The high alcohol content doesn't help the case either. My research also led me to a discovery that Lancome's Visionnaire and Vichy's Idealia Life Serum not only look similar, but also have similar ingredients (Vichy's doesn't have alcohol, though. So it's the best out of the three). I had a much better experience with the L'Occitane Sublime Essence Skin Perfector that I was trying during the "break period". My fellow Slovene Bloger Sanja (Sparkle with Laughter), however, had the completely opposite experience (her review is here), so I guess I'm one of those whose skin just doesn't like this.

Have a great day!

Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm

Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm


This is my first cleansing balm and I don't have a habit of buying expensive cleansers, but I did splurge this time to see how much better they perform in comparison to cheap cleansers that I tend to use. I've been using it for about a month now and the answer is much, much better. My face always felt so tight after cleansing and I had tons of dry patches appearing everywhere until I first started using L'Oreal Miracle Cleansing Oil (which I adore, but sadly it's clogging my pores) and now this one. Now my skin feels much better.


It has a very runny texture, like an oily gel of sorts and I have to be very careful when opening the lid or it gets everywhere. I want everything clean and perfect like it just came out of a shop, so this bothered me a lot from the beginning, but I learned how to get the desired amount without spilling the product everywhere. It comes in a basic tube with a flip top, which makes it not just practical, but also more hygienic than those in a pot.


It feels like a thicker oily cream when applied to the face. I massage it on dry skin for about 30 seconds. When water is added becomes smoother, though doesn't emulsify like the L'Oreal oil and I massage it for a few more seconds. It has oatmeal scrub particles in it, which are not too coarse, but still do their job. I remove it with a damp flannel that I soaked in warm/hot water. It needs to be wiped off with something, otherwise it will leave a film on the skin. It leaves the skin feeling clean, soft and moisturised, the effect is very similar to L'Oreal oil. There are no dry patches, my skin doesn't get tight and it feels very comfortable. After cleansing, I continue with my regular routine.


It doesn't sting my eyes and I can open them while the product is on my face. It also doesn't make my vision cloudy, for comparison the L'Oreal one does.


To do a proper test, I used it for removing a full face makeup with Estee Lauder DW Maximum Cover and waterproof mascara. It removed all but mascara, so I use a separate oily remover for eye makeup before cleansing.

The scent is not particularly strong and it's quite sweet. If you're from a country where Kraš candy is sold, you'll be familiar with Kiki candy, this smells very much like it.


You get a muslin cloth with it, which is rubbish. It's like one of those cloth handkerchiefs and so odd to use with this cleanser. I don't like it one bit. I just use my flannels. For those who aren't familiar with British English, flannels are mini "glove" towels, in American English called washcloths I have them pictured here. (Confusing, I know. I guess most people think of shirts or fabric when they hear the word flannels). When I run out of flannels, I just wet the end of a regular towel. It's the same thing, so you don't need to buy flannels if you don't want to, but they are easier to use.

It's not cheap at 20£ (23€/30$ at the moment) for a tube and I'm still not a fan of flushing my money down the drain, though technically this doesn't exactly wash off completely, so I do forgive it a bit. I got mine on Look Fantastic and you can also get it on Naturisimo. Both have free worldwide shipping. If you want something cheaper and don't mind mineral oil, L'Oreal Skin Perfection 15 Seconds Miracle Cleansing Oil is nice as well.


This is a wonderful product and it's the first cleanser I'd repurchase after they discontinued Nivea Toddies gel (I bought over a dozen of those in a row). However, I'd still like to try some more cleansers as I don't want to just settle on the first balm I tried. I've been checking reviews on makeupalley and Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm is first on my list, because it supposedly removes waterproof mascara. I'd also like to try Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing gel, the famous Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, L'Occitane Immortelle Precious Cleansing Foam and Origins Clean Energy Cleansing Oil. Oh, I'm so modest...

Catrice Ultimate Colour 260 It's a Matt World

Catrice Ultimate Colour 260 It's a Matt World


It's a Matt World is one of the shades that is about to be discontinued, so I snatched it up at half price. Normally it takes me about a month before I review a product, but I decided to speed it up for this lipstick since it would be pointless posting about something you can't get any more. If you're interested in what else is going out, Moonchild has a post about it in here. These products currently have a huge discount, so grab what you want before they're gone. I posted the upcoming new products by Catrice for Spring/Summer 2014 in this post if you haven't seen them already.

