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My top 5 beauty products: Catrice

My top 5 Catrice

Lately, I’ve been noticing I’m being really unfair to the products I use all the time and love the most. These mostly only come up in my monthly or yearly favorites and in empties, but they never really get the same spotlight the new products do. So today, I’m going to rectify this injustice by writing about my top 5 products from one of my favorite brands, Catrice.

My top 5 #1: Catrice Prime and fine Make-up Transformer drops  – lightening drops

My top 5 Catrice Prime&Fine transforming drops posvetlitvene kapljice

Lightening drops are a must for all of us who use SPF throughout the year. In Slovenia, we also seldomly get the lightest shades of foundations so some mixing is often necessary. These Catrice Prime and Fine drops have a yellow undertone so you probably won’t like them if you have a pink undertone. You will need quite a lot of them to really transform the shade completely, but I prefer that to having a liquid foundation slowly dying in my drawers because it’s too dark.

My top 5 #2: Catrice HD Liquid Coverage foundation (010 – Light Beige)

My top 5 Catrice HD Liquid Coverage

This HD Liquid Coverage foundation is a typical example of a foundation I wouldn’t be able to use without lightening drops. It makes a lovely matte finish on the skin but is not too heavy and doesn’t give the skin that cakey look. It’s applied with a dropper, which I can appreciate, and you’ll be getting a ton of foundation for your money. On the other side, there are only four shades available and they do oxidise to a certain extent, so make sure to try it out first before you buy it. Still, the perfect finish on the skin makes it one of my favorite foundations of all times.

My top 5 #3: Catrice Ultimate Matte lipstick (From Rose with Love)

My top 5 Catrice ultimate matte šminka

Before trying the Ultimate Matte Catrice lipsticks I’d easily say that I’ll always choose a liquid lipstick over a classic lipstick. Well, now I have changed my opinion. The formula of this lipsticks is light on the lips, really opaque, has a 100 % matte finish and really good staying power for a classic lip. It wears down evenly but needs to be refreshed once every while like every other lipstick does. All further applications are not an issue as the formula wears down very evenly over the lips.

My top 5 #4: Catrice Soleil D’Ete bronzer

My top 5 Catrice Soleil D'ete bronzer

Do I feel guilty for including a limited edition item into my favorites? Yes, I do, but I have a good reason for doing so. I’m simply including this bronzer as a tip that you definitely should look through powder face products if you’re ever near a Catrice stand. This bronzer is super pigmented so it will probably last me for years to come. The shade is perfect for everyday bronzing if you’re not too tan, because it’s not too orange. Personally, I find it a close dupe for Tarte Park Avenue Princess bronzer.

My top 5 #5: Catrice Prime and Fine Smoothing refiner

My top 5 Catrice Prime and fine primer

Catrice Prime and Fine Smoothing refiner is a silicone primer. I have about ten of these in my drawers but this one is special because it really fills in the small imperfections and textures. This is especially important on the cheekbones when I apply a heavier blush or a liquid highlighter that draw out imperfections even more. It makes a lovely satin finish and the liquid foundation applies like a dream. Not convinced yet? Perhaps you will be by the fact that this is my third jar of this primer and I have three back-ups on hand (just in case).

I could go on an on about products I love with catrice: the IcoNails nail polishes (review *here*), blushes and mascaras (*read more here*), eyeshadow palettes that are super affordable and so forth. But these top 5 products are really the ones I would continue buying over and over again. What’s your favorite Catrice product? Tell me in the comments below and also don’t forget to mention other brands you’d like me to do this Top 5 post on. Until next time, stay beautiful!

Catrice fall winter 2017 – new products wishlist!

Yesterday, I wrote all about my wish list from the new Essence launches – find that *here* – and today, I want to repeat the process and focus on the new Catrice products. Catrice is a sister brand to Essence and the prices are a bit higher. I must say that I don’t necessarily find the quality of the products to be better, but the packaging is usually a bit prettier and sturdier. Personally, I find Catrice to be targeted at a bit older generation while Essence also speaks to those who are only getting acquainted with make-up.

All EYES on you

Catrice fall winter 2017 Catrice art couleurs paletteEssence brought the make-your-own palette concept to the market about six months ago and I was assuming something similar will happen with Catrice. The palette for four shades Art Couleurs (2,89€ for the palette and for each individual shadow) looks sexy and has that great click-in mechanism, meaning that you can swap the shadows when you please. I’ll get to choose among 15 different matte and shimmery shadows and three highlighting shadows. Seeing that I’m always struggling to find transition shades, I’ll probably go for matte 020 – MATTastic beig and 040 – Wild Ginger, paired with two darker shades such as 100 – Parisiens Lifestyle and 140 – Secrets of Le Chrome. But these are my guesses, I’ll have to see the palette in the flesh.

Catrice fall winter 2017 Catrice precious chrome palette

There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll buy The Ultimate Chrome Collection eyeshadow palette (5,29€) which is filled with metal and holographic eyeshadows. I don’t own a palette like this and most Catrice palettes have been really good to me lately.

