Review: Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Eyeshadow Palette

Physicians Formula's website describes this product as "The ultimate must-have eyeshadow [palette]. Featuring 12 universally flattering shades to take you from Tropical Days to Sultry Nights. Incredibly soft and ultra-creamy texture can be applied wet or dry." The eyeshadows contain Physicians Formula's exclusive blend of "Moisturizing Tucuma, Cupuaçu and Murumuru Butter Blend and Conditioning Essential Fatty Acids".

The pans seem to be laid out in 3 "sections" (left, middle, and right), probably designed to facilitate creating a few different looks. Despite claiming to contain the same butter blend, these shadows have distinctly different textures. The smaller rectangular pans generally seemed drier and dustier than the larger pans with the signature PF "butter" pattern. Most of the shades had quite a bit of powder kick up in the pan. Despite that, most of the shades were absolutely gorgeous on application and blended beautifully on the lid, especially the matte shades with the "butter" pattern. The shades have names but they are also numbered on the back of the product as well.

The matte brick shade "Heat Wave" (shade 6) was the best of the bunch with a ridiculous amount of pigment and super blendability with no fallout. The first 8 eyeshadows plus "Island Hopping (shade 12) were lovely, but shades 9, 10, & 11 - "Ready for Rio", "Pier Pressure", and "Rolling Tides", respectively - were disappointing. They seemed to be a focal point of the palette and clearly the more dramatic shades, but they had very little pigmentation and were difficult to get out the pans and to blend. Even using my finger, I was barely able to get any real color out of the blue and purple shades. I literally dug in the metallic shade (9) and was unable to get more than a few little pieces of glitter because it self-sealed. The glitter that did come out was prone to fallout as well. None of these blended well either.

**I will provide an update soon about how they wear throughout the day.**


Here is a detailed breakdown of each shade:

1 Barefoot in Brazil
Matte cream, a lot of kickup in the pan and dusty on application but applied smoothly with no detectable fallout

2 White Sands
Matte off-white, some kickup in the pan, buttery application, easy to blend, no fallout

3 Coastal Chic
Matte pink-beige, some kickup in the pan, very pigmented, buttery application, easy to blend, no fallout

4 Tan Lines
Shimmer warm brown, some kickup in the pan, not as pigmented as I would have hoped, blends well with some effort, some fallout on application

5 Sightseeing
Shimmer warm beige, small kickup in pan, no fallout

6 Heat Wave
Matte brick, some kickup in the pan, VERY pigmented, buttery application, easy to blend, no fallout

7 Sand Dunes
Matte mid-brown, not as pigmented as I would have hoped, some kickup in pan, blends well with some effort, no fallout

8 Coco Loco
Matte deep brown, not as pigmented as I would have hoped, some kickup in pan, might be better wet for more color, blends well with some effort, no fallout

9 Ready for Rio
Metallic rose gold, ABSOLUTE FLOP, self-sealing, dug into pan and still got very little of anything, what glitter does make it out of the pan falls out terribly

10 Pier Pressure
Pearl deep purple, very light wash of color, no kickup in pan, doesn't blend easily, no fallout

11 Rolling Tides
Pearl deep teal, very light wash of color, no kickup in pan, doesn't blend easily, no fallout

12 Island Hopping
Matte dusty lilac, a lot of kickup in the pan and dusty on application but applied smoothly with no detectable fallout


Overall, this is a decent daytime palette, if you can accept that 3 shades won't be really usable. The colors are not really groundbreaking, so this palette would be easy to dupe. For $16.95, it may be worth it for some people, but those that are especially budget-conscious may want to look elsewhere for similar shades, especially if the blue and purple shades are the ones that draw your attention the most in this palette.

  TL;DR?

PHYSICIANS FORMULA MURUMURU BUTTER EYESHADOW PALETTE IN TROPICAL DAYS

Price: $16.95 on Physicians Formula
Pros: Mostly great quality daytime shades, especially "butter" matte shades.
Cons: A few shades that seemed to be focal points of palette are terrible.
Will I buy it again?: Maybe, especially if they separate some of the good shades out into quads.

Read More

Review - L'Oréal Revitalift® Cicacream Face Moisturizer

Early last month, I was lucky enough to receive my first Influenster VoxBox! This one contained the new L'Oréal Revitalift® Cicacream Face Moisturizer. 

