Best Things in Beauty : new Catrice eyeshadows.

i recently picked up some new Catrice eyeshadows that i want to show you today. i'm very happy that Catrice became more readily available since they are now sold at dm. definitely the best drugstore-line at the moment with fantastic eyeshadow selection, great nail-polish shades, solid base make up and various other gems. quality is great for the (low!) price and sometimes generally amazing, the products are very on trend. the packaging is far better than some expensive drugstore brands.

Catrice Oh, It's Toffeeful!

this shade was all over my dashboard a few weeks ago, it seems to be one of Catrice's new releases from their last range-extenstion/revamp that i never particularly noticed. it's a great neutral, though, so i was surprised that i didn't own it yet ;P
the first time i spotted good swatches of Oh, It's Toffeeful!, i suspected that it would make a great affordable dupe for Burberry's Pale Barley. i already owned Pale Barley at that point so i bought this purely out of curiosity and maybe i could be of help for someone if i were to "discover" a dupe. and eventually and obviously i am not able to say "no!" to a great neutral - in this case i would be mad to do so since it's only 2.49€.
Oh, It's Toffeeful! is a pearly medium beige, quite sheer but with good pay-off (means this is an intended sheerness, or a unintended one that makes the shade prettier). what makes it so special is what makes it seem a possible dupe for Burberry Pale Barley: a beautiful opalescent sheen created with gold and pink shimmer particles. it changes colour from a tan to a taupey beige to a cool rose gold and a golden champagne depending on the angle you look at it and how it's hit by the light but is always paired with a transparency that makes it look like a sheer, glowing veil.
the texture of this is rather on the dry side but it's fine and silky. it applies lighter than in the pan, so i either use it in the inner part of the lid or if i'm going for just some glow i also buff this all over the lid. but i actually prefer this layered over a light tan cream shadow (for example the bronze one by Maybelline) for a complex, dimensional but subtle shimmer, or, my favourite everyday-combo of the last weeks, layered over Le Métier de Beauté eyeshadow in Corinthian. this is soo pretty i feel like it deserves its own post or at least FOTD.
Oh, It's Toffeeful! blends seamlessly and without noticeable fall out. lasts all day over NARS Pro Prime Eye Shadow Primer without creasing or fading.

so how does it compare to Burberry Pale Barley in the end? well, no exact dupes, sorry. they're sisters but not twins. Pale Barley is deeper, its golden sheen stronger while it's a sheer shimmery golden veil with the Catrice shadow. also, PB fuses with my skin more naturally but OIT! can seem a bit dull when packed on. for an average person they are probably the same, but i'm definitely higher-than-average obsessed with make up, so for me these serious (!) differences mean that i need to own both!
all in all this is one of those drugstore-must-haves, a no-brainer shade that you can't go wrong with.
i don't need to stress out the fact that i really dig the packaging although it's a rip-off of Shu Uemura's anymore. makes owning a ton of them really fun.

comparison

MAC Patina - Burberry Pale Barley - Catrice Oh, It's Toffeeful - NARS Kalahari duo (left side)

Catrice Vanessa's Paradise

Vanessa's Paradise on the other hand was a totally spontaneous purchase in a trace of exuberance. as i never really wear such shades i don't own any nice brights, so i wanted to try this intense turquoise especially because i was feeling overly summery the day i bought it. i'm having a phase where i want to try the (for me) most unusual colours anyway. if they don't work, layering is the key to tone them down and make them wearable again, so thanks to these endless possibilities there's basically no risk in a bright orange or pink or for the start, intense turquoise.
Vanessa's Paradise is a deep turquoise with beautiful blue shimmer and silver flecks. although the shimmer appears quite chunky, the texture doesn't feel gritty at all but rather refined and silky. it's a bit dry but surprisingly it blends well without any fall outs. the swatches don't do it justice and rather show its shimmery qualities, i was amazed at how buildable this eyeshadow is, how intense it translates onto my lids and how bright it maintains to appear on and against my skin. to be true, i expected this to be a fun one to look at but easy to blend out and wear as a soft wash of turquoise shimmer...
i haven't worn it in other combinations really, so i need to figure out which shades to combine it with to make it look more wearable and less flashy, but thanks to it's intensity it will be a great accent shade (on the outer lower lashline, peaking through the eyeliner on the upper lashline etc.) for a neutral-lover like me.
over a primer, this wears without any problems and is easily removed in the evening (i've had some very finely milled teal shadows before that ended up staining my lids after the whole make up was removed!).
bottom line this is a fun shade to have and it doesn't break the bank either.

comparison

Catrice Vanessa's Paradise - Rouge Bunny Rouge Mysterious Tinamou

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a quick eye make up with both shades: Oh, It's Toffeeful on the inner half of the lid & lower lashline and Vanessa's Paradise on the outer parts. dark blue liner, slightly smudged with dark blue shadow (Contrast by MAC)