Catrice Absolute Matt eyeshadow palette

Last week I showed you a massive drugstore make up shoplog. I asked what you’d like me to review first and many of you said the Catrice eyeshadow palette. And so here we are today with a review of this budget matte eyeshadow palette. Matte eyeshadows are hard to find in the drugstore and when you do, the quality is usually nothing to write home about. Is this palette the exception to the norm? Could it be that drugstore gem that everyone has been waiting for? My answer to that question: yes it most certainly is and here’s why.

Catrice Absolute Matt eyeshadow palette

I read a different review by a Dutch blogger a few days ago and in her case the palette showed little pigmentation and an overall muddy look. But when I swatched mine for the first time I was having quite the opposite experience. I was surprised by the amount of pigment in these shadows and when I used them on my eyes I found them fairly easy to work with. For an eyeshadow palette that gets you 6 matte neutral shadows for €4.99, I, in any case, am quite impressed.

The packaging is nothing special. Just a plastic case with a clear lid that shows the six shades in a glance. The copper color of the letters is a nice touch but the brush that it comes with is again nothing to get excited over. One end has a sponge tip applicator whereas the brush end is a bit flimsy and very small. I suggest you use your own eyeshadow brushes when using this eyeshadow palette.

On to the prettiness: the 6 shades in this eyeshadow palette are well chosen and well balanced at first glance. There are two highlighter shades, two medium shades and two deeper shades. The overall color scheme of these shadows are taupe/ brown with a cool undertone. And that is something that has to suit you. Not everyone likes cool toned shadows, but I personally do. There is a reason why I like the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette best.

On the back you’ll find some information. Such as that the palette is called 010 Eyes Wide Matt. The shadows should be matt and long lasting and the texture should be silky smooth. Well, we’ll see whether that’s true below.

Next to that, you’ll find some information on how to create an eye look with this palette. I personally did my own thing with this palette and when I created the look below I made sure to use all 6 shadows. It is a nice touch that they give you a tip on how to take the proposed look from day to night.

As you can see in the picture below, these shadows have a very soft texture. You can see the powder build up on my fingers for three of these shades. I didn’t have any problems with fall out when I applied these, but just make sure to tap off your brush whenever you use these. One thing I did notice is that the texture is buttery soft. That silky smooth texture promised by Catrice is most definitely there. I’m just a tad worried that it might be a bit too soft. I tried some of their Velvet Matte shadows and though pretty, they were so soft that I ended up blending away the color on my eye. Let’s hope these shadows fair better.

The shades do not come with any names. Below I will number them 1 – 6 from left to right.

1: a vanilla creamy highlight that is close to white
2: a cream shade with a pink undertone
3: light taupe with a grey undertone
4: medium taupe shade with a hint of purple
5: dark brown with grey undertone
6: dark grey with a hint of brown

Let’s move on to swatches, shall we?

BAM! When I saw this, I was so happy. I honestly don’t see how you could NOT get any pigment out of these. They are very well pigmented in my case. The three lightest shades may seem a bit meager in comparison to the latter threes shades, but bear in mind that they are lighter shades and blend in with my light skin tone. Pigmentation wise these reminded me of the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette which has a similar premise: 6 matte neutral shades. So I swatched it to compare them:

As you can see the first 3 shades are very different between the two palettes. Where Urban Decay has one shimmery highlight, Catrice has none. Also Urban Decay features a yellow and flesh toned shadow which are not present in the Catrice palette. Rather, the Catrice one has another matte but pink highlight and a medium taupe. But when it comes to the last three shades: doesn’t that look very similar? Let’s just say that someone has been paying close attention to the high end brands at Catrice. So it’s not a dupe for Urban Decay Naked Basics, but there are definitely some similarities here.

So much for swatches: what about an eye look? In other words, how do these shadows perform once you start using them?

The first thing I noticed when I started applying this eye look was that these eyeshadows blend very nicely. They apply like a dream. I had no to little fall out and because of the soft texture a little goes a long way. A downside to the soft texture is the fact that it’s very easy to overblend these colors. In other words, they are so easy to blend that you can wipe them away if you’re not careful. Luckily, you can easily build up more color if need be.

I had no problems with any of these shades. The light shades went on easily and quickly. The medium taupe shade was easy to blend out and the dark brown took a few tries to build it up in my Outer V, but it worked out. The only real problem I had was with applying the liner shade. I had to go over it several times to get a defined line and you will not be able to get a very sharp result with these shadows. I prefer a soft and slightly smudgy liner so for me this is perfect.

I used shade 1 in my inner corner. Shade 2 is on my brow bone and I applied the light taupe shade all over the lid. I used the medium taupe shade in my crease and 2/3 of my lower lashline. The dark brown went in my Outer V and the outer third of my lower lashline. Finally, I used the dark grey as a liner along my top lash line.

Full face – Other products used:
Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid foundation in 04 light porcelain
Maybelline Age Rewind concealer in light
MAC Prep + Prime Transparant Finishing powder
Shiseido blush in RD 103
Too Faced Shadow insurance
Catrice Illuminating highlighter pen
Dior DiorSkin Nude Tan Transat edition
The Body Shop Honey bronzer in 02
Catrice eyebrow filler perfecting & shaping gel in 020
Catrice longlasting brow definer in 020 FlASHy Brows
Catrice Ultimate Stay lipstick in 120 Looks like Coral

Overall, I am really liking this product. The shade selection is spot on. The pigmentation is great. The shades are very workable AND it’s cheap. What else does a girl need? This would be even better if the shades weren’t so easy to blend into nothingness, but other than that, this palette is a must have if you are looking for an eyeshadow palette with neutral matte shades that doesn’t break the bank.

What is your opinion of this palette?