Catrice Forget-Me-Not Mattified!

I looooooove this manicure. I bought Forget-Me-Not for the sole purpose of mattifying it and I was right, it looks so good matte!


To see more color accurate pictures of what this polish looks like on it's own, check out these swatches from Witoxicity. For some reason my camera made this one look a lot more blue than it is irl.



Just like we've come to expect from Catrice, this applied like a dream. I love their brush, formula and opacity! I used two coats, 1 coat of Nubar Diamont (old formula) and Catrice Nail Expert Matt Top Coat. Then I used Bundle Monster plate BM02 and China Glaze Millenium for stamping.



I'd like to say I got my blogging groove back but I don't want to jinx it. However, I'm having a lot of fun experimenting with polishes and nail-art over the past few days and it's been great to talk to all of you again!

Thanks for looking and until next time!

xoxo Kirsten

Random Swatch Time : Hip Queens Wear Blue Jeans

First off..... WHOO HOO 2600 followers! OMG, thanks you guys, all of you!!!

Again, just clearing out my 'drafts' in my posting section. Here is another I received in a swap, and it is so pretty!!! I do wish the shimmer showed better in pics :( Oh well, this was 2 coats of Catrice Hip Queens Wear Blue Jeans.

Low Budget (Euro) Matte Top Coats Compared!

Euro - Brick & Mortar

Hi everyone! It's saturday, woohoo! Finally a little time to spend on the blog. For today I have something that will mostly interest Europeans since these brands are not (that easily) available elsewhere, so sorry about that!

I know there are a gazillion matte top coats out there, but I know a lot of people don't like to buy online, so for the people who can get their mitts on these brands I decided to compare three low budget matte top coats!

What top coats?

The top coats in question, are made by Hema, Essence and Catrice. I'll be mainly focusing on their mattifying abilities and their price, and not so much the wear as this is different for everyone.

Likes / Dislikes

As you can see there is one top coat that noticeably falls behind: the Hema matte top coat. It applies very nicely, but it's more satin looking. If this is your thing, I'd say check it out, if you're more into true mattes: skip it! I have reviewed this product before, saying it was not streaky, but today it definitely was! Not so cool. The other two are pretty much identical. They're both made by Cosnova, applied the same way, so I was wondering if these might be the same product in different bottles? Unfortunately I couldn't find ingredients anywhere - which is a major letdown - I think all products should have their ingredients attached to their back.
What I didn't like about the Essence and Catrice top coats was the fact the brushes pick up color. You don't want your top coat to change color, so don't forget to clean up the brush if it got dirty.

Cheap, Cheaper, Cheapest

The Essence Matt top coat costs €1.75 / 8ml, the one by Catrice is €1.99 / 12ml and the Hema will cost you €2.50 / 11ml. As you can see the one by Hema is the most expensive, but the least matte looking. If you want to go for a true matte, I'd suggest you look into the ones by Essence and Catrice. The Essence looks the cheapest, with its price of only €1.75, but is it REALLLLY? A little breakdown:

	Hema Top Coat Matt	Catrice Matt Top Coat	Essence Matt Top Coat
Price in €	2.50	1.99	1.75
Per ml	11	12	8
Price per 100ml	22.73	16.58	21.86

So, if you're looking for a decent, true matte top coat, for the smallest price, the one by Catrice wins hands down!

One product in this post was provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for review. For more information please read my disclaimer

Catrice Preview - Product Information

More pics and information

Hi guys! If you haven't read my post about the new and improved Catrice line yet, I'd suggest to take a peek before moving on to this post! In this post I'll give you an overview what products exactly will be released, what they do and how much they cost.

Favorites

Since I had the chance to play around with these products, I already have some favorites. I really really like the eyeshadows, they're extremely well pigmented and their color selection is endless. I'm also digging the new nail polish colors, since they're not your typical pink or red, but trendy blue, greige and green. The powder brushes are really soft too and those compacts are just to die for! What do you think? This article is a bit on the picture heavy side so read more after the jump!

