IN THE RING: Physicians Formula Universal Shimmer Strips in Nude vs Eye Candy Shimmer Strips in Hazel

Today I have a comparison post for you!  I think this is my first one...and I really wanted to do this one right away, because it includes a clearance item.

When I saw the Physicians Formula Eye Candy Shimmer Strips in Hazel was on clearance at CVS, I went to check it out.  After seeing it, I immediately thought it would be a dupe for the Shimmer Strips Nude palette that I recently reviewed.  So I bought it to swatch and see if I was right, since this one would be a cheaper alternative.  Unfortunately, it wasn't!  But I think it's still a pretty palette.

Both of these palettes are quite neutral.  The main difference is the undertone of each palette.  The Eye Candy one is cooler, while the Nude one is warm....even the black shades!

top is eye candy, bottom is nude palette

I haven't tried out the Eye Candy palette, so can't say how well it holds up or anything right now...I'll probably do a separate review for it on it's own.  But from the swatches, I am leaning towards liking the Eye Candy one more.  I just like the colors more...except that pink one in the middle.  It just seems like such a random color to include!  Plus, it's very chalky...definitely a con to this Eye Candy palette.

Availability: CVS
Limited Edition? Yes, Eye Candy in Hazel is on clearance
Price: $10.99 for the Nude one & $3+ for the Hazel one

REVIEW + SWATCHES: Physicians Formula Universal Look Shimmer Strips Eyeliner Trio in Nude

I'm supposed to be studying for finals, but I decided to do a blog post instead. ^^  So here are are the eyeliners I talked about in my last post!  I bought these Physicians Formula Eyeliner Trio in Nude when I bought the Shimmer Strips Nude palette, since the sale was BOGO 50% off.  I was very intrigued by the colors and thought them unique for the most part (except the black, of course lol).  

champagne, pewter, black

Since it's a trio, it does come with three colors: champagne, pewter, and black.  The packaging suggests champagne for a natural look, pewter for a playful look, and black for a dramatic look.  I was most intrigued and excited for pewter, and as it turns out, that's the one I like most!  All of these have sparkle in them, but they don't show up too sparkly when applied to the eye.  Also, the black is not the blackest black ever, but it's still nice.

black, pewter, champagne

These are my first eyeliners from Physicians Formula, and they swatched nicely.  When applied to my eye, I didn't have any problems (although I haven't tried the Champagne one yet).  The liners were not super hard or super soft, and the application was smooth and didn't tug at my eye.  Also, these lasted pretty well throughout the time I wore it, which was about 8 hours or so.  To see a look I wore with the pewter liner, check my last post.

Would I recommend this?  Although pricey, I quite like these liners, so I will say yes!  Especially the pewter shade! :)

Availability: CVS
Limited Edition? not sure if it's limited edition or not
Price: $10.99

REVIEW + SWATCHES: Physicians Formula Universal Looks Shimmer Strips Eyeshadow Palette in Nude

I first posted this on my last Wishlist Wednesday, wondering when it would be out.  Well, it's out~!  At the time, my local CVS.  Instead, I found it at another one that I happened to stop at this past week (although I have been to my local CVS again, and they do have it now).  Of course, I had to pick it up.  It was the last one too!

My first impression was that the packaging was super cute!  I love lace, and the black and pink look really pretty together.  Plus it has that cute little bow.  Unfortunately, the little bow fell off of my palette as I took it out of the packaging.  So, be careful when you take it out of the box!  That bow is truly dainty/fragile...

next to the wet n wild vanity palette for size comparison

My next thought was that it was smaller than I was expecting.  This is my first Physicians Formula shimmer strips palette, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  Actually, it's my first time using a Physicians Formula product ever!  I hardly buy Physicians Formula products because they are quite pricey, compared to the other drugstore brands.  I usually hold off until a good sale before purchasing!  (Unfortunately, this sale was only Buy One, Get One 50% off, and I don't think that's a very good sale...)  That's not to say I don't own any other Physicians Formula products.  I do have other Physicians Formula products, like the Happy Booster Blush that I hauled earlier, but I haven't used it yet, lol.  Anyway, enough rambling about that!  The size of each color is pretty small, and it may be a bit hard to get your brush in without picking up some of another color.

w/ a q-tip for comparison...the shadows are very thin/tiny!

These didn't have the greatest color payoff when I swatched them on my arm.  It took me several swipes to get what's in the picture:

swatches on nc-25 skin (I think, since haven't been color-matched in a while)

However, even though they come off as sheer, the colors are buildable, as you can see.  Also, it applies much better on the eyelid (with a brush), more pigmented.  All shades are shimmer shades (since they are shimmer strips) except the black, which is kind of matte.  It does still have a bit of shimmer in it in the pan, but the shimmer doesn't transfer when applied to the eye. 

