I have a very exciting review for you today! I knew I had to prioritize trying and reviewing Catrice’s newest eyeshadow palette. Say hello to the Pro Slim Lavender Breeze. This palette was one I knew I had to buy the minute it launched. We all know I love my eyeshadow palettes fair, light and cool toned and this palette has all that and then some. It has some purples and plenty of neutrals and it really reminded me of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina, which is one of my favorite ABH palettes. So this review will be what you are used to from me: a full review of the palette, including 3 looks but also some comparison swatches with the Norvina palette. Let’s roll!
Review: Catrice Pro Slim Lavender Breeze eyeshadow palette 010 Sea of Blossoms
As we all know, Catrice’s eyeshadow palettes are affordable but also hit and miss. Some are excellent and therefore a great deal, especially for the money, e.g. their 5 in a box palettes. Some palettes are not that great and when that is the case, they are also not worth the money. There is just nothing in between with Catrice. This palette retails for €9.89 which is at the higher end of what Catrice offers in their line. The other Pro Slim palettes were a success for me, which you can see here and here, so I was excited to see what this palette would have to offer.
What does this palette have to offer?
If you know what I like in my palettes, then you can understand this palette is right up my street. The palette is light, but there are some deeper shades as well. There are 14 shades in total, with a variation of mattes and shimmers with some of the shimmer shades looking like a marble effect. This is again much inspired by Huda Beauty palettes of course, but the color story itself isn’t necessarily inspired by anything Huda Beauty has to offer. Instead, it reminds me of the ABH Norvina which is why we will be swatching the mattes in this palette against the mattes in that palette and the shimmers against the shimmer.
What is the color story like?
This eyeshadow palette has a very light, very cool toned neutral color story. It features 8 mattes and 6 shimmers. Many of the mattes are on the lighter end of the spectrum that even on my fair skin all seem to look the same. There are a few richer tones in the palette on the far end, but these shades aren’t that deep: they just really stand out compared to everything else that the palette has to offer. As lavender as this palette looks on the outside, that’s how unpurple this is when you open it up. There are really only two lavender shades and they can be difficult to have them show up. However, just by looking at a palette we can’t make up our minds so let’s have a look at some swatches.
How does this palette swatch?
There is nothing wrong with the quality of these shadows. They are consistent with the Pro Slim quality I am familiar with from the other two palettes I already own. The only problem: these shades are super duper light. Some of the barely show up on me and 4 – 5 shades tend to all look quite similar against my skin. This palette therefore is great for the palest of the pale people, but it may not be great if you have a warm or deeper undertone. The shimmers are pretty and it’s great there are some deeper shades for some dimension. The shades are all easy to blend, but not too powdery, however the light shades may need some extra building up. But more about that below.
How does Lavender Breeze compare to Norvina?
Let’s first compare some swatches of the Lavender Breeze to the ABH Norvina. The way these pictures work is that I swatches the Catrice palette at the top and the ABH Norvina at the bottom. You can see that the Catrice palette has 6 shimmers and 8 mattes, whereas the ABH has an equal split of 7 shimmers and 7 mattes. The ABH palette is richer, warmer in its undertone and more saturated in its pigmentation. The Catrice palette is softer, cool toned and a little bit more muted. Depending on what you are looking for, the ABH would be better if you want some more sultry options and a palette that can go from day to night. The Catrice palette is perfect if you have a very pale skin tone and are looking for a palette that is great for day to day looks for the office or school.
3 Looks, 1 Palette
So let’s have a look at what kind of looks you can create with this palette. Between these three looks, I have used every shade in the palette so give you an idea of what they can do. I created one look with a mix of purples and neutrals, one with a focus on the purples to see if I could make them pop and one fully neutral look. You will see, the looks are all very light, but there is also some distinction between the three.
The first look I created the day I first tried this palette. It is a soft, pretty look but the purples were difficult to get them to show up when I first tried it. It pulled more pink and therefore I decided to use the lavender shimmer again for my second look. For reference: I used the two deepest shades in the palette to create this look. Of course, I did sheer them out and blended them, but as you can see, the look is very light and very neutral. Perfect for everyday but a bit less defined than I would like.
To make sure I tried to see if I could make a purple toned look with this palette, I decided to pull all the pinks and purples into one look. You can get them to show up for sure, but the lighter lavender matte didn’t build up in the crease the way I had hoped. It mainly just dusted away into nothing and only really did anything if I packed it on with a flat shader brush. The lavender shimmer did work in the end, but I did have to foil the shade wet and then topping it up with a bit of finger action. Build up to full intensity it is a pretty shimmer, but it is a lot of effort for one shade. The shimmers in the other Pro Slim palettes didn’t require this much effort.
For the last look I decided to use the neutrals which is probably the most successful look in this palette. We all know my love for a cool toned neutral shade and this palette has them in abundance. The shades blended easily and this is a look after my heart for pairing with a good, bright lip shade. Is it as defined as I’d like? Not at all. I would have liked these shades to have a bit more dimension.
My final thoughts
The Catrice Pro Slim Lavender Breeze eyeshadow palette is one that has its pros and cons. It won’t be for everyone. Unless you are incredibly fair, this will be a palette that is difficult to get to show up nicely. On fair cool toned skin, this is a lovely palette for everyday. Nothing is too dark or sultry and the looks you can do with this are very pretty. Pretty, but also a little bit on the boring side. This palette could have done more if it had at least one more matte purple that was deeper and if there were fewer mattes in the creamy light section. This skews the palette towards a very light color story that will not work for most people.
Would I recommend the Catrice Pro Slim Lavender Breeze eyeshadow palette?
This is a nice palette but I don’t feel this lives up to the hype I felt after having tried two of the earlier releases in this line. It is pretty, but light and that will not be universally flattering to everyone. If you feel this can work for you, then this will be a pretty palette that you will get lots of daily use out of if you don’t own that many other palettes just yet. It’s not a musthave, it is not the reason to try the Pro Slim line and it is not the palette I had hoped it would be. When you do decide to buy it, then don’t expect it to be purple/ lavender palette, but more like a cool toned neutral palette with a pop of lavender.
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