Physician’s Formula

The April Wishlist

So I did that thing again when I start writing one of these wishlist posts but succumb and buy one (or more) of the products before finishing writing it out of the sheer lack of willpower. And I have no explanation for the lack of posts in the last week – I wasn’t super busy and I was inspired but it somehow did not happen. Alas, let’s get into my ramblings:

06676_Fotor_Collage

Giorgio Armani Maestro Glow Foundation ($68): The depth of the love and devotion that I’ve developed for-slash-towards the brand’s staple Luminous Silk Foundation has made me convinced that I need to try their latest glow-boosting offering. Luminous Silk is glowy for a foundation that’s medium build able coverage but this serum foundation has me seriously excited. Also, I’ve gotten slightly too dark for the Luminous Silk and figured it justified purchasing another foundation in a slightly darker shade.

Camille Rose Naturals Curlmaker ($30): I’ve been really making efforts on styling my wavy-curly hair in the last while and I’ve had fairly good results but I have deduced that I may be in need of one of these light curl-boosting stylers to help my lamer sections curl up and blend with the remainder of my hair. Now that I’ve discovered that Target carries the brand and will ship it to Canada, I’ve got my eyes glued.

Becca Backlight Targeted Colour Corrector in Peach ($34): These crazy coloured correctors had piqued my interest. Even though in the back of my mind I was skeptical of anything related to the current colour correcting hype, I was interested after hearing how blendable they were. Yesterday during an excursion to Sephora, I discovered that my local store now stocks Becca and I couldn’t resist coming home without it an immediately applying it. I have to say that I think I’ve found a winner. The orange cast is intense and needs to be covered but the formula is so hydrating and creamy that it does not cake up, while still removing the dark cast underneath the eyes completely.

The Estee Edit by Estee Lauder Skin Glowing Balm Makeup ($42): Without realizing that I was doing so in the slightest, I dismissed the entire The Estee Edit line out of the hype and kind of gimmicks of their product and association with the Kardashian family. However, upon testing out the glorious tinted moisturizer and reading the impressive ingredients at Sephora yesterday – and trying my sample this morning – I have to say that it’s impressed me with its serious glow, added hydration and performance in both the skincare realm and as a lightweight base. I’m seriously considering this one. The fact that it’s not that expensive either is adding to the allure.

Caudalie Vinosource Intense Moisture Recovery Cream ($40): Although I do still have my two Paula’s Choice moisturizers on the go, I really miss the lightweight but rich Caudalie offering. Sometimes I find I need something extra to apply in the morning underneath my SPF moisturizer and I reckon that this love of mine would be perfect.

Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer ($20): After not having much success with my first Physician’s Formula purchase, I guess I had written off the brand entirely. I’m definitely a bronzer lover and I have always heard fabulous things about theirs. I figure, why not start with their newest offering?

Any thoughts?
Maggie, x.

 

 

 

Another Three Things

IMG_6194

1. Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Mischievous
2. Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Shadow in Nude Eyes
3. L’Oreal True Match Mineral Powder

It sounds completely reasonable that when I woke up this Friday morning that I would be in a good mood, ready to face the day for once and this was true when I woke up this morning but there is also the fact to consider that my weekend will be spent confined to my bedroom, staring at my laptop, doing that essay-writing thing that happens rather frequently in my world . On the positive side, I’m not nauseous from stress or sleep-deprived in the slightest. Is it sad that this is a source of comfort to me?

I must admit that it felt borderline ridiculous wearing my recently acquired Revlon Matte Balm in Mischievous, as it’s a bright (but not quite neon) tangerine shade and it was just above -10 today. There’s something about freezing outside in a winter coat while wearing an orange-hued lip that reads a bit strange but I liked it nevertheless. There’s something instantly brightening about the shade that I’ll admit I appreciate and it’s fun and a little bit more cheerful than the usual suspects. I love the minty smell myself, but I can tell that that menthol-tingle feeling on the lips is not a good sign for my still sore lips. 

Somehow I had forgotten about the Physician Formula Nude Eyes Eyeshadow after discovering the gem this summer and when I dug it out again I remembered why I had loved it in the first place. This is my favourite drugstore eyeshadow palette, I can safely say with it’s shimmery taupe tones that might be slightly sheerer than Urban Decay’s but they have great pigmentation and blendability and they last on the lids. I don’t own the Naked 2, but this has a similar theme at a fraction of the price. I must try another from this line in the immediate future…

After hitting pan on my beloved MAC Studio Careblend, I was in need of picking up a new powder and this registered in my mind and while cruising the aisles of the drugstore, stress-shopping with friends, this made its way home with me – this being the L’Oreal True Match Mineral Powder. I’m pleased to report that this is one of the most pleasing of my stress-induced recent purchases. While offering absolutely no coverage whatsoever (much less than the MAC), the powder smoothly sets the skin almost imperceptibly and leaves a natural finish that does not read flat in the slightest. This powder is a great one, if like me, you’re a girl who typically does not like powder.

