Battle of the Brands | Catrice Professional Make Up Techniques Face Palette vs Essence Strobing & Contouring Palette

I have a different kind of post today, one where I compare similar products from different makeup brands and I'm starting with two face contouring palettes from sister brands Essence and Catrice. I own another contouring palette from Pupa Milano which I love and still use on an almost daily basis but that is a pricier option so I wanted to compare these two palettes which come with a more affordable price tag. Want to know which one gets my vote? Read on to find out!

Packaging

As soon as you look at both palettes, you can immediately notice that the Catrice one looks more expensive - it comes with its own sleeve and instructions at the back which also feature on the back of the palette itself. The palette is a glossy black in colour with the brand logo on the bottom left corner and a wavy lid. On opening, you get a mirror, 8 products and a mini brush which I'm going to be honest with you, I don't see how it fits the palette's purpose. Moreover, there is a protective piece of plastic with the respective product names on it. 6 of the products are powders while the other 2 are creams.

As for the Essence one, you also get a black palette but it has a window on the lid, no mirror and all 10 product pans can be seen from the outside. It also comes with instructions at the back. All ten products are creams. I think the Essence palette does look cheaper compared to the Catrice one, so, thus far, Catrice gets my vote.

Formulas

The Professional Make-Up Techniques Face Palette from Catrice comes with contour powders, blushes, highlighters as well as a matt powder and a matte cream. Save for the Pearly Blush and Highlighters, all the rest of the products are matt finish. Pigmentation and staying power are not an issue with any of the products. My favourites are the Matt Bronzing, Matt Cream and Highlight Gold. This palette is intended more towards sculpting your face and creating a contoured look.

Catrice Professional Make Up Techniques palette swatches

The Strobing & Contouring Palette from Essence also has more matt shades apart from the white shade and the last two products from the first row. I like that this palette also features a yellow hued product which can be used as a corrector against dark circles. Pigmentation is a bit lacking with the lighter shades but the dark ones make up for them. Staying power is not an issue with any of the shades from this palette either though.

Essence Contouring & Strobing palette swatches

Ease of Use

I found both palettes pretty easy to use - the formulas are amazing and they hold up well. The only two products I had hiccups with were the blushes from the Catrice palette - they are very pigmented so do use a very very light hand with them. As for the pearly one, I think I'll stick to using it as an eyeshadow rather than as a blush because it is too shimmery a blush for my liking.

Price

I think by now you're dying to know the price of these palettes so here goes. The Essence one retails for €6.99 while the Catrice one retails for €13.79.

The Verdict

Time for the truth! As much as I have enjoyed using both of these palettes, I have to choose the Catrice one over the Essence one for various reasons i) the packaging as it looks way classier and expensive than it actually is; ii) it comes with a variety of products in different finishes and also includes 2 blushes. The price for the Catrice one is almost double but I'd rather spend my money on it and know I have a variety of products and better formulas.

Have you tried any of these palettes? What would you like to see me compare next?

PR Samples