Catching Up on some Catrice Reviews

I've tried a few Catrice products to date and unfortunately not all of them have been good.  I would probably never buy another of their eyeshadows (Essence either), although I love their polishes.  These are a few things I've tried recently but never got around to posting them.

First is Ultimate Shine lipstick in 050 "Simply Rosewood".

While the shade may not be for everyone, I actually really love it, it just is so perfectly mauve to me.  But on my lips it does look a bit purpler than the tube.  The problem for me was the texture- it's so, so smooth that it actually feels too thin and slippery on my lips, so it doesn't cover very well at all, so it doesn't look that great.  Fail.  

Next, the eyeliners.  My expectations were low since the one black one I own looks like something that you'd dip a calligraphy pen in, but wanted to try them anyway.  

The felt tip one: 

I really like this one, it just glides on my eye really smooth.  The tip is really stiff and holds a lot of product.  Great that it doesn't bend when you don't want it to, and you don't have to go over the same spot three times.  I really love the colour too.  

The gel liners: 

Cute names- also note the two different locations: 

These two have really no similarities.  The bronze one is very smooth and pigmented.  Once it dries (just a few seconds) it is absolutely unmoveable, and needs an oil based remover.  The silver one is really soft, but it is more like a weak cream shadow- it doesn't stay on well at all.  

I'm still not too sure about the brand overall.... do any of you know of any standout products from them (good or bad)??? 

Happy Valentine's Day Mini Giveaway!

I am really happy to be having a giveaway again, just sorry the prize is modest.... shipping restrictions and all that, so better to be on the safe side. If all goes well I hope to have another one soon.  

Open to all followers (yes, worldwide!) and is open until midnight Feb. 27th, prize will be mailed mid-March.

The prize is a set of Coraline fauxnads :) 

And LO17 plate (watermelons), A41 plate, and some different shaped French tip guides: 

Be sure to leave a comment below on what your favourite stamping image either is or would be.  

Best wishes!!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Coraline Fauxnads

The Coraline Konad sets are really hard to find now, but I thought they were really cute and it's a movie I've actually seen.

I took a chance on ordering the Fauxnads and they turned out pretty decent.

Stamping on paper isn't as easy as it looks sometimes!  My hand got really cramped stamping all these- there are 6 plates in total hey I dont know what happened to image C05.

Wanted: Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner Pencils!

Oh wow I mean how amazing do these look!!!  And a nude waterproof eyeliner in a budget brand????  Sold!!!

Maybelline Super Stay 14 Hour Lipsticks

Since I did like the Maybelline lip stains a lot, I decided to purchase three of these without knowing anything about them.

The shades I bought were Stay With Me Coral (430), Infinitely Fuchsia (160), and Ravishing Rouge (540).  Here they are swatched in natural light: 

And indoors with flash: 

Lovely colours, right?  Unfortunately they work better on my arm than my lips.  Every problem that you try to avoid with a lipstick, these have it.  First, they are absolutely unforgiving and I would definitely recommend a lip liner. 

Here is Ravishing Rouge on my lips:

Stay With Me Coral: 

Here you can start to see the problem- the texture.  These are super pigmented and go on smooth (with a little effort), but they dry down super matte.  Then after a few minutes the lipstick starts to become intensely grainy, really uncomfortable because I could actually feel it doing that on my lips.  

They also bled very badly on me, not right away but after a few hours of wear but the effect was horrible.  They are so drying, so scratchy, plus they bleed?  No thank you.  One good thing I can say is that they are incredibly saturated, although this too can be problematic if you overapply, so using a lip brush helps, but I hardly find it worth the effort.  The last straw for me was the cheapo dollar store packaging despite the fact that they cost much more.  All of this adds up to a product I would assuredly pass on.  

Target Collaboration: Prabal Gurung Dress

This is my absolute favourite piece of the new collection.

I also really like this: 

Pink & Grey

I have been seeing a lot of pink eyeshadow looks these days...not sure why.  I've always liked it even if it's not the most flattering on me, so here I tried to tone it down with some grey.  The pinks are from Sleek Good Girl palette.

I actually ended up putting on more eyeliner after I saw this picture but I didn't have time to photo it.  And I was wearing lip colour there, I don't know why it doesn't show up.  

The same shade is here:

I don't know if either looks ok, but at least I'm trying.  

Essence I Heart Stage Eyeshadow Base

I really thought this was a concealer when I bought it, I even asked the employee if it came in another colour.... but I'm glad it isn't!

