Catrice Nymphelia Collection

Nymphelia, the new limited edition seasonal collection by Catrice, surfaced in my local supermarket in Switzerland this week. Catrice is the sister brand of Essence with a more grown-up sensibility and sleeker packaging. The prices are slightly higher than Essence but still very affordable, with most products costing less than 7 Swiss francs.


Nymphelia evokes the mystical, sensual world of nymphs with a palette of warm red, orange, brown, green and nude tones. The look is soft and feminine yet strong and sensual.

The collection includes five Ultimate Nail Lacquers; Intensif'Eye Wet & Dry Eyeshadow in 020 Charly's Chocolate Factory and 040 Have You Seen Alice?; Lashes To Kill Mascara 01 Black-Green, Eye Liner Pen 060 Black Green and a baked Unbeleaf'able Blush 01 Dancing Nymphs. (See swatches on Parokeets and Honey & Milk.)

The Ultimate Nail Lacquer (CHF5.50) shades are: 01 Be Pool, 670 It's Rambo No. 5, 690 Fred Said Red, 710 Dulce & Havanna and 830 Salmon & Garfunkel.

Smokey Eyes Set 050 Love, Peas and Harmony. (See swatches on Parokeets.)

The Lashes To Mystify (CHF6.25) look reminiscent of Shu Uemura's false eyelashes packaging but at a much more affordable price point.

I came home with the three Lip Colour Creams (from left to right): 01 Spring Kiss, 02 Blossom and 03 Nymph's Glow. Made in Italy, these retailed at CHF5.95 each for 7ml (about S$8.20).

These have a doe foot sponge applicator and give the lips a glossy, smooth shine with a nice wash of semi-translucent color. There is no discernible taste or grittiness. The scent is a tad artificial but I could not detect it after applying the lipgloss.

Here are some pics of the Catrice display, snapped with my Samsung Galaxy SII.




The clear plastic packaging of the Absolute Eye Color Mono also look similar to Shu Uemura's previous packaging for its eyeshadow singles.



I liked the shade range offered by the Color Show lipglosses, in particular 010 Toast With Champagne (extreme right).


Like Essence, Catrice boasts an impressive line of nail polishes.


Have you tried Catrice? If so, do let me know what you think of the brand!