Cotton Candy Eyes: Catrice Velvet Matt Eyeshadow in 020 Pink Up Girls

Is anyone else as excited as me that Catrice Cosmetics is now available at Ulta in the US? If you've never heard about Catrice, it's a European brand owned by Cosnova, which is an owner of another very inexpensive drugstore brand with stellar products, Essence. To me, Catrice is like a grown-up version of Essence: prettier packaging, better concepts and even higher quality. I'm really happy that Ulta has been expanding their range of affordable international brands; with Sephora's recent customer service fails, Ulta's definitely gaining an edge.

Anyway, back to Catrice Cosmetics: one of the must-haves in the range have always been eyeshadows, and I've been hearing nothing but raves about the matte formula of their singles, so I obviously needed to pick one up 'for research': this is the Velvet Matt Eyeshadow in 020 Pink Up Girls ($4.99 for 0.12 oz/ 3.5 g, available in 6 shades total; punny names also appreciated).

The Velvet Matts come in their classic clear plastic packaging, which I really like for the clean aesthetic and the ability to easily see the color inside. The only thing with this particular shadow is that it's a tad difficult to open; I'd advise not trying to wedge your nails in the little crack but rather pushing it open with the side of your fingers. The eyeshadow itself is domed; that, coupled with the fact that these are made in Italy, makes me think they may be a baked formula.

The tactile feel of this eyeshadow is really unique: it's so incredibly smooth and silky that it resembles one of those siliconey cream-to-powder products. It's like the epitome of buttery eyeshadow - it feels amazing when you pick it up with your finger. I'd say this is a true matte formula, which is actually not that easy to come by, and that for a lighter shade, the pigmentation is very impressive. It's not chalky, it's not patchy, it doesn't look shrivelled and dry on the eyelids; I do think it's the best matte eyeshadow formula I've come across so far at the drugstore - it can rival my Rouge Bunny Rouge mattes.

The shade Pink Up Girls is a true cool, pastel baby pink. I'm not normally one to opt for a light pink eyeshadow (hence the lack of similar shades in my arm swatches), as it can feel a bit too juvenile and girly for me, but I'm in fact quite happy I got this one, because its white base brightens my veiny eyelids very nicely without having to use any shimmer. Stila's Desire (depotted from the In The Moment palette) is the closest shade in my collection, but as you can see, it's clearly a lot peachier and a bit darker.

 I've used Catrice Pink Up Girls all over the lid in this look on top of clear eyeshadow primer (NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base) so that you could see the level of coverage. Some of my pesky veins are still showing through, but the shade definitely pops even without a colored base - I think that on top of an off-white or ivory base, the color would be even more intensive. I've also tried it on top of a medium shimmery cream eyeshadow (Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze) and the effect was very pretty - like a bronzy pink with a satin sheen, plus the whole look wore like iron for hours on end.

Yep, I have to agree with everyone who's raved about the Velvet Matt eyeshadows from Catrice - they really are an outstanding formula, especially considering the price. Even though I don't really need any more matte eyeshadows in my stash, I'm considering getting a few more just for the pure pleasure of using them. Have you tried any eyeshadows from Catrice? What are your favorite shades?

A Quartet of Peachy Pinks: Marcelle Quad Blush in Ultimate Pinks

One of the awesome things about having beauty blogging friends, besides being able to talk their ears off about all the latest make-up excitements without being completely ignored or hit in the face with a flying pillow, is that you can swap products that are not immediate loves between each other. Me and Kar Yi have recently taken to ferrying a couple goodies here and there between our make-up stashes, and thus I became a happy recipient of Marcelle's Quad Blush in Ultimate Pinks ($16 for 0.16 oz/ 4.6 g, in the US available at Birchbox.com).

 Eeeee, iz sooo pretteh! When I first laid my eyes on this sleek blush compact, I was super excited to swatch all the shades and play with different combinations on my face. Because what's not to love? I just love the idea of customizable blush with complimentary hues of pink, and I think the design of the product is really neat, although I could do without the brush compartment underneath - I don't ever use the implements that come with make-up products, and so I don't appreciate the added bulk.