CATRICE Lash Plus

25% longer lashes within one month? The effect of this product has been proven!

CATRICE Lash Plus Lash Growth Volume Mascara

Ultimate lashes with the Lash Growth Volume Mascara! The unique formula with active ingredients stimulates the lash growth and gives the lashes length and shine. Price: 4.99 eur

CATRICE Lash Plus Intensive Lash Growth Serum

An absolute must-have for long, expressive lashes. The Lash Growth Serum remains active all day and night. Apply the transparent product like you would apply eyeliner on your lash line, to active the growth of your lashes. Price: 4.99 eur.

CATRICE Better than Waterproof Mascara

This mascara is 100% water resistant. Gives immediate volume and is easy to remove by applying warm water. Price: 4,99 eur.

CATRICE Lashes to Kill Mascara

Guarantees breathtaking volume, sensational length and unique, amazing lashes. CATRICE Lashes to Kill Mascara is the secret weapon for that irresistibly stunning look! Price: 3.99 eur.

CATRICE Absolute Colour Mono Eye Shadow

Absolute color, absolute sustainability and absolute coverage in 32 trendy colors. The inspiration: the internation trends of the runway. The look: From sexy glamour to cool understatement. The effects: from matte to shine and from metallic to satin. Price: 2.79 eur.

CATRICE Absolute Colour Duo Eye Shadow

A variation of effects and expressive trendy color combinations in eight Duo Eye Shadows. Perfect to apply, thanks to a soft and silky texture. Easy to create professional looks with subtle blending. Price: 3.97 eur.

CATRICE Smokey Eyes Set

Mysterious, smokey and ideal to create the perfect smokey eyes. Four matching colors and a professional applicator wand guarantee that casual-elegant look. Available in three color combinations. Price: 4.49 eur each.

CATRICE Eye Brow Set

The perfect set for beautifully shaped eyebrows. This kit contains tweezers, brushes and mirros and two eyebrow powders voor light and dark eye brows. Versatile, practical and elegant. Price: 3.99.

CATRICE Sharpener

2in1: the CATRICE Sharpener let's you sharpen small and big pencils. Available in black-white and white-black. Price: 1.29 eur.

CATRICE Long Lasting Eye Liner Pen

The Long Lasting Eye Liner Pen makes you happy! The easy to use rotating system makes sure the pen is always ready to use. Major plusses for fun and easy application are also the creamy texture and durability. Mix & Match? Available in three new trendy fall colors. Price: 1,99 each.

CATRICE Lip Appeal Moisture & Shine Lip Gloss

More shine and volume: transform your lips in to absolute eye catchers! Lip Appeal Lipgloss comes with a soft vanilla scent, a flexible, but precise applicator, a moisturizing formula, extraordinary gloss and an exclusive design. Available in ten brilliant colors. Price: 3.79 eur each.

CATRICE Colour Show Colour & Stay Lip Gloss

Long lasting, astounding, fashionable! Colour Show Gloss holds up to four hours and has a fascinating shine and an intense color. An irresistible fruity scent, a fine soft texture, a flexible, but precise, applicator: for beautiful lips in only seconds, what else could you wish for? Available in ten trendy colors perfect for this season. Price: 3.97 eur each.

CATRICE Multi Colour Compact Powder

For the perfect finish. The new Graffiti technology, makes no room for visible impurities. Five perfect combined nuances for the perfect teint. Matte and smooth, natural and fresh. Available for the light and dark skin. Price: 4.49 eur.

CATRICE Powder Brush

A well kept secret: to create the perfect color, like make up artists do, you need the right brush! Picks up the right amount of powder and distributes evenly. The full brush comes in a handy, compact shape. The hairs are made of rayon. Price: 4.49 eur.

CATRICE Blush Brush

Subtle accentuated cheekbones are incredibly sexy! The supple CATRICE Blush Brush is a perfect match for your daily beauty ritual and a naturally looking look. You won't be able to go without this soft brush that applies blush so easily. Available in a handy container with ziplock. Price: 3.99 eur.

