Do you remember A Night at the Roxbury with Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan? Gawd, that movie, as dumb as it is, still cracks me up.
It occurred to me this morning while I was playing with the Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow & Liner in Nude ($10.95), a new 9-pan palette from Physicians Formula.
What if Nude was a woman at the Roxbury sandwiched between those two goofballs as they did their rapid-fire dry-hump schtick? I wonder how long it would take before she slapped them both.
Dressed in pinkish beige and black lace, Nude doesn’t just look like a lady. She expects to be treated like one, too.
You can’t just walk up to her and expect her to give up the goods. Not a chance. She’ll respond to a gentleman’s advances, sure, but she has to be approached in a certain way.
One of four new $10.95 palettes in the new Physicians Formula Universal Looks collection (remember Smoky, Fashionista and Casual from earlier this week?), Nude bares all with nine shimmery neutral shadows in shades of beige, brown, taupe and black.
Applying the shadows with a dry brush lends a softer look, while a wet brush intensifies the pigments, shimmer and overall glam.
Mix and match the shadows to create your own look, or follow the three-step tutorials on the box for natural, playful or dramatic eyes.
First things first, I love Nude’s packaging, colors and price, but after spending some time with the palette, I’m not completely sold…
Maybe it’s a matter of how my skin responds to these pigments, but I feel like I have to do a lot to help them be their best.
It’s not that they exhibit any fallout, because they don’t — like nada, zip, zero. The formula’s kind of amazing in that respect, but after trying a bunch of different brushes and application methods, the two techniques that delivered the best, most consistent results were 1) to apply a single shade on my lids with a wet brush head (basically, not having to blend them), and 2) using them along my lash lines.
When I try to apply these shadows dry, and/or when I attempt a look incorporating multiple shades, I often end up with patchy pigments and stark lines between the colors.
For the pics in this post, I followed the Dramatic eye tutorial on the back of the package, which calls for using three of the shades; the shadows took about 15 minutes to blend.
Really, I love the idea, colors and price of this palette, and for quick eye looks using one of the shadows, or when used as eyeliner, I think it’s great. I just wish I could wear these shadows dry and that they were a little easier to blend.
I still think Nude has plenty of potential, and if Physicians Formula could perhaps refine the formula, I think they’d have a new drugstore beauty classic on their hands.
PRICE: $10.95
AVAILABILITY: Available now at drugstores and also online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B
A movie that gives new meaning to the phrase, “being thrown to the wolves…”
Oh, boy. Guess who watched Liam Neeson’s new movie last weekend? The Grey is about a group hard-edged, tough-willed oil men who survive a plane crash in a remote part of Alaska only to be hunted by a pack of wolves.
It was El Hub’s idea… I like Liam Neeson, but I wasn’t expecting — I don’t know — so many wolves.
I don’t want to give away too much in case you’re planning to see it, but I didn’t think it was bad at all. Just very long, brutal, and I was stressed out the entire time.
Oh, and if you’re afraid of flying, you might want to skip it. Just take my word on that.
On to happier subjects! — like what’s for lunch? I’m starved. 🙂 I’m about to go to town on this bowl of pea soup…
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Nina says
the packaging on this palette is so adorable! i saw this today at CVS and it does look promising. i have a ton of neutrals though, so if i bought this, it wont get the love and attention it deserves. 🙂
i have a new rule when it comes to movies — i try to avoid any movie that would get me anxious, scared or sad. that probably means grey is not getting on my to-watch list. 😀 the rule can be broken, for sure. but it would have to be a movie thats really, really, really good. 🙂
lunch was a vietnamese beef pastry and a dr. pepper. 🙂 im home now, and doing laundry. not my fave task in the world but i gotta do what i gotta do. have a great evening ahead, karen!
Karen says
Your lunch sounds yummy! I’ve been craving Vietnamese food like crazy lately.
I don’t mind laundry so much… on the list of chores it’s much less painful than cleaning the bathroom or vacuuming! Do your cats jump into the basket after you fill it up with fresh, clean clothes? Tabs LOVES doing that.
