Low Budget (Euro) Matte Top Coats Compared!

Euro - Brick & Mortar

Hi everyone! It's saturday, woohoo! Finally a little time to spend on the blog. For today I have something that will mostly interest Europeans since these brands are not (that easily) available elsewhere, so sorry about that!

I know there are a gazillion matte top coats out there, but I know a lot of people don't like to buy online, so for the people who can get their mitts on these brands I decided to compare three low budget matte top coats!

What top coats?

The top coats in question, are made by Hema, Essence and Catrice. I'll be mainly focusing on their mattifying abilities and their price, and not so much the wear as this is different for everyone.

Likes / Dislikes

As you can see there is one top coat that noticeably falls behind: the Hema matte top coat. It applies very nicely, but it's more satin looking. If this is your thing, I'd say check it out, if you're more into true mattes: skip it! I have reviewed this product before, saying it was not streaky, but today it definitely was! Not so cool. The other two are pretty much identical. They're both made by Cosnova, applied the same way, so I was wondering if these might be the same product in different bottles? Unfortunately I couldn't find ingredients anywhere - which is a major letdown - I think all products should have their ingredients attached to their back.
What I didn't like about the Essence and Catrice top coats was the fact the brushes pick up color. You don't want your top coat to change color, so don't forget to clean up the brush if it got dirty.

Cheap, Cheaper, Cheapest

The Essence Matt top coat costs €1.75 / 8ml, the one by Catrice is €1.99 / 12ml and the Hema will cost you €2.50 / 11ml. As you can see the one by Hema is the most expensive, but the least matte looking. If you want to go for a true matte, I'd suggest you look into the ones by Essence and Catrice. The Essence looks the cheapest, with its price of only €1.75, but is it REALLLLY? A little breakdown:

	Hema Top Coat Matt	Catrice Matt Top Coat	Essence Matt Top Coat
Price in €	2.50	1.99	1.75
Per ml	11	12	8
Price per 100ml	22.73	16.58	21.86

So, if you're looking for a decent, true matte top coat, for the smallest price, the one by Catrice wins hands down!

One product in this post was provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for review. For more information please read my disclaimer

Catrice Preview - New products & some swatches

Catrice Press Presentation

Catrice used to a bit old fashioned, but lately they've definitely been spicing it up. A while ago they already started renewing their line by adding many great nail polishes, but that's not where it ends. Catrice spent some time figuring out what people really like to see and also had focus groups to determine what kind of products people really go for. Inspired by the latest (runway) trends, Catrice is revamping a huge part of their line this November!

Me and a group of bloggers were invited to have a look at what they've got in store for us, so I'm really excited to give you the lowdown! Catrice will show an entire new face this november, a lot has changed, their packaging, formulas and even their style. Where Catrice used to play it safe, they're now busting out a very mixed core selection. Whether you like neutrals or bright bold colors, Catrice has it all.

Collection info

I actually have all the promo photos of their products. When I'm done writing this post, I'll immediately start making a separate article where you can find all the pics and more information. For now, I'll show you some products that I found quite impressive and even some swatches of their new nail polishes.

New display

Catrice has an entire new display in store for us, the new products will mostly be located in the middle area. The nail care area you see in the top, were the first to undergo a huge makeover months ago, and the lower area, that contains foundations and other skin products will be improved later on. The middle section is where all the action happens, you'll find lots and lots of new items there, like eye and lip products!

Catrice Absolute Colour Mono, Duo & Smokey Eye

Catrice has put in some major effect to come up with a LOT of new eyeshadows. There will be 32 monos, 8 duos and 3 smokey eye kits. Wowza! And they come in a variety of colors, textures and finishes. I got the chance to play around with these and they're quite pigmented!

New Ultimate Nail Lacquer

While I do like makeup, you know I LOVE nail polish. Catrice is adding three new seasonal shades to their Ultimate Nail Lacquer line. The colors are called Absolutely Chinchilly!, Run Forest Run! and Hip Queens Wear Jeans! And no nail polish collection is complete without a matte top coat! I brought a nailwheel from home, so I was able to do some quick swatching for you guys. I wish they would've added more, but then again, it's never enough for polish freaks like us!

Catrice Multi Colour Compact Powder

This looks so pretty, it just screamed to be photographed! It's a very nice compact powder, available for fair and dark skin.

I had a really great day! Catrice and their PR representatives were extremely nice and welcoming. Thank you! The location was lovely and filled with beautiful billboards - as pictured above - and I got the chance to meet some lovely bloggers, what else could I wish for?! Catrice was extremely generous and let us go home with many new products, so expect swatches soon. Be sure to check back in a while for more information on the new line too!

