Whoops! I missed yesterday’s review, but since I had to wait for my video to upload anyways, I figured I could come on here today and post it right now. I had some issues with my ‘smart devices’ on Sunday night when I would usually write my review for the next day and so I decided it wasn’t such a big deal if I were to write it today and do it a bit later. So today you are getting two bits from me! Plus I really wanted to get this review out there, because the Catrice Holiday Skin serum bronzer was one I tried in September and if you watch my Shop My Stash you’ll find me moving this out of my everyday makeup drawer and this review will explain why.
Review: Catrice Holiday Skin Serum Bronzer 010 Escape to the Beach
Liquids, creams: pretty much anything that isn’t a powder cheek product has been something I have been hugely interested in. At just €4.99 this serum bronzer by Catrice is one that is far more affordable than many other offerings on the market. However, Catrice and bronzer aren’t exactly synonymous and therefore I am always a bit skeptical. For years, Catrice’s bronzer offerings were far too orange and dark for my fair skin. Lately, they have been doing some better shades that works for me, but they are usually limited edition. So I keep hoping they will do something that will be great for my fair skin. The powder version of this bronzer was quite successful for me, so I had good hopes that this would work too.
What does this bronzer have to offer?
So a liquid bronzer from Catrice: it had me curious to say I was expecting this to wow me would be getting the wrong idea. The fact that this comes in just one shade was also not that promising. Usually if a bronzer comes in one ‘universal’ shade it never works for me. It is usually too dark and too orange and I sadly feel that is the case with this product. Can I make it work? Sure if I blend it carefully, but if this shade can work on my fair skin then I don’t know who they had in mind when making this product. Because I am very fair (MAC NC15 in case you are wondering) and that means that anyone deeper than an NW20 probably won’t be able to get away with this.
How does this bronzer swatch?
But let’s not be too negative here. Because this actually is a nice product. The formula is quite rich and creamy and the bottle states this is enriched with coconut water. This doesn’t have any weird overly perfumed scent to it and I find it blends out quite seamlessly onto the skin. You have quite some time to work with this so you can really get a good blend. Some liquid products I have tried settle down so quickly that you barely have time to really work the product into your skin. That is definitely not he case here. A little does go a long way though and I feel the tube makes it easy to get just the right amount you need.
How does this bronzer apply?
Generally, I use a pea sized amount of this on the back of my hand to apply this. I then dot this product onto my face where I want to apply it and then I use a stipple brush to get a first blend. To make it extra seamless I would recommend going in with a makeup sponge though as that will really allow you to work it in. As you can see here, the product makes enough of a difference, looks like skin and has a subtle glow. As red as this looks in the swatch, that undertone does not come through once you blend this out fully. One thing I would not recommend with this is layering it to make it more intense. I feel that with a first pass you can blend it in well enough, but once you add more it can get a little blotchy.
How does this bronzer perform?
This bronzer therefore has a lot going for it. However, for my fair skin, the shade is just way off. While it still looks okay once all my makeup is on, I feel that it creates too much of a difference between my skin tone and the bronzer. This is probably because I have a fair skin tone with a cool undertone and this bronzer is too deep and too warm toned. It pulls a bit muddy and orange on me and I feel it clashes with my undertone. This makes it look like it is sitting on my skin no matter how much I blend it in. One thing I don’t like which is very obvious in these pictures is how much of a contrast there is between my skin tone and the bronzer on my forehead. I prefer a more natural look than this.
My final thoughts
The Catrice Holiday Skin serum bronzer is one that sadly isn’t right for me. If this were more yellow toned and less red I think I might have been able to pull this off more easily. Right now I can wear it for sure, but I don’t love it. To get it to look nice I have to work way too hard and I feel it only looks okay with certain makeup looks. Applying this product is easy enough for a liquid but I feel there are still too many steps involved: fingers, brush, sponge and I just don’t have the time nor the patience for using this on a daily basis.
Would I recommend the Catrice Holiday Skin Serum Bronzer?
If I objectively review this bronzer and just look at how it performs then I would definitely recommend it. However, with just one shade available there isn’t a lot of choice for anyone that doesn’t suit this one shade which will probably be most of the population. If I can make something work on my super fair skin, it does not bode well for anyone with a deeper skin tone. I wish Catrice would create at least 4 more shades and not just create different depths but also vary more in undertone to ensure more people can enjoy this product.