Catrice Glow Beautifying Face Oil review

Catrice has been slowly but surely venturing into the skincare realm and while exciting I am always a bit skeptical. Not too long ago I reviewed their Glow Booster serum for you and today we are taking a closer look at the brand new Glow Beautifying Face Oil. This face oil is promoted as part of their ‘glow’ skincare line, but when I read the packaging of this product it promised this could also work well under makeup. So what did I do? Yup I decided to try this as a glowy primer oil. Did it work?

Review: Catrice Glow Beautifying Face Oil primer

Because this product is part of the skincare range and not of the standard makeup line I feel this is a little bit more expensive than the usual Catrice base product. Still, at just €5.99 a pop this really isn’t too bad. The way this is promoted does have me confused: it is styled after their skincare line, but then the product states it can be used ‘on its own’ or ‘under makeup’. So which is it? A skincare product or a glowy base? I decided to go with the latter as I really into trying more glowy/ oil based primers this fall/ winter season.

What does this product have to offer?

So what I think Catrice’s intention with this product is, is to make it like a Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter: a glowy base that can be worn as is, or that can add a nice glow to your face before your makeup application. This product boasts the inclusion of four types of oil: almond, jojoba, argan and rose. When I look at the ingredient list then this product definitely contains that. However what it also contains is visible shimmer. This shimmer cannot be seen on the skin as such but I just don’t think it really adds anything to the product.

What was my experience using this product?

So I really liked the way this went onto the face. The oil is a bit runny but the dropper style packaging makes it very easy to use. I just put one drop on my finger apply it to my face and then rub it all over my face. It has a slight scent to it which I think make be caused by the rose oil. This may therefore be a product you want to stay away from if you are sensitive to that. Additionally I think this product is not right for people who are sensitive to essential oils: it seems to be pretty much that and not much else.

How does this product work?

As I mentioned this product has some shimmer suspended in the product. In a swatch you can’t see that anymore. This oil feels lightweight and is easily absorbed by the skin. As you can see in the swatch this oil adds quite a lot of glow but without making you look like a sparkling discoball. That said though, the shimmer is a bit annoying. Since the particles are heavier than the oil, it sinks to the bottom of the bottle quite easily. Now the packaging says to shake well, but there is a bit of shimmer stuck in the bottom that, no matter how hard I shake this product up, won’t budge. And I personally don’t see it really adds anything: there is no tint, no visible sparkle. All you get in the end is a clear oil. So you make all that effort for absolutely no reason.

How does this product apply to the skin?

Let’s have a look at a before and after. On the back of my hand I feel this face oil looked far glowier than on my face. This product adds a bit of shine to my face but I don’t see too much of a difference. If anything, my face is a bit more red from rubbing in the product. It feels nice on the face but I wasn’t too wowed with this and you need quite a bit to cover your entire face. The reason why I wasn’t wowed with this is how foundation applies on top of it. Sure my makeup didn’t wear down any quicker than it normally would so I don’t think this affected the lasting power of my makeup. However, I did have a lot of trouble making my foundation look even on top of this. You could clearly see my makeup sponge leaving marks in my foundation if I had used a bit too much of this, which was a bit of a shame.

My final thoughts

The Catrice Glow Beautifying face oil is a nice product but not my favorite. It is a bit too fragranced for my liking and it makes the rest of my makeup a bit more difficult to apply. I also feel that in terms of skin benefits I am not noticing much. I have been using this for a few weeks now and my skin is not feeling any more hydrated. With most face oils I have tried the effects are almost immediate and I can feel my skin feeling more subtle and plump every day I use it. I think this product may have a few ingredients that counteract the workings of the 4 oils that are most certainly present, or maybe the suspension is just such that the actual oils just don’t play enough of a role.

Would I recommend the Catrice Glow Beautifying face oil?

As a primer this product did the job it had to do, but it was a bit too much of a faff to use. It is nice enough, but I don’t think it can supplement a skincare routine as this is simply not doing enough. So while nice, this is a not a product I will be reaching for a lot: I have other glowy/ oil based primers that I feel have a much better effect on my skin and overall makeup look. So while I don’t think you should stay away from this, I simply don’t think this is a must have product either.

Have you ever tried face oils as primer before?