Physicians Formula Nude palette (New Display, Old nude palette review)

Physicians formula is like a high end brand of the drugstore makeup kingdom. Their prices range from $10-$20. The Physicians formula website claims that their products are dermatologist approved, hypoallergenic and made especially for sensitive skin. I have used bronzers, blushes, shimmer strips sold by Physicians Formula, but I think their “eyeshadow shimmer strips in NUDE“ is the most talked about product.

Last year almost every brand tried to mimic the famous Urban Decay Naked palette, and I suppose this one was one of them. I don’t own the Naked palette so I can’t comment on the similarity between them but by the pictures alone they look similar.

Physicians formula now has a new display at Rite Aid with new shades in the Nude shimmer strips. The new shades on display are Natural nude, Warm nude, Classic nude and Smokey Nude. All of them look almost similar to the old Nude palette with a tiny bit of twist. I don’t own any of the new nude palettes so the description below is just by the looks not experience.

From left to right: Neutral nude, Warm nude, Classic nude, Smokey nude

Natural Nude: The colors are mostly in light to medium neutral brown zone. At least from the packaging and the picture from PF website, most of the medium toned colors look alike.

Warm Nude: This palette has light to dark brown shades. It also has some bronzy shades and one dark brown. First three lighter shades look almost exactly like in the old palette.

Classic Nude: It has some taupe shades, browns, peachy colors. It lacks the black though. This looks most similar to the old Nude palette.

Smokey Nude: This palette is beautiful. I could not find it in the store but they have a picture on their website. It has black, grey, taupe, bronzy shades. This seems to be the most versatile out of all.

Old Nude palette that I have (Its been used several times hence the dents )

I have the old Nude palette from PF and that’s what I am going to review. It has total 9 eyeshadow and you can use them wet for intense looks or dry for softer looks. To use it wet, just wet your brush a little and dip it in the color.

Old Nude palette swatches

At the back of the packaging it divides them in trios in which you can wear them. But of course you can mix it the way you please. The packaging also shows that because you can use them wet or dry you have 18 custom shades, 6 custom looks ( 3 trio x 2 wet/dry ) and 6 custom liners ( 3 dark shades x 2 wet/dry).

Except black all the colors have pearlescent finish. They are nice shimmery colors without any glitter. This is very nice everyday palette.

Things I like about this palette:

-          Pretty colors.

-          Good color pay off when applied wet or with primer.

-          Soft, creamy texture.

-          Super cute lace packaging.

-          Travel friendly - relatively small size palette for 9 shadows.

-          With primer they lasted all day for me without creasing.

-          You can use darker colors as eye liners.

-          They are dermatologist testes, hypoallergenic, made forsensitive eyes so the formula doesn’t irritate eye.

Things I don’t like:

-          Strips are “cut” uneven, darker colors are smaller in width than others.

-          Some strips are very small to use with brush. You need a tiny brush for them.

-          Pigmentation could be better.

-          All colors are shimmery.

-          Lighter colors are hard to show up.

-          Applicator is pointy sponge tip, its not much help for a well blended look.

All in all I like this palette very much. It costs $9-$11 varying on store. This palette is made in Taiwan. Physicians formula is on PETA’s cruelty free brand list.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day everybody!! This is the day of love, gifts, fancy dinner, dressing up, nice makeup, different hairdo and what not. This is my take on the makeup looks you can create using following product grouping. I am all about bargain beauty. If I could get the same look and quality for less “cha-ching” then I would not ever buy an expensive product.

I think I have considerable amount of makeup now. So usually I take out all the products I need to use first otherwise I get lost in my makeup treasure drawer and believe me it takes a lot of time to find a way out from these if I get lost J Grouping the products you think will go well together will not only save you some time but also keep you on track of the look you want to achieve.

These are just some of my suggestion for this special day but if you feel like going wild then go for it.

Sweet and subtle

Eyeshadow (purple/pink): Maybelline color tattoo Inked in pink & NYX eyeshadow trio in TS06 (purple/deep purple/prune)

Eyeliner: L’Oreal liquid eyeliner in Carbon black

Mascara: Almay get up & grow in black

False Eyelashes: Elf natural kit

Blush (pink): Covergirl Cheekers 140 Plumberry glow

Lipstick: NYX round lipstick in Blush or Wet n wild mega last lipstick in Don’t blink pink.

These colors are in the pink family, they create a nice pink harmony on the face.

