Physicians Formula Waikiki Strip Shimmer Stripes Custom Bronzer Review!

Physicians Formula Waikiki Strip Shimmer Stripes Custom Bronzer

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Bronzer isn't anything new - In fact, the oldest review on Makeupalley dates back to 2006, so they've been around for a while. You may have seen posts about them here and there as they often considered to be comparable to the much higher-end Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks.

The Shimmer Strips Bronzers come in a frosty block with five different strips of color. What's great about them is that they are a multi-use product that can be used as a bronzer, highlighter as well as eyeshadow.

There are six (6) different shimmer stripes to choose from: Sunset Strip/Bronzer, Vegas Strip/Light Bronzer, Riviera Strip/Sand Bronzer, Malibu Strip/Pink Sand Bronzer, Miami Strip/Healthy Glow Bronzer and Waikiki Strip/Peachy Glow Bronzer.

From the selection, I think Waikiki Strip is the prettiest one. It contains a warm peachy-pink, gold, golden-copper bronze, deep bronze and a dark chocolate.

Physicians Formula Waikiki Strip Shimmer Stripes Custom Bronzer

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Although I don't like too much shimmer in my bronzer, with a very light hand, this gives a very pretty sheen to the cheeks. When I'm wearing a pink blush, I love using the top strip with a fan brush as a highlight for my cheekbones. I also like using all of the shades for eyeshadow - especially the bottom two browns. They can also be used with a damp applicator brush/sponge for more intensity.

Here are the strips swatched individually..

And here's what it looks like when you swirl all of the colors together! It's a warm, peachy bronze.

Physicians Formula products tend to be a little more on the pricier side of the drugstore products, but they are high quality products. I typically like to wait for a sale to swing around at CVS - every once in a while they have a sale if you purchase $10 worth of Physician's Formula products, you'll get $7 back at checkout that can be used on your next purchase. I always take advantage of the sale and try something I've been interested in.

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Bronzer ranges from $10-$15, and can be found at most drugstores.

Physician's Formula Youthful Wear Youth-Boosting Foundation & Brush Review.

 Physician's Formula Youthful Wear Youth-Boosting Foundation

I purchased this foundation a couple months ago when I first spotted it on the rack at CVS. I'm not going to lie, the only reason I purchased it is because I saw the little hot pink sticker stuck to the front that reads "TRY ME FREE" that you may spot every once in a while on newly launched Physician Formula products. When you see that little label on the product, it's basically like a mail-in rebate. You send in your receipt in along with the label, and you will receive your money back for the product. (For more information on PF's rebates, click here.)

I'm always interested in trying new foundations, so I thought it was worth a shot, even though it isn't targeted for my age range. That doesn't really matter though, because I've used "firming" and "age-defying" products before and really liked them.

Anyway, Physician's Formula's new Youthful Wear Foundation claims to even out skintone and texture, blending effortlessly while providing a flawless coverage that will last all day. It also claims to be Physican Formula's first ever "Cosmeceutical" foundation that will help treat visible signs of ageing, restoring skins firmness & elasticity and improving the skins appearance in the long-term. Alright, Physician's Formula, You had me at flawless coverage!

Physician's Formula Youthful Wear Foundation is available in three (3) shades: Fair, Light and Medium. Apparently PF didn't get the memo that there are more than three colored skintones out there. 

The foundation is housed in a little purple squeeze tube, which is great for travel (no bulk), convenience (no struggle getting product out), sanitary and you won't waste any product as you'll be able to squeeze out every last drop. And for those of you that like to cut open your squeeze tubes, to literally get every last drop, you'll be sure to get every molecule.

It also comes with a small synthetic foundation brush, which is very soft and actually works pretty well.

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First off, I'd like to mention this is a silicone based foundation. Let me tell you, my personal preference is, I. Hate. Silicone. Unless it's 350cc's of silicone being inserted into my chesticles, I don't want it on my face. Like I said though, it's only my personal preference. For my skin type, silicone based products just make my skin look dull and after several hours, it can feel uncomfortable and oily/itchy on my face.

