Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow & Liner-Universal Looks Collection in Fashionista, Smoky, and Casual
Are you used to shelling out big bucks for eyeshadow palettes with a bunch of colors you don’t use, and only a few you do? Blergh. What makes these Physicians Formula collections unique, aside from the cute packaging, is how the colors are grouped together in a similar range, but with a few surprises. Fashionista is a range of purples and lilacs, but with a shimmery gold orange. Smoky is grays and blues, but the glitter-packed silver is a standout. And Casual runs the gamut from yellow to purple to blue, but the pigmented plum and champagne shades are a nice touch.
You can apply the shades dry or wet—the latter will be more dramatic—and the shadows can also be doubled as eyeliner, with the precise brush that’s included. All palettes are hypoallergenic; free of fragrance, parabens, and gluten; and dermatologist-approved. I’m used to bulky palettes, but these slim collections have really found their way into my morning makeup routine—and their cute packaging is, of course, a plus.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY: Between $10 and $11 each; for example, $9.63 at Walmart.com, but $10.99 at Ulta.com.
Nuance by Salma Hayek Prickly Pear Hydrating Body Cleansing Gel; Passion Fruit Nourishing Body Cleansing Cream; Oxygen Activated Foaming Face Wash; Meadowfoam Seed Leave-In Treatment; Rose Petal Hydrating Balm; Lights, Camera, Action Eye Trio in Bronze/Gold Shimmer
I love Salma Hayek as an actress—her time as a guest star on NBC’s comedy “30 Rock” was particularly inspired—but since I know she’s married to a French billionaire who helps run designer companies like Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, I wasn’t really sure whether her Nuance by Salma Hayek line for CVS would be affordable. And if it was affordable, would it really be good? Hmm.
Well, so far, I’ve been wrong on both counts: The items are reasonably priced, maxing out at about $20 and averaging about $12, and the products I’ve tried have been simultaneously unexpected and satisfying. The brand’s Hydrating Body Cleansing Gel and Nourishing Body Cleansing Cream, with ingredients like prickly pear and passion fruit, smell wonderful and do their job. The Oxygen Activated Foaming Face Wash boasts the inclusion of mimosa, blue agave, and other extracts, and pumps up into a serious mousse; similarly weighty is the Leave-In Treatment, which I use about twice a week to keep the tips of my hair from getting too dry.
And the cosmetics products are nice, too: The Rose Petal Hydrating Balm adds some nice moisture to both my lips and other dry areas, like my elbows and knees; though it seemed weird at first to be rubbing a lip gloss-like product on my body, the shea butter is really effective. The only downside is the product’s pot-like packaging, which makes it a little bulky to stash in my pocket during the day. But the sleekness of the Lights, Camera, Action Eye Trio in Bronze/Gold Shimmer is nice, as is its combination of a creamy bronze eyeshadow, a gold cream stick highlighter, and a black eyeliner. It’s one-stop shopping, and so far from Nuance by Salma Hayek, I’m liking what I see.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY: $9.99, $9.99, $12.99, $9.99, $7.29, $8.49, respectively, all at CVS.com or at CVS Pharmacy locations.
EDITORIAL NOTE: The product/s reviewed in this post were provided to Chesapeake Family’s About Face blog by the manufacturer or their public relations company for review. Chesapeake Family’s reviews are inspired by personal experience and opinion, and are not paid for or influenced by the manufacturer, PR company or any other organization unless mentioned.
Photo by Adam Fried.
In middle school, Roxana Hadadi was a cosmetics-scorning tomboy; in high school, a glitter eye shadow- and black nail polish-loving trend kid; in college, obsessively committed to dying her hair unruly colors that upset her mom. Now a bit older and a bit more mature, she’s trying to figure out what hair, body and cosmetics products will work for her, you and your family in About Face, Chesapeake Family’s new beauty blog — and she’ll leave the sparkle makeup and neon highlights in the past. Roxana also writes movie reviews for Chesapeake Family’s Popcorn Parents blog.