Bold and beautiful

Eyeshadow (Brown smokey): Maybelline quad 800 Makeover Mocha & L’Oreal infallible eyeshadow 800 Bottomless Java

Eyeliner: Wet n wild Fergie collection brown gel eyeliner

Mascara: Covergirl lashblast volume in black brown

False Eyelashes: Elf natural kit

Blush(peachy pink): NYX cream blush in Tea rose

Lipstick (Deeper wearable red): Revlon lip butter in Red velvet or NYC round lipstick in Sheer Red

Daring Eyes

Eyeshadow (Grey/black smokey): Wet n wild eyeshadow trio in Don’t steel my thunder.

Eyeliner: Maybelline studio gel eyeliner in black and Milani Liquif’Eye eyeliner in Black.

Mascara: L’Oreal Voluminous original in Blackest black

False Eyelashes: Elf dramatic kit

Blush: Essence silky touch blush in 30 Secret it-girl

Lipstick: Nude lipsticks- NYC 420 mousse, L’Oreal fairest nude.

This look is all about eyes. Keep the rest of face subtle.

You can buy elf false eyelashes in Target or on elf website. Essence and NYX is available in Ulta and all the other products are available in any drugstore. 

Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid lipstick in Electric Orange

Bright notice-me-now lips is a current trend and I am obsessed with bright lipsticks lately. But I have to agree that bright lips are high maintenance. You have to look out for feathering, smudging, drying effect and of course fading/staying power. Maybelline vivid lipsticks surely agree with my bright lips obsession. They have super bright colors in this collection, perfect for spring and summer. Keep in mind that some of them look different on the lips than in the tube.

Initially I was going to go for Shocking Coral after I bought Hot plum but Shocking coral looked more pink than coral so I went for “Electric Orange”. Click here to see my review on Maybelline vivid Hot plum. Orange is the new red right now. I have tried several orange lipsticks but this one turned out to be the most ORANGE out of all.

Maybelline Electric orange is not as thick in formula as hot plum. Also it is glossier than hot plum. It goes on kind of sheer and you have to layer it 2-3 times for super orange look but don’t overdo it or it will look patchy. This vibrant color gives a nice juicy look.  Staying power is not as good as hot plum but it is not bad. I have pigmented lips so it doesn't look as orange as it should on me.

All-in-all I love Maybelline Vivid lipsticks and this color. Electric orange is my favorite orange lip color so far.  It’s a bright, bold, pigmented, very daring glossy orange color. If you need a sudden mood boost on a gloomy day then go for this color. Bright orange lips and thick black eyeliner is super glam and easy look which will transform you in to a diva in no time.

These lipsticks cost $5.50-$8.50 depending on the store. They are made in USA.

Wet n Wild Megalast liquid lipstick - Cherry on top

I have tried many wet ‘n’ wild products and I am a big fan of their products. Unfortunately I can’t say the same about their liquid lipstick.

This is a new type of lipstick recently released by wet ‘n’ wild. I was very excited when I saw these but turned out to be a huge disappointment. The colors are very pretty but I hate the formula.

922 A Cherry on Top

I have the color “922 A Cherry on Top”. It’s a beautiful blue based deep red color. I absolutely love this color. This is a rather thick formula so doesn't need layering for even application. If it wouldn't dry like cement on my lips I would have liked this lipstick very much.

It feels normal when applied but dries out on the lips in a flat matte color in a few minutes and looks like paint. It sucked all life from my lips after it dried out and my lips felt stiff. It settled in the fine lines highlighting every imperfection of my lips which was very unattractive. It has a heavy, dry and very uncomfortable feel.

The lipstick dries like a paint on the lips

I tried applying a gloss and even a lip balm on it so that it would feel better, but the lipstick sucked the moisture in minutes. I swear I did not rub my lips, didn't eat or drink after applying a balm over it but it vanished in five minutes as if my thirsty lipstick sucked it in. The lipstick is also difficult to take off; it comes out patchy and kind of peels off the lips. The formula of this lipstick seems to be waterproof so you need a heavy duty makeup remover and a lot of scrubbing to remove it.

Only good things about this lipstick are that it is pigmented, it costs less, it doesn't transfer after drying and doesn't leave a strain ring around the lips. It is also super long lasting. If you don’t scrub it off it will stay forever.

Only because of the drying effect I wouldn't recommend this lipstick to anybody. This is definitely a miss from Wet n Wild. Their matte lipsticks are far superior to this one.

It costs $2.99 each and they are made in China. As per PETA website Wet n Wild doesn't test products on animals.

Maybelline SuperStay 10 hour lip gloss stain Berry Hevenly

I am not a big fan of lip stain products. They usually set into the lip cracks and give a very dry, flaky look which I hate. But this is supposed to be a gloss stain, so I decided to give it a try.

Things I don’t like about this product:

-          First of all it doesn’t stay on for 10 hours. And I don’t expect it to stay that long. As per my opinion this “lasts for blabla number of hours” is just a marketing gimmick.

-          It has a very liquidy texture, you have to apply at least 3 coats for even application.