I chose the shade Light, which is a peachy beige shade. It lacks any real golden tones, but once applied to my face, the color looks much better. After going through different foundations in my stash, it seems to be a perfect MAC NW25 color match, but it can also work for NC20, maybe even NC25 - which is around what I am now. Although it looks a little dark on my hand, it seems to blend well on my face.

The consistency is very light, airy and moussey. It's much like the texture you'd see with a mousse foundation, such as Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse or L'Oreal Magic Souffle Foundation. It blends very well and feels light on the skin. I read in a review that the texture is similar to Laura Mercier Silk Creme, but I disagree completely. Laura Mercier Silk Cream is much creamier and moist. I don't find them comparable.

The coverage is light to medium. It evens out the skintone very well, but my freckles still show through. It has a satiny-matte finish. To add a little glow back into my skin, I like tossing on a little Benefit High Beam on my cheeks.

As for application method, I don't care for the brush it comes with. I like the brush, but not for this foundation. I don't like using my fingers, and I don't like my usual synthetic flat top brush. The best brush I found for this foundation is the good ol' MAC 187 Duo-Fiber Stippling Brush (any skunk brush will do).

Let me tell you though, I have very normal skin. I sometimes apply a moisturizer before a foundation, but not always. I've found that when using this without a moisturizer, this foundation highlights the imperfections on my face and shows dryness I didn't even know existed. It makes my skin look dull and dirty. I then tried using this with a silicone primer and.. *screams* don't ever do it! It balled up all over my face like nobody's business and little balls of foundation fell all over my clothes and in my hair. Don't do it. SO, I applied a good layer of a water based moisturizer mixed with a face illuminator (I used this one I purchased from Forever 21) and then applied the Physician's Formula Foundation and it was like an "AHA!" moment. The foundation seemed to adhere to the moisture on my face, and it blended better on my face and the final result was 100x better. The results were like night and day. You must moisturize your face for the best results and if you'd like an extra glow (since the foundation is matte), add an illuminator in with your moisturizer.

(I applied a layer of DDF Moisturizing Dew mixed with Forever 21's Love & Beauty Illuminator to my face, then using my MAC 187 Brush, I stippled the Physican's Formula Foundation all over my face and swirled the brush in circular motions until all of the product was blended. Then, I applied Benefit High Beam to my cheeks and the bridge of my nose using the same brush. Lastly, I added a little bit of Nars Irrisitiblement Bronzer all over my face for color and Kevyn Aucoin Hot Pink Liquifuschia Cheek Color to the apples of my cheeks.)

The result is incredibly natural, flawless skin. It softens my pores and makes my skin look very smooth. I find the lasting power to be pretty average. It seems to break down a bit after 6 hours. I don't set it with a powder, but I'm sure that would prolong the wear for a couple more hours.

Overall, it took a quite a bit of work to figure out this foundation, and I think it's pretty good. I think it's a terrible foundation for dry skin, and the most suitable for combination/oily skin.

Ingredients: Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 1.960% Inactive Ingredients: Water, Dimethicone, Isododecane, Hydrogenated Didecene, Lauryl PEG-8 Dimethicone, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Tribehenin, Nylon-12, Polyamide-5, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Ceramide 3, Glycerin, Aluminum Dimyristate, Disodium EDTA, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Silicate, Olive Glycerides, Propylene Carbonate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexyl Glycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides.

PROS: It has a velvety smooth texture, feels incredibly light on the face (can't feel it at all!), provides a good light-medium coverage and comes with a foundation brush - even if it's not useful for this particular foundation, you may be able to find a use for it. I like using it to apply concealer.
CONS: Limited color selection. There are only three shades: Fair, Light and Medium. There aren't any shades light enough for porcelain skin or medium-dark to deep skintones. The consistency is a little thick, so if there is not enough moisture on the skin, it can be difficult to spread. Looks dull on dry skin. It's quite expensive for a drugstore foundation, at around $14-$15.
PACKAGING: The packaging is great. It's a small squeeze tube, which is great for travel (no bulk), it's sanitary and you won't be wasting any product, as you can squeeze out every last drop.
OVERALL: Overall the foundation isn't bad. It's just so-so to me, and although I will finish up my tube, I don't think I will be re-purchasing it. I think those that will find the best use out of this foundation is those with light to medium skin that leans more towards neutral (as it lacks yellow, but isn't too cool/pink) with minor imperfections. It will even out the skintone and camouflage very minor blemishes. It's best suited for combination to oily skin as it's a foundation that really needs moisture to adhere to, and it also has a satiny matte finish which is great for those with oily skin types. 

