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Catrice The Great Christmas Advent Calendar Full Shine Lipstick [C01] Review

By Maychiri's Thoughts - December 03, 2024

Now, let’s begin! Catrice decided to add a good variety of lip products to this Advent calendar, including not one, but two Full Shine Lipsticks (and a liquid one as well)! I love me a good satin lipstick, especially in a more brown kind of colour, like this one seems to be. And Catrice is known for their (usually) good lipsticks, so I am really looking forward to this! Yay, I am so glad I already got it! Now, let’s see how good it is!
 

 
 
 
Packaging: oh my! This is truly decadent! Solid gold case, literally! Well, not real gold ofc, but that doesn’t take away from its beauty! This reminds me of Revolution Pro’s lipsticks, which cone in a very similar packaging, though that one has less gold. The entire case, from top to bottom, from all sides, is completely metallic gold; it’s also very reflective, so it can be used as a sort of mirror in times of desperation, when you cannot find a pocket mirror. However, guess at what cost this highly reflective finish comes? Yup, it’s a fingerprint magnet! Literally one touch and it’s already stained and smudged, so you’ll have to keep cleaning it with a cloth if you want it to stay this shiny and reflective. The only detail is the Catrice logo, which comes in a slightly darker gold colour. 
 
 
 
Oh, and there’s also a sticker on the bottom that shows the colour, but it’s much darker than the lipstick itself, so it cannot be used to gauge exactly how this is going to look like on you. The cap closes sufficiently tightly, though it does feel a bit wobbly when closed. The retracting mechanism inside is smooth and lightweight, so the bullet slides in and out easily. That feels noticeably more high quality than the cap. Also, the entire case is suspiciously lightweight. It literally feels almost weightless. While this makes it easier to hold and use, it does feel a bit cheap, no matter what the solid gold exterior might look like. I am not disappointed with the level of quality, but it could be better for sure.
 
 
 
 
I must dedicate a separate paragraph just for the bullet design, alone. Look at it! It is breathtakingly gorgeous! Laser engraved art deco style details on one side, and an engraved Catrice logo on the other. The art deco side is incredible! Catrice is no stranger to engraving intricate designs onto their lipstick bullets, but this one is even more stunning than what they usually do! This is literally a work of art! I feel bad that I am eventually going to destroy it as I am using up the lipstick :( . But at the same time, I want to use this lipstick... well, I’ll always have the photos to remember it! 
 
 
Ingredients: vitamin E for nourishment. No parabens. Really?? I was absolutely sure this had at least shea in it because it feels so soft and smooth... guess they just managed to perfect the formula without adding extra waxes and oils, eh? The scent is amazing! It’s very chocolatey, which warms my chocoholic heart! It’s so richly chocolatey but it also has a hint of vanilla, so it ends up smelling  like chocolate cookies! Omg, literally perfectly scent! Ahh! The expiration date is 18 months after opening.
 

 
 
As usual, before giving you a full breakdown (that will come very, very soon), I will give you a nice swatch so that you can still see how this looks on pale skin. I must say that I was expecting more pigmentation... this is a bit pale – and uneven.
 

 
Wearing just this lipstick
Colour: the colour depicted in the back of the calendar isn’t a good representation of what this colour really looks like. And for once, it is actually a good thing, as I was not very fond of that rusty red colour, so I am very glad that it’s actually a more of a rosewood brownish. It’s a muted colour, and, with the lacking pigmentation, it looks super natural. It’s a fantastic colour for everyday looks! And it’s going to be good to balance out the more vibrant tones of the eye pencils and the eyeshadow palette in this calendar. 
 
 
Wearing just this lipstick
Now, this isn’t pure brown or pure rose, it’s like a good mix of both, with a definite warm tone to it. Very 90’s kind of colour, but I love it! It’s so subtle and gorgeous on lips! Oh, it also looks a bit like terracotta, doesn't it?

 
Wearing just this lipstick
Pigmentation is not too great, sadly. I need 4-5 layers until it is pigmented enough. But this isn’t the first Catrice lipstick that has poor pigmentation; indeed, their retired ‘Power Plumping’ lipstick range had the same issue and those were super shiny as well. Even the newer Shine Bomb range (like this lipstick) lacks pigmentation, so this is obviously an issue with most shiny Catrice lipsticks. With 4-5 layers, it becomes quite nicely pigmented and the colour really starts to pop!

 
Worn with the matching Lip Liner/C01
This lipstick is super easy to apply! Thanks to the extra creamy and soft formula, it just glides across lips, never tugging or pulling at them. It doesn’t even matter if your lips are a bit cracked, it still applies evenly. However, edges and the cupid’s bow are a bit tougher to do cleanly. They usually turn out smudgy, unless you are really being careful. This is not unusual for creamy lipsticks, but it does make using a lip liner underneath a necessity. How wondrous, then, that there is a matching lip liner in the Advent calendar... or you could just use a lipstick brush, of course.

