Catrice: Mini Reviews and Swatches

 Aaah,Catrice.  One of my favorite drugstore brands.  Every time I travel to Europe, I am always eager to check out their collections.  They are always changing up their core collection - good if you want to try different things, but bad if you really like a product because you have no idea how long they'll be around for.

I already have a good selection of eyeshadows and nail polishes from Catrice, and I've been a fan of their products since the beginning.  For only 2,75, their eyeshadows have consistent quality.  The mattes are pigmented and buttery smooth, and they always manage to come up with unique colors.  I can safely say that some of my favorite eyeshadows are from Catrice!

Their nail polishes are also always on pointe. They have a fantastic selection of colors, both shimmery and matte, and I love their formulas. The nail polishes are conistently pigmented, opaque, and last for a long time - around a week - with my standard Seche Vite base and top coat.

I also really like the lipsticks from Catrice, although a lot of the shades aren't quite my style.  I have one MMLB-ish shade, but that's about as extensive as my lip collection from them goes.  This time, I found a couple more shades that I wanted to try, but I didn't actually go crazy for once.

Exploring Art Deco: Eyeshadows, Blush, and FOTD

I first heard about Art Deco a few years ago before I knew anything about German makeup and have been trying to get my hands on it ever since.  For some reason, I really love the idea of being able to build my own palette, and Art Deco has plenty of options for doing so with their assortment of blushes and eyeshadows.

The first time I was in Germany, I picked up a couple of eyeshadows, which I love dearly, but I've found some real winners this time in the collection as well.

August 2014 Favorites

While I'm sitting over here slightly depressed that the end of August marks the unofficial end of summer for me, I am at least excited about the amount of new products I have been able to play with ever since coming back home.  Although I love the simplicity of having just a few products to choose from when I put on my makeup,  being back with my normal selection is exciting all the same.

But even though I switched it up almost every day, there were still a few products that I tended to reach for often, and products that I just completely fell in love with.

Catrice Metallure Luminizing Bronzer - Rosy Gold Gallore

Although I'm in no short supply of highlighters, I can't seem to resist a good highlighter when I see one.  During a little foray through the aisles in the German drugstore, I stopped in my tracks at the new Catrice display with some beautiful metallic eyeshadows, nail polishes, lipsticks....and this beauty.

Rose Gold Perfection.

This was one of those products that I knew was going to be mine, even as I tried to convince myself out of buying it.  I was able to pass on the rest of the collection, but a "luminizing bronzer" light enough as a highlighter on my skin is actually something new to my collection.

March 2014 Favorites

I think I'm getting better at this....instead of being two weeks late, my favorites post is now up just one week late.  I actually don't have that many favorites, and they are all predictably products that I have posted about recently with a couple surprises here and there.  Apart from the blushes that I posted about earlier, I have been reaching for the same things pretty consistently.

 Keep reading to see what I've been using!

Favorite Products of 2013

So we're a month into 2014...how is everyone?  A new semester that was supposed to be more relaxed than the last has somehow ended up being even busier, but I'm remaining optimistic for the new challenges and adventures I'll be encountering!

It's taken me awhile to compile all of my 2013 favorites, but when it came down to it, I knew exactly what to reach for.

I definitely started trying new products this year and found new products that I couldn't live without.  I think the biggest change in my makeup routine has been adding bold lips into as many looks as I can.  I used to be so afraid of bold lips, and could have never imagined wearing a bright fuchsia lipstick out, let alone a dark vampy plum color!  I've learned to just rock it and wear what I want, whenever I want.  Do I get some weird looks for wearing bright red or a deep purple lip to the grocery store sometimes?  Yes.  Do I care? Not anymore!  Let them stare all they want.

I also had the chance to try out a bunch of new products this year, particularly because I was in Germany from January to April.  German beauty brands are not as well known, but they are just as fabulous as American brands.

Without getting into too much detail yet, here is the whole compilation of products:

To see more details, click to keep reading!

Nail Polish Pick of the Week

I'm posting on the go today to give you all a quick update.  I've discovered an unlikely summer nail polish favorite from Catrice.  I bought this shade a few months ago because it was a unique shade and didn't imagine I would wear it until the fall, but I pulled it out a few days ago because I wanted a darker color on my nails.

I was surprised to see how much I loved it, and how suitable it was summer, especially since I have a slight tan right now.  The color is a unique mix of maroon and brown with a little bit of gold glitter that's barely noticeable on the nails.  When I'm indoors it even looks like a dark purple.  I've never seen a shade like it, but call me obsessed! 

Catrice nailpolishes don't last as long as Essie or OPI polishes, but this is my 3rd day of wear and only two fingers have minor chips in them.  I used the Seche Vite base coat and topcoat and I know they definitely prolong the wear of my polishes.

The shade name is 23 The Monkey Gets Funky.  Unfortunately, Catrice is Europe only, but if any of you can get your hands on it, please do!  They were only 2,75€ (around $4) and worth every Euro!

Also added a bonus picture of me wearing my sneaker wedges from Urban Outfitters.  They look great with everything!  I pulled a casual look today with just a slouchy tshirt and some denim shorts.  I'll be home soon for some monthly favorites so stay tuned!

FOTD: Playing with some brights

Springtime in Berlin is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful things I've seen.  After a brutal and very grey winter, seeing the sun every morning is enough motivation for me to crawl out of bed before 9am and go on a morning run. 

Workout of the Day:
10k run
short arm workout consisting of pushups, tricep dips, and tricep extensions

I never thought I would be able to manage running even 8k, let alone 10k, but they are becoming a norm for me now.  With this weather and some beautiful parks in Berlin, it's definitely less painful that it could be!

Even with finals this week, I can't resist taking a (very) long break from studying by talking a walk through the streets and hitting up a few cafes in the afternoon.  The weather and the sun are taking me out of my makeup rut and inspiring me to do something a little brighter - an accent of a yellow-lime eyeshadow and a cheerful pink lip.  It's definitely a refreshing change from the taupes and neutrals that I've been wearing all year!

 See what I used after the jump!