Essence skeye and sand: dupe for Mac Coppering/Nyx Copper?

Source: essence website

Recently I've decided my eye make up looks have been a bit too cool-toned for my skin and when looking online, I was immediately attracted to certain eye looks which happened to include Mac coppering in them. I found out Nyx copper was considered a dupe for Mac Coppering and, as my nearest Clicks didn't have it, I braved the big bad busy shopping mall (on the last day of school holidays nogal!) to go and find it (the things I do for make up!).

After securing the last Nyx copper eyeshadow I proceeded to browse the essence stand...and discovered the gem single eyeshadow (65) called skeye and sand. It looked like it was in the right colour range to help me to achieve the look I was going for. So I swatched it alongside Nyx copper and lo and behold, it is very similar...which means it should be similar to Mac coppering. Of course I bought the essence shadow (and saved myself R60!) and rushed home to tell you about it - which is why I'm only using a stock photo from the essence website! I'll put a proper review on once I've used it for a while. 

In the meantime:
For swatches see Call of Beauty
For some looks with this eyeshadow, see Looks like Valerie and Blush Rush
Unfortunately all of those sites are in German, but at least they have some great pictures and beautiful looks.

Does anyone have Mac coppering and want to compare it to essence skeye and sand for us?

Nyx blusher in Pinched

 

I love pink blushers and one day while browsing the Nyx counter at Clicks, I discovered this blusher. Pinched is a pink blusher, with a bit of a peach undertone and a light golden shimmer. It is considered to be a dupe for the iconic Nars Orgasm blusher (which isn't available in South Africa, to the best of my knowledge, and thus this dupe alert is only based on what I've read and seen online).

Although the glitter looks quite large here, it's actually small

The texture is good: it is not at all powdery and there is minimal fallout when using it. It is well pigmented and thus needs to be applied with a light hand. I have found it appropriate for everyday wear as the shimmer is quite subtle. I find the colour lasts for at least 6-8 hours (I tend to touch my face a lot. I know I know, bad for the skin and all that. So longevity on my skin is perhaps less than average).

Top: Straight out the pan; Bottom: Blended out

Although the glitter looks large in the above few photographs, it really isn't! In fact it is definitely more of a shimmer than glitter. It seems the lighting caused the camera to catch the glitter and somehow make it appear enlarged.

As you can see from the above swatch, Nyx pinched can come off quite red or highlight the red tones in some people's faces, so best to swatch in the shop and check that first! I find swatching blushers on the back of the hand and also the inner arm is best. The back of your hand will show you how the blusher will interact with the red in your skin and the inner arm reveals the colour it is more likely to be on your cheek. I recommend allowing the blusher some time to "develop" on your skin - so don't judge the colour immediately; give it a few minutes.

Nyx blushers are available exclusively at Clicks for R89,99 and contains 4g of product.

Review: Catrice Prime and Fine Eyeshadow Base

Until recently I was not convinced of the need for eyeshadow primer. Catrice's new eyeshadow base has changed all that. I bought the Catrice Prime and Fine Eyeshadow Base on a whim. It was one of the new products and since I seemed to be buying so many of them, why not this one?

The base comes in a jar and has quite a creamy consistency. I like the fact that the base is not too liquid and thus does not need "drying time". Somehow I feel that creamier formulas are less likely to crease?!
The base blends into the eyelid well and is easily applied using your finger. On me, it comes out transparent - I'm not sure if it will do this for those with darker skin tones but I would hope so (let me know your experience if you have a darker skintone!).

I really like this new base. My eyeshadow becomes more vibrant and has never creased when wearing it, even after exercise classes or 12 hour days. I've decided eyeshadow base is now an essential part of my make up routine.

What are your thoughts on the new Catrice Prime and Fine Eyeshadow Base?

