Fashion

I Tried All Of Salma Hayek's Beauty Products

by Courtney Leiva

Confession: I'm a total sucker for any product line a celeb has had a hand in making. New to the growing celebrity beauty game comes actress Salma Hayek's Nuance collection, which offers makeup and skincare items at your local CVS. Offering a plethora of products with reasonable price points, I was eager to see if it could hold up against my Sephora favorites. Inspired by her surely-beautiful grandmother, Hayek promises to keep it real with affordable beauty products that do their jobs effectively. And by carefully selecting natural and botanical ingredients, this line isn't your usual marketing gimmick with just pretty packaging, and nothing much else.

It’s true my celebrity beauty infatuation goes way back, but today’s celebrity beauty lines and collaborations have only improved big time. Remember when Katy Perry and OPI teamed up back in 2010? Yep, I ordered those polishes on eBay, even after the line was discontinued. How about Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B. perfume? Oh, the babysitting money I saved just to get my paws on that luxury fragrance.

Bottom line is this: If it’s celebrity branded lipstick, body glitter, or hair accessory, I've probably tried it. I still vividly remember snatching Paris Hilton’s line of headband extensions when they first came out. Please don’t judge me too hard. These days, I love my Japanese sheet masks just as much the next girl, but there is something about celebrity collaborations that I still can't get enough of.

So, naturally, I decided to review every single product available so far in the Nuance line — and was quite pleased with them all. Here’s the breakdown of all the reasons why I fell harder than a schoolgirl for these new products.

1. Nuance Buriti Oil Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner

Buriti Oil Nourishing Shampoo, $8, NuanceBuriti Oil Nourishing Conditioner, $8, Nuance

It took me a few tries (and several Google searches) to pronounce Buriti oil properly, but it didn’t take my parched strands long to love this super hydrating duo.

Smelling like a fresh spring garden of my dreams, I thought these products were really great, because they gave my lifeless strands that Victoria’s Secret volume I crave (with the help of a blow dryer, of course).

2. Nuance Sheer Liquid Veil SPF 50

Sheer Liquid Veil SPF 50, $10, Nuance

There is nothing I loathe more than sticky sunscreen, which just sit on your face and invite breakouts to party. Initially, I had fears that this cream would be one of those products straight out of my nightmares. I mean, it looks (and smells) exactly like the sunscreens that have given me week long pimples and blackheads in the past. Yikes!

However, my anxieties were squashed once I blended this bad boy onto my skin. Unlike the greasy creams and lotions of my past, this seemingly scary cream phased to a lightweight coating, that didn't leave my pores gasping for air. It's nice to know that I can easily add some drops of this product to my everyday foundation, without having to splurge on that expensive BB cream I've been eyeing. ($9.99, cvs.com)

3. Nuance Restoring Eye Cream

Intense Hydration Restoring Eye Cream ,$20, Nuance

Although I can't erase all of eye problems (thanks genetics), this eye cream can help where it counts. I'll admit that wrinkles aren't a real concern of mine just yet, so I didn't see any fine lines do any disappearing tricks. But if anything, I did love the hydration this thick cream brought my fatigued looking eyes. I love storing it in the fridge, as the cooled cream came in handy after a long cry, or when I've only gotten two hours of sleep.

4. Nuance CC Cream Color & Correct CC Cream

Color & Correct Cream Broad Spectrum, $16, CVS

CC creams usually don’t get a lot of love from yours truly, as the products I usually pick up are either too oily or don’t match my super fair skin tone properly. However, this CC cream legit gave me that airbrushed look we all strive for. No, your eyes aren't deceiving you when see this cream’s initial green tint.

Once blended though, you can totally feign that #wokeuplikethis finish with this one shade fits all goodie. Trust me, my confidence goes up 5000 points whenever I slap this baby on.

5. Nuance Age Affirming Day Cream

Age Affirming Day Cream, $22, Nuance

I'm often wary of thicker daytime creams, since they can make your face super shiny and greasy beyond belief. This cream isn't one of those. Although my parched skin quickly absorbed this product up like a Kiwi Strawberry Slurpee, I didn't see any immediate anti-aging results. I'm sure though with time, those laugh lines might let up.

I like slapping on this buttery cream on soon as I wake up, so once it comes time for makeup application, everything's been fully absorbed.

6. Nuance Nourishing Buriti Oil Nourishing Hair Mask & Raw Honey Nourishing Color Protect Hair Mask

Nourishing Buriti Oil Nourishing Hair Mask, $10, NuanceRaw Honey Nourishing Color Protect Hair Mask, $10, Nuance

Hair masks aren't one of those products that everyone's obsessed with, but I personally can't imagine my life without them. That’s why once these Nuance babies arrived, I was eager to see the results.

Even the best of hair masks can feel like slime, so I wasn't entirely surprised when this sweet-smelling goo felt a little bit weird on top of my head. But, hey, that means it's working!

After an hour of dancing around in a shower cap, I rinsed off both masks (which I cleverly mixed together) to find my hair wasn't as knotted and tangled as it usually is. Instead of getting into a war with my hairbrush, it was much easier to brush and style my hair too. And although my hair still remains dry thanks to coloring, it's nice to pump in some added moisture when my conditioner can only do so much. ($9.99 each, cvs.com)

Were they all instant miracle worker products? Of course not, but if you're looking to expand your drugstore beauty arsenal, Nuance is a great place to start.

Images: Courtney Leiva