Catrice Eyeshadow Swatches

Thanks to the generosity of a dear friend, I was able to get my grubby little paws on some Catrice eyeshadow singles. I'd heard a lot about the brand across the internet, but as it's not sold in the US, hadn't had a chance to try until some international swappage occurred. :) This post serves mostly to document the shades and how they appear on my skin for future reference.

In order from left to right they are:

I Like To Mauve It
Saw It On Blue Tube
Don't Touch My Mosserati
Fancy A Coppa Tea
Starlight Espresso
My First Copperware Party
Carrots of the Caribbean
Oh, It's Toffeeful!
C'mon Chameleon
John Lemon





The pictures don't do justice to the duochrome C'mon Chameleon, which is a dupe for MAC Club. I've also heard said that Oh, It's Toffeeful is a dupe for the cult favorite Burberry Pale Barley, but I haven't tried the latter personally, so I can't attest to the truth of that statement. It is definitely a workhorse neutral lid shade, however, but would better suit those lighter in skintone than I, IMHO. The biggest standout to me is Starlight Espresso, which is a smooth grey matte that I definitely need to try as a "crease" (my crease and contour are not one and the same; I'm specifically referencing the lid fold here) shade sometime.

Foundation matching for medium yellow-olive skintone

So after ages of living in denial, I decided finally to face the reality that lots of those nice foundation formulas I liked really didn't match me all that well. The reason this preoccupation entered my mind is that I'm looking for a good foundation for wedding photos and, as I'll likely be baring my shoulders and decollete, I super duper need my face to match my chest and neck. I gathered a bunch of samples along with the foundations I own and swatched them all on my inner arm, which is currently probably NC25-30 while my face in the fall is closer to NC35-37, but my neck and chest are a shade or two lighter and cooler yellow/more olive.

It used to be that foundations were all pink-toned, but now yellow tones are a lot more popular. However, they tend to be too orange/peach on my cool yellow/olive skin, standing out more starkly on me than some of the pink-toned foundations like Bourjois Healthy Mix 55. Also, keep in mind that my face is far darker than my inner arm and that these are all used in daily application far more sheerly than swatched here, so they aren't quite as ridiculously off as they look, though admittedly imperfect for the most part. This is the list swatched for reference: (Sorry about the bad cropping in the second image, but you didn't need to see my messy room! :P)

YSL Teint Majeur 7
D&G Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation in 120 Natural Beige
Laura Mercier Silk Creme Cashew Beige
Estee Lauder DoubleWear in 2w2 Rattan
Bourjois Healthy Mix 55
Missha Perfect Cover #27
Shu Uemura Nobara 754
Bobbi Brown BB Cream in Medium
Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer SX-11
Givenchy Photo'perfexion in 106 Perfect Pecan
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk 6.25
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk 5.75
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk 6
Chantecaille Future Skin in Camomile
Givenchy Teint Couture in 5 Elegant Honey
MAC Face & Body in C3
Stila CC Medium (this didn't swatch well as it stays green if it's not sheered out much, but then it's hard to really see without.)





It seems to me that D&G Creamy 120 Natural Beige, ELDW Rattan, Shu Nobara 754, Givenchy Photo'perfexion 106 Perfect Pecan, KA SSE SX-11, GA Luminous Silk 6, Chantecaille FS Camomile, and MAC F&B C3 are closest undertonally to the green and/or cool yellow I want to reach, especially the exceedingly green Luminous Silk 6. This "experiment" really brought home what a dearth of olive foundations there are on the market, which is strange considering how many olive-y people there exist around my skintone. If you have any recommendations for medium yellow-olive foundations, please let me know!