If you're a fan of Korean beauty (K-beauty) products, you might be familiar with Cica Grass/Tiger Grass/Centella Asiatica. According to L'Oréal's website, you should immediately notice that the skin "feels softer, smoother, and more supple," and over time, the cream will reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, as well as improving the moisture barrier of the skin (retrieved from https://www.lorealparisusa.com/beauty-magazine/skin-care/skin-care-essentials/what-is-cica-cream.aspx). Keeping moisture in the skin is extremely important it having it appear more youthful. My skin is starting to show more fine lines and a few wrinkles, so this was a perfect product for me to try! To best show you the effect of the product, no photos have been touched up or filtered.

So here is a breakdown of my main skin concerns:

• Oily T-zone
• Dark spots
• Dark circles (mild to moderate)
• Fine lines under eyes, on forehead, and around mouth
• Wrinkles on forehead
• Redness (moderate)
• Enlarged pores

Here is my skin at baseline:

This cream claims to tackle the wrinkles, fine lines, and lack of moisture, so I was tasked with testing the product for 4 weeks to see it was effective. The directions on the bottle say to use the cream both morning and night. For the first two weeks, I did exactly that. The first application of the cream was at night. I washed my face as I normally do, using an oil-based cleanser followed up by a water-based one (double-cleansing), followed by a toner. I also use an essence, serum, and eye cream at night. I would then apply the Cicacream as the last step in my skincare routine. It rubbed into the skin easily, and I found that after several minutes the cream was mostly absorbed.

When I woke up, my skin felt very nice and soft, and the cream had completely absorbed. Since I have fairly oily skin, many night creams are too heavy and will sit around all night long, so that was definitely a positive point for me. In the morning, I usually just use a moisturizer after the toner, so that was what I did here as well. It takes quite a while for my skin to fully absorb the cream, so I found that it was harder to use before makeup application. It also made my T-zone more oily throughout the day. I continued this method for two weeks to see if my skin might absorb the cream more quickly over time and rebalance the oil production, but it did not change, so I stopped using it in the morning after the two weeks was complete.

At the two week mark, I assessed the three claims again:

• Wrinkles - no difference noted
• Fine lines - no difference noted
• Moisture barrier - I definitely felt like my skin was holding onto moisture better, and the dry patches that I often get in cold, dry weather have not appeared at all this winter so far.

For the next two weeks, I only used the cream at night as the last step in my routine.

At the 4 week mark, here are how the claims stacked up:

• Wrinkles - no difference noted
• Fine lines - I noticed that they are slightly less prominent. Not life-changing, but better.
• Moisture barrier - Still no dry patches, even after switching to once per day application. My skin looks more plump overall, I think!

After 4 weeks of use, with BB cream and transparent powder applied (no concealer, no editing)

Overall, it didn't do anything for my wrinkles, but it did marginally help my fine lines and definitely made a difference to the moisture barrier of my skin. It is certainly possible that I would see better results if I had stayed with twice per day application, but my oily skin could not tolerate it. I would imagine that someone with drier skin would be able to use this twice per day though. It really is a good winter-time face cream as it keeps the skin from being so harshly affected by the cold, dry air outside.

TL;DR?

L'ORÉAL REVITALIFT® CICACREAM FACE MOISTURIZER

Price: about $18
Pros: absorbed fully by morning, locked in moisture all day, marginally improved fine lines
Cons: too much for oily skin in the daytime, no affect on deeper wrinkles
Will I use it up?: Yes
Will I buy again?: Probably for next winter!

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions contained within this review are my own honest opinions on the product.

Read More

Review - Cover FX The Perfect Light Highlighting Powder

I bought this Cover FX The Perfect Light Highlighting Powder in Sunlight in one of Sephora's Weekly Wow sales.

I honestly didn't hold too high of hopes for this as I already own the Cover FX The Perfect Light Highlighting Palette in Light/Medium (also a Weekly Wow purchase) and was a little underwhelmed by it. The first time I used it, the creams in the palette disturbed my makeup, and I didn't feel like the powder highlights were very impressive. (I will admit that I liked the powder highlighters better after switching up my brushes; I was using a Japonesque fan brush originally, and I switched to a Luxie 522). Using the fan brush gave me an extremely subtle highlight, which some people might like. The Luxie brush gave me what you see below, bright but not too intense, so it's still wearable for everyday. The fact that it's buildable is probably a good thing for most people.