CATRICE Eye Shadow Sponge Applicators

Everybody needs at least one or two of these for an irresistible eye look: Sponge Applicators. The set contains three flexible, oval sponge applicatiors, to ensure the most elegant eyeshadow variations in no-time! Available in a handy container with ziplock. Price: 1.99 eur

CATRICE Eye Shadow Brush Applicator

Whether you use loose or compact eyeshadow, they're all easy to apply with this multi talent: the Professional CATRICE eyeshadow brush. With a soft round edge. Available in a handy container with ziplock. Price: 2.29 eur.

CATRICE Ultimate Nail Laquer

The 32 core colors are ultimate! But there are more colors from CATRICE. Your nails are this season the ultimate fashion accessory! This is the absolute favorite with intense color, perfect shine and coverage for at least up to seven days with one handy application. The innovative brush offers professional quality. Available in three new seasonal colors. Price: 2.49 each.

CATRICE Matt Top Coat

3, 2, 1, matte! This brand new Matt Top Coat by CATRICE gives shiny nail polish a fashionable matte finish. Apply this top coat on dry polish, wait a few seconds and witness how every nail polish gets that hip look! Price: 1.99 eur.

Release date

The new CATRICE products will be available this November!

Catrice Preview - New products & some swatches

Catrice Press Presentation

Catrice used to a bit old fashioned, but lately they've definitely been spicing it up. A while ago they already started renewing their line by adding many great nail polishes, but that's not where it ends. Catrice spent some time figuring out what people really like to see and also had focus groups to determine what kind of products people really go for. Inspired by the latest (runway) trends, Catrice is revamping a huge part of their line this November!

Me and a group of bloggers were invited to have a look at what they've got in store for us, so I'm really excited to give you the lowdown! Catrice will show an entire new face this november, a lot has changed, their packaging, formulas and even their style. Where Catrice used to play it safe, they're now busting out a very mixed core selection. Whether you like neutrals or bright bold colors, Catrice has it all.

Collection info

I actually have all the promo photos of their products. When I'm done writing this post, I'll immediately start making a separate article where you can find all the pics and more information. For now, I'll show you some products that I found quite impressive and even some swatches of their new nail polishes.

New display

Catrice has an entire new display in store for us, the new products will mostly be located in the middle area. The nail care area you see in the top, were the first to undergo a huge makeover months ago, and the lower area, that contains foundations and other skin products will be improved later on. The middle section is where all the action happens, you'll find lots and lots of new items there, like eye and lip products!

Catrice Absolute Colour Mono, Duo & Smokey Eye

Catrice has put in some major effect to come up with a LOT of new eyeshadows. There will be 32 monos, 8 duos and 3 smokey eye kits. Wowza! And they come in a variety of colors, textures and finishes. I got the chance to play around with these and they're quite pigmented!

New Ultimate Nail Lacquer

While I do like makeup, you know I LOVE nail polish. Catrice is adding three new seasonal shades to their Ultimate Nail Lacquer line. The colors are called Absolutely Chinchilly!, Run Forest Run! and Hip Queens Wear Jeans! And no nail polish collection is complete without a matte top coat! I brought a nailwheel from home, so I was able to do some quick swatching for you guys. I wish they would've added more, but then again, it's never enough for polish freaks like us!

Catrice Multi Colour Compact Powder

This looks so pretty, it just screamed to be photographed! It's a very nice compact powder, available for fair and dark skin.

I had a really great day! Catrice and their PR representatives were extremely nice and welcoming. Thank you! The location was lovely and filled with beautiful billboards - as pictured above - and I got the chance to meet some lovely bloggers, what else could I wish for?! Catrice was extremely generous and let us go home with many new products, so expect swatches soon. Be sure to check back in a while for more information on the new line too!

Baroque Chic

I'm a winter-person. I love tweed, warm woolen sweaters and mittens. Waking up to see ice flowers on the bedroom window and staying in bed just a little longer, curled up under the blankets. Cooking typical (Dutch) winter foods like stews, hotch potch and pea soup. Taking a long walk when the first snow falls, even if it's in the middle of the night. Or should I say especially in the middle of the night? The world is a magical place when it's covered in a white layer. Everything is so peaceful and quiet.