Essence quattro: To Die For

If you are looking for a good neutral palette ideal for traveling, you need look no further than Essence's quattro eyeshadow in 05 To Die For. I am always hesitant to take expensive make up on trips for fear it might get broken in transit, but as this mini palette is only R39,99 and comes in quite sturdy plastic packaging, those fears are no more. As you can see, this palette has received some love from me.

The quad consists of four shades: a champagne highlight shade, a soft light peach lid shade, a medium brown and a slightly darker matte brown. These are shades many would already have amongst their make up but the convenience of having them all in one small package that can be tucked into your handbag or luggage means this quad is well worth buying.

I find these shadows are not quite as good quality as some of  Essence's single eyeshadows. The lighter shades may need to be built up a little but the darker shades are very pigmented. I tend to use these eyeshadows with a primer if possible (when tested on my hand, the peach shade over a primer was actually quite difficult to wash off without make up remover. Although, that may speak more to the primer than the eyeshadow...).

 I apologise for the blurry quality. The peach colour is less red-toned in real life and the champagne colour is slightly more cream coloured.

I am able to use the darker matte brown as an eyebrow shade and it's possible to use the darker colours as subtle eyeliners. When I travel, I simply use this quad and mascara and occasionally an eyeliner and that's my eye make up done, no matter the occasion.This quad is also ideal for those who are just starting to wear make up and who need a subtle and inexpensive palette to experiment with.

Why I mostly buy single eyeshadows

Certain eyeshadow palettes seem to have a cult-following online. A quick search on youtube yielded 84 000 results for the Urban Decay Naked palette. Perhaps my skepticism of the awe-inspiring "amazingness" of the Naked palettes is because I have never personally seen or touched one. Anyway, the point of this post is not to discuss the merits of a palette I have never laid eyes on but to explain my preference for single eyeshadow colours.

My experience with eyeshadow palettes is that there are always colours I do not like and will not use in them. I can usually use all the colours in trio and quad sets but in larger palettes, certain shades get a lot of love and others linger unused until I force myself to use them in an attempt to finish the palette. One palette I finished earlier this year even earned the nickname "the undead palette" because certain shades seemed as though they would never finish!

What about the cost! I hear you protest. Buying many single eyeshadows is certainly more expensive than buying a palette. But are you really getting your money's worth from the palette? Are you really using each colour and do you end up wasting some colours simply because you dislike them? Perhaps this doesn't apply to neutral palettes. I'm certain that if I didn't have so many neutral colours already, I'd get a lot of use from the Catrice neutral palette (which, incidentally, is sold out everywhere I've seen).

Source: Catrice website promo photo

I prefer buying single eyeshadows simply because I can get eyeshadows I really love in bigger quantities. And I know they will all be used up. I also find that sometimes the quality of single eyeshadows is better than those in a palette. This has been my experience with essence, for one.

What is your preference: single eyeshadows or palettes? What are your favourite singles and palettes?

Catrice Bricky Mouse

Catrice recently relaunched their nailpolish collection. I literally had to get my hands on some new shades (which I'd been hearing about online for months) as soon as they were unpacked from the box at the shop! Bricky Mouse was my first purchase and has quickly become a favourite. Other polishes which caught my eye were The Monkey Gets Funky and Squeeze Me.

Bricky Mouse is a dusty pink with an almost brick-red undertone. It has subtle gold sparkles in it which are not visible on the nail unless closely inspected in sunlight/direct light. The colour looks quite pink in the photo but in reality it is slightly more brick-hued. I think this a lovely, pretty everyday type shade and I find myself reaching for it often.

(Please excuse the messy nail painting! Essence

Better Than Gel Nails Top Sealer as top coat)

I didn't have any problems with the formula or application of Bricky Mouse - I just tend to be a messy painter!

It's worth mentioning that there have been some problems with the caps of the new range of Catrice nailpolishes. If you treat the cap gently (which I didn't do with my first bottle of Bricky Mouse!) it will be fine. The problem with the caps does not seem to be specific to any particular colour.

Which of the new Catrice nailpolishes caught your eye?

