Products I Have Been Testing Lately (Avon, Bourjois, Catrice, Essence, Max Factor)

I have been testing a lot of products in the past few months and for all of them I won't have time to do a full review, so I decided to do a combined post for all of them. Some impressed me big time and some not so much.

Catrice HD Active Performance Primer SPF30

I received this last year, I think it was Catrice's last spring/summer update. It's the HD Active Performance primer. I did use it a lot when I got it but didn't get around to talk about it. It comes in a glass bottle with a pipette. 

The formula is white and very liquidy. It's easy to blend into the skin. It contains SPF30 but I wouldn't count on that for sun protection. The primer makes my foundation look better, it doesn't look as dry. They say it's sweat and water-resistant. I can't say much about that, I did notice my makeup lasts longer and looks nicer longer though. I didn't notice it would minimize my pores or blur out my skin like it promises. I still like to use it for an extra boost of hydration and because my skin does look nicer when I use it.

Max Factor Facefinity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Primer Concealer Foundation SPF20 45 Warm Almond

I heard some good things about this foundation but it didn't work for me. The bottle that it comes in is sturdy and feels heavy. It's a 3-in-1, so a primer, a concealer and a foundation. My shade is 45 warm almond, it's a bit light but it oxidizes on me, so it's okay.  

I'm not going to lie, sometimes it looks okay, I like the finish it has, it's matte and doesn't really start to look shiny. But on my hairline, in between my eyebrows and on any dry patches it's horrible. I had some problems with my skin and when I've used it, I always had a big dry looking patch around my hairline and I stopped using it. Maybe it would be okay for someone with oily skin but if you have dry skin, you probably won't like it. If you are interested, Mateja has a full review of the foundation on her blog. 

Avon True Bronze and Glow Brick

I don't know if that's new but I received it a couple of weeks ago. I thought I would like it but I'm not so keen on it. Basically, it's 2-in-1 product, you get a highlighter and a bronzer in one, you can also mix all of the shades together. For my taste, it's a bit too shimmery as a highlighter and also as a bronzer. 

The texture is soft but as I said, too shimmery for me. It's that kind of shade that doesn't really show up on my skin, so there is mostly shimmer visible. I have seen some rave reviews but I just don't get on with it so much.

Essence The Blush 10 Befitting

Finally, one thing that I actually love. Towards the end of last year, I really liked the Blush Box from Catrice but now I switched to this Essence one and I like it better, it's mostly because of the shade.

It comes in a round plastic packaging, it looks nice but once I drop it, it's gone. The shade is amazing, it's my kind of shade, a muted pink rose shade. The formula is okay pigmented, soft and it blends easily. It also lasts long on me, it does fade at the end of the day but it's still there.

Catrice Crystallized Amethyst Eyeshadow Palette

This palette is inspired by the purple mineral amethyst. The palette comes in cardboard packaging with a magnetic closing. The packaging is slim and quite compact, considering you get 10 shades in it. You also get a mirror.

The shades are quite basic, except that one purple and one light blue shade. My favourites are Vibe and Power for the crease, for the all over the lid I like using Goal digger and Proud. Metallic shades are okay pigmented, you will need to pack the eyeshadow for a more intense look. Matt shades need a bit more time to blend, those dusty browns can look muddy. All shades, especially mattes dust a little. They fade throughout the day and  I did notice slight creasing after a few hours.

It's a nice eyeshadow palette that I liked using for a few weeks, but I quickly got bored with it. It's not bad, I just prefer some of my other palettes with more pigmented shades and also more darker and warmer browns.

Bourjois Rouge Fabuleux 04 Jolie Mauve

I already talked briefly about this lipstick in my 2019 favourites. It comes in sleek black packaging with silver writing. I just had one problem with it, the lipstick doesn't twist all the way back into the packaging, about 1cm is left out and if you are not careful when putting on the lid, you will get it messy.

The formula is amazing, this lipstick has the creamiest formula that I have ever tried. It just glides on the lips. The finish is creamy, it feels lightweight on the lips. It lasts a couple of hours if you are careful but it's a creamy lipstick, so it won't last all day. The shade 04 Jolie Mauve is a mauve with dark brown tones. I love it.

Catrice Demi Matt Lipstick 020 Most Flattering Petal Pink

Catrice made an amazing matte lipstick formula again. The Demi-Matt Lipstick comes in a cute black plastic packaging with shade sticker on the bottom. The formula is on a drier side compared to the Bourjois's lipstick but it still applies evenly on the lips. The formula contains avocado and olive oil, and it should be longlasting. I can confirm it doesn't feel drying on the lips, it gets a bit dry, it's a matte lipstick overall but it's not that bad, even on my lips. The finish is not completely matte but it's close, it's demi matt like Catrice says. It's also pretty long-lasting, up to four-five hours on me.

My shade is called 020 Most Flattering Petal Pink and it's a lighter and really likeable pink shade. It's lighter than my lips, so when I first apply it, it can emphasize dry patches but it quickly blends into the lips.

There was a good mix of products that I like and don't like. I love the Essence blush and the lipsticks. The Amethyst eyeshadow palette is okay but nothing special, you don't need it if you have similar shades already. The primer is nice, I use it a lot but again, nothing special. Max Factor's Facefinity foundation and Avon's 2-in-1 highlighter and bronzer just didn't impress me, mostly because they are not suited for my skin type/tone.

Thank you for reading!

*Products were sent to me