I'm a longing for winter and I'm getting a bit sick of all the happy pastels and glittery goodness so for todays nails I used Catrice The Devil Wears Red; a nice near-black red vampy polish. I'm told TDWR is a dupe for Chanel Rouge Noir. I don't have that one so I don't know how close it is but it's a beautiful vampy nonetheless.

I've been painting my nails at night with poor lighting again (will I ever learn?) and I woke up this morning to discover a couple of spots that weren't covered completely so I decided to cover them up with a little Konad.

I used Konad plate M71 and China Glaze 2030 from the Khrome Collection for stamping. Most chrome polishes are great for stamping and this one is no exception! The result is always very crisp and clean and the shine is amazing.

Remember you can buy all your Konad supplies and China Glaze and other polishes from www.enchantra.eu at a 15% discount with the code DTCHNLBLG! They ship to most of Europe.

Catrice Caramé Collection

Caramé conjures up visions of an evening stroll over an oriental bazaar: it’s still very warm, despite the late hour. The air is laden with the smell of oriental spices. Dusk slowly lays its blanket of peace and quiet over the vibrant, pulsating bustle of the market between Persian tapestry, blackened bronze jewellery and expressive Indian fabrics.

Today I'll be showing you 3 out of 4 polishes that belong to the newest Limited Edition collection by Catrice: The Catrice Caramé Collection. Of course I wanted to cover all four, but I couldn't find them all :-(.

Catrice - Bronzed Brown

Pretty shimmery brown. I'm not a big fan of browns, but this one isn't that bad. I applied 2 coats and experienced no issues at all. I probably won't wear this one often though, since I have no outfit to match it with ;-).

Catrice - Oriental Orange

I wouldn't really call this a true orange, more an orange-y red. Nothing unique of course, but I can appreciate a good red when I see one. The thing I love about Oriental Orange, is the finish, it's a jelly. Jellies are usually extremely shiny, and this one is just like that.
But there's often one big downside when it comes to jellies: they're sheer. I had to apply 4 coats and I still had a visible nail line.. It goes one very smooth and nicely though!

Catrice - Spiced Bronze

This one's kinda fun. Spiced Bronze really lives up to its name, it's a bronze with a little bit of edge to it. Pretty cool. I applied 2 coats but after seeing the pictures I think it could've used a third. No other problems whatsoever.

The polish that's missing is Berry Bazaar, a pretty berry creme or jelly. If I find it I'll make sure it will be added to this post.

Overall conclusion

The formula of these is pretty good, they weren't as thick as some of the nail polishes from their core line. No bubbling, dragging or any other funky stuff, while it's pretty hot out here. The colors aren't really my cup of tea, but that just boils down to personal taste. I do think they did a very good job visualizing the theme they were going for. The price tag is a huge plus too, they only cost 2,49 EUR or 3.15 USD each and are now in stores!

Enter the giveaway by Catrice

If you're interested in winning this collection (entire collection, not just the nail polish), Catrice is giving away 30 sets! You'll only have to fill in the form here.

Eyeko - Posh Polish & a taupe comparison

Taupe

Lately I've been on a taupe kick. I'm not sure why because usually I like to wear bright, bold colors that stand out. But somehow I'm really digging taupe, I think it's a very classy color that's easily matched with a lot of outfits. It's a neutral, but definitely not boring in my book.

According to Wikipedia there are many types of taupe:

dark taupe	med. taupe	pale taupe	mauve taupe	sandy taupe	grey taupe	rose taupe	purple taupe

Eyeko Posh Polish, for Ladylike nails

Recently I received Posh Polish by Eyeko, and I quite like it. This creme polish applies pretty smoothly, completely opaque in 2 coats and no other funny problems worth mentioning. I didn't use a top coat this time, and as you can see it's not incredibly glossy on it's own.
Like all Eyeko polishes this one came in such a cute packaging, it says: Posh Polish, for Ladylike nails. And even I do feel like a lady wearing this, haha.

