Broccoli, carrot, blueberry, spinach.
Clinique whipped up a downright delicious-sounding blend of fruit- and veggie-derived antioxidant extracts to make their new line of 12 cream-to-powder eyeshadows (starts off as a cream and dries to a powder), and it’s enough to make me wonder if the company collaborated with Whole Foods or raided a farmers’ market.
According to Clinique, the special sauce they used for these new Lid Smoothie Antioxidant 8-Hour Eye Colours ($19.50 each) combines antioxidants with cucumber, aloe vera and caffeine. The recipe is supposed to make tired eyes look revitalized and refreshed.
These are also supposed to be water resistant and, as the name implies, last a whopping eight hours.
If nothing else, I think these do feel refreshing — not thanks to the recipe, per se, but thanks to the applicator itself. It’s metal and shaped like the tip of an angled lipgloss. Because it’s made of something that looks and feels like a silvery metal (aluminum, perhaps?), it feels cool and refreshing against my skin. It may only be a packaging gimmick, but it’s still one that I like.
That said, when it comes to actually applying these on a regular basis, I’d trade the cool tip for a brush. Because of the control a brush affords me, I prefer to apply these shadows to the back of my hand first, then quickly pick them up with an eyeshadow brush and apply to my lids from there (the directions suggest blending with a finger before the formula sets).
Clinique Lid Smoothies from the left to the right: Currant Affair, Born Freesia, Cute-cumber, Bit O-Honey, Pinko Biloba
Clinique designed the Lid Smoothies to be worn alone or layered beneath powder eyeshadows, and I think they did a fantastic job getting the texture just right. They apply evenly, smoothly and layer without caking, making them great for girls in a rush.
Swatches from the left to the right: Pinko Biloba, Bit O’Honey, Cute-cumber, Born Freesia and Currant Affair
Wearing Cute-cumber on lids
Now, I think the “8-Hour” part in the name is a little misleading, so that might be something to keep in mind. I tried them with and without a primer on my combination dry/oily eyelids, and in both cases they began to fade and crease within four hours. Long-wearing and water-resistant, my bum.
So, do I like these little Lid Smoothies? For the most part I do, but with so-so wear time, I probably wouldn’t say I’m in love. I think they’re still worth checking out on your next trip to a counter, though, at least to give the cooling applicator a try.
PRICE: $19.50 each
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Clinique counters and also online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B
You know you probably need more excitement in your life when…
…the most exciting part of your day involves a melon.
Yup.
Wait! — I almost forgot about the Smashbox Brow Tech Wax I picked up but haven’t tried.
My brows have been acting up lately (like a surly tween boy), and nothing I’ve tried has been able to tame them.
I’m hoping Smashbox Brow Tech Wax can… I’ll keep you posted (wish me luck!).
So how was your Tuesday? Other than being tired all day long from not sleeping enough (blast you, True Blood!), mine wasn’t bad. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
That four house wear time is too bad! I think it would’ve been fun to have a cream eyeshadow with a cool metal applicator. On the other hand, I need a good brow wax too! Can’t wait for a review of that 🙂
oh, that wear time is rather disappointing. that’ll have to be a pass for me. i don’t *think* my brows are unruly enough for brow wax, but i’ve been considering using a brow gel for some time. any recommendations?
p.s.
i literally worked 1 hour but got paid for 8 today. so i went and bought a new desk chair (even though i have yet to buy a desk). that’s a pretty awesome way to spend a tuesday, if i do say so myself :p.
I know you might hear this often BUT I think its worth saying again. You are the most clever and funny beauty blogger I follow! You are the perfect combo of beauty and brains!
Hey E,
Thank you so much for this sweet note. You made my night! 🙂
How was your Tuesday? I hope it was tops!
Boo about the wear time. I’m crazy for cream eyeshadows so I was really hoping these would perform well.
Oh, how did the melon taste? Did you ever find out what it was?
Hi Jessi,
Yes! It’s a Korean melon. It was actually pretty tasty — kinda like a toned-town, less sweet version of cantaloupe. I’ll post pics tomorrow.
How was your day? Good, I hope!
Those shadows look so pretty but they really need to last longer.
I totally sympathize about the unruly brows! I usually just grab my Burts Bees Beeswax Lip Balm and dab some on my brows and that does the trick, but I’ve heard good things about the Smashbox wax.
Yum… melon! I got a baby watermelon at Whole Foods yesterday and I’m going to devour some of that tomorrow. Didn’t get a chance today.