Lovely LIPS

Catrice fall winter 2017 Catrice liquid lip powder

Among the new launches, the Metal Matte liquid lipsticks (4,69€) caught my eye first. They look a bit less agressive than the metallic liquid lipsticks from Essence that I talked about yesterday. They are supposed to leave the lips looking like they were dipped in metal dust but also promise a matte finish. The combination sounds interesting so I’ll definitely have to try them. I’m leaning towards the shads 020 – Frame of Roses and 040 – Blogger’s Favorite (obviously).

Naturally, I can’t go without classic liquid matte lipsticks so I’ll probably try the Ultra Matte liquid lipsticks (4,29€). Hopefully, they won’t be too heavy on the lips and they’ll have good staying power. I’m still sticking to the classics when it comes to the shades, so I find 070 – Cafe Americano, Please and 090 – Spotted on Pink-erest the closest to my liking.

Fabulous FACE

Catrice fall winter 2017 catrice prime and fine drops waterproofI probably spend more than half of my money with Catrice on face products. They have great liquid foundations, finishing powders and concealers which are a must in my collection and have been for years. This time, I’ll definitely try two new products. The first – Prime&Fine drops for liquid foundation – waterproof (3,79€) are supposed to transform the foundation from regular to a waterproof version. The second, Prime&Fine drops for liquid foundation – wake up (3,79€) are supposed to create a fresh face look when mixed in a foundation. It sounds promising enough to try out!

Catrice fall winter 2017 catrice strobing blush

In fall and winter, I tend to reach more into my blush drawer so I’ll probably afford myself another blush from the Strobing blushes (4,29€), most likely in the shade 030 – Mrs. Amber Brown (bottom right) since I don’t own a blush in those shades yet. Blushes are my guilty pleasure since I love buying them but most of the time look at them rather than actually use them.

Iconic NAILS

Catrice fall winter 2017 Catrice Brown Collection

It’s no secret that I absolutely love the new ICONails nail polish line – read about it *here*. I always feel like I have way too many nail polishes in my collection so I avoid buying similar shades. I’ll have no problem this time since I don’t own anything like the shades in the Brown Collection (3,29€). I can’t even pick one as my favorite since they all look great. The chance that they’ll all end up in my collection is consequently quite large.

This is it for the quick update on the new Catrice and Essence lines. I tried to be as quick as possible with posting these so I hope you’ll find them useful before you head out and buy a ton of make-up for yourself. Keep your eyes open for the first reviews – they’re not far away! Until next time, stay beautiful!

Top 5: summer nail polish 2017 *** Top 5 lakov poletja 2017

summer nail polish 2017

Summer is officially here and you can tell just by looking at my nails. I went through the new nail polishes I acquired recently and chose five that I find the prettiest and will definitely be using both on my hands and feet this summer: the perfect summer nail polish of 2017.

summer nail polish 2017 Essence Colour Boost Instant Party

Essence Colour Boost in the shade Instant Party is a bright pink polish, perhaps a bit darker than it appears in the bottle. The whole Colour Boost line is incredibly pigmented, so I always only apply one coat for perfect coverage.

summer nail polish 2017 Catrice IcoNails Mermayday Mayday

Catrice Iconails (which I already talked about *here*) in the shade Mermayday Mayday is a beautiful polish in an emerald color. This is the current shade of my toenails and I believe that the polish will remain mainly intact for the entire vacation, including swimming and walking on beaches. This formula is one of the most long-wearing I’ve ever come accross.

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Catrice ICONails review

I only take up the task of writing about nail polish on my blog a few times per year. There are a few reasons behind that, two most important being that I have blogger colleagues that only deal with nail polish and are much better in reviews than I am and also that my nails really don’t love any nail polish I put on them. That being said, I still enjoy painting my nails and trying new formulas and every once in a while I find a nail polish which really tickles my fancy. New Catrice ICONails definitely did.

O lakih za nohte na svojem blogu pišem le nekajkar na leto. Za to obstaja kar nekaj razlogov. Najpomembnejši je, da imam blogerske kolegice, ki se ukvarjajo skoraj izključno z laki in so bistveno boljše v opisih formul in njihovi primerjavi. Drugi, prav tako pomemben razlog pa je, da moji nohti enostavno ne marajo skoraj nobenega laka, ki jim ga ponudim v oceno. Ne glede na povedano sama še vedno uživam v lakiranju nohtov in preizkušanju novih formul, pri čemer občasno naletim na kakšno, ki me res prepriča. Catrice ICONails vsekakor sodi v ta razred.

ICONails Gel Lacquer is a new line from the well known Catrice brand. The line will replace the current Ultimate Nails line in May. I only managed to find about six different shades on the stand a couple of weeks ago and chose two – coral Nails On Fire and gray-blue Cloud Nine. In May, Catrice will be launching all 45 (!!!) colors and I’m sure I’ll be adding a few more to my collection. Besides the color polishes, Catrice also included a Gel top coat with hybrid technology that promises prolonged wear time for up to 10 days (3,79€).