Nina says
that pastry is like .50 cents at a nearby Vietnamese bakery and its so good! 🙂
what i dont like about laundry is the folding — so boring!!!
Anja loves fresh laundry, the two boys love jumping on the bed when ive just put fresh sheets on. silly cats! 😀
Sonya says
Love the color combo here – it’s classic! Cute packaging and a great price too. Wish the darker shades were a bit more pigmented, though.
Karen says
Yeah, me too. I think I would’ve liked it even more if there were more darker shades.
Joyce says
Physician’s Formula is one of the pricier drugstore brands, so I expect the quality to be good, (though not as awesome as high end brands, of course). It’s a shame that the eyeshadows are not that pigmented. The palette looks cute and compact, though. It seems very travel friendly!
Karen says
It’s so cute and travel friendly. Now if only there was just a little more pigment…
Emi at Project Swatch says
I find that price really doesn’t correlate with quality, especially at the drugstore – Wet n Wild is one of the cheapest drugstore brands, yet has awesome eyeshadows. I’ve been disappointed by all the PF eyeshadows I’ve tried, and I find that brands like Revlon are pretty hit-and-miss.
Josette says
Holy cow, your eye makeup looks excellent! All that blending paid off… Unfortunately, I’m a minimalist when it comes to makeup application. All of my makeup that takes more time/effort always ends up getting donated to one of my more patient sisters. Otherwise, this looks like a steal at ~$11!
Karen says
Hi Josette,
I go for the streamlined stuff on busy days! What are your favorite minimalist items?
Teresa says
Karen I *love* how you created an eye look with this palette! Soooo pretty on you. I have been loving this palette so I’m glad you liked it in certain regards.
Have you checked out any of the new OPI with Nicki Minaj shades? I just posted about Metallic 4 Life and it seemed like a polish you might like. Very glittery-goodness!
Karen says
Hi Teresa,
Thank you! Glad you are enjoying this palette. It has many things to like about it. 🙂
I haven’t checked out that collection yet. I’ll hope on over to see it!
Teresa says
Hi Karen, thanks for hopping on over! I appreciate it :))
Tracy says
It’s too bad as the colours are so pretty! But as I get older, I have less patience with all the blending some products need. I don’t want to work too hard to make it look good, ya’ know?
This movie sounds good! Oh, and 2 more week until The Walking Dead is back!
Karen says
I feel you! I could use that extra time blending for napping or eating Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies, haha!
So excited about Walking Dead coming back. I hope they pick up the action, though.
lexi says
gurrrl…you know I have to see anything with my Liam Neeson in it. speaking of which – the husb had me watching Krull last week…YOUNG Liam Neeson…meh, not so much, definitely sexier with age. The Grey – meh, I would say 6.5/10.
Karen says
He’s really great in it, but the intensity of the film is way stressful.
Haven’t watched Krull yet — do I need to put it on my list?
Sunny @ Mostly Sunny says
What a pity! I really like the packaging! Call me lazy, but I don’t really want to have to “work” too much with eyeshadows so that they’d work on me. I do love the smokey eye you created with it though, Karen! VERY sexy!
Karen says
I know what you mean, Sunny. That’s time I could be using for watching mind-rotting reality TV, haha!
Hi to Tango!
Sarah S. says
In my experience with the Physicians Formula palettes, I totally agree the colors just don’t blend well together and your best bet is to use one color at a time… kind of a bummer!
Becca says
I have and love this palette and I have a crapton of neutral palettes – but the fact that it’s tiny and cheap (relatively) allows it to be my purse palette. I keep only this in my makeup bag among my multitude of lipsticks and my one perfect blush (Lancome Mandarin Sunrise).
makeuplover says
I must admit I’m such a sucker for that cute packaging, it’s adorable!
Paige says
I’m going to have to pick this up, it looks sweet. I want to see that movie too!
corallista says
I love the packaging! I’m not loving the shades much as most seem more suitable for lighter skin tones but I really liked the look on u!
Karen says
Aw, you could probably rock a couple of those shadows. 🙂