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The Catrice Makeup Transformer Drops are not a new phenomenon.

Catrice Makeup Transformer Drops

Many brands have their own offering of the concept. However, the Catrice Makeup Transformer Drops are the cheapest version I have come across as of yet on the market. That alone is exciting. Who doesn’t like a bargain? πŸ™‚

If you are unfamiliar with the concept, they are basically a pigment you can add into a foundation to either lighten or darken the shade and customise if to your preferred colour. These drops come in 15ml tubes.

Catrice Makeup Transformer Drops

As a pale skinned gal. The Lightening Catrice Makeup Transformer Drops are definitely something that could enrich my foundation wearing life. Alot of the time the palest shade in a foundation range is still too dark for me. The Darkening Drops probably won’t get much use from me personally, but they are equally as important for warming up foundations for darker skinned beauties. Or, of course for fake tan wearing days πŸ™‚

catrice makeup ireland

They have a light but creamy consistency that blends super easily with foundation. I was kind of worried about them changing how my foundation applies and lasts on the skin. But, after trying the lightening ones everyday for the past week or so, I can confidently say they don’t on me.

catrice cosmetics

Here it is in action on my skin with a foundation that is a couple of shades too dark for me. Now I will say, some of the transformer products on the market come in white which would give more colour scope. The Catrice offering are more of a very light skin shade.

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The Darkening Drops work in much the same way.

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I would say add product and mix as you go. The first time I played with these I ended up wasting alot. They’re called drops for a reason, a little goes a long way πŸ™‚

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Catrice also say on the website you can use the drops for highlighting and contouring, which makes sense since they are pigmented and blendable, and of course the right kind of shades. Not something I have tried as of yet, but I definitely will at some stage.

Overall, I am a fan of the Catrice Makeup Transformer Drops. A variation of colours would be as always more beneficial to more skin tones. But, for the price point (€3.95), they are a great addition to your personal makeup collection. They are available in retailers now.

xxx

****PR SAMPLE****

 

Ok, I’ll hold my hands up I’ve never actually used the Benefit Gimme Brow so I can’t really compare. But seeing it in action online and on other people I reckon the Essence Make Me Brow Eyebrow Gel is a really good…alternative to it πŸ™‚ And the best part is, it will only set you back 3 quid!!

Essence Makeup Me Brow Brow GelI picked mine up in Penneys/Primark but I am sure you can get this in any place that stocks Essence. I got the darker shade but there is a light one, which I might get aswell, to have, just in case πŸ™‚

Essence Make Me Brow reviewThe packaging itself is tiny and so is the brush which is awesome because you can really use it to catch onto every eyebrow hair. The gel itself is coloured and has tiny fibres on it to help bulk up the brows you already have. So you can use it on it’s own for a naturally enhanced look. Great for days when you just don’t feel like doing much but you want to look somewhat put together.

It doesn’t go hard or flakey which is a really important element. That is one of my pet peeves with brow gel. Your caterpillars still feel soft and…hair like when the gel has dried.

I personally have a hate relationship with my damn brows so I would usually use the Make Me Brow over powder or pencil or even both depending on my brow mood. But I have used it below on a clean brow to show you the subtle but definite difference it gives.

Beautynook brow before

Before Make Me Brow Application

Beautynook brow after

After Make Me Brow Application

 

Can you see it? Don’t judge my brow it’s the best one I have πŸ™‚

Honestly, I cannot say anything bad about the Essence Make Me Brow. Its such a great little product with a great little price to boot. If you’ve been toying with getting the Benefit Gimme Brow, give the Make Me Brow a go first, you’ve nothing to loose sure πŸ™‚

xxx

Anastasia

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When the Anastasia Beverley Hills Contour Kit became available on Cult Beauty I forked out the 45 pound (not euro pound!) no questions asked. There was so much online hype surrounding it and if I’m honest I put myself on the waiting list in hopes of being one of the first in Ireland to get my hands on it.

I waited patiently and when it arrived, I did a little dance, no word of a lie. I opened it and thought…oh ok so this is what it looks like in the flesh…hmm. I wasn’t hugely impressed with the cardboard packaging. But then the Lorac Pro Palette comes in a similar black matte cardboard affair and I love it, so I won’t judge a book by it’s cover.

So let me show you what you get:

Contour Kit

Top: Vanilla, Banana, Sand Bottom: Java, Fawn, Havana

So the top layer of colours would be the highlight shades. Vanilla is matte and slightly pink in colour. On my skin you can’t see it at all (I am quite pale and have pink toned skin), it could just be a setting powder for me. Banana would be what the name suggests. A matte yellow toned powder, that would be used for highlighting or setting under the eyes. Sand it a pink toned highlighter shade with a sheen running through it.

Then on the bottom we have what would be the contour shades. Java is a coffee coloured brown shade again as the name would suggest. I think this would work best on darker skin tones for contouring and bronzing. Fawn is more of a grey toned brown, in my opinion better on lighter skin tones for contouring. And then finally we have Havana a chocolate brown shade. Would be best used as bronzer I think.

As you can see from the picture above, these powders are refillable so when you are finished a pan you can buy them individually and pop them back into the palette which is cool. Anastasia have actually brought out a huge version of this palette for makeup artists with loads of shades to choose from. It would be great if you could mix n’ match the perfect shades for you.

Here are the shades swatched for you:

Contour Kit Swatches

Vanilla, Banana, Sand, Java, Fawn, Havana

As you can see Vanilla doesn’t come out on my light skin at all, apologies for you not being able to see it, it’s there I promise πŸ™‚

So….what do I think of the palette? Honestly, I think it’s ok. I don’t know whether I am too light skinned for the colours, but most of them of them don’t suit me. They don’t seem to stay on my oily skin too well throughout the day either. They aren’t the most blendable powders I have ever come across either. They are pigmented though! Every day when I’m getting ready, my Kevyn Aucoin sculpting powder makes it into my hands before I grab for this. I am in love with that product and a little of it goes such a long way, thank goodness because the product and packaging is teeny weeny πŸ™‚

I’ll dip in and out of using the Anastasia Contour Kit and get use out of it but it definitely will not be on my list to repurchase. I love my eyebrow products that I have used from this brand (the Dipbrow and the Brow Wiz) and I would highly recommend them so I am not condemning the brand whatsoever. This palette as much as I wanted it doesn’t really float my boat.

It’s so brilliant that brands are bringing out these types of products. Contouring, when done right really is amazing. I think next on the list has to be Inglot’s version πŸ™‚

So there you have it. Let me know if you have any thoughts on it or have used the Anastasia Beverley Hills Contour Kit yourself. As usual, these are just opinions, yours might be completely different and that’s perfectly fine!

Thanks for taking the time to read mine though πŸ™‚

Gemma

xxx