 

Disappointed: Catrice and Essence Limited Editions in South Africa

One of the things I think is so exciting about Catrice and Essence is that they produce limited edition collections quite frequently. However, if you live in South Africa, you don't get to experience these very often.

After having been saddled with the Catrice Nymphelia collection (which came out in Europe in February and March 2012, by the way) for 6 months, if not more, I was excited to see the staff at Dischem unpack a new limited edition...until I realised it was not one of the recent editions I'd been hearing so much about online but instead the Bohemia collection from September/October 2011!

I could understand if we were a few months behind Europe in terms of receiving limited editions and also if we receive only some of those which come out, but to get a limited edition that is 19-20 months old is very disappointing. I don't know if the fault lies with Dischem or with the importers of the Catrice products, Cosmetix, but I'd be interested to know why this is the case.

Essence trend editions seem to be more up to date, particularly at Clicks (we got the Ready for Boarding edition around the same time Europe did last year, for example), but change infrequently. We have had the second Breaking Dawn collection for months and months and I suspect we will have the Great and Wonderful Oz collection for a similar amount of time.

I can only hope that perhaps we will also get to see some of the limited editions I have been waiting for, like the Catrice second Big City Life collection, Catrice Hollywood's Fabulous Forties collection and the Essence Vintage District Collection. The history of and previews for limited edition collections can be viewed here: Catrice limited editions history and Essence trend editions history.

Has anyone else been disappointed by the lack of limited editions reaching South Africa's shores?

Catrice eyeshadow dupes for Mac and Urban Decay Naked palettes: Masterlist

I watch numerous make-up tutorials on youtube but often find myself unsure how I might recreate the looks demonstrated using more affordable, cruelty-free products. Quite often make-up looks featured on youtube use Mac eyeshadows and the Urban Decay Naked palettes. As Mac is no longer cruelty-free (Mac's animal-testing policies) and also outside of my budget, and Urban Decay is neither cruelty-free (Urban Decay statement) nor available in South Africa, I decided to do some investigation to see if I could find alternatives which are both bunny-friendly, affordable and available in SA.

Nyx is widely touted as an excellent, Leaping Bunny-approved alternative to Mac products. I will  be investigating this further soon. However, today I wanted to start by listing Catrice products that are considered dupes for Mac and UD. As I personally do not own any Mac or UD, this has been based on swatches and posts from other blogs, which will be acknowledged below. Some of these are not exact dupes but work well when trying to recreate a look.

Catrice	Mac	Urban Decay
340 Oops…nude did it again	Dazzlelight	Virgin (Naked 1)
		Bootycall (Naked 2)
450 Oh it’s toffeeful	Patina	Suspect (Naked 2)
070 Mr Copper’s Fields	Woodwinked or All that glitters
400 My First Copperware Party	Satin Taupe	YDK (Naked 2)
080 Go, Charlie Brown!	Mystery	Busted (Naked 2)
570 Plump up the Jam	Between Sketch & Trax
350 Starlight Espresso	Copperplate
090 Bring me frosted cake	Blanc Type
410 C'mon Chameleon	Club
140 The Captain of the Black Pearl	Black Tied
590 Dorian's Grey	Electra
440 Ice wide open	Moon’s Reflection
470 Golden Evergreen	Sumptuous Olive
Intensif'eye 100 Glamourose		Sin (Naked 2)
Intensif'eye 030 Vanilla Sky Ride	Nylon

Catrice products are available exclusively at Dischem and mono eyeshadows cost R34.99 and Intensif'eyes wet and dry shadows cost R49.99

For a comprehensive video with swatches and comparisons: MakeupByAmira Video
Swatches/comparisons of Toffeeful/Patina and Plum up the Jam/Sketch/Trax: Passing Fancy
Copperware/Satin Taupe and Golden Evergreen/Sumptuous Olive: Beauty and Mess
Mr Copper's Fields/All that Glitters: Liebenswuerdig
Glamourose and Sin: lovelifeleyla