And here's a look I did, using the 3 colors at the left-most side of the palette + the other PF item I got, the Nude eyeliners from this collection (I used the Pewter shade and will review it next!) :

Would I recommend this?  If you asked me this right after I swatched it, I would straight up say no because at $10.99, it's at the higher end of the drugstore spectrum and I would expect it to have better color payoff.  However, after using it on my eyes several times, I do find that I really like it.  It applies much better when applying to the eye, especially if you are using primer.  If you're a nude lover, I think you'd like this, especially if you love taupe-y colors.  This palette has some really nice looking taupe shades!  But if you're looking for a good, cheap first-time nude palette, I don't think this is it. (Again, the price!)  Try the Wet N Wild Vanity palette instead.  You get 6 shades for half of the price of this one (which has 9 shades).  If you want a palette with a black shadow, you could get the Wet N Wild Greed palette, which has a matte black.  Both of the Wet N Wild palettes are $4.99, so it'll still be cheaper to get both the WnW than just this one!  And actually, they're on sale at CVS for 50% off right now!  If it's a taupe-based nude palette you're looking for, try Maybelline's Natural Smokes quad, which is around $5.  And if you're wondering if this is a good cheaper alternative to the Naked palette...?  I don't think so.

Availability: CVS

Limited Edition? not sure if it's limited edition or not

Price: $10.99

Have you spotted this palette at your drugstore?  What do you think?

Wishlist Wednesdays (03)

Winter is coming~!  It rained quite a bit this past weekend, and the weather has gotten quite cooler.  I'm totally loving it!  I can break out my scarves and boots now. :D  I went with a couple friends to visit a new museum on Sunday, even though it was raining.  The museum had a really cool exhibit called Warriors, Tombs, and Temples which is an exhibit on China.  There were several life-size terracotta warriors on display, which were really amazing to look at.  Glad I got to go, cuz I'm working on crossing things off my day zero project list! ^^  But that was the end of my fun for the weekend...on Monday, I got my wisdom teeth taken out.  Blechhh~ so I've been home, in a bit of pain, trying to rest and not being able to eat anything except soup and ice cream and stuff like that.

Yeah, so haven't been in the mood to swatch or anything...Mostly I've been on Pinterest a lot!  I have become quite obessesed with Pinterest!  If you don't know what Pinterest is, it's kind of like tumblr except better because you can organize it!  You have boards that you pin stuff to, and you can repin from other boards and like pins.  That's not the best description, but you can find out more on the site.  I currently have several boards and tons of pins; my faves are DIY boards and I've gotten a lot of DIY ideas from them...follow me to see some of them~ :)

OKAY, enough rambling!  Onto Wishlist Wednesday!

The wishlist will probably be growing more and more, with Christmas only a month and a half away.  Today's additions are a mix of fashion and makeup!  Holiday collections are coming out now, so my first item is this palette from Physicians Formula's holiday collection:

photo: musings of a muse

I love the packaging!  It's so pretty!  And I'm always happy to get a new nude palette. :)  There are 3 other palettes coming out with this one, including a Smoky one.  They all have their own unique packaging and are all cute!  To learn more about these, you can check out Musings of a Muse.

Next are the Wonderland Earrings from Jewelmint:

photo: jewelmint blog

These were in my showroom last month, and I really liked them but didn't get them.  I decided to pass on them because the picture of the model wearing them didn't wow me.  But HollyAnnAeree recently did a video with these, and I really liked it on her, so now I'm contemplating getting them again, haha.  BTW, I decided to give Jewelmint a second chance, and got much better service the second time around!  I will be doing an updated review soon~

Lastly, I have been wanting one of the Sigma Make Me Up brush sets for the longest!

photo: sigma beauty

I'm just not sure which color I want!  I want either this one or the purple one, I think.  Oh, and they're also coming out with a Bunny collection, which is pretty much like this set...except vegan!  And different colors, of course.  They're also coming out with similar sets based on cities.  There will be 4: New York, London, Paris, and Tokyo.  Hey, what happened to LA? lol Anyway, I can't wait for those either...Sigma's coming out with some great stuff and I'm pretty excited to see the rest of it!  The only thing I'm bummed about is that they raised their prices on this brush set.  The Make Me Up collection used to be $99...now they're $109, and Sigma doesn't even have free shipping!  Guess I'll wait until IMATS to pick up this set, and hope they're on sale there.

Other things I'm currently wanting:
- MAC mineralize eye shadow in Winterized
- MAC paint pot in Morning Frost
- Coastal Scents Go Palette in London and Beijing

What's on your wishlists?