Category: Physicians Formula

Messy, but worth it

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I’m not big on black eyeliner, as it’s too harsh. I’m hooked on black brown eyeliner and now on eyeliner that are described as bronze black.

For pencils, two of my favorites are Physicians Formula Eye Definer Flat Automatic Eyeliner Pencil in Black Bronze and Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Metallic Brass from Denmark’s GOSH Cosmetics.

Lately, I’ve discovered L’Oreal Bare Naturale Gentle Mineral Eyeliner in Bronze. It’s messy because it’s a loose powder, but the look is smudgier than what you get with a pencil and the results are worth the extra care in handling this product.


L’Oreal Bare Naturale Gentle Mineral Eyeliner in Bronze

Here are some tips to minimize the mess:

* Cover your (preferably non-porous) countertop with facial tissue or wax paper to catch powder. Fold the tissue or wax paper to save the spilt powder for later use. Put some sort of weight on top – I use the container itself.

* Tap the dispenser right side up vertically – not at an angle. This minimizes spills. Unfortunately, the container does not come with a sifter.

* Get a damp cloth to wipe the the countertop clean in case of spills.

I apply L’Oreal Bare Naturale Gentle Mineral Eyeliner with the self-contained slant-edged brush to my upper lash line and to the outer corner of the lower lash line. Then I dot the lower lash line with a pressed powder eyeshadow in a softer color, using the pointed end of the Line & Define Brush from Beauty Strokes. This helps fill in sparse lower eyelashes.

Organic wear™ 100% Natural Origin Tinted Moisturizer

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Organic wear™ 100% Natural Origin Tinted Moisturizer

It is such a great concept: a organic cosmetics line certified by Ecocert that you can readily find at Walgreen’s, CVS, Rite-Aid, big-box retailers, and supermarkets with a comprehensive beauty department.

However, Organic wear™ 100% Natural Origin Tinted Moisturizer is one of the worst products that I’ve bought and used recently. While it contains good-for-you plant oils, it also reeks of alcohol and the amount of alcohol is sufficient to dry the skin. My face felt tight after I allowed the product to dry. Why alcohol? This FAQ from Miessence, a direct sales company from Australia which sells organic products certified by Australian Certified Organic, provides some clues:

… alcohol is used to extract plant materials. … Alcohol carries active plant extracts into the skin. A natural emulsifier and stabilizer, alcohol acts as a preservative.

Still, the product packaging states Shake Well Before Using, no doubt to mix the water and plant oils. I didn’t see that the first time I used this tinted moisturizer.

I’m taking Organic wear™ 100% Natural Origin Tinted Moisturizer back to the store!

Great drugstore finds

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As the interview with Aunt Beep for ThisNext showed, I’m an inveterate roamer at CVS, particularly its cosmetics aisles, which not only have the usual mass-market brands, but also Lumene, a cosmetics brand from Finland exclusive to CVS and the French skin care brands Avene and LaRoche-Posay.

Here are some drugstore finds that I’d like to share with my readers:

Maybelline Dream Mousse Shadows in Rose Kiss and Black Spice from their limited edition Sugar and Spice collection for Valentine’s Day (the collection even featured nail polish with heart-shaped sparkles!) . Rose Kiss is a beatiful shade for the lid, while Black Spice is great for the outer corner of the eye for the class smoky eye look. If only Maybelline would add these shades to its regular collection!

L’Oreal has now added liquid bronzer to its popular True Match™ collection of foundations, powders, concealers, and blushes designed to flatter a wide variety of skin tones. I am very fond of True Match™ liquid makeup in N3 – see my review at ThisNext, so I picked up the liquid bronzer in N1-2-3. This liquid bronzer may be blended with your foundation or be used alone.

UPDATE: The May 2007 of Lucky has a good tip: apply liquid bronzer before foundation to even skin tones. It worked for my skin, which has a tendency towards ruddiness


Physicians Formula Mineral Wear™ Talc-Free Mineral Eye Shadow Quad

Finally, Physicians Formula has released six different talc-free Mineral Eye Shadow Quads, all in beautiful shades. My complaint is about the packaging – you have to flip the compact over to use the mirror, so it’s a clumsy way of applying the eyesahdow.

You can find Maybelline, L’Oreal, and Physicians Formula at major drugstores, mass-market retailers, supermarkets, and drugstore.com. Lumene is exclusive to CVS, and you can also find Avene and LaRoche-Posay at select CVS stores. Stores carrying Vital Radiance are now trying clear their inventory, so now is the time to snap up these products (which were good, although the line was badly marketed) at the right price – I was fond of Vital Radiance’s Smoothing Eye Primer mousse, so I bought two at half-price. Paula’s Choice may be purchased through the web site for Paula Begoun.

UPDATE: I have since found out that drugstore.com and Amazon.com carry a wide variety of Vital Radiance products.

Mascara reviews – Rimmel, Physicians Formula

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It’s been said that once women find a mascara they like, they stick to it. The Style Page is no exception. Several years ago, I discovered Maybelline’s Volum’Express mascara and stuck to it. I take advantage of sales to stock up. I like the way it thickens my eyelashes and doesn’t clump. However, I am a sucker for new ways of packaging cosmetics.


Volum’Eyes Instant Full Volume Comb Mascara from Rimmel

Rimmel Volum’Eyes Instant Full Volume Comb Mascara features a comb rather a mascara brush. One would think that the comb would separate lashes and prevent clumping, but it doesn’t. After applying this mascara, my lashes looked like the spiky eyelashes that Cher had in her Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour heydey. In that way, the store displays featuring Kate Moss with a curiously clean mascara wand are misleading. Shop Rimmel at Wal-Mart.


Lash-in-a-Tube® Full Coverage Cream Mascara from Physicians’ Formula

Physicians Formula Lash-in-a-Tube Mascara is also billed as a volumizing mascara. While this mascara doesn’t clump like the Rimmel mascara, it doesn’t build volume. Shop Physicians Formula at major drugstores and discount chains.

After applying mascara, I brush my lashes with a mascara wand salvaged from a tube that I discarded. But if you like a good gimmick (as I do), you can also use Paula Dorf’s Mascara Fan ($16). Shop Paula Dorf at Sephora.