-          It starts to get patchy for me after 3 hours.

-          It transfers.

-          It leaves a strain ring around your lips. You need a heavy duty makeup cleaner to get it off.

-          The shape of the applicator makes it difficult to precisely outline lips.

Now good things about this product:

-          It doesn’t have a sticky, heavy feel; it feels very lightweight on the lips.

-          It doesn’t dry out on the lips and your lips don’t feel pulled or stretched.

-          Doesn't settle in the cracks. No flaky look on the lips. Doesn't peel off.

-          It has a glossy finish when applied and stays glossy until it starts to fade.

-          You can wear it shear or make it bold by layering.

Berry Heavenly : Left- single swatch, Right- 2 coat swatch

I have the shade “120 - berry heavenly”. It is a berry color with a bluish undertone. The color is very pretty. It is that kind of color which makes your teeth look whiter.

Overall this is a 6 on a 1-10. If you are looking for a long lasting stain then this product is not for you, but if you don’t mind reapplying you should try it out.

It costs $5.99-$8.99 depending on the store. They are made in USA.

Revlon Lip Butter

Revlon lip products are fantastic, they have the best drugstore lipsticks. Revlon lip butters are super moisturizing lipsticks. They have very soft creamy, buttery texture (duh!!! lip butter) and great color payoff.  It’s a 3in1 kind of product, these are perfect combination of lip balm, lipstick color and gloss all together in one.

On the Revlon website describe them as “Buttery Balm + Shiny Color

- Buttery balm with beautiful shiny color to give you baby soft, healthy glowing lips 94% of women felt lips were softer, smoother, and instantly hydrated. -Award winning

- Hydrating mango, shea and coconut butter formula boosts lip moisture by 156%

- Pampering gel formula provides super charged hydration and glides on lips buttery smooth.

- Sheer to medium color with buttery shine.

- Available in 20 luscious shades. “

They have a very light weight lip balm kind of feel on the lips but with a full on color like lipsticks. Some of the lighter shades are sheer but you can layer and make it bold. Almost all of the shades are wearable and glossy even the darker colors. These are NOT super-bright-over-the-top-Notice-me-now colors. They go on smooth with a lot of moisture and without accentuating cracks in lips. These do not have any major staying power but I don’t mind reapplying.

They have such yummy names like cream brulee, red velvet, peach parfait, cotton candy and so on. But unfortunately they don’t smell nor taste like their namesL. These are rather fragrance free and tasteless lip products. 

I have 2 of the 20 shades till now Cream Brulee and Red Velvet.

Revlon Lip Butter: Cream Brulee and Red Velvet

Revlon Lip Butter swatches:  Red Velvet on the left and Cream Brulee on the right

Cream Brulee: This is a peach nude color with golden shimmer.  It is your-lips-but-better kind of color. This is my go to everyday color.

Cream Brulee swatch

Red Velvet: This is wearable shade of red. Deeper brick red with a little bit of brown in it. If you are intimidated by red lips this is the color for you. This one doesn't have any shimmer. I absolutely love this color.

Red Velvet Swatch

Oh and a word of caution they do behave like real butter so don’t leave them in your purse or car on a hot day or they will MELT. Also they are very soft in texture so they have a tendency to chip, smudge/smear in and around the tube (I don’t know if this line makes sense but my lip butter have smudges all over the metal tube part). So twist up only a little to apply.

Bottom line these are super hydrating lipsticks with more wearable lip colors. They cost $6.99-$8.00 depending on the store and they are made in USA.

Thanks for stopping.

-Snehal

Maybelline Color sensational Vivid lipstick in HOT PLUM

Maybelline has come up recently with these bright color sensational vivid lipsticks. And they are absolutely gorgeous. Most of them are in the neon color family. There are total 10 shades of this kind and I picked up a shade called hot plum.

This lipstick is pigmented, very creamy (and they don’t dry out on the lips), glides on smoothly, looks glossy and the staying power is pretty good too. It got me through an entire evening (with dinner) without a touch up.

By the name “hot plum” I had expected it to be more purple pink color but it is actually a hot pink shade. Also it has some funky waxy smell. But for me all the Maybelline lipsticks have that. Other than that I like this lipstick very much. I will probably pick up shocking coral next J

These lipsticks cost $5.50-8.50 depending on the store. And they are made in USA.

Elf cream blush and bronzer duo

Eyes Lips Face (ELF) is one of the most affordable makeup brands. Elf’s full line is available online on http://www.eyeslipsface.com/. These are good quality, inexpensive products.

This cream duo is a newer product from Eyes Lips Face (Elf). As of now they have it only in St. Lucia shade. It is very good quality and such an inexpensive cream duo. I absolutely love it. You can apply it with your fingers or if works great with Elf small stippling brush. Both of the blush and the bronzer don’t have any shimmer.

