You know, when Catrice drops a new foundation, I have to try it. And for the spring/ summer 2023 collection the brand has released something new. Say hello to the Catrice Nude Drop Tinted Serum foundation.
This foundation is described as a serum like product but with a foundation like finish. Natural, radiant, moisturizing: those are the buzz words used by the brand. Or like they say: Is it magic? Or is it makeup? Let’s find out in today’s review of one of the best foundations Catrice has launched in a long time.
Review: Catrice Nude Drop Tinted Serum foundation 004N
We know when Catrice does a product it is going to be quite affordable. To my surprise, I have found the price has gone up quite a bit. Where most Catrice foundations normally retail under the €7 mark, this one retails for €8.49. That’s pushing it if you were to ask me.
What does this foundation have to offer?
First things first, this Catrice foundation promises a lot. Available in 16 shades, this is a lightweight serum like foundation that should leave your skin feeling nourished and smooth.
This has been formulated to feel weightless on the skin, making it look and feel natural. It has some skincare properties as well with hyaluronic acid and vitamin E.
It is even suitable for sensitive skin as it is free of parabens, microplastics, alcohol, fragrances and oils. I used it for a week straight and my sensitive skin did not react to it at all.
How does this foundation swatch?
Let’s talk about the formula. This is indeed very lightweight on the skin. The coverage is buildable: you can apply more to get more, but I feel this is best for a light coverage look. However, you can definitely get as much as a medium coverage.
The brand describes the finish as a radiant matte. But I feel this has more luminosity to it for it to be a true matte. This just looks like skin once it is on and blended in and I think you can see that bit of glow in the swatch above.
It blends in seamlessly but I would recommend using a brush or fingers with this. With a beautyblender or makeup sponge you’d risk soaking up too much of the product and taking away the coverage. Unless that’s what you want to go for of course.
What is the coverage like?
Yes, the brand says this is light to medium coverage, but I have found that this is a less is more type of foundation. My first time using it I tried using a full dropper worth of product and it was way too much.
I have found that the ideal amount for me with this foundation is 2 drops. That’s it. Just 2 drops of product on the back of my hand gets the job done. I just blend it in with a brush and it looks stunning. I have had so many compliments on my makeup when I was testing this out.
The coverage is lightweight with 2 drops, but you can easily build this and go in with a bit more. When I applied more in my first impression review video, I didn’t even need concealer after applying this and it still looked beautiful.
What is the shade match like?
When I bought this, I couldn’t find any swatches yet, so the shade 004N was a complete gamble. I have to say: I like it though. The shade 004N is a touch too yellow for me, but depth wise it is bang on.
And that is the main downside to this foundation. While 004N isn’t the lightest foundation in the line (there are two more!), the undertones aren’t quite right. Of the 16 shades, 9 have a neutral undertone. There are 4 warm shades and 3 cool toned shades.
But that’s not all. Of the cool toned shades, the first one is 030C which is 4 shades darker than this one and definitely not right for me. And while the shade range is more complete than some other foundations by Catrice, there are only 3 shades for deeper skin tones. Catrice really needs to do better on this. Still! It’s 2023 peeps, come on!
What is the wear time like?
However, I have plenty of reasons to love this foundation. Not only do I quite like this shade on me, the wear time on it is beautiful. I do have dry/ dehydrated skin and am in my late 30s. If your skin is different, this could wear differently on you.
Above you can see the full face of makeup after it has just been applied. Next to it you can see what my makeup looks like after 10 hours of wear time and 3 of those 10 hours were spent dancing my silly bum off at a lindyhop party.
As you can see, after 10 hours of wear, this is still on, there is only minimal fading on my chin where my coat rubbed off the makeup. However, the rest of my face is still in tact with minimal creasing and just a bit more shine.
Should you buy the Catrice Nude Drop Tinted Serum foundation?
I haven’t loved a Catrice foundation this much since my beloved Catrice HD Liquid Radiance. Even though I haven’t put them in a side by side yet, part of me knows that this new Nude Drop Tinted Serum is an updated version for that in a much better shade range.
Everything just works here for me: the decent shade match, the lightweight buildable coverage and the natural glowy finish. Then there’s the ease with which this applies, how it feels on the skin and how long it wears.
For me this just works and I feel I have found a new favorite foundation. Now all I want is for Catrice to come out with more shades and undertones, then this would be even more perfect.
But yes, if you are in the market for trying a new drugstore foundation, then I would recommend trying this. Catrice has cracked the skin tint game with this as this product gives you exactly what you can expect from a skin tint that bridges the gap between skincare and makeup.
This isn’t just a good drugstore foundation: it’s a good foundation. Period. I feel this measures up to some of my more high end skin tint picks. Even though this is more expensive for Catrice it is definitely not expensive as far as skin tints go.
This is out now and available from several retailers *.
* This is an affiliate link. Catrice releases products in different countries at different points in time. If you are not in the EU, I would recommend contacting the brand on Instagram to ask when this will be out in your country. I am not a brand representative and bought this product with my own money, so I cannot help you with finding this where you live.
2 responses to “Catrice Nude Drop Tinted Serum foundation review”
Thank u for your review! Anxious for this arrival in my country (Portugal). My skin type is combination and I’m fair skinned (maybe a little bit less than you, but Will fair). I follow you a few years ago and love your reviews 🙂 I’m a bit fan of drugstore makeup cause I like to try a lot of new products :))
I hope you can find it soon!