Yeah they do!
I don’t know what happened in the last couple weeks, but for some reason my brows have gone full-on Yeti. I may need a Furminator if this craziness keeps up.
Oh, did you get one of those super sweet Dulcinea watermelons?
Well, guess I’m still sticking to my Benefit Creaseless Creams! I had such high hopes for these…
I love those too. Do you have a favorite color? Mine is Birthday Suit.
What a beautifull colors!
I know! They’re super pretty — almost like a rainbow. 🙂
The colors are gorgeous but the wear time is so unimpressive!
The colors are so pretty but what a shame they don’t last longer. 🙁
Thanks for the review! The cooling applicator is a pretty neat idea but if I wasn’t told I would have probably not used it against my eyes (I always apply eyeshadow with a brush).
Did you have to use much when you applied it on your lids? Cute-cumber looks great on you!!
the wear-time makes this a pass for me =/.
i don’t think my brows are unruly enough for a brow wax, but i have been thinking about brow gels (simply because i want to try one out). any recommendations?
p.s.
how’s this for a tuesday: i worked for literally 1 hour but got paid for 8. so i decided to head over to IKEA and buy myself a lovely chair, even though i’ve yet to procure a desk/table :p.
Aww, I’m really sorry these didn’t work for you, Karen! I just reviewed them too, and I definitely get the full eight hours out of them – and only very mild product migration by fourteen hours.
But, I guess it just goes to show how YMMV eyelids are! I get creasing with UDPP, TFSI, and the Benefit Creaseless Creams (unlike most people), so I’m just thanking the high heavens that I’ve found these 😛
Smashbox Brow Tech Wax is my brow wax of choice. I have hit pan on mine and I’ve been saving it, using the wax in my UD Brow Box instead. Why?! The Brow Tech Wax is far superior! It holds my brows in place, extends the life of my brow shadows, and does not leave my brows greasy or shiny.
I’m interested in your opinions!
Unless I use UDPP + a creamy base like a paint pot, everything creases on my oily lids. I guess I’ll be skipping these.
Karen, speaking of brows, have you considered using a facial hair trimmer? Panasonic has one that comes with an attachment to shorten your eyebrow length. It reduces those long strands that make me look like I have a plant growing on my forehead.
Sorry to hear about the wear time. Don’t forget to watch Alexander Skarsgard on Regis and Kelly wednesday!
For $19.50, I don’t know if I would get this. I’d spend that much on a Benefit Creaseless Cream, but I always thought of Clinique as the more affordable line in Sephora. Sigh. I guess they’re boosting prices too.
I use the Smashbox Brow Wax and I totally, totally love it. I have unruly brows, and sometimes I feel like cutting through them with a chainsaw, they’re so unruly.
It’s such a shame these shadows don’t last, I wanted to get some. And good luck with the brows 🙂
the colors are pretty but a bit too pastel-ly for my coloring … 🙂
ohh and yes, my brows are in the middle of a huge tantrum, for some reason. theyre newly threaded, whc usually means they behave but noooo…. they have a mind of their own these days. im not sure if humidity affects them or what.
For me, a cream shadow without 8 hour wear is like a sandwich or only bread. Not impressive. xP
*of not ‘or’
I love cream eyeshadows and so very much want Cute-cumber and Currant Affair, but I can’t handle only 4 hours of wear time. Bummer! But thanks for the review.
I like the Clinique tubes! they look very cute!
Oh I have huge brow wax needs right now! I hope it works out with you and the Smashbox. 🙂
Karen these look great, but that smoothie looks even more delish…. what is it???
Hmmm… Maybe I won’t get one of these. Karen, what are you wearing on your lips in that last photo. It looks amazing on you!
Karen, have you tried Anastasia brow wax? I don’t know if that’s the proper name for it, but it comes in a pink stick, sort of like the highlighter. My brows are so long my daughter PLAYS with them when i’m giving her a bottle. I love the anastasia products.
Not so excited about the wear time. The colours look very pretty though!
The ‘cooling applicator’ won’t really do anything for me since I normally squeeze a little product onto my fingers first and then apply that way. Ah well..
HI, Karen! Love your hair. How did you curl it? Hot rollers or curling iron? Do tell!
Nice bangs! The best part of Tuesday was that it was my “Friday” – even though back to work tomorrow! Waiting for the melon update!
I’m really interested in your review of the Smashbox Brow Tech wax… can’t wait!