Catrice: Big City Life - The Berlin Collection Review



The Berlin Collection - that's the name given to this makeup palette which consists of six powder eyeshadows, two blushers, a mini black eyeliner pencil and a dual-ended applicator (sponge-tip and brush). Retail price: just €6.99.


Catrice released the limited edition Big City Life collection a couple of weeks ago. Under this collection, there are four makeup palettes and four nail polishes dedicated to four cities - Sydney, Berlin, London and New York. I was a good girl and bought only this one palette and its accompanying nail polish - Berlin - and one other bottle of polish - London. It looks like Big City Life has been a hit here because when I went back to the store a week later, there were very few items left (hopefully, they've refilled the rack).


I'll be focusing on the eye products in this palette. I'm leaving the blushers untouched, just like I do with general makeup palettes anyway.



The four different City palettes have mainly neutral eyeshadow shades. I chose Berlin in the end because it had a very nice slate grey and two different takes on taupe. All but one have shimmer. The eyeshadows scored very well pigmentation-wise.

Here are the swatches for the eye pencil and the six eyeshadows. I used the Etos Eyeshadow Underbase to prime the skin. This photo was taken with flash to emphasise the shimmer finish.


Black eyeliner pencil
Tiergarten - grey taupe, shimmer
Brandenburger Tor - slate grey, shimmer



am Alex - dark brown, matte
Berlin Wall - dusty rose/copper, shimmer
Ku'damm - lilac taupe, shimmer
Checkpoint Charlie - yellow beige, shimmer



The mini black eyeliner pencil is all right although it did take a while for it to warm up. It's not as creamy as say, GOSH Velvet Touch Eye Liners, and it's not waterproof. The quality is decent enough.

The dual-ended applicator in Berlin is standard issue.


Eye Look With Taupe And Slate Grey

Here's an eye look done entirely with budget-priced products:


Etos Eyeshadow Underbase (eyeshadow primer)
Etos Max Volume Mascara (not the best mascara around, but since I've bought it, I might as well use it)
Catrice Big City Life - The Berlin Collection palette (the eyeshadows used are indicated with dots)

Here's what I did:

Upper lid
• Grey taupe (Tiergarten) on whole lid
• Slate grey (Brandenburger Tor) on outer corner
• Lilac taupe (Ku'damm) lightly above slate grey
• Yellow beige (Checkpoint Charlie) on inner corner
• Black eyeliner pencil on lash line, wing it, then tightline
• Slate grey (Brandenburger Tor) over the black eyelining


Lower lid
• Black eyeliner pencil on entire lash line, mirrored wing
• Slate grey (Brandenburger Tor) over the black eyelining for a smokey finish

Applied two coats of mascara.


That slate grey, Brandenburger Tor, is my favourite shade out of the six eyeshadows. I might do another eye look with this palette later, if time permits.

I think this palette is a good buy, despite my leaving out the blushers. I actually paid less than €6.99 for this as Kruidvat was coincidentally having a special offer on makeup products at that time. Obviously, many Dutch ladies took advantage of this good deal.

For those who have access to Catrice, I recommend getting your hands on one of these palettes, if you haven't already. Magic words: Limited Edition!


More information:
Catrice Big City Life Collection

14 comments:

Atqa Beauty Blog | atqabeauty.com said...

Wow, it's so pretty. I hope that LE will be available in Poland. I want it so badly!

Sue said...

Nice colors! They really match their names!

Witoxicity said...

@Atqa Beauty
Hi, Atqa! I think it's scandalous that you haven't got it there (yet). I hope it'll be available in Poland soon. The palette is really worth buying. :)

@Stormayhlegj
Yeah, this palette has a very nice selection of colours. :)

Anonymous said...

This does look promising. I have been living in Berlin for years and loved it - I think I have to get one just for sentimental reasons...
Thanks for posting this!
Amaltée

Witoxicity said...

@Amaltée
My pleasure! How lovely that you lived there for so long, Amaltée! You must know these places/landmarks like the back of your hand. It's certainly a good idea to get this palette for old time's sake. :)

Anonymous said...

This is one GORGEOUS eye look, Yay!Stunning, my dear. I see some beautiful eyeshadow colors in that palette and "knowing" you I see lots of blending and gorgeous eye looks. Take care, Nicole x

Witoxicity said...

@Nicole
Thank you so much, my dear! Yay! I'm really pleased you like the eye look. :D We'll see what other (neutral) looks I can come up with later. You take care too, Nicole. :)

Nikki said...

Mooie make-up. <3 Ik heb de Berlin nagellak ook gekocht. Qua kleuren vond ik de nagellakken niet bijzonder. Ik vond de print op het flesje wel anders. Groetjes!

Anonymous said...

Cool packaging! Beautiful colors! Great price! Gorgeous look!

L-O-V-E it! :D "KTee"xx

Witoxicity said...

@Nikki
Dank je, Nikki! :D Ja, jij hebt gelijk. De nagellak kleuren waren niet echt bijzonder vergeleken met de kleuren in de vaste collectie (en Bohemia). Het flesje was inderdaad leuk! Groetjes! :)

@KTee
Hey, thank you so much, KTee! It's a gorgeous palette, this one. :)

sugar sugar said...

all the colors are gorgeous and all look very wearable. great choice dear! :)

Witoxicity said...

@sugar sugar
It's a useful palette for sure. :)

I Drink Nail Polish said...

Such a beautiful palette and eye look! I wish Catrice was available across the pond in the states! <3

Witoxicity said...

@I Drink Nail Polish
Thank you! Catrice really should be made available in more countries. :)