Almost HG? - Review: Physician's Formula Eye Booster liquid eyeliner

I actually took pictures for a rub test but there was virtually no difference...

I think it's ridiculous they use mascara-ed lashes to show the results, this could easily be faked with more mascara... And you can see the clumps! 

It might seem like it smudged a bit on the outer corner, but that's actually a plummy L'Oreal pencil liner I added in an attempt to fill in the gap in the outer of my eye, sorry!

Pros

- Long wearing

- No smudging

- Line could be very thin or thick

- Easy to remove with cleanser

Cons

- Black is not super pigmented

- Pricey for drugstore

- Didn't see significant growth in lashes

Price

$9-11 for 0.016 oz / 0.5 ml

I paid $9.68 + tax at Target

Verdict

UPDATE (8/20/12):
I've noticed that I have more lashes when I curl them now, and possibly a teensy bit longer?

Having used this almost everyday for the past month, I am very impressed with this liquid liner. I purchased it knowing that it wouldn't be super pigmented (from all the reviews I've read), but figured it's technically better for my lashline than some other liners. 

This is the most long wearing liner I have tried. I actually wore this to a water rafting trip and there were no smudges, completely different from the liquid liners I've tried in the past (Revlon ColorStay, Prestige)

I also appreciate how the brush tip can give you a super thin line. Like most liquid liners the application takes some getting used to, but this might be my staple eyeliner for a while until I find another one that doesn't smudge at all. From my experience, the color does fade a little throughout a long day, but you don't see a trace of it on your undereye, which I am super impressed with because I have yet to find an eyeliner or mascara that doesn't smudge on my outer undereye area.

The even crazier thing is this removes easily with facial cleanser, I've either been using Philosophy Purity or Neutrogena Naturals makeup removing cleanser to wash off my makeup. I am so impressed with the lasting power that I'm looking over the price and its promise for your lashes to grow.

When it comes down to it, whether you like the liner or not depends on what you're looking for. If you want your lashes to grow longer, I wouldn't recommend it, but if you want a long-wearing liners you can wear without worrying about it throughout the day, I would say this is totally worth trying.

Repurchase?

Definitely.

Review & Swatches: Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush in Rose

Sorry I've been slightly MIA, but I haven't tried any new products lately and of course didn't have much to review.

Pros

- Pigmented

- Light violet scent

- Subtle sheen

- Paraben free

- Cute design

Cons

- Talc-based

- Bulky packaging

- Only two shades available as of Nov. 2011

Value

$10-14 for 0.24 oz / 7 g

Verdict

I swirled a stippling brush to apply this the first time I tried it, and it was wayyy pigmented. You definitely need a light hand with this. It also doesn't blend that easily if you have foundation or concealer on, even though I already applied powder, so do be careful.

The cute dual-color bristle brush it comes with is stiff and scratchy, I honestly don't understand why companies bother even making these.

I am not crazy about the scent because it reminds me of Britney Spears' Midnight Fantasy eau de parfum, which I own and don't care for, but it's not unpleasant.

The talc-based con is kind of knit-picky, since most people don't really notice that these days and there is no scientifish basis that parabens actually affect our health negatively, but I just thought I'd put it out there.

Repurchase?

Yes, but probably in the other shade. Considering how often I use blush though I may not need to ever repurchase a blush.

Review: Physician's Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 powder foundation

Shown in Natural Beige

Physician's Formula face powders often have "Translucent [insert color here]" or just "[insert color here]." So double check when you want heavier coverage. For a non-translucent powder foundation, I am not impressed by the coverage, although powder foundations tend to give less coverage anyway. I prefer my Pur Minerals foundation over this (review linked here)

Pros

- Good oil control

- Feels light on the skin

- Not powdery when you dip a brush in

Cons

- Slightly tacky packaging

- Light coverage (pro for some)
- Limited color selection

Value

$10-15 for 0.34 oz / 9.6 g

Overall:

I noticed that this is great for oil control. On an 85+ degree day in which I did a lot of walking (and sweating), at the end of the day my skin did not look as oily as it usually does if I'm just sitting at home with no makeup on. I am impressed by the oil-control, but the coverage leaves something to be desired.

Some people might think the orange and hot pink combo is cute, but to me it is tacky - I would feel childish taking it out of my purse to touch up (although, for the record, I've never touched up on my face or eye makeup o.o I've only blotted my face or remove smudges). At least the mirror is finally at a practical place.

After seeing nouveaucheap (blogger) rave about this powder foundation, I have to say I'm mildly disappointed. Then again, she has no real spots to cover. I did purchase this on a 40% off sale and the packaging included a free bronzer in the same line, so I won't complain too much.

FYI, I didn't put the SPF 50 in pros or cons because, as I've written several times before, you only get the full SPF if you put a generous amount on, as you would a sunblock. Since most people want to avoid cakey-ness with makeup, it doesn't really give you the full sun protection.

I nearly forgot to mention this, but as usual Physician's Formula has only 4 shades, two translucent and two regular. However, this foundation runs very light, I almost bought the creamy natural, which is what I usually use, but it looked way too pale.

Repurchase?

Maybe.

Things to Review: Drugstore haul

I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I haven't hauled in a LONG time, although it's kind of a good thing because I will probably never use up most of the stuff I have.

From drugstore.com

Prices are what I paid for them

Left to Right

Physician's Formula Happy Booster blush in Rose ($9.56 on sale)

I've been wanting this forever, but never did because it's kind of expensive considering I almost never wear blush. It's just super cute to look at :)

Carmex Ultra Moisturizing lip balm in Vanilla ($1.89)

Saw nouveaucheap review this a while back. While I don't care for Carmex, I like Vanilla very much, and it has SPF 15.