The blush itself looks and swatches completely matte. While I do love my satins, a good matte is nice to pair with a more visible highlighter, or to wear on those days when you have some unwanted texture on the cheeks. The four quadrants look like very distinct shades in the pan, but I was surprised to find that the nude and the peachy shade right underneath it look very similar on the skin. Both the hot pink and the baby pink pull cooler, with the lightest shade having the least amount of pigmentation.

I'm not sure how well it's coming across in my close-up and arm swatches, but all of these shades have some amount of a white base to them, making them appear more pastel on the skin. This is probably the reason this blush didn't work for darker and warmer complected Kar Yi; but as you know, I love pastel shades on me. I will generalize here and say that Ultimate Pinks will probably work the best on a fair, cool skintones, and may appear too pale and chalky on darker skintones.

Speaking of chalky... This Marcelle Quad Blush is indeed a bit chalky. What a bummer, right? The pigmentation is medium at most in my opinion, and when you attempt to build up the color on the skin, it gets a bit powdery and obvious. You can probably see that a little bit in my heavy arm swatches.

Shades swatched separately clockwise from the close-up photo; the last swatch on the right is all the shades mixed together.

Ultimate Pinks still look pretty on the cheeks - as you know, I just love peachy pink blushes on me. But I do wish the formula was a bit better; it just doesn't meld into the skin as well as some of my other favorite matte or satin formulas. So ultimately (har har), I'm not sure if I'll keep this Quad Blush in my stash or pass it on to a more appreciative friend or relative.

Canadian friends, what do you recommend from Marcelle's make-up range? I think I've only ever tried their moisturizer with sunscreen when I lived in Vancouver, and it was just okay. Are there any hidden gems? Everyone else, what is your favorite multi-hued blush? I have to say Marcelle's Quad Blush is the first one I've ever tried!

My Spring Make-up Palette

Happy second day of spring, beautiful readers! Can you already feel it coming? Last year, after experiencing the season on the East Coast for the first time, I bitched and moaned that New York didn't get any spring at all - it was just bitterly cold, then grey and rainy, then straight onto summer. But you know what, this year, even though it's still rather chilly and nothing at all is blooming yet except for my house orchids, I feel the change in the air, in the angle of sunlight, in my energy levels. I'm ready for warmer weather!

Taking a page from Gummy's book, I decided to shop my own stash for some spring-themed make-up. I'm all about the de riguer springtime shades like pastels and peachy pinks, because they suit my fair complexion very well. Nearly all of the products featured here have been previously discussed and reviewed in detail, so... Let's just feast our eyes on some cheery product shots, shall we?

For the eyes, I obviously had to whip out my Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trio in BL215 Static - I don't own another eyeshadow palette that's more perfect for the season than this one, and as a bonus, it can be layered over different eye bases for a variety of looks. To be completely honest, I rarely do that though; I prefer to use these shades as accents in the inner corners of my eyes or along the lower lashline. I basically plan to use bareMinerals Eye Color in Celery, Fyrinnae Electric Stardust and When I Grow Up, as well as MAC Satin Eyeshadow in Heroine, a beautiful periwinkle blue, in the same way, or to add interest to a pencil eyeliner, like the NYX Slide On in Pretty Violet, on the upper lashline. Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Sugar Frost can add some dimension via its angelic champagne sparkle to any eye look I decide to create.

L-R: Laura Mercier Sugar Frost, NYX Slide On in Pretty Violet, Fyrinnae When I Grow Up, MAC Heroine, Fyrinnae Electric Stardust, bareMinerals Celery

Nothing groundbreaking on the lips, but I was happy to be reminded of the gorgeous texture of Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine in PK331 and the Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani Sheers in Coral, both sheer, lightweight, comfortable, glossy formulas. To balance out the high-end stuff, I also threw the Covergirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in Watermelon Twist into my current make-up basket. Since all of these products give off intense shine on the lips, I didn't really need a gloss, but I always enjoy wearing the Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in Rose Shimmer.

