In this review I thought I could review a product I have since decluttered but that I still wanted to update you about. This product is still around and it was the replacement for the Catrice Prime and Fine setting powder. That once used to be my favorite drugstore face powder, but then it was discontinued and spoiler alert: this is not the same. Ever since Catrice changed over to this powder I just haven’t found a powder in their line that I absolutely love. Is this a good powder? Yes, but compared to the old powder I just didn’t like it as much. Here’s the details why.
Review: Catrice 5 in 1 Setting Powder Transparant
The first thing you need to know is that this really isn’t that expensive of a product, so the price point isn’t a concern here. At €4.49 this powder is actually a good bang for your buck all things considering. It has sleek slim packaging, a mirror and you 9 grams of products. Therefore this is still a good offering at a drugstore price point, it just didn’t sit on my skin quite the same.
What does this powder have to offer?
So what kind of powder is this? In all the looks and feels of this product, it is very similar to the original prime & fine powder. It is a translucent powder that should do 5 things: it sets your makeup and mattifies it. It helps against sweat and makes your makeup waterproof and it has an SPF 10. All great claims but what I feel makes this not right for me is the fact that it is a mattifying powder. Since I have dry skin it just doesn’t go with my skin type which is unfortunate. However if you have oilier skin than mine I am sure you can make it work.
How does this powder work?
So the idea of a translucent powder is a great one. The idea is that the shade is universal for everyone and it acts like a sheer layer over your makeup. But with powders like this you have to be careful. If you have deeper skin you might find this leaves a white cast. The fact that this has SPF may sound like a benefit but it actually has two problems: an SPF of 10 isn’t enough to really give much sun protection and you’ll never apply enough product using a powder to get to the level the product claims. Secondly, SPF in products can cause a reflect when using flash photography and makes your face look lighter in pictures than the rest of your skin.
How does this product swatch?
Swatched on the back of my hand you can see it is nearly undetectable. It is very very white though and it also has a very chalky texture. That is why I didn’t end up loving this. The old Prime and Fine wasn’t as start white and therefore went better with my skin tone. This leaves a white cast even on me if I am not careful. I also felt that this doesn’t look as nice: it is just not a rich and creamy as the previous powder but a bit patchy actually.
How does it apply to the face?
As you can see here the two pictures aren’t too different. Meaning that the powder has a natural effect on the face. You can see however where I applied it: my skin look smuch lighter in those areas. But what really made me not love this powder was how it wore throughout the day. If powders don’t work for me as they are too matte, I get clumps of product building up around my nose, in my fine lines and you can see my makeup sitting on top of my skin after just a few hours. Sadly, that is what this powder does so for me it doesn’t have the longevity I need it to have.
My final thoughts
I had really hoped that Catrice’s replacement of their Prime and Fine powder would be as good. Alas, the Catrice 5 in 1 Setting powder just isn’t it for me. I think this can still be nice for many people. If you don’t have as many lines or dry skin like mine, this will be nice. For me it just grabs on to dry patches too much, leaves a white cast and just doesn’t really work. Maybe if you are super pale, even paler than me (?) this may be a good one, but if you are any darker than me it probably won’t work.
Would I recommend the Catrice 5 in 1 Setting powder?
To be fair, I am not sure I would recommend this to anyone. The shade is just too stark and it isn’t truly translucent making this very difficult to pull off unless you are the fairest of the fair. Texture wise this is also not my favorite and I find it a bit chalky and drying on my skin. I don’t say this often, but with this I dare to say: skip it.