Catrice Ultimate Lip Glow (Clarins dupe)

Sunday 23 March 2014

Ultimate Lip Glow €5.60*

I don’t think I’ve done a dupe post before, so today’s post is a little different. Last month when I was at the Catrice event, I noticed their new Ultimate Lip Glow and as soon as I picked it up, I know it was a dupe for Clarins Crystal Balm.


 If you haven’t heard of crystal balms/lip glow it’s basically a solid see-through balm in the shape of a lipstick, the colour is very sheer and gives you a ‘your lips but better’ look.

Now there two products are basically identical from the packing to the formula and results. the only different is the Clarins crystal balm contain a little extra colour in the centre. Not to mention the Catrice version is less than half the price (When writing this post it Clarins Crystal Balms appear to be now discontinued in Europe) 


L-R Catrice Ultimate Lip Glow, Clarins Crystal Balm

If you loved the Crystal balms or are looking for a dupe, I highly suggest you check out the Catrice Ultimate Lip Glow. You can find out more about Catrice on their Facebook page.
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March Giveaway

Wednesday 19 March 2014


For my March giveaway I thought I would celebrate Spring and introduce to two brands I’m loving at the moment - Essence and it’s sister brand Catrice, I know these products aren't available all over the world so I wanted to share them with you. There is a 6 colour nude palette from Catrice, 2 Nail polishes and 2 lip balms from Essence up for grabs.

All you need to do is follow me on Bloglovin’

GIVEAWAY IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY 



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Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Esprit

Thursday 13 March 2014


I recently received a gift voucher for Franks (kinda the Maltese equivalent of Boots/Sephora - but not as good) and thought I what better way to treat myself than to splurge on a new Chanel Lipstick!

I'm still loving dark lips at the moment, I haven't fully converted into spring/summer mode just yet so I picked the most stunning raspberry colour lipstick in Esprit.


I love the Coco Shine forumla, it's so soft and creamy and I don't find it drying at all. The first colour I picked up from that range for 'Boy', which personally I think is such a classic colour it would suit all skin tones, it's a bit like - your lips just better kind of colour. Perfect for a first choice.

Any back to Esprit. The packing is the classic Chanel black and gold packaging, which in my opinion looks so elegant and is a timeless classic.The formula is rich and creamy and applies easily to the lips. The Coco Shine formulation is slightly sheer so the colour isn't over powering.

It's basically an all round great lipstick, no matter which colour your pick. Personally I would wear Esprit during the day and in the evening, but for some they may prefer to keep it as an evening colour. The older I'm getting the more adventurous I'm becoming with my day time make up, without looking 'too made up' . The only downfall to this lipstick is the rounded tip, which I personally don't lip, however since the pigmentation isn't crazy like the YSL Rouge Volupte lipsticks, it's not as bad. But for perfect lips I would still recommend applying with a lip brush for the outline at the least.


Have you tried to Coco Shine lipsticks - did you like them?
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Catrice Crushed Crystals - Oyster & Champagne

Wednesday 12 March 2014


One of the other items at the Catrice Launch Event that caught my eye was these fabulous Crushed Crystals. They have lots of fabulous colours in the range, however this one - Oyster & Champagne stood out the most!

The polish is loaded with glitter and dashes of larger bits of sparkle too. The colour is hard to describe but it is the most beautiful gold and baby pink. The pictures really don’t do it justice.

For only €3.70 i’ll be snapping up more polishes from this range. They are the perfect way to add a splash of glam to any mani, I added it to my ring finger for a little glitz.

Crushed Crystals have just launched last week and are available from various pharmacies around the island. Check out the Catrice Malta Facebook for more information.

Do you like adding glitter to glam up your mani?
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Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con The Lolita Palette Review

Tuesday 11 March 2014


To celebrate that Sephora now ships to the UK (can I get a yay!) I thought I would do a post on the Marc Jacobs Lolita Palette that I picked up while I was in the US at Christmas time. There are 4 different palettes from the Marc Jacob collection, but I went with the neutral toned one -  Isn’t she a beauty...