It's a Matt World is a warm, but leaning more to a neutral red. It's not the most pigmented or bright shades as it needs a few layers to get the maximum intensity and compared to my other reds this is a more subtle red. The pigmentation instantly reminded me of essence's long lasting lipstick in 02 all you need it red, though It's a Matt worldstill packs more of a punch. The formula is a winner. This is one of the smoothest formulas I've tried, like it's packed with silicones and very reminiscent of the discontinued Revlon's mattes. This is such a pleasant lipstick to apply, it doesn't cling to patches and is not drying. It's not a matte finish rather more of a satin.

It fades evenly and looks really nice when it's half worn off. It lasted a decent amount of time on the lips, approximately 4 hours. Drinking wears it off a bit, but it survives through enough that you don't need to reapply it you're not fussy about such things.

It's a Matt World is a decent red that might not blow away those who love richly pigmented lip colours, however, it's a nice lipstick for those who want something more than a reddish lip stain or a balm, but aren't sure they want to venture into bright colours just yet. For 1.99€ that it costs now, I find it better that 02 all you need is red, so if you're interested go check it out.
Have a great day!

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation 010 Light Porcelain

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation 010 Light Porcelain

Everyone who is as pale as me will know how hard it is to find really fair shades to match their Snow White complexion, especially in the drugstore range. 010 Light Porcelain is a very pleasant surprise as far as the shade goes, but in terms of texture and coverage, I think there is room for improvement.

Texture: A typical liquid foundation that feels light and is runny. If I make a comparison with Bourjois Healthy Mix, which has a similar texture, Rimmel's feels greasier to me and takes a bit longer to blend, it lacks that smoothing effect that Bourjois' has. I finds it applies best with a sponge, however, then it's difficult to get much coverage.


Coverage: Honestly, according to reviews I expected a medium coverage, but this isn't it. It has light, maybe light to medium coverage. It only evens out the skin, but that's it. Also layering doesn't do much more covering. You can see on the pictures that there is very little difference between without and with the foundation. There is a bit of covering of the redness around the nose and circles, but not much. Also freckles still peak though.


Finish: It's shiny from the start and it needs a long time to set, leaving the skin sticky and tacky for ages (my major pet peeve). Once it sets, it leaves a satin finish, though it still has a bit of a glow. I always use a powder on top because I dislike feeling of tackiness and powder helps to it set faster. Without the powder, my T-zone gets shiny fast, something that doesn't happen often to me.


Colour: It is one of the lightest I found and similar to Dior's BB 001, so a pink toned very pale shade. It's a nice match for me, maybe a smidgen too pink, but blends in well in my skintone and doesn't look out of place. Interestingly, the matching concealer, Match Perfection 010 Ivory (the lightest in the bunch), is not just yellow toned, but also darker.




Scent: It has a pleasant fresh, cucumber-melon scent.





Packaging: I already shared my frustration in my New In post about how my bottle arrived without a pump. I replaced it with one from an empty L'Occitane Rice fluid (which works excellently), so I can't really comment on the packaging other than it's a glass bottle and I don't know how well the original pump works.


Price and availability: I got mine on Asos, luckily with a discount and paid 6.07 €. I believe Rimmel is widely available everywhere, except Slovenia (don't get me started), but you can also find it on Feel Unique, just not the lightest shade.


It a nice foundation, but I expected more coverage. The shade is great, however, if you're not a budget and are looking for a similar shade, I prefer Dior's BB in 001, as I find it looks better on the skin and the coverage is similar. I don't like how tacky it feels and that it needs so long to set, but not everyone is bothered by such things. I wouldn't recommend this for oily skin, since even my combination skin gets an oily T-zone fast without a powder. All in all, if you're looking for a really pale shade in the drugstore, then go for it, but if I rate it from 1 to 5, I give it a 3.5 .


The Match Perfection concealer, however, is absolutely excellent and one of my favourite ever concealers.

Have a great day!

Essie Turquoise & Caicos

Essie Turquoise & Caicos





As a fan of anything mint, turquoise and teal, Turquoise & Caicos was on my radar for a really long time, however, reports about bad formula always put me off from actually purchasing it. And you know what, the formula is miles away from being bad or uncooperative. I honestly don't get the bad feedback, there are far worse formulas.


Turquoise & Caicos is a muted greenish turquoise shade that has a subtle grey undertone, making it less bright than similar shades. Mint Candy Apple is very different - pale mint green pastel shade and might I add, for me a more difficult formula to work with (as most pastels, to be honest).


It has a jelly finish and the first coat is very sheer, however, the second gets you enough opacity already, on certain nails I need to apply three coats in total, but this is really not such a big deal as some make it to be. It applies evenly with no streaks and with Seche Vite on top, it takes about a minute or two to dry.



Turquoise & Caicos and Mint Candy Apple:



Have a great day!