Many of my German readers can relate: You watch You Tube videos, you read blogs, and you can´t help but bemoan the fact that Target, Boots (and Sephora!) are way out of reach.
Now let’s not forget that we do have our own drugstore, stocked with brands people in the States will never lay hands on. But are they a worthy competitor?
Well, when one of my favorite bloggers published a Boots only makeup tutorial (Watch here) right the next day after I received some pieces of the “I love my P2” collection for testing, I figured it was time to find out!
Let´s take a look at the collection pieces I received first.
020 “Go for the pinks!” Eyeshadow quintet (4,25€/5g)
Five eyeshadows, color coordinated and purple toned. P2 claims that these are both matte and shimmering, but to me three are satin, while two (the lilac and the pink) contain a really nice, fine shimmer.
Applied on top of a primer (I use MAC Painterly Paint Pot) the color payoff is really impressive, they are easy to blend and last all day on my lids without creasing.
Be careful upon application though, as they create some fallout. Oh, and the included double ended sponge tip applicator is utter crap. Toss it.
020 “Delight pinks” and 030 “Delight nudes” lip creams (4,25€/5g)
Again, palettes. My only experience with lip palettes so far was with a NARS one a friend got me. The colors in there had a waxy texture, so I was pretty surprised when I dipped my fingers into this one! Lip creams is the correct term, they are creamy, almost liquid in texture.
Opaque, yes, very glossy in finish and, given the creaminess, definitely not kiss-proof.
This being said, the bold, pink colors do last on my lips for several hours through drinking tea and talking, leaving a pretty stain once they start to disappear.
The nude ones, some of which have a metallic finish, seem to vanish more quickly.
Oh, and the lip brush included? Well. Toss it.
020 “Charming Blues” glitter bar (4,45€/5g)
I knew I wasn’t going to love that, because full on chunky glitter isn’t really my thing. But to be honest, these are horrible. Even if you are a glitter person, you should avoid them.
P2 claims they can used “all over the body, face and lips”, and while I limited “body” to the back of my hands (where on earth would you put it other than that?), I tried it both on my lips and on my eyes.
On my lips, they added patchy glitter sprinkles and felt like little grains when I moved them. On my eyes, applied on top of my eyeshadow, they broke my shadows down, started creasing and I ended up taking everything off and starting from scratch.
The brush it comes with? I didn’t bother to try it.
020 “Shining Star” and 030 “One miracle” Glitter top coat (2,25€/10ml)
Again, wasted on me. I rarely wear glitter polish, let alone glitter top coat, but this time the quality did impress.
As you can see in the picture, both are pretty sheer on their own. I applied only one layer of each, which was enough to distribute the glitter evenly. The pink “Shining Star” polish may even get opaque enough to wear on its own with multiple layers, but it is quite thick in formula, so do allow enough drying time if you attempt that. My little sister will appreciate them for Christmas, that is for sure.
The brush itself is quite standard, not very wide, but good to work with.
So on to my attempt to recreate the “All Boots” look and turning it into an “All P2” makeup:
I had to cheat a little bit. While the eyeshadows and the lip creams were up to expectation, the glitter ruined the first attempt and I switched to a MAC pigment the second time.
But other than that?
I think P2 did an amazing job with both lip and eyeshadow palettes as well as the polish. No need to lust for Boots this time!
If you are meaning to get your hands on any of the items mentioned, head to your local DM. The “I love my P2” collection is available from December 3rd to December 30!
Have you tried P2 before?
And which brands do you lust after that aren’t available in your country?
I received the products for consideration without restrictions, all opinions are honest and my own.