Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush

Ok, brands really need to start using simpler product names. Or acronyms. Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush (in Rose) is a fine product, but good grief is it ever a pain to type out.

ANYWAY.

I'm not usually a sap, but I did buy this because the little hearts design was just way too appealing to pass up around Valentine's Day. It's very similar to the Stila Make Me Blush from last year.

The Happy Booster blush is actually marginally more expensive than the Stila blush was (15.99$ compared to 14$) but it is far more accessible, and it's not too difficult to score one on sale. I prefer the lack of gilded overspray as well, as I loathe having to scrape away a layer of gold just to use a product.

I like that it includes a mirror underneath the flip-pan, but the brush is completely useless and the space allocated for it makes the packaging unnecessarily bulky. 

But enough about looks - how does it perform?

Artificial light.
Individual hearts swatched.

Indirect natural light.

Indirect natural light.
Applied and blended with natural-hair brush.

The blush is a mix of rose, plum and pink tones, with an overall satin finish and light pigmentation. As the name suggest, this does indeed give a glowy sort of effect - a light, natural flush.

It applies sheerly, and the smooth, silky finish means that there is no perceptible texture on the skin. It's great if you are blush-phobic, a challenge if you prefer a stronger cheek look. Though the texture means that it can be built up without fear of looking like you mashed your cheeks into some pink powder, it does take some layering to get a more defined effect.

I found that the key to achieving more depth with this was to use a flat-top synthetic brush. Otherwise, the swatch above is representative of what you would get with a regular, natural-hair blush brush. (EDIT: If you prefer natural hair brushes, the best application was with my MAC 134.)

I do like this, and a chunk of that is probably due to the cuteness factor. I tend to prefer blushes that go on a little stronger, but if you like a lighter look or would rather build up than blend out, then this is a nice item to consider.

Availability: Most drugstores that carry Physicians Formula, about 15.99$ CAD.

Pros: Very natural look, light texture, adorable aesthetics.

Cons: Bulky packaging, tricky to build up to desired intensity, price is a trifle high for a drugstore brand.

(I purchased this item from Pharmaprix/SDM.)

All-Season Bronzers - Physician's Formula vs Guerlain

I've wanted to try Guerlain's Terracotta 4 Seasons Tailor-Made Bronzing Powder for a while.

Picture courtesy of www.beautylish.com

And now apparently Physicians Formula has duped the concept, if probably not the actual product, with Bronze Booster Glow-Boosting Season-to-Season Bronzer.*

Picture courtesy of www.physiciansformula.com

Hmmm. High-end or drugstore - which way to go? (I usually tend to go with the original innovator, but I actually like the design of PF version, and the shades themselves look more up my alley, at least for potential contouring.)

*I can't be the only one getting tired of the absurdly long product names, right?

Dior 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette - Couture Golds

I'm still procrastinating on the Dior Spring palettes - too pretty, can't bring myself to use them yet. This week! I will do it this week, I swear.

In the meantime, I bring you Couture Golds, from the Dior Holiday collection. (It was rather delayed here in Canada, so I only picked it up toward the end of December.)

I enjoy Dior packaging. It always feels nicely hefty, classic and subtle, with that discreet "CD" logo.

Despite the name, this palette is not so gold-toned as to be unwearable by someone with a cooler complexion. The only shade that actually really stands out as warm is the one in the top-right corner, which is a peachy gold. The others are a basic but well done cream pearl, a shimmery beige, an expresso brown with gold micro-glitter, and a pale gold glitter.

Indirect natural light.
Swatched clockwise starting at top-left corner,
middle pan swatched at far right.

Indirect natural light, different angle.

Artificial light.

This palette is sort of a mixed bag, though overall I like it.

The cream, gold and beige shades all have a very similar finish, classic Dior - silky-smooth, creamy, fine-textured, and apply with good color pay-off.

The brown is an odd duck, though similar to the way a lot of mattes scattershot with glitter tend to apply. The texture is drier than I'm used to from Dior, slightly patchy and does take some layering to build up color. The micro-glitter actually doesn't fall out noticeably, though it does disappear when you apply and blend. To increase the intensity of the color, and to keep some of the sparkle, it really needs to be patted on over a tacky base. Not just a primer, but something with some creaminess, like the Lise Watier Eye Shine pencils.

The super glittery middle pan is kind of awesome. It's...creamy? Not gritty at all. It applies sheerly, but this is not something I would pack on. I believe it's meant to be dabbed lightly over whatever shadow you've applied in order to give this amazing sparkle that looks almost wet, and reflects like mad. It reminds me a bit of the Stila Jewel Eyeshadows. Not a look I would embrace for everyday purposes, but it's fantastic for adding some oomph to an evening look.

This palette holds up as well as Dior eyeshadows generally do on me, meaning they will last through a work day, over primer, with no problems.

Availability: Difficult to find now, since it was a Holiday LE item, but it is still available on the Nordstrom site. Price is 59$ USD, and was 60$ CAD.

Pros: Gold palette that is still wearable with cooler complexions, great texture for three of the shades, glitter shade can transform your look from day to night.

Cons: Brown shade has some pigmentation/application issues, the emphasis on shimmer and glitter means that this palette is not a stand-alone item, unless you prefer a glitzy eye look.