The Lolita contains 7 warm toned neutral eyeshadows - 3 matte, and 4 shimmer

I’ve been using this palette for a few months now, and was the only eyeshadows I took with me to London for 4 days. With the mixture of shades, it’s easy to create day time and evening looks with just the palette alone. The only thing it’s missing is a medium brown.

The shadows apply easily, they aren’t crazy pigmented so you don’t have to worry about over doing it, but they also build up nicely and blend smoothly together.



This is my first piece from the Marc Jacobs collection, but have my eyes on a few other pieces.

Have you tried any Marc Jacobs cosmetics yet - what did you think?

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Catrice Liquid Metal Eye shadows

Monday 10 March 2014


If you read my post about the Catrice Spring/Summer event, you’ll know I was lusting about the Liquid Metal eyeshadows, so two days after the event I found myself down at Tony’s Pharmacy in Gzira to get my hands on some. 


I  picked up 3 colours :
010 Look Me In The Ice (white/silver)
060 Petrol Pan (turquoise)
050 We’re The Inner Purple (purple)

I was actually expecting these to be cream eyeshadows, but turns out they are pressed powder. They are still beautiful though.

The pigmentation is quite good - 8.5/10 for the white and purple, and 9/10 for the turquoise one (which I think is my favourite) - I have a thing for turquoise and dark eye eye products at the moment! The shadow applies easily and blends well, there is such a wide range of shades in this range you could really create some amazing looks. I think i’ll be adding some neutral shades to me collection next time.


Have you tried the Catrice Liquid Metal Eye shadows - what did you think?


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Tom Ford Lip Colour Shine - Frolic

Sunday 9 March 2014


So there is a bit of story behind this lipstick...I picked this up on my trip to London last month. I was browsing the beauty hall in Harrods and walked past and spotted the Tom Ford stand, took a few steps back and started swatching away. None of the colours really jumped out at me, but I had my heart set on getting a Tom Ford lipstick, so I picked Frolic from the Colour Shine range and went for an every day colour but I was in two minds about it...Anyway I went to pay, I didn’t ask the price and the sales assistant told me it was £36!! I almost had a heart attack. In my mind I was thinking it was going to be £20-£25 like most high end lip products...too embarrassed to say ‘No’, I handed my card over...since I was paying with my Maltese debit card I had the option to pay in euros....€44!! All I could think was...I’m paying €44 for a lipstick I don’t even love. I walked out having a serious talk to myself!!

But...it all worked out in the end. When I got back home I was thinking, right well I better start wearing this since I’ve spent all that money on it....and you know what, since I’ve actually started wearing it’s one of my favourite lip colours at the moment. It looks so much better on than it did when I swatched it in the shop. So a happy ending after all (except for the price!)

So now onto the actual lipstick...Frolic is a beautiful peachy coral colour. It comes in luxurious packaging and feels high end (and so it should!) The lip colour shine formula is creamy and moisturising, which good colour pay off with a sheen finish. It wears well for a good 4 hours. The colour is perfect for day wear and evening, so if your going to invest in a Tom Ford lipstick you want to get the most use out of it - and Frolic is a good first choice.


Have you tried any Tom Ford lip products - what colours would you recommend?


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Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash Review

Saturday 8 March 2014



On my recent trip to London, no trip would be complete without raiding Duty Free. One of the items I picked up to try was this miniature Philosophy Exfoliating wash, at just 120ml it was priced £12.00, full size of 240ml is £22.00 (from Boots.com). I’ve search the web for the 120ml size, as it’s a great size to try a product, but I think it may be limited to Duty Free...Have you seen 120ml version some where? Let me know...

Anyways, I’ve been using this daily for the last few weeks and thought it was about time I review it. Yes that’s right - daily. I know it goes against everything we’ve been told, but this stuff really is so gentle that it’s suitable to use daily.

The liquid is white, but applies clear and contains teeny tiny little granules to help buff away the dead skin. It’s also so gentle it’s suitable for all skin type.

Like I said I’ve been using this daily for the last week weeks, and while it doesn’t give you that scrubbed raw and tingling fresh feeling, it does leave your skin feel that more fresh and glowing. And since my skin has been having a mini exfoliate every day, I’ve noticed my make up sitting nicer as well.

If you are looking to try out a new face exfoliator, I would recommend picking this up to try. I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do.

