Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Catrice Prime and Fine: translucent loose powder review


I've expressed my love for dewy glowing skin more than once, but there is a time and place for everything. Some of my liquid foundations really demand a mattifying powder to tone down the shine and keep it fixated during the day. Since I was not planning on using it often, I decided to buy a more budget-friendly powder: Catrice's Prime and Fine translucent loose powder.

It mattifies your skin and manages to keep it shine free for a few hours, depending on your skintype and the weather conditions. I like to use it in combination with really dewy foundations that are a bit too shiny and slippery to last a full day's wear. It makes those kind of foundations last longer, but it doesn't keep my skin fully matte all day without any touch-ups. I personally don't mind as I prefer a more natural look, but those with oily skin might need a touch-up!

The powder is completely white but on light to medium skintones it applies translucent if you use it sparingly. I noticed that it leaves a slight white cast if you use too much, so unfortunately I am not sure how this would work for darker skintones.

Ingredients: ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, TALC, DISODIUM EDTA, SODIUM DEHYDROACETATE, ETHYLPARABEN, ETHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN.

I wouldn't want to use those ingredients daily since my skin is fairly sensitive. If your skin is dry and flaky you might want to be careful to avoid the dry patches and just apply it locally where your skin does tend to get shiny.

Some people have compared this to MAC's prep and prime powder, but this sells for only €5,49 and is cruelty free. The powder comes in a big round sifter jar containing 11 gram. Not ideal for travelling, but you can always de-pot some in a smaller jar for touch-ups like I did!

What finish do you prefer, matte or dewy?

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

One Hand Washes The Other Solid perfumes: Halloween


A few months ago I ordered some of One Hand Washes The Other's solid scents from the Halloween collection. I am really sensitive to smells, and some days it can get so overwhelming that I can get a migraine from silly things like cleaning products or even the perfume I have been wearing daily for years. In other words: I am very finicky about perfume.

Trying perfumes in stores is too much for me, so it was nice to be able to order scents online based on the descriptions. The solid scents only cost $5,50, so it's not a massive splurge to try some. There is also an option to order sample vials for only $2,50. The halloween collection was limited in time (currently the winter collection is up!), but there are still some left for sale in the clearance section.

 Read on for my review!