Review, Swatch & Tutorial: Catrice Cosmetics*



I have been using Catrice Cosmetics for a while now, if you missed my last post about them you can access it here. In my initial experience with them (and my first time using Catrice), I was so happy with the formulation of their products and when I had told my friend about it she went out to buy the products I recommended and loved it as well. 

This time, I have the chance to try their new Self-Made Bae palette ($16.99) in addition to their HD Liquid Coverage Foundation ($13.99). 

The eyeshadow palette is one from a collection of 3 different pieces named Self-Made, Basic and Badass. It contains a blend of mattes and shimmers and there are 12 shades total. I used the palette to create one entirely matte eye-look, and another is a darker smokey eye featuring the shade #RoleModel.


All the swatches above are done with one finger swipe and as you can see, the mattes are pigmented and not chalky and the shimmers are buttery and beautiful. In my honest opinion you really can't do better for this price point - it actually performs better than some high-end shadows I have tried that cost an arm and a leg!

Below you will see my bare face before the application of the HD Liquid Coverage foundation and the Liquid Camouflage High Coverage Concealer ($7.99). 


As you can see, really the difference is night and day - it gave me a medium finish - I took the photographs in two different lightings just so you can see really how full coverage I got without it looking cakey. I only needed 2-3 drops of the foundation and I buffed it onto my face with a brush. I liked how light-weight it felt and as I wore it through the day, it almost seamlessly worked into my skin to look even more natural! I wore it during the heatwave we got on the weekend and it didn't break apart or do anything weird on my skin.


Look #1 is the entirely matte eyeshadow look where I used #selfmade in the inner half of the lid, #empire on the crease, #boss in the mid lid to outer V and to deepen the outer V I used #equalpay and #hustle. 

Look #2 features #rolemodel all over the lid and #empire on the crease - quick and easy smokey eye!

Overall, I would definitely have to recommend the palette and foundation to you guys to purchase, at the price point you really have nothing to lose. It offers great pay-off and I am thoroughly excited to see what else I can try from Catrice in the future!

Until next time, XO - M.

*products were sent to me for consideration, all opinions are my own.

Review & Swatch: AVON - GlimmerKiss Liquid Lipsticks*



I was sent these Avon GlimmerKiss Liquid Lipstick recently and since it's been a long while I've posted a makeup-related blog post, I decided to swatch these lippies for you to see how they look! They come in four different shades and as the name suggests and they are a glimmer/shimmer finish. 

The liquid lipstick feels weightless on the lips and glides on effortlessly without drying it at all - I think I have the gel-cream formula to thank for that. They are water-resistant after you apply and let it set and does last on the lips (again without cracking or settling into fine lines of the lips). Lastly, they are paraben, sulfate and phthlate-free.

With four shades - Ruby (red), Sand Opal (Champagne), Amethyst (purple) and Violet (fuschia), while they do look a bit intimidating in the packaging I must say when applied they look bold and become quite wearable with a simple black wing. I would not do any type of eye look with these bold lips to be honest as you don't want to overwhelm the look. 

Which shade is your favorite? Mine would have to be Ruby - a classic red.

Until next time, XO - M.

*products were sent to me for consideration, all opinions are my own

Review: Avon - Elastine Propolithera Hair Collection*


It has been a while since I've visited the blog here and for that, I apologize. It has been a crazy past few weeks as I'm sure you are all aware with COVID-19, juggling my full time job with motherhood meant I just had to let something go temporarily which was my blog. I am looking to come back a bit more often now though and do some posts - they will most likely be product reviews vs. make-up tutorials but let's just take it a day at a time and see what happens! 

I was sent this collection of hair products from AVON called Propoli Thera and I immediately gravitated towards it as I am a huge fan of honey in my skin and haircare products. Not only do these products smell amazing, but they work at providing me with volume in addition to moisture - a double win in my books. I have been holding out on dyeing my hair at home as my hair dresser frowns against it when she's trying to balayage my hair she can immediately tell if box dye has touched my hair as it impacts the way the dye or bleach works. However, the grays took over the hairline and I couldn't take it anymore so I had to just dye it - out of absolute desperation. 

Propolis is a tree sap that bees combine with their own beeswax to use as a coating for their hives. The products in this collection contains minerals, vitamins, amino acids and antioxidants to help restore weak and brittle hair with the use of Honey and Royal Jelly. 

Of course, box dye strips your hair and with my already bleached ends I needed some TLC to work its magic on my ends. The Elastine Propolithera Hair Mask helps to pack your hair with moisture and mend those split/dry ends and it is Sulfate Free and Paraben-Free for those who are curious! Apply to the mid - end sections of the hair and let it sit for 3-5 minutes and rinse off. I use this after shampoo and conditioner and I use it once a week and it is more than enough for me as I do have thin hair - they do recommend a use of 1-3x a week. As you can see from the image below, the mask is thick and creamy, an absolute dream! A definite must have in my books and works better than some salon products I've tried that charge 2-3x the price. 


Below I took a up-close shot of the shampoo and conditioner for you - these are from the damage repair line and hey it does exactly what it says. These froth up very well so I would say one pump was sufficient for me for my mid-length hair. Oh - speaking of pumps.. can we talk about the fact that they thought far ahead to include PUMPS for you to dispense the products? I was so impressed! The shampoo has micro glitters swirled within it, not sure if you can see it - but hey I mean it's not like you see it when you massage it into your scalp but it sure is pretty. The packaging is a win in my books with its cute honeycomb shaped bottles it just makes it all so aesthetically pleasing. 

As of today's date, I can't speak to the future, these products are listed 2 for $34!

 



Until next time, XO - M

*products were sent to me for consideration, all opinions are my own.