L-R: Covergirl Watermelon Twist, Clarins Lip Perfector in Rose Shimmer, Shu Uemura Supreme Shine PK331, Giorgio Armani Sheers in Coral 301

For blush, I was really feeling The Face Shop Pastel Cushion Blusher in Coral Cushion and the NYX Powder Blush in Pinky. The first is a bit too sheer, the other a bit too pigmented, but the effect of both once applied is that of a youthful, glowy cheek. No arm swatches, because... lazy.

The consequence of taking these extreme face close-ups is not only realizing you have stray brow hairs that need plucking and freckles even on your browbone, but also feeling the odd detachment of your own face looking alien to yourself.

For this Face of the Day, I kind of took the 'all the things, all at the same time' approach to feature as many products as I could combine in action, but on a normal day (who am I kidding, what is a normal day?!), I'd only reach for a couple of products from my spring palette and pair them with some boring neutrals. For the eyes, I used Laura Mercier Sugar Frost on the lid with some lighter brown to add definition to the crease, and lined my upper lashline with a dark eggplant eyeliner (Urban Decay Rockstar from my Project Make A Dent), layering NYX Pretty Violet over the top on the inner half of my eyes. I love how that turned out!

On the lower lashline, I combined MAC Heroine and Fyrinnae When I Grow Up, with Electric Stardust in the very inner corner. The rest of my face is a standard base of Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Procelain set with MUFE HD Powder (Project MAD again), some light bronzing courtesy of The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder, NYX Pinky on the cheeks and Shu Uemura PK331 on the lips. Clearly, I don't match my make-up to my outfits, because all of these cool tones look rather clashy against my red sweater. ANYWAY.

Which products out of your make-up stash do you always bring out for spring? Have you bought any pieces from spring collections this year? Or do you abhorr pastels and impatiently look forward to the warm summer shades?

Glittery Glimmers: Shu Uemura Eyeshadow in IR Pink 115

Uhmm, no, not done with glitter quite yet, my dears. I will admit that I went through a difficult phase of glitterophobia about two years ago - any glittery make-up product I touched would either leave my lips dry and gritty, or form a trail of sparkly dandruff all over my cheeks, and was always, always, an absolute b*tch to remove. But I'm over my fears now, as you may have deduced from my last nail-centered post: I've found glittery make-ups that WORK. Well, I do still avoid glitter on the lips though.

So let me present a perfect example of a glitter that works: Shu Uemura Silk Smooth Eyeshadow Refill in IR(idescent) Pink 115 ($15 for 1.4 g/0.049 oz), another stellar recommendation from Driveller Kate. Here's what Shu's IR Pink 115 is and isn't: it IS a fine fiery opal glitter, shifting between pink and orange, and it IS NOT a pigmented base with some chunky glitter thrown in for added interest. Iridescent Pink 115 is meant to be a glitter topper, to be layered with another, more opaque shadow underneath - very much like many other glitter eyeshadows from Asian brands.

Shu Uemura IR Pink 115 eyeshadow shot at different angles.

WHICH is also the reason why Shu's Iridescent Pink turned out to be nearly impossible to photograph accurately. But, instead of giving up completely, I thought I could at least try to show you a textural difference between some other glitter eyeshadows in my collection as well as a satin finish transforming shadows from the recent Shiseido release. I hope that in the arm swatch, you can see that Shu's IR Pink 115 is very similar in texture to the glitter shade in Visee Bitter Brown quad, and very much texturally different from something like Too Faced Nude Beach eyeshadow from the old Natural Eye palette (another example: Urban Decay's Sidecar shadow from the first Naked palette). Shiseido's Static trio is a similar concept to Shu's glitter, but a luminous satin finish instead of glitter. Shiseido's shadows can also be used alone without the need for layering, since they do have a colored base.