IMG_6180

Well, happy Friday! These were my daily beauty musings. What were some of yours?

Maggie, x.

 

 

Physician’s Formula Shimmer Strips Eye Enchancing Shadow and Liner Palette in Nude Eyes Review and Swatches

The product in question
The product in question

I talked about this before in my monthly favourites but I figured a more detailed review would be a good idea. I have seen this palette at Canadian Drugstores for 13-14 dollars, although I picked mine up when Physician’s Formula was one Buy One Get One Free at Lawton’s (not that it matters to anyone). The palette contains 0.26 ounces of shadows, divided into 9 shades. Like its namesake, there is no separation between the colours in the palette (all nine shades reside in a single pan). According to Physician’s Formula, the nine shades are divided into three looks, “natural” (the lightest three shades), “playful” (the three shades in the middle) and “dramatic” (the darkest three shades residing on the left side of the palette) and each look includes a highlight shade, lid colour and crease-colour. The darkest shade in each look is made slightly narrower in each of the looks for some reason. The palette comes with a sponge-tip applicator with an angled top with the intent that it could be used to apply a shade as liner as well as shadows. The packaging is pink plastic covered by sheer black lace with a nice pink bow on the front and “Nude” written on pink written. It is smaller than the size of my hand and opens from the side to the right. The palette is magnetic.

The brush is alright; I have used it to apply the shadows and I think it is better than some other sponge-tip applicators but I much prefer to use my own brushes.

Swatches on bare skin taken without flash
Swatches on bare skin taken without flash
Swatches on bare skin, taken with flash
Swatches on bare skin, taken with flash

I’m going to describe each shade and my thoughts on it from the left to right as to provide clarity because they are not named. The first shade is a matte black with some silver micro-glitter running through it. The pigmentation of this shade is not phenomenal (it is not the blackest black by any means) and it is a bit chalky, however it is definitely a usable black shade for lining the eyes, darkening the outer-v and the like. The next shade is a shimmery medium-dark taupe-brown with purple undertones. I would say it is a close match for Urban Decay Hustle in both colour and quality. It is nicely pigmented and has a smooth texture that is easy to work with. The following shade is a light shimmery taupe with golden undertones. The texture is nice and smooth, pigmented and a really great shade that in my opinion is fairly unique. The crease-colour for the “playful” trio is another medium-dark taupe shade with the same sheen to it but with grey-undertones. Because it is so similar to the other medium-dark taupe shade, I also find it similar to Hustle – but I think it is not as close as the other shade but a picture will be included below. I think it is almost a darker version of MAC Satin Taupe. The middle shade in the palette is a shimmery light taupe with grey-undertones. It is very similar to the third shade from the left. It has good pigmentation and a nice texture to work with. The lightest shades in the palette are sheerer than the rest. It would be redundant for me to say it with each shade so I’m mentioning it now. They all have the same smooth texture. There is a baby-pink with golden sheen running through it. The adjacent colour is an outlier, however; it is a light warm brown with warm undertones and good pigmentation.The next shade is a shimmery warm light gold and the lightest shade is a golden-toned white. All of the shades have good longevity (the darker half a bit better than the lighter half) and they have a really impressive texture. I do have an issue with the shade range, however; I find too many of the shades to be similar and all of the shades have the same shimmery finish and due to these issues, this palette has limited ability to be an all-inclusive palette. Also, I would not agree with the claim that these eye shadows can be used as liner – the only shade dark enough IMO is the black.

Top to Bottom: Physician's Formula Nude second to farthest left, Urban Decay Hustle, Physician's Formula Nudefourth from left, MAC Satin taupe - taken without flash
Top to Bottom: Physician’s Formula Nude second to farthest left, Urban Decay Hustle, Physician’s Formula Nude fourth from left, MAC Satin taupe – taken without flash
Same as above but taken with flash :)
Same as above but taken with flash 🙂

I really like the packaging. It does not look cheap by any means and I think it is aesthetically pleasing. I also like how compact it is. It holds nine 0.03 oz (appx) eye shadows while being very small – 0.05 oz are the full-size of a MAC or Urban Decay shadow for reference.

Final Verdict– Not that I have any sort of grading scale or anything of the sort, I would say that this is a “B” product”. I think it is a nice palette but its downfall is how similar the shades are, the lack of different finishes and the sheerness of some of the lighter shadows (and chalkiness of the black). However, I think the shades are fairly unique. I quite like that the shades are taupey. In this sense, the shades are along the same lines as the ones in Naked 2 (which I don’t own). I would recommend this palette to anyone who likes shimmery shades, is looking for taupes and is of a light to medium skin tone (because they lack the pigmentation to easily work for those with darker skin tones) and frequently wears natural-coloured looks. This is a great, portable “toss it in your makeup bag” kind of palette.