Taupe Comparison

However, I own a lot of taupes, and this one isn't my favorite of the bunch, simply because I like my taupes a tad darker. To show you how it compares to some other taupes I have, I threw in this little comparison:

I do feel like I should have included OPI's You Don't Know Jacques, Over The Taupe and maybe even Chanel's Particuliere, but I couldn't justify buying more of this shade after already owning all of these haha. So please forgive me!

As you can see Eyeko's Posh Polish is quite on the lighter side. I think my favorites are the two Catrice polishes: From Dusk To Dawn and Lost in Mud!

What is your favorite taupe polish?

Eyeko polishes cost £3.50 (€4.- or $5.40) for 8.5ml. Eyeko products can be bought online at www.eyeko.com. Their shipping is extremely cheap: either free (if you're in the UK or Europe) or $5.40 for all international orders.

This polish was sent to me for review by Eyeko

Catrice Limited Edition: The Oceana Collection!

Catrice heeft ons niet alleen een geweldige core line gegeven maar ze blijven ook nog steeds erg mooie (en erg beperkte) limited editions uitbrengen. De meest recente is Oceana.

Niet alle kleuren in deze collectie horen bij het thema vind ik maar wat maakt het uit. Wat wel leuk is, is dat deze collectie twee matte lakjes heeft en dat de kwaliteit erg goed is!

Op naar de swatches.

Catrice did not only bring us an amazing new core line, they also continue to make very nice (very) limited editions. The most recent one is Oceana.

Not all the colours in the collection make sense to me but who cares. What matters is that this collection has two mattes and the quality of the polishes is great!

So, on to the swatches.

Pebble Beach, a zachte lichtgrijs. Dit is mijn favoriet uit deze collectie! De finish is meer satijnachtig dan mat maar dat past bij deze kleur ook wel heel erg goed. Dit is twee laagjes en de dekking was erg goed. De formule was prettig om mee te werken omdat deze niet, in tegenstelling tot sommige andere matte lakjes, haast op het kwastje al droog is.

Pebble Beach, a soft, light grey. This is my favourite from this collection! The finish is more satin than matte but that suits really well with this colour. I used two coats in this pic but the formula was very opaque. It's also easy to work with because, unlike other mattes I've worked with, it doesn't dry before it's properly on your nail.

Sea Of Green. Deze mooie turquoise is ook weer meer satijnachtig dan mat en is een goede tweede favoriet. Mooi! Ook deze was dekkend in twee laagjes en droogde eenmaal op de nagel redelijk snel. Dat is altijd erg prettig aan matte lakken. Bij cremes vind ik een satijnachtige finish ook mooier dan echt mat.

Sea Of Green. This nice turquoise that also dries to a satin finish instead of matte. It's a close second to my favourite. Pretty! This one was also opaque in two coats and once on the nail, it dried pretty fast. I like that about mattes. With cremes I also prefer satin finishes over true matte.

Ik hoor om me heen dat dit een matte versie van I Sea You van Catrice zou zijn maar dat is zoals je ziet niet het geval! Om de vergelijking qua kleur goed te kunnen maken heb ik over beide een topcoat gedaan. Op mijn wijsvinger en ringvinger zit I Sea You en op mijn middelvinger en pink Sea Of Green. Zoals je ziet is Sea Of Green donkerder dan I Sea You.

Word around the blogs is this is a matte version of I Sea You by Catrice but as you can see it is not! To be able to compare the colours correctly I added a topcoat to both of them. I Sea You is on my index and ring finger, Sea Of Green on my middle finger and pinky. As you can see, Sea Of Green is darker compared to I Sea You.

De volgende is Blue Out To Sea. Een donkerblauwe shimmer. Niet heel uniek maar wel mooi. De kobaltblauwe shimmer geeft deze lak net even wat meer diepte.

Next up is Blue Out To Sea. A dark blue shimmer. Not terribly unique but still pretty. The cobalt blue shimmer gives this polish a little more depth. 

