Catrice Infinite Matt Foundation

Catrice Infinite Matt foundation

I'm not sure what Catrice have against the "e" in "Matte".  I suspect it's a German reference (Catrice are a German brand, and Matte (English) = Matt (German)).  How and ever, lack-of-e aside, I thought I'd give this a whirl, along with another (already reviewed Mousse Matt foundation) as they were both 50% off in my local pharmacy.  In this incidence, this foundation was €3.50 instead of the usual €6.99.  At that price, definitely worth a look!

So what about the colours Available?

010    Light Beige
020    Honey Beige
030    Apricot Beige
040    Bronze Beige (no longer available - yep, you've got it in one, that's probably why it was reduced)

Again, similar to the Matt Mousse, these foundations seem to be neither particularly yellow- or pink- based, so the neutral enough undertones should suit quite a lot of people.

Catrice's Claims:
The silky make-up with an oil-free formula absorbs unwanted shine and provides a smooth, naturally matt-looking complexion – for up to 18 hours [...] it won’t leave your skin feeling dry and its light-reflecting pigments give you a beautiful, radiant look [...] without a mask-like effect. Available in five shades with medium to full coverage [...] for a longer lasting finish make sure to complete your base with powder in order to set the look for the day.

My findings:
It's quite a smooth formula and applied/blended/wore nicely on my combination skin.  It definitely needs to be powdered down afterwards and has more of a semi-matte finish than a full matte finish.   Note however that setting your face with powder in order to make foundation last longer is a standard trick for all foundations, so a "long wear foundation" that stipulates that this is necessary makes me wonder if it would last the 18 hours sans powder.

Personally, I have no idea if this can last 18 hours (the only foundation I've found thus far that lives up to this particular claim is Chanel Perfection Lumière); I couldn't handle it on my face for longer than three hours before I had to scrub it off.  It's horribly over-scented, and the smell just refused to wear away after a while, and it gave me a whacking headache (incidentally, in its defence, it's not an offensive smell, it just doesn't suit me personally, it is very very strong, and it lingers).

More hairy-arm swatches

In terms of the shades available, it claims five, I could only find reference to three.  PR typo perhaps.  I got the 040 and it worked perfectly on application, but I did find that it darkened (oxidised perhaps?) slightly after about thirty minutes, so bear that in mind when purchasing/colour matching.

The "irritating applicator"
(actually, it has a pump)

This comes in a glass bottle with 30ml of products (especially good at that price) and a pump applicator (which I discovered after trying to use the "irritating wand applicator" that I thought came with it, and doing a search to see if others had the same gripes; it turns out that LovelyGirlieBits had the same issues as me and she pointed out that, yes, it's a pump, not a wand - you just have to tug at the lid a bit harder to get it off!!!).  I shall hide my embarrassment and take solace in the fact that I'm not the only blonde on the planet right now LOL.  The pump applicator, when you locate it (ahem) is quite good, it dispenses about the right amount in two pumps.

This is a water-based foundation that contains silicones (a lot), silica, and titanium dioxide.  The coverage is about "medium+".  I didn't find it was particularly buildable beyond this point as it seemed to crease if I tried to layer it.

It applies quite nicely and works with a sponge, fingers, flat foundation brush or buffer brush.  In my opinion, a damp sponge works best for this (like most) matte finish foundations.  All skin types?  I don't see why not.  It worked on my oilier as well as my dryer areas and it didn't particularly settle into lines.  Because of the neutral undertone, it will suit a lot of skin tones.  And at this price, in particular, it's not a bad foundation at all.

Tentatively recommended as a good budget offering for those who can handle (or ignore!) strong smells.  Avoid like the plague otherwise.