Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips All-in-1 Custom Nude Palette Warm Nude

I got this as a birthday gift from my cousin after it's been on my wishlist for years. There are two versions of these Shimmer Strips palettes, one is called Natural Nude and mine is a Warm one, though both look warm to me. It's a combination of 12 shimmery-satin shades that can be used in many ways making it an all-in-one product. 

Texture: These are mostly fairly light shades with a good pigmentation. The deepest shades in the bottom right corner are so dark I can only use as an eyeshadow. It’s meant to be an all-in-one product so most of the shades are so pale that they can be used as a setting/finishing powder, but you have to use a very fluffy blush.

Shade: The three top shades are golden, the next three are rosy, then it's a mix of taupes and copper and the bottom row are warm browns. This palette can be used:

- as an eyeshadow palette: it works, but it’s subtler than other palettes. I tend to use one of the shades from the third row on the lids and the deepest brown in the outer corner.

- as a highlighter: using 1st and partly 2nd row. It works well with a medium strong glow. This is my favourite way to use this palette.

- as a blush: using partly 2nd row. It gives a peachy flush, but it's only for pale skin tones as only one shade is a proper blush colour. 

- as a bronzer/contour: using the bottom two rows. It’s a glowy bronzer, so not for contouring as they recommend. It's a warm shade that’s best for pale skin tones with a warm undertone, though the last shade is already quite deep.

- as an all over powder with all shades: using only with a very fluffy brush and avoiding the bottom right shades. It works, but it’s like applying a highlighter in a sheer coat, so not for everyone’s taste. Mixing all shades together makes a pale peachy shade.

Lipstick: Bourjois Rouge Fabuleux 07 Perlimpinpink. Uhani: Fatalka.si

Staying power: I noticed nothing exceptional and neither bad when it comes to staying power. These last averagely on me in any way I use these shades. On my eyelids I get no creasing.

Packaging: It comes in a typical big Physicians Formula box packaging that has two sides. In the back there's an extra compartment with a mirror and two brushes. A bigger thin face brush is surprisingly good because it picks up just enough, the size fits stripes well and it blends ok. The small eyeshadow sponge applicator isn't all that helpful and these shades work much better with eyeshadow brushes.

Price and availability: It's sold on iHerb for $10.44.

Overall I'm happy with this. It is very close to a proper all-in-one product. I tend to use it as an eyeshadow palette, a highlighter and occasionally as a blush, but as I said it's too light for any significant flush. It's nice palette especially for carrying in the bag or for travelling because you can get so much from it. 

Have a great day!

Read More

Oriflame Giordani Gold Holiday Glow Bronzer

I remember these pearls from way back when I just started getting into makeup, though I'm not sure if they are still exactly the same thing, as I never owned any. I picked a blush shade called Natural Pink, but the box states these are a bronzer (with this name of the shade on the box) and I think a separate bronzer exists too as it was marketed separately in the catalogue - it's kind of confusing, but if you get this shade, this is what you get and two more blush shades exist.

Texture: These have a strong pigmentation, which I did not expect at all and I was sure I'll need my densest brush because I won't be able to pick up much, but these were a big surprise. I need to use very little or I get a strong streak of colour. Formula of these applies smoothly and even that overly applied streak was blended away easily. They don't apply patchy and the colour is evenly mixed. Finish as you can see from the swatch is satin with no shimmer. 

Shade: I have the shade Natural Radiance and based on the colour of pearls I expected something pink with some bronze tones, but this mixes into a very warm peachy shade. It's not really a bronzer, but more like a bronzer-meets-a-peachy-blush. There are four shades of pearls inside: a cool light pink, dark warm pink, light bronze/tan and a champagne colour. As I said pigmentation is so strong that I need to use my fluffiest brush and use a light hand, so these are more meant for someone with a darker and warmer skin tone than mine.

Staying power: is impressive, but it's not surprising given how pigmented these are. They last all day on  me.

Packaging: Pearls are stored in a pretty black box with a screw lid. There is a sponge inside to keep the pearls from moving too much, I think they didn't mean that sponge to be an applicator because it doesn't work well and these pearls need to be applied with a brush.

Price and availability: The peals are available in Oriflame's catalogue with a regular price 20.90 €, but currently they are 9.99 €.

Shade Natural Pink is not the best name for this shade as it ends up a peachy-bronze shade on me, so this is a better shade for those with a warmer and darker skintone than me. Pigmentation is exceptional and a light hand it needed at these, so they'll probably last forever even if you use them every day. I might tinker with the ratio of pearls or just take the bronze ones out to see if I can get a pinker shade.

Have a great day!

*PR product

Read More

Catrice California in a Box Bronze & Blush Palette

Catrice again launched a ton of new products for spring/summer 2018 and this time they also included some interesting palettes. This one is an all-in-one type with two blushes, two bronzers and a highlighter, all in warm, summery tones. As far as Catrice powder products go, they are usually great quality, especially their blushes, but this palette didn't quite convince me. However, most of my fellow bloggers like it, so I'm in the minority here.

Texture: Quality of the powders varies in palette. The top left coral blush is the second best quality here, but that's mostly because of the shimmer which is finely milled and has a highlighter effect. Blush has a good pigmentation, but it's a bit harder to blend than their Defining and Illuminating blushes (both discontinued). The second blush which looked a lot more my colour than the coral one, disappointed me with its pigmentation. When I tried to swatch it the first time there was no colour on my finger, but after I used the brush once, it became better. Still pigmentation is the weakest in the palette and it needs to be build up on the cheeks. Both of the bronzers have a good pigmentation, especially the right one, but they've got that patchy, powdery formula that's difficult to apply nicely and blend, so it can look muddy on the skin. But all four powders are perfectly useful if you dedicate more time to blending. Highlighter is a completely different story than the rest of the palette. It's a soft, very pigmented metallic formula with a great colour pay-off and a strong glow on the skin. Not all shimmer is finely milled, but most is. 

Like I said a lot of my fellow bloggers like this palette and say it works for them (check reviews of Beautysaur and Memento Mori), but the reason why I think it should be better is not just because I know Catrice is perfectly capable of making great powder products, but also because their (blush) competition, L'Oreal's Infallible Blush palette, has so much better formulas and for 3 € more (again you get five shades, but all are blushes). The matte shades in those palettes are similar to old Catrice Defining blushes.

Shades:

Top Left: an orange coral shade with shimmer. Similar to Wet n Wild Apri-cot in the Middle

Top Right: a matte peachy-pink shade. Only a little bit pinker than the left shade even though it looks more muted and pinker in the pan.

Bottom left: a matte medium tone bronzer with a yellow undertone. Reminds me of most Essence Sun Club bronzers.

Lower right: slightly darker matte bronzer than left and with a red undertone. It's better for my skin tone than the left and it reminds me of Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Soft Matte bronzer due to the red undertone.

Highlighter: a gold metallic highlighter.

Top left blush with the highlighter.

The palette packaging is a classic Catrice quality that's perfectly ok.

Price and availability: Palette costs 10.49 €. I'm not sure, but I think this is one of the items that might only be sold on the large 2 m stands. Those who don't have Catrice in their country can buy it online on kosmetik4less.de.

Apart from the highlighter I'm not a fan of this palette. Catrice can and has done better, especially when it came to matte textures. But it's far from a useless palette and you just need more effort for a nice application. The shades are also perfect for someone with a warm undertone.

Have a great day!

*PR product

Read More