The blush is peachy pink shade. It is pigmented, blends effortlessly and goes on smooth. The blush is very natural and wearable shade. Good for all skin tones.

Bronzer in this duo is medium brown. It is much lighter color from their powder duo. This is perfect contour color for fair and medium skin tones.

This cream duo is from Elf’s studio line and it costs $3. This product is made in China. ELF cosmetics doesn't test products on animals.

Thank you for stopping by.

Elf powder Blush and Bronzer duos

Eyes Lips Face (ELF) is an affordable online makeup brand. Well mostly online, you can find some of the elf products in Target, K-mart sometimes in Big lots but the whole line is only available online. Personally I am not comfortable buying makeup products online as colors on the websites are often deceptive. So it took me long time to finally place an order. Finally after a lot of adding/removing products from my online shopping cart I placed an order. Yayyyyyyyy!!!!!!!

I ordered 2 of the elf powder blush and bronzer duos. These are from their studio i.e. $3 line. I wanted to order all 3 of them but the one in Antigua seemed to have a lot of glitter so I gave that a pass. So I have it in St. Lucia and Turks and Caicos. 

The packaging of these duos is very nice. It has a sturdy black case with a descent size mirror, looks very much like NARS duos. This product looks expensive from outside.

St. Lucia (Blush and Bronzer duo)

St. Lucia duo Swatch

St. Lucia : This has light peach colored blush and a nice brown bronzer. Both the blush and the bronzer have shimmer.

I love the bronzer part of this duo very much. Though the bronzer has some shimmer (not glitter) you can definitely use it to contour. It is super pigmented so a little goes a long way.

Well blush part is completely different story. It has medium size gold glitter and the color is very light. It is almost nothing shade on my cheeks even after 3-4 layers. Not a fan of this blush.

Turks and Caicos (Blush and Bronzer Duo)

Turks and Caicos duo swatch

Turks and Caicos : This has a dusty rose colored blush and a dark brown bronzer. They both have shimmer.

The bronzer in this duo is darker than the St. Lucia bronzer. I think it can look muddy on super fair skin but it will work for medium, deeper skin tones. It is super pigmented so a little goes a long way. It applies smooth and it’s easy to blend.

The blush in this duo goes on much darker than it looks. It is pigmented and has golden shimmer.  I like this blush very much.

Both of these duos have some fallout. I think they are good value for money. They cost $3 each and they are made in China. ELF is Cruelty free brand as stated on PETA's list. What do you think about them?

Maybelline Color Tattoo

I love love love these crease proof, long lasting cream shadows. They have great color selection and super long lasting staying power. On their website they claim to be “Dare to wear our longest-lasting shadow. Our ink technology creates super-saturated color. Cream gel smoothes on for vibrant color that does not fade”

I have five of color tattoos:

35 Tough as Taupe: This is matte neutral grayish tope color. It blends smooth and stays forever. It is thick creamy in texture and very easy to blend.

40 Tenacious Teal: It is very beautiful teal color. This is a shimmery shade with tiny silver glitter. You have to apply it in thin layers otherwise it looks patchy. This is a great spring/summer time color.

55 Inked in Pink: This rosy pink shade is perfect to highlight inner corner of your eye. It has metallic pearly finish. It has very light creamy texture.

65 Gold Rush: This looks like liquid gold in the pot however when you apply it on the eyelids it goes on patchy. It has some gold glitter with seems to separate form the cream when applied. Looks perfect in the pot but you have to have some patience to apply it evenly.

200 Mossy Green: This is a khaki green color with gold shimmer. It goes on effortlessly and smoothly.

With Flash: Tough as Taupe, Tenacious Teal, Inked in Pink, Gold  Rush and Mossy Green

Without Flash: Tough as Taupe, Tenacious Teal, Inked in Pink, Gold  Rush and Mossy Green

Tough as taupe and Tenacious Teal are from permanent Maybelline color tattoo line. Inked in pink and Gold rush are newer shades from their color tattoo metal collection. Whereas Mossy green is from their limited addition fall 2012 collection.

They can work as eyeshadow base or they are also great on their on. In my experience they are best applied with your fingertips and that’s how Maybelline website asks to use them. But you have to work really fast if you want to blend more than one color tattoo or blend a color tattoo and a powder shadow. They set tight within a minute. Once set, these babies do not want to budge. They last without any smudging on lower lash line too. If you want to get crazy with the colors, you can totally build the intensity by layering it.

These are absolutely fantastic cream eyeshadows. Nothing like these is available in the drugstore yet. They cost $5.50 – $6.99 depending on where you buy them and they are made in USA J