Review: The Catrice Volumizing Lip Booster
ICYMI, the au naturel glossy lip is having a moment in the beauty world! This stays true to the 2017 beauty trends of lighter makeup and a seemingly more natural look. With a renewed interest in skincare, my current go-to face involves creating a practically invisible base paired with flushed cheeks and full, pouty lips. It’s light, it’s fresh, and it just make sense considering the muggy weather and sporadic rain showers we’ve been experiencing!
The Catrice Volumizing Lip Booster (P379 each at SM Beauty) fulfills my lip gloss fantasies while making my lips look lush and full. While it admittedly still has that sticky feel like any lip gloss, it is not as thick or tacky as the others I’ve tried. And really, I’ve tried so many!
Before I became a lipstick addict, I was a proud member of a LiveJournal community called lipglosswhores. At the time, I lived and breathed lipgloss because I felt lipstick formulas were too heavy. Discovering the existence of these sheer lipsticks really makes me feel like I've come full circle, so I’ve been reaching for these Lip Boosters more often than I expected.
The gloss formula doesn’t claim to be moisturizing but my lips didn't feel as dry as usual, perhaps because of the slightly thick coating. It wears on nicely until around 3 to 4 hours, which is about the time that I have to eat. It doesn’t last through a meal so you'll have to reapply after.
Each tube is labeled with a warning that reads: Lipgloss contains menthol. With a cooling, slight tingling effect. Do not apply on irritated or sensitive lips. I have somewhat sensitive lips that dry out with anything minty but I didn’t get any reaction from using these. The cooling effect also lasts around 30 minutes on me and I find myself liking it enough to keep reapplying. It also visibly plumps up my lips!
There are three available shades for the Catrice Volumizing Lip Boosters: Stay Apri-cosy, Pink Up The Volume, and Nuts About Mary. All three shades give off the slightest hint of color, just enough to make my pale lips look healthy.
From left: Stay Apri-cosy, Pink Up The Volume, Nuts About Mary
Stay Apri-cosy gives off a barely visible apricot sheen on my lips. If you have dark or pigmented lips, it will most likely appear like clear lipgloss.
Pink Up The Volume looks almost bubblegum pink when swatched but sheers out on the lips. While it gives my lips much needed color, I find that if I apply too much on, it becomes a cool-toned pale pink that unfortunately doesn’t suit my medium skin tone.
Nuts About Mary is the darkest of the three and is a mauve-y kind of color. I love this the most because it gives just the right amount of color.
Overall, the Catrice Volumizing Lip Boosters are a refreshing break from the usual mattes and satin formulas. They're perfect for copping the glossy lip trend, or leveling up the polish of your usual tinted lip balm. I even tried putting them on top of my other lipsticks for a throwback 90s look and the effect is really quite nice. I’d recommend this for getting a sheer wash of glossy lip color on no-makeup makeup days or recreating that Glossier look. Just be careful if you’re sensitive to menthol.
Do you still wear lipgloss? Which of these shades would you want to try?
