Sally Hansen's Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy
by Cavewoman

The newest, most elusive -- so far -- makeup line to appear in the drugstores is called Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired By Carmindy. Carmindy is the makeup artist most known for her appearances on The Learning Channel's popular makeover show called What Not To Wear. It's interesting to see her new line for Sally Hansen because I've always tried very hard to see what makeup items she's used on her makeover 'contributors' -- that's what the contestants are called -- on the show. I've spotted tons of NARS, MAC, and many other items from other lines over the years, and the always-present Body & Soul brushes with the pretty turquoise handles. I've seen her use Maybelline Lash Discovery and Great Lash, too. For Carmindy to design and release her own makeup line would mean to me that she'd taken the best of the best in what she has used, and created products that would perform well and stand up too her endorsement.

To find the Carmindy line at a local drugstore may be a bit difficult to say the least. Locally, I have found it in only one of about ten CVS stores within a 75 mile radius! And that store is the most unlikely to be the one to carry the new line. Believe me, if you saw the town in which this store is located, you'd be laughing.

I bought a few of the items from the Carmindy line, and so far, I have nothing but raves. I preface this review with a few words on my skin type and my own personal skin issues. I have fair skin (MAC NW20-ish) that is very dry, but I have large pores left over from a lifetime of very oily skin which changed to dry almost overnight. Makeup items that I have used with great results in the past no longer work at all for me. And so, I've been on the hunt for thing that will work, and Natural Beauty is working beautifully for me so far.

The Your Skin Makeup is the liquid foundation in this collection. It's not oil-free, which appealed to me right away. With the beautyblender sponge, it goes on flawlessly, gives a lovely, glowing effect without being glittery or shimmery, just a candlelight-type luminous finish. It stays put all day, does not change color, and doesn't settle into lines or wrinkles or pores. Even with a magnfying mirror, it is barely detectable on the skin! I was able to get a great match in Ecru Beige, but there are no testers, so I was just lucky at guessing. This foundation rivals the finish of Chanel Vitalumiere and even comes close to La Mer's fluid foundation for me. Recently on a special occasion day, I mixed it with a bit of Armani Sheer #2, which is a luminizer that has a beige tint to it. What I got as a result was as close to the old Clinique Gentle Light as I have ever come! I used bottle upon bottle of that until it was discontinued. Now I won't have to try to find a substitute for that! The mix was perfect for my special occasion.

The Luminizing Face Primer is a very slippery, silicone-based primer that has some shimmer. Under foundation you can't really see the shimmer, it just adds a bit of brightness to the complexion. This is just about the slipperiest primer I've ever found, it works well to grip the foundation, but it's not quite as effective in filling in lines and pores as some primers I have tried. Nevertheless, I'm loving the look of it, and it's really the only glowing primer that I can remember trying. MAC Prep & Prime has teeny shimmer particles in it, but you have to look very closely to see them. The Carmindy primer is definitely more glowing. It comes in a pump bottle that needs a bit of reworking. It squirts out everywhere.

The two small compacts are called Fast Fix Concealer. One is a skin shade -- Light -- that is perfect for me. It's a beautiful concealer that's perfect for dry skin. It doesn't settle into fine lines and it stays glowy and brightens the under eye area without even being visible on the skin. I always use either the L'Oreal Skin Genesis eye serum or my favorite Prescriptives Vibrant Eye under any concealer. The other small compact is a pink-toned cream called All-Over Brightener. I haven't used it 'all-over' but I sometimes dab it on over the regular concealer just to take away sallowness that I get on days when I'm not very well-rested. I am eager to try it as an eyeshadow base, and I think it will be good as a facial highlighter, too. It reminds me of the Benefit Eye Bright when it was in a swivel-up lipstick formula (boo on Benefit for converting Eye Bright into a pencil!) -- I used that original formula for years, and never found a good substitute until now.

The cream blush, Sheerest Cream Blush in the color Beaming, is a peachy-pink shade with great slip that reminds me of the old Estee Lauder Soft Film Compact Rouge. It is truly a sheer product, buildable if you want, and this shade just gives a natural flush to the cheek. It works well with either warmish or cool-toned lipsticks for a great every day blush.

The two lipsticks are Color Comfort Lip Color, and the colors shown are called Lilac and Soft Orchid. The Lilac has a bit of shimmer. What a nice, creamy formula! They have good pigmentation and the Lilac lasted through lunch and long into the afternoon today. They glide on with no gripping or dragging at all. I want to investigate more colors!

In terms of packaging design, these are some of the nicest in the drugstores. The bottles are frosted glass, very elegant, and the pump is always a plus (but that primer pump needs to be tweaked a bit.) The compacts are well-designed because they seem sturdy and strong. I think they will hold up well under lots of use.

These are the Natural Beauty Inspired By Carmindy items I have tried so far. I'll review any others as I buy and try. But so far, I'm very impressed with everything I have tried. This line is thoughtfully done, and full of solid, basic products that for me are performing beautifully. If I were Carmindy, I would be very proud of the line. Now if it just shows up at more stores, that would be wonderful! And I would love to see Carmindy design a set of brushes, too. The magazine ads are showing a website address but it's not up and running yet. Some people are finding the line at Ulta, and also Duane Reade. Not all of the CVS, Ulta, or DR stores have the line as of yet. I hope that the line is a success, and that it shows up at more stores. I wrote to the Sally Hansen company about the website and about how the line is hard to find right now. They have not written back as of today.

I'm just so thrilled about how these products have been performing for me, that I had to share with blogdorf readers. Maybe you will find something to love in the new Carmindy line, too. Please let us know at Blogdorf!

Credit: Cavewoman

Disclosure: Cavewoman purchased this product at a local drugstore