After trying and loving the Catrice 5 in a Box eyeshadow palette in Modern Smokey Look, I knew I wanted to try the other three palettes in this line. These mini 5 pan palettes were launched by the affordable drugstore brand last fall and I was curious enough to try at least one of them. I was very impressed with the quality of that palette, which is why I bought, tried and am now reviewing the remaining three palettes: Soft Rose Look, Golden Nude Look and Warm Spice Look
Review: Catrice 5 in a Box eyeshadow palette: Soft Rose Look, Golden Nude Look, Warm Spice Look
Like the other palette, these retail for €3.99 each. I happened to buy these one a buy one get one half off deal, so I ended not even paying that much. And oh boy, are these palettes stunning for that price point. Yes they are only 5 pan palettes, but the quality of these are up to par with much more expensive palettes for sure. Now that I have tried all four palettes, I can attest to the fact that each one of these palettes is as good as the next one. There is not a single dud in any of these. And yes, don’t these look just like a Natascha Denona mini palette?
What do these palettes have to offer?
I secretly wish now that I had reviewed all four in one go, but since these were new and Catrice can be hit or miss when it comes to their eyeshadow quality, I decided to try one first. Modern Smokey Look was the most cool toned option, which is why I wanted to try it first. Between these four palettes, there is one more cool toned leaning palette: Soft Rose Look. The other two palettes are more warm toned leaning. Golden Nude Look is the most classic and easy to wear option that I think will appeal to most people. Warm Spice Look is perfect for those of you loving a good warm toned copper eye. Let’s have a closer look at each of these three palettes.
Catrice 5 in a Box 020 Soft Rose Look
Soft Rose Look is a 5 pan palette that skews more rosy toned with a touch of brown and taupe. There is a soft rosy champagne shimmer for that inner corner highlight moment, followed by a rosy cream tone for blending things out. The crease shade is a soft dusty rose shade. However, the star of the show is the mid tone shimmer: a stunning rosy taupe. It nearly puts my favorite rose taupe to shame: Mugshot from Urban Decay’s Naked 3. The palette is rounded out with a matte cool toned deep brown.
How does Soft Rose Look swatch?
As you can see in these swatches, these all go on buttery smooth. The two lighter mattes are quite close to my skin tone which is why those look more muted, but with a brush they worked just as well. I appreciate how this palette has a champagne shimmer but with a slightly different undertone than in any of the other three palettes from the line. The rosy taupe shade is life and it could very well be one of my favorite shades in any of these four palettes.
How does Soft Rose Look apply?
The look I created obviously uses all 5 shades from the palette. I used the rosy matte in the crease and blended it out with the matte cream shade. Then I went in and put the rosy taupe shimmer all over the lid. I also used that shimmer shade on the lower lash line. Next up, I finished off the look with the matte dark brown as liner and the shimmering champagne in the inner corner.
Catrice 5 in a Box 010 Golden Nude Look
Similarly to Soft Rose Look, Golden Nude Look is a very soft palette. I think this may be many people’s favorite as it features some classic eyeshadow shades. This palette is great if you are looking for a perfect everyday eyeshadow palette. It features a soft champagne that is the most true champagne shade in any of these offerings. The two lighter mattes make for a great crease and blend shade. The best shade in this palette is most certainly also the mid tone shimmer. The golden tone is not too yellow toned, but skews more bronze making it super wearing. Finally, the darkest matte brown is not too deep making it perfect for day time wear to the office or school.
How does Golden Nude Look swatch?
Like Soft Rose Look, this palette has a great quality. The shimmers are buttery smooth and vibrant, while the mattes are easy to blend and very well-pigmented. These shadows are easy to build but don’t require too much work. They are simply easy to apply and you can never go too overboard with this palette in particular. Because the deepest brown isn’t all that deep, I think this is a very foolproof palette while it still has enough depth to allow you to deepen things up.
How does Golden Nude Look apply?
Do you just see how pretty and wearable this look is? I think this palette is one that won’t offend anyone. Perhaps if you have a deeper skin tone, that darkest matte might be a bit light for you, but it would then make for a stunning crease shade for sure. I just love how this palette translates into a very soft and pretty look. I am never a fan of gold eyeshadow, but this shade I find very wearable as it is not too warm and yellow, nor too green and grungy. It is simply a stunning lid shade that works really well. I used the same setup for this look as I did with Soft Rose Look, so to recreate this just follow the steps I describe for that look.
Catrice 5 in a Box 030 Warm Spice Look
But I am saving the best for last! Warm Spice Look was the surprise from these three palettes for me. You know I love my cool tones, but this palette reminded me why warm tones still have a place in my makeup collection. Again, you get 2 shimmers and 3 mattes. The lightest simmer is quite deep: a coppery champagne that sheered out into a beautiful shade when used with a brush. The two mid toned mattes worked lovely and I think that is this palette the best shade is hands down that orange toned matte. Lastly, the two deepest shades are stunning too: a shimmering copper and a dark brown that nicely round out the palette.
How does Warm Spice Look swatch?
Compared to the other two palettes, Warm Spice Look is up to par to the quality in those. You can see these mattes perhaps best against my pale skin: even that cream shade stands out! The shimmers are quite possibly the best in terms of formula: they are rich, vibrant and the pigment is insane. Again, like in Golden Nude Look, the deepest matte brown shade isn’t all that deep. I prefer that because it keeps the look more toned down, but I can imagine it makes the palette less versatile for some people. It might have been better if this palette featured a deep red toned brown shade.
For the final look, I stuck to the same steps as I did for all of these. But do you just see how warm and delicious this look is? I don’t need any more depth to make it stand out. And paired with an orange red lipstick on the lips, it makes for a stellar look that is perfect for that more glammed up vibe. It is warm, smokey and sultry and while it is a look I don’t go for that often, I just know that this palette is a warm toned lover’s dream.
My final thoughts
That I would love the remainder of the Catrice 5 in a Box eyeshadow palette line comes as no surprise to me. However, that I would love them this much, was definitely a surprise. The two I love best here are Soft Rose Look and Warm Spice Look, as I feel that Golden Nude Look is just a bit basic. A good basic, mind you, but still a bit simple for what I usually like. I feel Soft Rose Look, like Modern Smokey Look, is a more unique offering from the brand and not something we see a lot of other brands do. While most brands do warm tones, I do feel that Warm Spice Look is the reminder we all need that copper tones are the warm way to go. In short, these are great quality, great mini palettes for sure.
Would I recommend the Catrice 5 in a Box eyeshadow palette?
Now that I have tried all 4 palettes, I can only say one thing: YES! Get these if you can. Sadly, Catrice does not have seemed to have brought out these palettes anywhere but Europe, but I hope these will still make their way around the globe. These are 4 great mini palettes and my only hope now is that Catrice will extend the line with more shades and the availability. The 5 in a box palettes are some of the best eyeshadow Catrice has done. So please Catrice: do not discontinue these any time soon so more people can enjoy them!