 
Wearing just this lipstick
Oooh, this is such a creamy formula! It feels like a luxurious lip balm, like it’s actually nourishing lips! But it doesn’t feel too greasy or heavy. It literally feels like a cream, and since it is fairly occlusive, it should be good for the cold winter months. It does feel a bit thick but that’s the price you pay for something this creamy. 

 
Worn with the matching Lip Liner/C01
The texture is definitely “full shine”! It looks juicy and creamy, with just enough shine so that it doesn’t look like a full-on lip gloss. This finish doesn’t emphasise the fine lines of the lips; in fact, it makes them look softer and more luscious! Again, not the first Catrice lipstick to look this way; it looks strikingly similar to the old Demi Matt Lipstick, but a bit more shiny. That is one of my favourite lipsticks ever, so no wonder I like this one, too! After some time, it becomes way more demi-matte, which looks even better. So, not only does it feel soft, it looks soft as well, amazing!

 
Worn with the matching Lip Liner/C01
For the first 1-2 hours, this lipstick is incredibly comfortable! It feels like it’s hydrating the lips and keeping them from drying out, and it isn’t too heavy. But that changes after a few hours, and this lipstick becomes more waxy than creamy like it used to be. It also becomes noticeably drier but also more lightweight. The worst thing, though, is that it creates a very dry crust on my lower lip. I am used to lipsticks doing that, but it never feels good. It’s very uncomfortable actually. And, as you might have surmised, yes, this lipstick does dry out my lips to a degree. Especially the lower lip. My lips feel like they are a good deal drier and in worse condition than before, and this makes me sad because it was so good up until this :( . I guess I should have known that it would be drying when it literally has almost nothing to actually hydrate the lips... bummer.

 
Worn with the matching Lip Liner/C01
The, frankly, poor longevity is something that all Catrice shiny lipsticks suffer from. It was like that with the Shine Bomb range and the Power Plumping one, so it’s like that with this lipstick as well. While it doesn’t seem to fade a lot during the day, the edges become super smudgy and feathery – especially on the cupid’s bow, which becomes shapeless very quickly. This is more proof that this lipstick needs a lip liner underneath, to help it maintain its shape. So if you are wearing it by itself, you will need to reapply it often, which is annoying. Needless to say, it is also not at all food or water-resistant. It disappeared completely after drinking or eating any kind of food, it doesn’t even have to be greasy. Thankfully, the colour is quite neutral, so the damage isn’t as visible, but it still requires touch-ups after meals. It’s easy to apply, but it is still not good that it is this easy to wipe off. Ah man... why???

 
Worn with the matching Lip Liner/C01
Like most such shiny lipsticks, this one, too, is incredibly easy to remove. It only requires a single swipe with micellar water to be fully removed, and it doesn’t leave any stains or a waxy residue.
 
 
 

 
All in all, sadly, this lipstick isn’t the best. There’s a number of issues at play here, but let’s first focus on the positive, shall we? Like, for example, the colour! This is a beautiful rosewood kind of colour (or rosey brown, anyways) that is perfect for winter! And a fantastic neutral colour that truly goes with most looks! I was worried that it would be too orange and red, but it’s actually quite a muted colour, which I really like! It also kind of reminds of milk chocolate for some reason – the scent being that of literal dark chocolate creme does not help, haha! It’s also super creamy and feels very comfortable to wear... at least for some time. And because the formula is so smooth, it is exceptionally easy to apply, as it just glides over lips, even if they aren’t perfectly smooth! So that’s the good. Now it’s time for the bad. I’ll start with how the formula changes over time, becoming much drier (albeit more lightweight as well), and more waxy. This becomes quite uncomfortable after a few hours, after it forms a crust on the lower lip. This is clear indication that this lipstick is, sadly, drying. My lips always feel dried out and damaged after a whole day of wearing this lipstick, and that’s a massive disappointment because it felt so luxuriously creamy at first. Sad. Very sad. Another bad thing is that the pigmentation just isn’t that good. While it may look intense on photos, I needed to apply more than 4 layers to get it to look that way! Though, I am used to creamy Catrice lipsticks being this way, so it lessened the amount of annoyance I had with that. But it’s still not good. Oh, and the longevity isn’t very good either. While it does seem to survive in great condition, without any fading, it does feather and smudge a lot on the edges. This is because it’s just too creamy to be able to line the lips sharply. And it hates food, so prepare to reapply it after eating any kind of meal. I feel sad, this lipstick had so much potential – I thought it would be great, like so many other Catrice lipsticks, but it’s, unfortunately, just mediocre. Damn, not off to a good start, am I?



Rating: 5.5/10




 

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