September 2017 Favorites

I love doing my monthly favorites... I hope that they're fun for you to read as well. I've been testing so many new products that I've tried to keep my favorites streamlined. Any links are to previous reviews that I've done on the blog for your reference.

Eyes:

Eyeshadow: I really kept reaching for three palettes this month- Natasha Denona Lila Palette, PUR Trolls Palette, and LORAC Mega Pro 1. I'd expect these three to keep popping up from time to time. I'm also still a huge fan of all of the MAC Girls Palettes.

Eyeliner and Mascara: Other than my favorite trio of ABH liners, I also reached for the long-discontinued Chanel Perle de Lune and was thrilled to bring the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Eyeliner back into my life via the Ulta sale. Nothing like keeping it simple.


Cheeks and Face:

Blush: Dose of Colors Blush in StateMint brought me back down the rabbit hole into old habits. Chantecaille Cheek Shade in Bliss found its way back into my drawer, and I purchased a full-sized version of Tarte Paarty. When I wasn't wearing a light pink nudey blush, I was also wearing Natasha Denona Blush Duo #15.

Bronzer: I've been reaching for two bronzers- both from the drugstore- this month. I'm so close to finishing my Physician's Formula Murumuru Butter Bronzer in Light Bronze and L'Oreal Glam Bronze 01 is my cool-toned go-to.

Contour: I feel sort of like I'm cheating since I only bought this halfway through the month, but Catrice Prime & Fine Professional Contouring Palette has been my go-to since I purchased it when I want an effortless contour. I've been testing other products, but I love this little guy. Look for a full review soon.

Highlighter: I wasn't very committed to highlighters this month. Fenty Beauty Metal Moon and Becca Prismatic Amethyst probably found their way onto my cheeks the most frequently.


Lips: 

Basics: I continue to worship Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Primer, as it now allows me to comfortably wear matte liquid lips. I've also been using up my Fiona Stiles Ultra Luxe Nourishing Lip Balm.

Lipstick: I'm still fairly boring when I'm reaching for lipsticks. Hourglass GIRL Stylo in Peacemaker and Bobbi Brown Lipstick in Uber Beige are still my go-tos.

Liquid Lipstick: I discovered how much I like two formulas this month. Too Faced Melted Matte Liquified Lipstick in Freshly Baked ruled my daytime looks, whereas I've been playing with Dose of Colors Matte Liquid Lipstick in Berry Me at night. I can't wait for it to cool enough to wear it out during the day.

Lip Gloss: It was all about Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in Fenty Glow this month. Period. End stop.


Base Products:

Primers: I've been trying to finish primers this month, so the only constants are my Too Faced Hangover Rx 3-in-1 spray- which is a must, the L'Oreal Magic Base to fill in some fine lines, and the Milk Makeup Blur Stick.

Concealers: Tarte Shape Tape. Any questions?

Foundations: I rediscovered how much I love the Chanel Perfection Luminere Velvet foundation this month. I continue to enjoy La Mer The Foundation (tell me if you'd like my thoughts), It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream and bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Hydrating Gel Cream.

Powders: I forget why I stopped using Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light under my eyes. It's one of two powders (the other being the NYX one I talked about yesterday) that set my eyes this month). In terms of all-over powder, it's been either the Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder or MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural.


Nails:

Color: I'm going back to my roots here. I had one of a few shades on my nails most of the month. Thanks to Glossybox for bringing Morgan Taylor Magician's Assistant into my life. I've also been loving some CVS finds- Pop-Arazzi Pewter Perfect & Staying Up Slate. I also pulled Chanel Alchimie out for the few days it was cool (Side note: whoa, that's digging in the archives to find that post!). I also put China Glaze Pearl Jammin' on my nails as soon as I purchased it (there's something fresh about muted pastels in fall).


Skincare and Bodycare:

Skincare:  I ran out of Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum and my skin showed it almost immediately. I now have a $80 staple in my routine. I also continue to enjoy First Aid Beauty Coconut Smoothie Priming Moisturizer.

Bodycare: I rediscovered my love for L'Occitane's almond line this month. In particular, I've been loving the L'Occitane Almond Milk Lotion. In the shower, I fell in love with Le Petit Marseillais Shower Gel in Mandarin and Lime.


That's it for my beauty favorites- but I'd love to share a few non-beauty items with you as well.


