Lipgloss is my Life

Remember that I received a whopload of Essence and Catrice goodies the other day? Well I’ve had time to play around with them and thought I’d fill you in on my favourites.

First up we’ve got this super adorable mini lipgloss set, R34,95:

I love that you’re getting Benefit Cosmetics-style box set cuteness at a snip of the price!

I’ve now disassembled it and have a mini gloss living in each of my tiny little clutches as well as the zipper pocket of my gym towel (‘cos you can never look too good on the treadmill…)

Another goodie? Essence Studio Nails Fast cuticle remover, R24,95: This isn’t as speedy as Sally Hansen’s Instant cuticle remover, but for something a snip of the price, it does a seriously good job. If I was cash strapped and needed to add a cuticle zapper to my nail bag I’d be more than happy to purchase this one.

I was also impressed with this Catrice Smokey Eyes brush, R39,95:
It’s got a soft shadow brush on one end and a tapered bristle brush on the other that I’ve been using to apply gel eye shadow. I was so surprised by its overall quality that I’m now keen to try more of the brand’s brushes.

I’m also enjoying Catrice’s Colour Show Colour & Stay lip gloss, R49,95.

Catrice Colour Show lip gloss in Flirty Fuchsia

They’re promise up to four hours of wear but, as they’re not as tacky as my usual MAC glosses, I seem to only get about two hours max. Still, I’m loving Flirty Fuchsia (pictured above); it’s a sheer shimmery hot pink that makes my blue eyes pop and doesn’t dry out my lips.

Ooh! And how could I forget about this baby?

Catrice Prime and Fine translucent loose powder (R64,95) does the same job as Smashbox and MAC’s powder primers in that it temporarily obliterates pores and fine lines with just a few sweeps.

Last but not least, I HAVE to mention these eye shadows. I didn’t get them in my press kit but found them in the sale bin for less than R20 a pop at Clicks so I’m not sure if they’re still on the shelves:

On the left we’ve got Essence ‘Colour & Shine’ eyeshadow in Stage Beauty and Essence eyeshadow in Delirious Show.

I’ve been using Delirious Show (a sparkly brown shade) on my lid and Stage Beauty (a shimmery bronzey gold) in the crease. Neither of them match up to the velvety texture or high pigmentation of other more expensive eye shadows but in regards to what they cost, they’re absolute gems.

So. Are you an Essence/Catrice fan like me? If you’ve discovered something of theirs that’s too good not to share with your fellow chicas please don’t hesitate to tell us about it in the comments section. Also, if you’ve got any other fab budget beauty buys you wan’t to blab about please go right on ahead.

Love, love

Leigh

P.S. I didn’t love Catrice’s mascaras but thought their nail polish colour selection was fab. They’ve also got the cutest names… think Beavis and Mud-head, Dulce & Havanna, I Am A Lob-Star…

If you’re into Tommy Hilfiger’s Hilfiger Woman, you’re going to be glad to hear it’s just popped a flanker in the form of Hilfiger Woman Peach Blossom.

Peach Blossom is in the same bottle as the original but the signature li’l bow now boasts a touch of pink as opposed to baby blue.

Note-wise, they haven’t just tweaked a few top notes but created an entirely new scent. Where the original Woman was all about citrus, white florals and vanilla; Woman Peach Blossom is a much sweeter fruity floriental. It opens with a burst of bergamot and peach and has a floral heart of purple iris and mimosa. The dry down is a sweet mix of musk, tonka bean and coconut.

Something about it makes me think of Estee Lauder’s Beyond Paradise or possibly a fruiter version of Miss Dior Cherie. While I preferred the original, I’m sure this’ll find lots of fans in that so many women, the majority of which are much younger than I am, can’t seem to get enough of fruity florals.

According to Tommy Hilfiger, the Woman Peach Blossom girl is ‘innocent yet provocative’; a ‘whimsical new romantic’.

Personally, I see the Peach Blossom girl as being young, ‘preppie’ and very feminine; someone like Gossip Girl’s Blair W:

The scent will be available in Edgars and Red Square stores this month and a 30ml EDP is a very reasonable R390. If you give it a sniff, please let me know your thoughts.

Love, love

Leigh

P.S. If you’re intrigued by the preppie jersey-draped-over-the-shoulder set, you’re going to love this; the new rules of prep according to Vanity Fair. Think thy shalt own a blue blazer, NEVER fly in sweats, ankle bracelets are the anti-Christ and so on and so on…