Not sure if the Catrice Illuminating Blush is worth your pennies? Coral Me Maybe, I’ll tell you!

I told you I was on a cheap and cheerful makeup kick wasn’t I?! Well, meet my newest cheap and cheerful makeup purchase that… you guessed it, cost me under RM20 (Approx. US$5) I’m almost bummed that I didn’t blog about the Catrice Illuminating Blush sooner so I could steal Tine’s title for this one LOL! It just CALLS out for it! Call… geddit?

I got this at a wee discount, but even at its full price, you won’t break a sweat toddling over to the cashier counter. I only really got it because I liked how it looked in the pan. As much as I try to be level-headed and practical, sometimes, aesthetics gets the better of me, and I find myself buying a product simply because of how it looks. Thank goodness it was a RM20 product and not RM200! *coughsulwhasoocough* LOL! :D

There are about 3 colours available (I think!) and while I usually veer towards pinks for blushes, I wasn’t taken by the other 2 shades on offer. So, I went with the Catrice Illuminating Blush in Coral Me Maybe, a coral-pink that in the tester looked bland, but which looked pretty in the sealed pan. So, I took it home. What did I have to lose anyway, but RM20! Little did I know, I’d appreciate it so much more than a RM200 blush! Oh my! :D

This is starting to be a habit isn’t it? First, the eyeshadows, now this blush! :D I have something from Chanel waiting in the wings, and I’d rather be looking at this one instead! LOL!

There are 2 shades in the interlocking chevron embossed pan of the powder blush, although I only picked up 2, which will explain my swatches below. There is a brighter coral at the top and bottom edge, and a much lighter coral in the middle. Tine’s pictures and mine differ a little due to the lighting, it happens :) But rest assured, we’re talking about the same product.

For some reason, although it is supposed to be a coral blush, it swatches more pink for me! Check out the swatches below and you’ll see what I mean. But you know what? I like that. I wear pink blushes better than anything too peachy or warm, so I was happy for it to pull pink.

The swatch on the left is from the top edge of the pan, being the deeper/brighter shade of coral-pink. The swatch in the middle is of the larger, lighter coral middle section, and the swatch on the right is of the shades blended together.

These swatches were done using my fingers, and truth to tell, this isn’t the most buttery soft, pigmented blush I’ve ever used. The texture of the product feels hard to the touch, and it takes a little effort to pick up the product.

From the swatches, you can also tell that whilst, the name says it is an “Illuminating blush”, it isn’t shimmery nor is it what I’d term a highlighter-type shimmer. The shimmer is subtle, which is far more flattering on skin than most shimmery blushes. This is especially so, if you have more matured skin or blemished or scarred skin and don’t want to have these shimmery bits sinking into your pores and lines. You won’t have a problem with this one.

However, as I have mentioned, it is a little hard and so, it needs a little bit of technique. First, don’t use a soft, fluffy blush brush. This isn’t the time to whip out your expensive blue squirrel hair brush that is soft like a cottontail bunny’s tail and feels like a baby’s breath on your skin. If you do, you may feel disappointed because it won’t pick up a lot of product, and then you’ll bin the blush for being a cheap piece of [email protected]*t :)

Instead, pick a blush brush that is slightly more dense. For this purpose, I use my Make Up For Ever #152 brush, which is perfect. I have to tell you about it, please remind me to! It’s the brush that you see in the pictures on this post. The head is small and dense, and the dense head picks up the powder easily from the pan, and then diffuses it prettily on the cheeks. I don’t have to put in a lot of work, and it gives a beautiful result each time. This blush is an example of  picking the proper tools to get the job done :)

Using this brush, I only swoosh the brush around the pan a few times, tap off excess and then apply it to my cheeks, buffing as I go to blend and diffuse. That’s it! No effort, no fuss and no need to layer unless you want the colour to be more visible. In that case, you might be pleased to note that it doesn’t look powdery nor chalky when layered.

The result is always an error-free gentle flush on the cheeks due to the sheer texture and light pigment. These aren’t bad things, so don’t be put off, unless you have a much deeper skintone, or prefer more pigmented blushes. I’ve taken to using this one often, because sometimes, I don’t have a lot of time to get ready, and this gives me life to my cheeks in a jiffy, without any fear of me walking around looking like I just enrolled in clown school.

Can you use the shades separately? Honestly, I don’t see why you want to, but I’m sure you could, if you have a flat, dense brush to pick up the colours. But don’t bother. If you want something more pigmented, a stronger colour and perhaps even an easier product to use, don’t pick this one. You’ll be so disappointed, you’ll call me out for a liar for saying it’s pretty. But if you know what to do, and you want something error-free then take a look. You only have RM20 to lose :D

IN A NUTSHELL

The Catrice Illuminating Blush – Coral Me Maybe is a 2-toned coral-pink blush that pulls a little more pink. The design of mine is that of a chevron, but I’ve seen some pictures of a similarly named product with a different design. Perhaps it’s an older embossing or different product, I’m not sure. The texture is hard to the touch and it isn’t easy to pick up product unless you use a denser blush brush, which will deliver a better result. Otherwise, you need a few layers to get the colour to show up. This shade is best suited for someone with light to medium skintones as it is rather sheer and may not show up on deeper skintones but there are a couple other shades that might suit you better, if you have a deeper skintone. I personally like this a lot and I use this so often now, I surprised myself!

PROS: Very affordable, Pretty colour and nice texture, Not too shimmery on skin, Gives skin a lovely flush of colour, Pretty pattern makes a pretty fun treat

CONS: Some may find it too sheer and unpigmented (but a dense blush brush cures that problem), Not easy to locate Catrice counters

WHO WILL LIKE THIS: Anyone who wants a cheap and cheerful blush treat, Anyone who wants a fuss-free, error-free blush

PRICE: RM21.90 | US$5.99 | €5.29

AVAILABILITY: Catrice counters at Guardian pharmacy stores in Malaysia, Catrice counters in pharmacies in Europe, Ulta

I hear the regular rectangle Catrice blushes are better in quality, so I might give those a go next. The colours are a little boring though, which is why I don’t feel the urge to pick any up. But still, never say never because I might just feel the urge for another cheap and cheerful treat in future! :D

Have you tried the Catrice Illuminating Blush or any of their other blushes that you think I should look at?

To be honest, I’ve looked at most of the other products on offer from Catrice but have not been moved to try much else – I’m very picky about lip and base products, so I tend to be careful about those. But if you tell me they’re worth a shot, I might cave! So, are they? :D

Paris B