Maybelline Fit Me concealer in 10 Light ($4.99)

This is wayyy darker than I expected (as you may have seen if you follow me on Twitter), I haven't tried it on my face though. I also have a Maybelline concealer that's too light for my face, so maybe I'll be able to mix them

EOS lip balm stick in Vanilla Bean ($3.49)

Waste of money, will review soon.

E.L.F. Studio Cream eyeshadow in Dawn ($3)

Tried it on my eyes already, will do a review soon

E.L.F. Studio Eyebrow Treat and tame in Dark ($3)

Also tried this, doesn't seem to do much sadly

From Target

Eucerin Everyday Protection Face Lotion SPF 30 ($7.10 on sale)

I am still debating whether I should even keep this, considering I have quite a few moisturizers to use up and it's not that sunny during the fall and winter.

Revlon Extra Curl eyelash curler ($4.99)

HelloHannahCho on YT talked about this in one of her videos. Since she is also Asian, I decided to try this out... It's better than the Revlon curlers I've tried before but definitely not as good as Shiseido.

Review & Application: Physician's Formula Organic Wear Jumbo Lash mascara

Shown in Black Organics

Sorry, I can't find a good way to show 4 pictures in one shot, because these pictures are too big to be edited by paint.

L to R: Bare lashes, Curled lashes, 1 Coat of mascara, 2 Coats

 

L to R: Bare lashes, Curled lashes, 1 Coat of mascara, 2 Coats

 

L to R: Bare lashes, Curled lashes, 1 Coat of mascara, 2 Coats

As you can tell, my eyelash curler doesn't get my outer lashes that well, I think I'll have to get one of those small eyelash curlers for small sections

Pros:

- Natural / organic

- Large plastic wand (if you don't like plastic wands, you probably want to skip out on this)

- Defining

- Dry formula (good for curls)

Cons:

- Not much volume

- Not much length

- Could get slightly clumpy

- Lashes get stuck together (see verdict)

- No waterproof formula out (yet)

Verdict:

I purchased this b/c I saw a good review of it. I have to say I'm mildly disappointed since it doesn't give that much volume nor length. Because this is organic and it came with a "try me free" coupon, I'll keep it. The formula is not as dry as L'Oreal mascaras but it's definitely not nearly as wet as Maybelline mascaras. It seems like the same "dryness" of a CoverGirl mascara, which is my favorite brand for mascara.

Because my bottom lashes intersect with my top lashes when I blink, they tend to get stuck together (see pic below), which is very irritating b/c I can feel it.

Price:

$9.99 or less for 0.26 oz / 7.5 g

Repurchase?

Probably not, there're better mascaras out there.

Review: Physician's Formula Mineral Wear face powder in Soft Green

Swatch

Blended out

Pros:
- Mica based (better than talc supposedly)
- "Creamy" texture

Cons:
- Comes off a little white on the skin
- Doesn't "correct" redness as most green-tinted face cosmetics promise to do

Verdict:
As far as a powder goes, this controls oil okay, nothing impressive. Wherever the brush landed first on my face would look a little white, which is kind of a problem unless your skin is literally snow white. Using this light-handed could work, but it definitely doesn't really counteract redness.

Repurchase?
Even if this wasn't discontinued, definitely not

Price:
Retails for ~$14 for 0.3 / 9 g
I got it for like $3.69 :)

Review: Physician's Formula Bamboo Wear Silk face powder

Shown in Beige

Pros:

- Not chalky/powdery

- Refillable packaging, more eco-friendly (as you can tell, I didn't get the actual packaging since it was like $6-7)

Cons:

- Horrible odor, between sour and bitter, can't really smell it too much from the pan but on your face it's very, very strong

- Minimal coverage

- Comes in only 3 colors, translucent, creamy natural, and beige

Verdict:

I would steer clear of this powder at all costs, because the smell isn't something you can just get over. The texture is not bad but, really, who wants something that smells sour/bitter on your face?

Repurchase?
Absolutely not

Price:

~$10-11 for 0.33 / 9.5 g

Review: Physician's Formula Gentle Cover Cream concealer

L: Blended in
R: Fresh from sponge tip applicator

Pros:

- Counteracts redness

Cons:

- Thick texture

- Hard to blend in completely

Value
$5-6 for 8.5 g

Verdict:

Honestly, I don't really feel like green concealer is necessary. If you regular skin tone concealer is good enough, it should conceal enough. If you really want a color correcting concealer I'd get yellow or something, green just doesn't blend well into the skin unless it's super sheer, which this one isn't.

Repurchase?
No.

Review: Physician's Formula Organic Wear SuperFruit lip gloss

Pros:

- Good color payoff

- Slant tip applicator (con for some, pro for me)

Cons:

- No shine

- Expensive

- Thick, hard to spread texture

- Sickly sweet scent

- Limited color selection

Verdict:

2 out of 5

I don't recommend this to anyone. The only reason I'm not giving it a 1 is b/c the color was pretty.

Color: Super Ginger, a frosty-mauve pink type color

Texture: Thick, hard to spread, especially with the plastic applicator

Packaging: Squeeze-tube, nothing special

Value: For $7.95, this is a terrible drugstore gloss

Scent: Sickly sweet, artificial fruit flavor, kind of

Shine: Ugh, can't even talk about the shine. There ISN'T any, only from the shimmer, doesn't make it much of a gloss does it?

Overall: I really don't like this lipgloss, mostly because it's not shiny, but also 'cos the scent is really sickly sweet, and it's kind of sticky. It's pretty bad all around ... The only thing I like is the color. It's more like a liquid lipstick, which ruins the whole concept of a lip gloss :(

Repurchase?
Absolutely not.