Non-Beauty:

Style-wise, I've been loving the combination of my Sam Edelman Felicia Flats, and will be picking up other colors. These come in wide, which is wonderful. I've also been wearing my Longchamp Large Le Pliage Tote on a daily basis.  This might be TMI, but I've discovered how lovely the Delimira Womens' Plus Size Maternity Bras are. I'm not pregnant, nor have I had a baby recently. However, I am a thirty-something who is naturally "blessed". Those bras give me nighttime support and actually help ease some of my back pain.

What have you been loving this month?

It's All About That Catrice Base: HD Liquid Coverage & All Matt Plus Foundations, Liquid Camouflage Liquid Coverage Concealer, and Prime & Fine Primers

Today's post started out in my head as a first impressions of a new foundation from Catrice Cosmetics (HD Liquid Coverage Foundation), and evolved into a review of all of the base products I own from the brand. Sometimes that just happens.

For those who aren't familiar, Catrice Cosmetics is a European drugstore band. It was introduced into the US market late in 2016 via the brand's website, Ulta.com, and select Ulta stores. Luckily, one of the stores that has a full Catrice setup is only a 15 min detour between my home and my childhood home. As a result, I've been able to grab a few items.

I will preface my review with this caveat: the shade selection is terrible. It's pale girl friendly but not WOC-friendly. So, I'm sorry to those who can't find a shade match.

The HD Liquid Coverage Foundation ($10.99, Ulta.com) is a new release from Catrice. It's more expensive than the other foundation I have. But since I've had such a great experience with the All Matt Plus foundation, it was worth splurging on in a recent Ulta order.

It's quite a thin formula, as I accurately predicted given the packaging. It took quite a few dots but it did give me a nice, airbrushed look.

Here's a swatch of the lightest shade, 010 Light Beige:

For reference, I was about a NW13-15 when I took this photo.

Here's a glimpse of just the foundation, before setting with some Laura Mercier translucent powder. Yes, it did oxidize a bit- but this is also just how pale I am.

Overall, good coverage. I would either pull down my neck or use a very light powder.

It wore pretty well over the course of the day and didn't break up, using the Catrice primers.

Bottom Line: If you can find a shade to match you, I recommend trying this foundation. It feels lux for a budget price.

I only purchased the HD Liquid Coverage foundation based upon my experience with the All Matt Plus foundation ($8.99, Catricecosmetics.com)

This is such amazing packaging- it's a glass bottle with... a PUMP.

I have shade 010 Light Beige, and this has become one of my go-to foundations on the weekend. It does stand up to my summer combo skin and doesn't break down. I will admit that it's quite light though. Here's a swatch:

It doesn't oxidize, either. I'd put it in my use up pile when it disappeared from Ulta's website, but now that I know it's on Catrice's site... I really do like this a lot.

Bottom Line: I highly recommend trying this out. It's a true matte, light drugstore foundation that stands up to all-day wear.

I also have one of Catrice's concealers- the Liquid Camouflage High Coverage Concealer ($5.99).

It's supposed to be a full coverage concealer. The wand is flat, and the formula is similar to Urban Decay's Naked Skin concealer.

The shade's a bit dark for me (005 Light Natural) and it requires a couple of layers. Here's a swatch:

It has a formula that would work well under the eyes, so I tested it (again) when I tried the HD Liquid Foundation.

Clearly my dark circles were out to play. I took this before I set- and yes, it creased because I didn't set right away. I hate putting this photo up, but I'm being real.

Bottom Line: proceed with caution; I know of plenty of others who like the concealer as-is.

Just to wrap up this part of the post- here's a comparison swatch of the HD Liquid Coverage, All Matt Plus, and the Liquid Camouflage Concealer.

Now, let's talk some primer.

The Catrice Prime & Fine Pore Refining Anti-Shine Base is a white, water-based fluid primer. It gives a soft finish but has no silicone in it. I find that it holds onto my makeup for a full day. It's oil free, and works for a full day even in the summer.

It blends out beautifully:

I also pair it in my trouble areas with the Catrice Prime and Fine Smoothing Primer.

It's a potted primer similar to the Winky Lux, Tarte, and L'Oreal versions.

It's a silicone primer that is lighter weight and feels more emollient than any of the others that I mentioned. I like it, but it's not my favorite in this category.

I have to be careful when I blend it out. This swatch is rather heavy:

Bottom Line: Catrice makes some awesome primers, and I look forward to trying some of the others.

I advertised this post as base products only, but I'll give you a peek at one of the other amazing product I've tried- the Liquid Metal eyeshadow.

That doesn't look like a $4.99 shadow, does it?

Bottom Line: I think Catrice is a value brand worth exploring. Its shade range for base products is limited, but the products punched well above their weight. Although it's mostly an online-only brand here in the US, it's worth checking out.