The color Sunlight is described as a soft gold glow, but I found it showed up more cool that that. It honestly doesn't look too different from Moonlight, which is supposed to be silvery (this is in the palette). The only color that I haven't tried is Candlelight because I expect that will be too dark for me but may look lovely on medium to deep skin tones. I also appreciated that it does not emphasize texture because my skin was in need of exfoliation the day the above picture was taken! It's not my absolute favorite highlight, but it's good for work and other times where I need to look professional, so I find myself reaching for it in those instances.

TL;DR?

COVER FX THE PERFECT LIGHT HIGHLIGHTING POWDER

Price: about $34
Pros: buildable, wearable for everyday, doesn't emphasize texture
Cons: may be too subtle for some people, not much variation in colors, pricey
Will I use it up?: Yes
Will I buy again?: Maybe

Read More

Review - Phyisicans Formula Butter Highlighter

I am so excited to finally get a Physicians Formula Butter Highlighter! I purchased mine through Amazon, and even with Prime shipping, it got delayed, but it's finally here! I purchased the color Pink, but there are 3 other colors available (Champagne, Pearl, and Rose Gold). This is about the same size pan as the Butter Blush, but this one has a screw top rather than being in a compact.

The first thing I noticed is that this does not smell as good as the Butter Blush or Butter Bronzer. I love how those smell, so I'll admit I was a little disappointed. It's not bad, but it's a little more chemical-like. I did notice the trademark smell was a little more prominent when I was actually applying it though. The product is a cream to powder, but it applies just like a powder and doesn't seem to disturb underlying makeup like some cream formulations do. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I am a fan of a bright highlight, and this delivers! The picture below is the result of just one swipe of my brush through the pan. I was worried that the pink might be a little too dark for me, but it looks much lighter on the skin. You can build it up to an even brighter highlight, if you like (I wore this to work, so I didn't want it to look too crazy.)

I also tested it on the inner corners of my eyes, and it did not irritate them.

The highlighter wore all day without breaking down. I didn't feel like it emphasized the texture in my skin either.

I am thoroughly impressed with it, and I will likely buy the other colors, too!

TL;DR?

PHYSICIANS FORMULA BUTTER HIGHLIGHTER

Price: about $10
Pros: bright highlight, easy application, doesn't emphasize texture, good value
Cons: may be too bright for those wanting a more subtle highlight
Will I use it up?: Yes
Will I buy again?: Likely

Read More

Review - Models Own Now Brow! Finale Brow Gel

I recently received a box of Models Own makeup as a Platinum Perk through Ulta. The box contained several full-size items, so I thought I'd test them out to see how they perform. I honestly had only heard of the brand in passing, and given that most of the items online had poor ratings, I didn't expect much, but I know that sometimes you find a surprise if you're willing to look past the poor reviews.

The first item I am reviewing from that box is the Now Brow! Finale Brow Gel in Clear. It's a fairly standard sized brow gel (0.27 oz.), and it comes in the shades Clear, Light Brown, and Dark Brown. I did not test the colored gels as they were not apart of the kit I received, so I can only speak for the clear one.

I tried this gel out on two occasions, and both times, I was disappointed. I will start with a positive note and say that it does keep your brow hairs in place all day. I had several issues though. The wand picks up way too much product, and it has a very wet formula, so it's hard to keep the hairs neat and separated. I don't like the way this product feels on my brows either; it's crunchy like someone put glue in them.

Many of the hairs are stuck together and look messy...

The other issue I have may be mostly a design issue. The other two brow gels come in opaque containers, but the clear one is transparent. After only two uses, I am seeing this fogginess, which I am assuming is other brow product that the wand picked up. It's definitely possible that this happens with other brow gels, but due to the clear container, I can see it very well, and it frankly looks gross.

It's not an expensive product, but I'd say there's better products out there around this price. I'll stick with my NYX Control Freak brow gel, thanks.

TL;DR?