L-R: Shu Uemura IR Pink 115 on top of a plum base, Shu IR Pink 115 alone, glitter shade from Visee Bitter Brown quad, Too Faced Nude Beach, pink shade from Shiseido Static trio

In terms of application and wear, Shu Uemura's Iridescent Pink adheres very well on top of another shadow or a cream base, and doesn't migrate all over my face - no, seriously, I couldn't find any glitter specks on the rest of my face at all. It also doesn't hurt my eyes, and it's not difficult to get off, even with a micellar make-up remover. The texture is creamy & smooth and the glitter quite dense, so patting on with a brush is a piece of cake.

In the arm swatch above, you can see how absolutely stunning IR Pink 115 looks on top of dark shades: I used the Avon Extra Lasting Eyeshadow Pencil in Smoky Plum for the base. In the face shot below, I opted for a lighter base, using the Avon Extra Lasting shadow stick in Amethyst, and the effect was more subtle, but still very pretty, especially in the inner corners where the light hit the glitter at just the right angle.

I really wish more of the Shu glitter eyeshadows were available in the US; I guess for now, we have to console ourselves with the sparkly shades in the Tom Ford and Charlotte Tilbury quads. What are your thoughts on glitter eyeshadows? Do you love them, hate them, only wear them for special occasions?

Spring in September: Shiseido Eye Color Trio in BL215 Static

It hasn't been very long since I reviewed my first Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trio in BE213 Nude, and now, via a passed-on PR sample gifted by a blogging friend, I have a second one to show you: a delicate pastel trio in BL215 Static ($33 for 3g/0.1 oz), which is part of Shiseido's Fall/Winter 2014 Collection.

Yes, I know: pale pastels for Fall. I'm really not sure where Shiseido was going with this combo, as the rest of the collection is decidely more autumnal; check out Larie's review and swatches of the Floracouture trio here. Given their mostly Asian customer base and the usual cold season trends, I can't see Static being a huge hit at the counters - quite undeservedly so, as this trio is beautifully executed in its own right. Once you get over the dark A/W palette, Static shines with its understated elegance, evoking wispy, cotton candy clouds lit by a sunrise, or the polished mother of pearl glow on the inside of a seashell.

In terms of texture/formula of the eyeshadows in this trio, I find it very similar to Nude - meaning excellent: soft, dimensional, easily blendable. In my experience, pastel eyeshadows are tricky to get right: either sheer and patchy, or pigmented and chalky, looking forced and unflattering on the lids. Static somehow manages to meander these obstacles, adhering to the skin evenly, and giving eyes a subtly luminous, fresh quality; mind you, Shiseido's formula isn't the most pigmented, but I have no problems whatsoever getting these to show up on me. All three shades have a soft opalescence (mint green, pale violet and light purpley pink respectively) and a strong white base, which manages to cover my veiny lids without looking too heavy. I don't have any comparison swatches for you this time as I don't really own many comparable pastels, but for reference sake, the shades in Static remind me strongly of the Fyrinnae 'Ghost' eyeshadow series, only with less duochrome and sparkle.

I concocted a simple eye look using the light pink on the lid, the beige brown from the Nude trio in the crease, and the mint green in the inner corners and along the lower lashline. This is inadverently a very similar placement to the one suggested by Dick Page himself (here's a link to his 'Soft Look' tutorial using the Static trio), only substituting the light blue in/above the crease with a more neutral shade. I also used a warm blush on the cheeks (Laura Geller in Boysenberry) and the Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine in PK331 in on the lips - but I like the sheer mauve worn by Shiseido's model much better than this light pink.

Not much more to say about the awesomeness of Static; if you like pastel eyeshadows, I strongly recommend you check it out. I know that for some of you, especially of the darker and warmer complexions, pastels are extremely hard to work with; but for those who have similarly cool/neutral fair skin, the pastel shades in Static make for a beautiful accent on the eyes, in case you're not into using all three together. For some more ideas on using pastel eyeshadows, check out some of my other looks featuring Lancôme Color Design Infinité 24H Eyeshadow in Evermore Lilac here, bareMinerals Eyecolor in Celery here, and a general lower lashline accent placement here.

Have you picked anything up from the Shiseido Fall collection? Do you ever wear pastel shades on the eyes?