Standard applicator: 

One swipe: 

But blends invisibly: 

This is actually a really nice primer.  It's thick and does a great job smoothing my lid prior to eyeshadow.  I've been experimenting with shadows lately because I use primer more out of habit than anything else, but I really feel it helps shadows adhere and stay on longer.  

I used this with regular eyeshadows and liked it.  I didn't get any creasing at all.  But to really put it to the test I tried it with some that I know have a lot of fall out and tend to migrate off as the day wears on.  This is how it looked at the end of 12 hours: 

Now, I think that's pretty good, specially considering this is a really inexpensive product.  It isn't tacky or sticky, but I really love the smooth thickness of it.  I would definitely repurchase. 

Lush Angels on Bare Skin

Another Lush product from my recent haul.

This is their best selling facial cleanser, and honestly, I don't know if I love it or hate it.  Those little things that look like caraway seeds are lavender flower buds, and it smells like lavender Wrigley's Spearmint gum.  It feels like it too, kind of clay, wet-gum like rolled on your face.  I don't like the way it feels, it's kind of sticky  to me but when I rinse it off, it's amazing- my skin is so soft and smooth, and it really does reduce the redness I've been having around my cheeks.  It just makes my face feel so soothed and nice, and it looks really polished.  I am trying to stick with it since I really do like the results, and I want to use it up, but I think I'll be looking for a new cleanser after I finish it.  

Long Time No LOTD

Yeah I am way bad with posting looks!  I decided to go with some colourful shades lately.

Coffee Break!

Here is my most recent stamping attempt... I think plain white is just too weird on me ( it always looks like white-out to me lol) so I topped two coats of white with a flakie coat and then did this Starbucks logo from LO15, some coffee cups with HB24.  I couldn't believe I only had this one coffee plate!

I read beforehand that the HB plates were really hard to use, but there were a few I just couldn't live without.  It turns out they really are almost too hard to use!  If you scrape too hard, the polish just comes right off the image.  But if you scrape too lightly, it's all streaky.  And that's if you get the image to transfer at all!! 

Is this Stamper worth $16?

I am going to cut to the point here: NO.  I bought mine for around $2, and it's a nice stamper.  I always got nervous using my pink stamper with pink and red polishes, so this one you can see every one.  Not only that, but its huge, picks up very well, and these are actually my favorite scrapers. My only issue with it is my nails are a little narrow so it's a bit difficult to center the image sometimes.

But is it worth $16? No. Not even the Konad one is that high.  I don't think I'd pay over $5. I have no problem supporting new businesses but really?  That's kind of taking advantage of the consumer in my opinion.  

Essence Oh My Glitter!

I love light purple nail polish, I really do.  This one is so pretty with the glitter.  I really envy nail bloggers and have a lot of appreciation, my world would crash without them lol!!!  But seriously I feel like I am arthritic every time I try to photo my own nails, it's ridiculous.  This is the best I can do.

This one is pretty sheer with the first coat, it took me three.  

Also here are some Maybelline Colorama swatches, sorry these are so overdue but better late than never!  

They are Candy Apple, Cool Blue, and Coral Craze.  Candy Apple is much sheerer than the other two, the swatch is two coats and it takes me three on my nails as well.  

I am trying not to buy so much stuff since I planned on being out of here and back home by this summer, but that really seems like a lofty goal at this point, so I really don't know. 

Lush Helping Hands

I got this because I was having a really bad problem with a few of my nails peeling.  I went to a nail place and the lady told me to rub them with olive oil three times a day, and keep polish off.  I've been doing that and they are in much better shape already, but I also thought my hands being a bit dry wasn't helping either.  From housework and helping my son in the bathroom, I just wash my hands so many times.

This cream is supposed to help people like healthcare workers who wash and sanitize their hands very frequently.  I was almost out of my Nuxe honey hand cream, and I thought this one was crazy expensive until I looked and saw it costs just a little bit more, but you get 1/3 more product.  The only issue for me is, you just need a little bit so it'll probably go bad before I use it all.

I have been using this daily, and I can really feel and see a difference.  My hands are softer, smoother, and even the skin around my cuticles and nails is staying hydrated.  It is a thick cream but it isn't greasy or heavy feeling at all.  It looks like fruity yoghurt with a creamy texture and I wholeheartedly recommend it especially for wintery hands like mine, it really helps!