Review -- Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Extreme Shimmer Shadow & Liner and Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Extreme Shimmer Cream Shadow & Liner

Physicians Formula is not a brand that I usually pay much attention to.

There's really no reason for that -- though maybe I am slightly put off by their high-for-drugstore-products prices -- but while I often browse their offerings when I'm at the store, I very rarely wind up picking up anything.

Recently, though, when I spotted their (fairly) new Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Extreme Shimmer Shadows & Liners and Cream Shadows & Liners, I couldn't resist picking them up.

I'm just a girl who loves shimmer so it was kind of a no brainer.


(PF also happened to be BOGO-1/2 off at CVS that day, so that probably played into it.

These products come in two color selections -- Nude and Smoky.  I went with Nude for both items because I just thought I would get more use out of them and it seemed like it would be easier to use them together.

The powder shadows and liners come in a small rectangular cardboard palette that is decorated in fabulous pink glitter. There's a small sponge-tip applicator with an angled head included as well.

There are six shadows -- a white, a champagne, a pale pinky peach, a taupe, a cool brown, and a charcoal.

The cream shadows and liners come in small plastic pots with the same fabulous pink glitter decorating them as the powder shadows. There are three shades in the set -- an ivory, a pinky beige, and a taupe.

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shimmer Shadows & Liners in Nude

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shimmer Shadows & Liners in Nude

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shimmer Shadows & Liners in Nude

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shimmer Cream Shadows & Liners in Nude

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shimmer Cream Shadows & Liners in Nude

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shimmer Cream Shadows & Liners in Nude

Right off the bat, all of these shadow/liners are super shimmer -- the 'Extreme Shimmer' in the product titles probably give that away, but it's worth repeating.  If you aren't a fan of shimmer, you will not like these shadows.  At all.

While I like the colors of both the powder and cream shadows very much, they're all very sheer -- to the point where it almost seems like they're nothing but glitter and shimmer. The darker shades are a little more pigmented, but the light shades aren't impressive in that regard at all.

As a result, I don't feel like either of these products work well on their own -- meaning, I can't get away with wearing the powdered shadows without a colored base beneath them and I can't wear the cream shadows all on their own.

When you use a colored base beneath the powder shadow or use the cream shadows as a base under a powdered shadow, though, you can get a pretty nice effect.

And actually, these two products work together really well because they're both thin formulas so the powdered shadows layer on top of the creams really well -- and the finished look is really, really pretty.

But FYI the shimmer is seriously intense.

I'd also point out that while these products are billed as shadow/liners, I think there are only two powdered shadows in the palette and one cream shadow that would really work as liners, so if that's how you plan to use them, you're probably better off with another product.

These products retail for $11.99 each at my local CVS. I don't really feel like they're worth the price given their sheerness, but if you can get them on sale and you like shimmer, they're worth checking out.

If I had to choose between the powder and cream versions, I think I would go with the cream shadows. Despite the fact that they're on the sheer side, they have a nice texture and last fairly well on the lids.  If you're looking for some colored bases to use under powdered shadows and add some shimmer, they're a nice option.

Have you tried the Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Extreme Shimmer Shadow & Liner and Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Extreme Shimmer Cream Shadow & Liner? Are you a fan?