De laatste is Ocean Sunset. Ik zal er maar gelijk bij vertellen dat deze foto absoluut niet kleurecht is. Als ik alleen deze wilde laten zien had ik de foto niet geplaatst maar omdat ik de hele collectie laat zien wilde ik hem er toch bij doen. Deze lak is niet oranje maar echt brandweerwagenrood! Een prachtige rode jelly die ook weer niet heel uniek is maar als je nog geen rode jelly hebt dan is dit een erg prettige!
Op de foto draag ik twee laagjes zonder basecoat of topcoat.

Dat was het weer voor vandaag! Bedankt voor het kijken en dat jullie zo geduldig met me zijn geweest toen ik afwezig was.

Last is Ocean Sunset. I'll say straight away that this pic is far from true to colour. If I just wanted to show you this one polish I wouldn't have even posted it but because I'm showing the whole collection I wanted to include it. This polish isn't orange but vibrant fire-engine red! A gorgeous red jelly that also isn't terribly unique but if you don't own a red jelly yet this one is very nice to work with!

I'm wearing two coats without basecoat or topcoat.

And that's it for today! Thank you for watching and for being so patient with me during my absence.

Catrice - I Sea You

Hello everyone! Everybody enjoyed their weekend? I was feeling a bit under the weather so I didn't really do much, like, totally nothing. But I do have a post for you today!

We all know the European brand Catrice for coming up out of nowhere with an amazing collection, filled with trendy colors. This brand used to be so bland, and now they're dominating Dutch drug stores with their unbeatable coolness. I've drooled over some of their colors before, and today I want to introduce you to: I Sea You. This one is just gorgeous, a beautiful dusty aqua/turquoise-y green creme. Application wasn't that great, but my P2 thinner was there to save the day, and after applying 2 coats, all was good.

It isn't the uniquest color out there, it sure is similar to some other polishes we all know and love. Let's take a look at this comparison I did:

As you can see: I Sea You is incredibly close to Misa's Dirty Sexy Money. It's a bit lighter and maybe a bit more on the blue side, but still very similar. Slate green is a whole bit lighter and Nfu Oh #431 is less dusty. What's your favorite?

Thanks for reading and till next time!
- Michèle

From Dusk To Dawn

Ben je al die Catrice lakjes al zat? Jammer dan want er zijn er nog veel meer!

Are you getting tired of all these Catrices yet? Too bad because there are a lot more!

Dit is From Dusk To Dawn, een erg mooie taupe die precies tussen Sephora by OPI Metro Chic en China Glaze Channelesque ligt. Een beetje paarser dan Channelesque, een beetje minder dan Metro Chic. Ze hebben wel bijna dezelfde kleurdiepte. (Ik zal later een vergelijking doen waar ook Catrice Lost In Mud bij zal zitten)

This is From Dusk To Dawn, a very nice taupe that is right in the middle of Sephora by OPI Metro Chic and China Glaze Channelesque. A bit less purple compared to Channelesque, a bit more than Metro Chic. The colour depth is pretty much the same. (I'll do a comparison later that also includes Catrice Lost in Mud)

Ik houd van modderige kleuren! Iemand zei vandaag tegen me dat deze niet erg lente-achtig was. Ik vind taupe gewoon een pastel bruin en niets is meer geschikt voor de lente dan pastels, dus. *steekt tong uit*

I looooove muddy colours! Someone commented on my nails today saying it wasn't very appropriate for spring. I say taupe is like a pastel brown and nothing screams spring more than pastels, so there. *sticks out tongue*

Ik heb volgens mijn statistieken vandaag ineens heel veel bezoekers via www.forum.hr. Welkom! Kan iemand het directe linkje aan me geven van de post op dat forum? Ik vind het altijd wel leuk om te zien waar mijn bezoekers vandaan komen. Bedankt!

My statistics tell me I have a lot of visitors from www.forum.hr today. Welcome! Can someone post a direct link to the post on that forum? I always like to see where my visitors come from. Thanks!