What’s your favourite facial exfoliator?
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YSL Rouge Volupte #17 Red Muse

Wednesday 5 March 2014


If you read my previous review about my other YSL rouge volupte in Fushsia in Excess, you’ll know I’ve fallen in love with these lipsticks, and if you’ve bought on already you’ll know why...

While I was in London last month I had the opportunity to visit a YSL stand and couldn’t leave without adding another one to my collection - Red Muse.

Now personally I’m a lover of red lips, I think there is something very elegant about them and I must own about 10+ different shades, so when it came to picking another Rouge volupte lipstick I knew I wanted a red shade. After swatching a bunch of of colours I settled on Red Muse.


Red Muse, as you can tell from the photo is a classic red. Like the other Rouge Volupte lipstick, the formula is creamy and moisturising. It applies easily to the lips and is highly pigmented.

The only downside to this lipstick is its a rounded tip, which can make it a little difficult to apply straight from the holder, so I would recommend using a lipstick brush
 for the best precision as it can be easy to smudge and because of how pigmented it is, if you make a mistake - it can be a little messy to correct.

Again, I’m totally in love with these lipstick and the formula. If you are looking to invest in a highend lipstick, you should check these out.

What’s your ‘go to’ lipstick shade?


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Make Up Store Duchess Eye pencil

Monday 3 March 2014



Last week the Make Up Store at the point celebrated their 18th Birthday and had a special offer of 18% off everything in store, and it was just too good to pass up so I popped along an picked up this stunning metallic British racing green eye pencil in shade ‘Duchess’.


This is my first eye pencil from Make Up Store, and I can’t believe I haven’t tried them before! The formula is soft, creamy and applies like a dream, not to mention that it’s super pigmented. Once applied, the eye pencil doesn’t budge. You’ll need make up remover to take it off.


I’ve been wearing this colour under my lash line and just smudging it slightly for a pop of colour in my daily make up look. I’ve really been loving this look lately, it’s such a fun way to add colour in spring and summer. I specially wanted this shade of green to create the look, and and glad I found it at Make Up store.

So far I’ve loved this eye pencil, it seriously is one of the best I’ve ever used and will definitely be going back to pick up more. So if your looking to add a bit of colour, or just looking for a regular eye pencil, I highly recommend you check out the Make Up Store collection.

What’s you favourite eye pencil shade?


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Catrice Cosmetics Spring/Summer 2014 Launch

Saturday 1 March 2014


This week I attended a Catrice cosmetics event to celebrate the launch of their spring/summer collection.

I had such a fab time, and was blown away by their products. They had set up a stand at the event as well a having products scattered around the club, I almost didn’t know where to look first. Catrice 2014 is all about being trend with a mixture of bright colours, shimmer metallic and soft pastels.

Here is a peek at some of the products:

Celtica Colletion


The Celtica collection is all about gorgeous femanine colours with a mix of metalic eyes, bold lips and soft highlights. I’m loving the pink and peach colours in this range and well as the stunning highlighter. Just look at that packaging...this is one of the many items on my wish list.

Eve in Bloom collection


Eve in Bloom is a floral fantasy collection, with the colour scheme reminiscent of a fresh bouquet of bright red and coral shades as well as autumnal purl in its most beautiful facets. In this collection you’ll find eyeshadow duo’s, eye liners, lip and cheek cream, highlighter, nail foils and gorgeous shades of nail polish.

As I mentioned they had a stand at the event, there were so many products I wanted for my own collection, but sadly I wasn’t allowed to purchase them on the evening - so my next stop will be Tony’s pharmacy in Gzira with my wish list. One of the products I really want to try is Liquid Metal...just look at those amazing colours...


There were so many products that looked like dupes for highend products, I can’t wait to get my hands on them and tell you more about them.

The whole stand was just a makeup lovers heaven of colours, textures and pigments. I was really impressed. Look at these gorgeous shades of lip gloss.


My favourite bit about Catrice....how affordable it all is. Products start from £2, but the quality of the product doesn’t suffer. I have a whole bunch of products to try out and will shortly be buying more. I can’t wait to share them with you all, and show you that quality doesn’t need to be expensive.

Do you love Catrice? What is your favourite product?


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