MODELS OWN NOW BROW! FINALE BROW GEL

Price: about $7
Pros: stays put all day
Cons: Small range of shades, too much product on wand, really wet formula so it's hard to keep hairs separate, brows feel crunchy (like glue), gross container (clear)
Will I use it up?: No
Will I buy again?: No

Read More

Review - Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Treatment Concealer

I have had a hell of a time finding a concealer that does not crease under my eyes. Even with ample moisturizers and setting/baking my under eyes, they always seem to crease in one spot, and it irritates the stew out of me!  I decided to go ahead and try the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Treatment Concealer because, A. I was at Walgreens already so it was easily available and inexpensive, and B. I saw a mature skin concealer review from Hot and Flashy on YouTube where this one was rated by highly (it beat out Shape Tape in her review, sorry ST lovers...).  

Ulta.com has 6 colors, which are all in the fair to medium range, two of which are described as a neutralizer and a brightener. I bought the color Fair, as I am quite pale most of the time. Initially, I did not like the applicator because it has this weird little puff on the end. 

I found that you have to twist the container quite a bit to get any product to come out and then you need to pat or swipe with the little puff in order to apply it. I would love to be able to apply with my finger or a brush, but the way it comes out of the applicator makes that near impossible. I thought might see if I could pull the applicator off, but I haven't tried as of yet. I moisturized and baked my under eyes like I normally do. I did go over the area with a damp beauty sponge before baking. I don't have horrible dark circles, so I felt like this did the job quite nicely. This was the look before I left for work:

No filters here, just reality!

When I checked my eyes out around 12:00 PM, I really did not see any creasing. I was busy at work and home that day, so I didn't have time to check again until I took my makeup off. Even at the end of the day, I only saw the tiniest bit of creasing toward the center of my eye. I was shocked, frankly!

End of the day. Barely any creasing!

Since that first time, I have used it about 3 more times and seen the same results. After a few more uses, I somehow liked the puff better. I'm not really sure why except that maybe because there was more product on the top and easier to apply? So here is my final verdict:

TL;DR?

MAYBELLINE INSTANT AGE REWIND DARK CIRCLE TREATMENT CONCEALER

Price: about $9
Pros: Light, little to no creasing, covers dark circles pretty well
Cons: Small range of shades, likely have to apply with puff applicator
Will I use it up?: Yes
Will I buy again?: Yes

Read More

Review - L'Oréal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Liquid Facial Primer

I got the L'Oréal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Liquid Facial primer because I've been looking for a water-based primer that isn't too heavy for my combination-oily skin since a few of my foundations don't cooperate with the silicone-based primers that I usually use. 

This one comes out of the bottle as a shiny white tone: 

I was worried that it would look too white and blindingly shiny due to how it came out of the bottle, but it went on very light and really made my skin look luminous. I honestly was tempted to go out with no foundation just because it looked so nice! But that's not the point of a makeup test right? 😂 

The first day, I used my tarte Double Duty Beauty Empowered Hybrid Gel foundation with this primer. (Now, I know I probably should have bought a different foundation for my type of skin as this is really more geared toward people with drier skin, but it was on sale during Ulta's 21 Day of Beauty, sooooo...) Because this isn't the best foundation for my skin type, I've been dealing with it basically melting off my face in my T-zone, no matter what primer I used. This L'Oréal primer worked perfectly with it! I am totally pleased because now I don't feel like I'm going to have give up and waste this pricey foundation. I will say that it didn't really cover any pores though.

tarte foundation and L'Oréal primer together

The next day, I tried this primer again but with The Ordinary High Coverage foundation. No Cinderella story there. My foundation looked like crap by the time lunch rolled around. But in theory, I knew it likely wasn't going to work anyway due to different base compositions of these two products. I also tried this with some of my powder foundations, and it didn't really do anything special. So, you win some, you lose some. Overall though, this is a keeper for me just because it works with that one tarte foundation!

TL;DR?

L'OREAL MAGIC LUMI LIGHT INFUSING LIQUID FACIAL PRIMER

Price: about $13
Pros: Light, dries fairly quickly
Cons: Doesn't work with all foundations (likely best with water-based ones), no help for pores
Will I use it up?: Yes
Will I buy again?: Yes

I was pleasantly surprised with the primer overall!

Read More