Catrice Caramé Collection

Caramé conjures up visions of an evening stroll over an oriental bazaar: it’s still very warm, despite the late hour. The air is laden with the smell of oriental spices. Dusk slowly lays its blanket of peace and quiet over the vibrant, pulsating bustle of the market between Persian tapestry, blackened bronze jewellery and expressive Indian fabrics.

Today I'll be showing you 3 out of 4 polishes that belong to the newest Limited Edition collection by Catrice: The Catrice Caramé Collection. Of course I wanted to cover all four, but I couldn't find them all :-(.

Catrice - Bronzed Brown

Pretty shimmery brown. I'm not a big fan of browns, but this one isn't that bad. I applied 2 coats and experienced no issues at all. I probably won't wear this one often though, since I have no outfit to match it with ;-).

Catrice - Oriental Orange

I wouldn't really call this a true orange, more an orange-y red. Nothing unique of course, but I can appreciate a good red when I see one. The thing I love about Oriental Orange, is the finish, it's a jelly. Jellies are usually extremely shiny, and this one is just like that.
But there's often one big downside when it comes to jellies: they're sheer. I had to apply 4 coats and I still had a visible nail line.. It goes one very smooth and nicely though!

Catrice - Spiced Bronze

This one's kinda fun. Spiced Bronze really lives up to its name, it's a bronze with a little bit of edge to it. Pretty cool. I applied 2 coats but after seeing the pictures I think it could've used a third. No other problems whatsoever.

The polish that's missing is Berry Bazaar, a pretty berry creme or jelly. If I find it I'll make sure it will be added to this post.

Overall conclusion

The formula of these is pretty good, they weren't as thick as some of the nail polishes from their core line. No bubbling, dragging or any other funky stuff, while it's pretty hot out here. The colors aren't really my cup of tea, but that just boils down to personal taste. I do think they did a very good job visualizing the theme they were going for. The price tag is a huge plus too, they only cost 2,49 EUR or 3.15 USD each and are now in stores!

Enter the giveaway by Catrice

If you're interested in winning this collection (entire collection, not just the nail polish), Catrice is giving away 30 sets! You'll only have to fill in the form here.

Eyeko - Posh Polish & a taupe comparison

Taupe

Lately I've been on a taupe kick. I'm not sure why because usually I like to wear bright, bold colors that stand out. But somehow I'm really digging taupe, I think it's a very classy color that's easily matched with a lot of outfits. It's a neutral, but definitely not boring in my book.

According to Wikipedia there are many types of taupe:

dark taupe	med. taupe	pale taupe	mauve taupe	sandy taupe	grey taupe	rose taupe	purple taupe

Eyeko Posh Polish, for Ladylike nails

Recently I received Posh Polish by Eyeko, and I quite like it. This creme polish applies pretty smoothly, completely opaque in 2 coats and no other funny problems worth mentioning. I didn't use a top coat this time, and as you can see it's not incredibly glossy on it's own.
Like all Eyeko polishes this one came in such a cute packaging, it says: Posh Polish, for Ladylike nails. And even I do feel like a lady wearing this, haha.

Taupe Comparison

However, I own a lot of taupes, and this one isn't my favorite of the bunch, simply because I like my taupes a tad darker. To show you how it compares to some other taupes I have, I threw in this little comparison:

I do feel like I should have included OPI's You Don't Know Jacques, Over The Taupe and maybe even Chanel's Particuliere, but I couldn't justify buying more of this shade after already owning all of these haha. So please forgive me!

As you can see Eyeko's Posh Polish is quite on the lighter side. I think my favorites are the two Catrice polishes: From Dusk To Dawn and Lost in Mud!

What is your favorite taupe polish?

Eyeko polishes cost £3.50 (€4.- or $5.40) for 8.5ml. Eyeko products can be bought online at www.eyeko.com. Their shipping is extremely cheap: either free (if you're in the UK or Europe) or $5.40 for all international orders.

This polish was sent to me for review by Eyeko

Catrice - I Sea You

Hello everyone! Everybody enjoyed their weekend? I was feeling a bit under the weather so I didn't really do much, like, totally nothing. But I do have a post for you today!

We all know the European brand Catrice for coming up out of nowhere with an amazing collection, filled with trendy colors. This brand used to be so bland, and now they're dominating Dutch drug stores with their unbeatable coolness. I've drooled over some of their colors before, and today I want to introduce you to: I Sea You. This one is just gorgeous, a beautiful dusty aqua/turquoise-y green creme. Application wasn't that great, but my P2 thinner was there to save the day, and after applying 2 coats, all was good.

It isn't the uniquest color out there, it sure is similar to some other polishes we all know and love. Let's take a look at this comparison I did:

As you can see: I Sea You is incredibly close to Misa's Dirty Sexy Money. It's a bit lighter and maybe a bit more on the blue side, but still very similar. Slate green is a whole bit lighter and Nfu Oh #431 is less dusty. What's your favorite?

Thanks for reading and till next time!
- Michèle