Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy

If you're an avid drugstore makeup shopper, you've probably seen this new line by Sally Hansen:

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy

In case you don't know who Carmindy is, she's the celebrity makeup artist on the TLC show, "What Not to Wear".

To be honest, I didn't really have high hopes for this line when I heard about it (I don't know why, but I guess I just thought it might be too good to be true). But after reading lots of buzz about how all of the products are paraben-free, and then hearing great things about the foundation, cream blush, and eyeshadow base, I figured I better start to explore.

At my local Rite-Aid I noticed that the eyeshadow base was 75% off last week. To me, since this line is so new, the deep discount seemed liked the company's way to weed out the stinkers and make room for new, improved product. So much for my industry theories!

I purchased Fast Fix Eyeshadow Base for about 2 bucks (retail price $7.99) and I immediately went home to try it out. The first thing I noticed was the packaging. The product comes in a convenient flip-top lid with a see-thru top and I must say that it's a nice package compared to other drugstore lines. The color of the base is comparable to the shade of concealer you'd use if you have fair skin. The texture is quite creamy and smooth, making it super easy to apply.

I followed the directions on the package and swiped my finger across the product and smoothed it over my eyelid, from lashline to brow. I then gave it a couple minutes to set, and applied my eyeshadow as usual.

For this experiement, I used my NYX Trio #3 and my favorite Sonia Kashuk eyeshadow brush. What I noticed when I applied my eyeshadow to my lid was that the brush went over my lid so smoothly. Sometimes when you use eyedshadow base, it gives your lids a sticky feeling because the base is giving your eyeshadow something to adhere to. With Fast Fix, I wondered if it was going to do its job because everything just felt so creamy.

After applying my lid color and crease color, I had no problem with blending at all. The colors blended easily without my brush dragging across my lid. So far so good.

When I went to apply my eyeshadow to my other eye, I noticed a problem. The Fast Fix had actually creased! Now I've seen plenty of eyeshadows crease in my time, but never an eyeshadow base. I immediately knew that I had applied too much Fast Fix to that eye, so I took my finger and gently smoothed out the product, removing a little bit of it in the process. I waited another minute or so and applied my eyeshadow. Again, it glided onto my lids in a way I have never experienced while using an eyedshadow base.

After my makeup was done, I had an important meeting to go to across town, followed by some other errands. Lucky for me, it was hot day that day (80 plus degrees) so I really had a chance to test drive this product to its fullest.

By 6PM that evening, I looked in the mirror and was quite impressed with what I saw. I had applied the Fast Fix at 10AM and 8 hours later, though the rest of my makeup had melted off my face, my eyeshadow was still looking good! What more could you want for 2 bucks?

I am so impressed by Fast Fix that I will definitely be trying out other products in the future, so stay tuned. Also, if you've tried any of the Carmindy products or want me to review a particular product from this line, email me or leave a comment here.