Catrice Defining Blush

Every once in a while I see Iris at Rouge Deluxe post about a Catrice collection in Europe, though none of the colors ever catch my eyes. Then in late March Monika at Rocaille Write reviewed the Defining Blush in 020 Rose Royce, and the pretty peach got my attention. I've never tried anything from Catrice or its sister brand Essence, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to branch out a bit.

From E(vil)bay I picked up 3 colors, 020 Rose Royce (it was this color that got me to look after all!), 040 Think Pink, and 090 Mandy-rine. I paid about US$8.80 after shipping from France, which is pricey for a drugstore product but isn't prohibitive.

From top to bottom: 020 Rose Royce, 040 Think Pink, and 090 Mandy-rine. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

I was expecting these Catrice blushes to be around the same size as the old T'estimo Color Cheeks, after all they both have similarly sleek and practical clear cases. But then they arrived and surprised me a bit being ~50% bigger than T'estimo!

Formula wise I can totally see why they impress. These are silky smooth and pigmented without being powdery or dusty. Interestingly enough, my 020 Rose Royce looks different than Monika's, which has the same surface pattern as 040 Think Pink and 090 Mandy-rine. I'm guessing I must have received a fresh crop and the newer ones must have been reformulated, because my 020 Rose Royce is a whole order of magnitude more buttery than the other two! In comparison to 020 Rose Royce, 040 Think Pink and 090 Mandy-rine are smooth but nowhere as soft to the touch. Amazing indeed!

- 020 Rose Royce: funny enough, this color is a whole lot more tawny pink on me than peach! It's all in the skin tone I guess, but I do like the color still ^.^

- 040 Think Pink: a lovely medium rose pink and warm on me as well.

- 090 Mandy-rine: this color has a name that suggests orange and it looks very orange online as well. But guess what, it's not orange but peach LOL! 

020 Rose Royce, 040 Think Pink, and 090 Mandy-rine. Aren't they pretty? I'm very happy with my purchase.