Catrice Professional Makeup Techniques Face Palette

I think one of the most anticipated new releases by Catrice is their professional face palette. I know I got excited when I saw this in store. It is on the pricier side of Catrice products, but if it works well, then it might very well be the first drugstore face palette that actually works. My first impression was good, so let’s see how I feel after using it for some time.

Catrice Professional Makeup Techniques Face Palette 010 Volume One

When I say this is on the pricier side, I mean it. This retails for €12.99. That makes it by far the most expensive product Catrice has ever come out with. I think the most expensive item after this is an €8 foundation, so it is quite a leap in price for the brand.

The Packaging

The palette comes wrapped in an outer box and then there is the sleek looking palette itself. The compact has a bit of a curve to it: looks great, but it’s not so great storage wise. This means it is for instance difficult to stack if you have more than one face palette. In the lid you will find a good sized mirror.

The Product

Inside you will find 8 different face products: 2 creams and 6 powders. It is a bit of a package design fault that the creams are exposed to the powders in my opinion. It would have been better if there would a flap to keep them for mixing with the powders.

The Shades

On the left side of the palette you will find your colorful products. There is a matte contour in the top left corner. You also get a matte bronzer and a matte blush. The latter is especially vibrant. Apart from matte products, there is also a shimmer or pearly blush in this side of the palette.

On the right side you find the creams. There are a cream and powder beige product which can be used as foundation, concealer and setting powder. Then there are two highlighters: one powder and golden toned and one cream and silver toned. The silver one is quite interesting as it has a blue shift in certain lighting.

The Swatches

contour | bronzer | blush | blush | powder | highlight | cream | highlight

Swatches don’t lie. The powders are quite powdery, but the pigmentation is on point. I find these blend well and the creams aren’t too greasy once applied. They feel a little tacky after immediate application, but if you layer a powder on top, that tacky feel will disappear. The matte blush is insane and only needs a very light hand. Overall, this palette is more geared toward lighter than darker skin tones, so that is something to bear in mind.

The Application

before
after

I decided to use the matte cream as a concealer. You could use this as foundation too, but then the pan will be empty quite quickly. There is only 2.2 grams of product in each pan, so that would mean this won’t last long if you put it all over your face. The cream covers my dark circles quite nicely, but I have to say that it seems to have a greenish tint to it on the pictures. In real life this wasn’t noticeable though. It set well and it didn’t crease until after a good few hours of wear.

before | cream highlight
bronzer | contour

powder highlight | matte blush
pearly blush

The other product all worked just as well. The pans are a little small when using a big powder or blush brush, but if you’re careful, it is no problem. I used the powder as my setting powder and it works just as well as other powders I’ve used. But then again, I’m not too fussy when it comes to my setting powder.

The contour and bronzer apply nicely. They don’t go on streaky or blotchy. This goes for all the powder products in this palette. Each powder is easy to blend, but because of the intense pigmentation a little will go a long way. The blushes have to be my favorites in here as they truly pack a punch.

The highlighters are okay: they are great for everyday, but they aren’t the sellers of this palette. All in all, this palette does get a full face done and that is why I think this is a great one to keep on hand for travel or weekends away. All you need for your face apart from this palette is a foundation and your entire base makeup is done!

The Conclusion

Yes, I love this Catrice Professional Makeup Techniques Face Palette. It is a bit bulky and cumbersome for the daily makeup user, but this is great for travel. Another drawback is that this only comes in one shade (up to now, with Catrice, you just never know) and that is best for pale skinned ladies like myself. However, the quality of the products is great, so if you’re looking for a one stop shop that can do all of your face makeup in one go, this is a great one to look into and well worth the €12.99 price point.

Do you use face palettes?