ICONails Gel Lacquer je nova linija vsem dobro znane znamke Catrice, ki bo v maju nadomestila sedanjo linijo Ultimate Nails. Na stojalu sem pred tedni našla le kakšnih 6 odtenkov, zato sem izbrala dva – koralnega Nails on Fire in sivo-plavega Cloud Nine. Po prvomajskih praznikih na police prihaja vseh 45 (!!!) barv in prepričana sem, da bom svojo zbirko še dopolnila. Poleg barvnih odtenkov Catrice v okviru ICONails linije pošilja tudi Gel nadlak s hibridno tehnologijo, ki obljublja podaljšano obstojnost do 10 dni (3,79€).

ICONails promises a gel-shine finish and a maximum wear time up to seven days. Honestly, I find claims like “up to seven days” a bit funny since that can only mean one day, but since most formulas don’t even last 48 hours on my nails without chipping, I don’t give them much attention. I also cannot completely agree on the gel shine claim. Formula has a nice shine but I don’t think it can compare to a gel finish without a proper top coat.

ICONails obljublja gel-sijaj zaključek in maksimalno obstojnost do sedem dni. Iskreno povedano so mi trditve, kot je “do sedem dni” smešne, saj lahko to pomeni tudi samo en dan, ampak glede na to, da na mojih nohtih praktično nobena formula brez krušenja ne zdrži več kot 48 ur, se na takšne trditve ne oziram kaj dosti. Tudi glede gel izgleda se ne bi mogla popolnoma strinjati, saj formula sicer ima lep sijaj, vendar pa se ta po mojem mnenju brez nadlaka ne more primerjati z gel zaključkom.

So far, I’m being quite critical and I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re even reading this post. The reason is simple: ICONails is the first formula in years that held on my nails for four days (without top coat) and six days with a top coat. Even on day 7, my nails looked good enough that I would be comfortable going into work like that. Such hold is something almost supernatural for my nails and I’m equally impressed by the price since a single bottle only costs 2,89€. Now, you can probably understand why I’ll be adding more colors to my collection.

Zaenkrat samo kritiziram, kajne? Se sprašuješ, zakaj sploh bereš ta zapis? Razlog je preprost: ICONails je po letih prva formula, ki je na mojih nohtih zdržala brez krušenja štiri dni (brez nadlaka) in šest dni z nadlakom. Tudi sedmi dan je bila škoda tako minimalna, da bi šla s takšnimi nohti povsem mirno še v službo. Takšna obstojnost je za moje nohte nekaj skoraj nadnaravnega, enako kot obstojnost pa me navdušuje tudi cena, saj steklenička stane le 2,89 €. Zdaj razumeš, zakaj bom še dopolnjevala svojo zbirko?

A quick word or two about the bottle and the brush. Catrice certainly achieved expectations with both. ICONails bottle is square which makes for easier storing. On the back side the name of the shade is easily visible. There is a dual cap system – the top comes off and underneath you find a handy brush holder. The brush itself is quite wide and rounded at the bottom which makes for an easier application on my nail shape. It only took me three strokes to cover the entire nail with this brush.

Še besedo ali dve bi namenila steklenički in čopiču. Tudi z novo linijo so pri Catrice dosegli moja pričakovanja. ICONails steklenička je kvadratna, kar vsaj v moji zbirki pomeni lažje shranjevanje. Na zadnji strani je jasno in hitro opazno označeno ime vsakega odtenka. Pokrovček je dvojni – zgornji del se sname in razkrije priročno narebreno držalo čopiča. Čopič je dokaj širok in na koncu zaobljen, kar pri moji obliki nohtov omogoča lažji nanos. Sama sem s tem čopičem celoten noht enostavno prekrila s tremi potegi.

I was looking for similar shades in my collection and I’m happy to report I didn’t find any. The coral Nails On Fire is clearly different from the orange Essie Meet Me At The Sunset and looks a bit more similar to the L’Oreal “granate” Cherie Macaron, but the latter has a more apparent pink undertone.

V svoji zbirki sem skušala poiskati podobne odtenke, vendar jih nisem našla, kar me iskreno veseli. Koralen Nails on Fire se očitno razlikuje od oranžnega Essie Meet Me At Sunset, nekoliko bolj pa je podoben L’Orealovi “granatici” Cherie Macaron, vendar ima slednji veliko bolj opazen pink podton.

I also didn’t find a polish in my collection which would compare to the ICONails shade Cloud Nine. The closest I got was the Bell Hypoalergenic in shade 45, but it’s clearly more blue while Cloud Nine comes from the gray family.

Prav tako nisem v svoji kolekciji našla nobenega laka, ki bi bil primerljiv z ICONails odtenkom Cloud Nine. Še najbližje mu je prišel Bell Hypoalergenic lak v odtenku 45, vendar pa je tudi za izrazito bolj plav, pri Cloud Nine pa so bolj izraziti sivi podtoni.

As said previously I can’t wait for the entire stand since I have quite a few fun colors on my wishlist. I would certainly recommend you take a look when the entire collection hits the shelves since it’s a really great nail polish with an awesome price. Until next time, stay beautiful.