Physician's Formula Natural pH Matchmaker Blush Review, Photos and Swatches!

Physician's Formula pH Matchmaker Natural Blush

Physician's Formula came out with a bunch of new products for the new year, including a whole new line called "pH Matchmaker". What is basically is, is makeup that adapts to the pH - or body chemistry of your skin. Once the makeup is applied, within one minute it will adapt to your skin. As far as I know, there are a couple of blushes, bronzers and lip glosses in the line.

Have you heard of MAC Matchmaster Foundation or Smashbox O-Gloss? Pretty much the same concept. It's basically a product that will work with your individual skin - and may or may not look the same on you as it does on your friend. It's kind of like your own "custom" match. For more information and before & after photos, check out the Physician's Formula site (here).

I wasn't too interested in trying out another bronzer or lipgloss, but I was very interested in trying out the blush. There are two shades of blush in total: Natural and Rose. Rose was actually sold out at my CVS, so I picked up Natural. 

Natural is a vibrant, warm watermelon pink with a satin finish.

ADDITIONAL PRODUCT DETAILS: 

-1st Ever Blush with pH Power Complex transforms into your perfectly personalized hue.
-Fluorescein Based Dye-senses the pH level of your skin & adjusts within 60 seconds to create your perfect blushing glow.
-Photochronic Powders-light adjusting pigments adapt to your environment so color looks the same indoors & outside.

Physician's Formula pH Matchmaker Natural Blush 

Physician's Formula pH Matchmaker Blush

Physician's Formula pH Matchmaker Blush

One thing that's flippin' amazing about this blush, as well as all of the pH Matchmaker products, is they all are equipped with LED lights! I can't even begin to tell you how handy it is having a lighted compact mirror for touch ups at night. Especially for those who don't have a vanity mirror in their car.

I'm not sure if you can spot it in the photo, but there is a tiny switch above the light on the right-hand side. You simply slide it up to turn the light off, and slide it down to turn it back off before closing the compact.

It's the classic style of Physician's Formula packaging - the blush pan lifts up, revealing a small compartment that houses a flat brush.

With most (okay, all) of the other PF products I own, the blushes are scratchy and useless. This brush is actually a step up from those brushes. It's still slightly scratchy, but completely usable and 100X better than the brushes included with their bronzers, happy boosters, etc.

So, the actual performance of the product. Although it does sound a little gimmicky - I'm a huge fan of this particular blush. I don't really notice any changes of the blush a minute after it's been applied - on my skin at least, it's pretty true to what to you see in the pan.

It's a lovely, flattering shade that brightens up my face. It's actually a perfect spring/summer shade!

What I have to say most impressed me about this blush is the wear time. It is said to last for 14 hours, and although I can't say I've worn it for 14 hours, after 8 hours, my blush is still as vibrant as it looked when it was first applied. That's pretty difficult to say about any blush. I wouldn't doubt for a moment that it wouldn't last a few hours more. A definite A+ for wear time!

Want to score this blush for $10 less? CVS is currently (till the 3rd?) having a sale on Physician's Formula products. If you purchase $10 of PF products, you'll receive $7 extra-cash at checkout. Also, at my CVS, there was $3 OFF coupons stuck to most of the PF pH products that you can use at check-out. The blush was $12.99, minus the $3 coupon, making the blush $9.99. With using your CVS card, $7 extra-cash will print out, making this blush $3!

What'd you think? Pretty cool product, huh? Have you tried anything from this line?

Review: Physician's Formula 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum! LOVE!

Physician's Formula 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum

I'm always on the lookout for the next best thing when it comes to drugstore makeup. I've tried many brands of liners, many of them felt tip, and they've all left me feeling a little underwhelmed.

A few months ago I snagged an awesome deal on Physician's Formula at CVS. I believe it was spend $10 and get $7 extra-cash - which in conjunction with a coupon I had, a $10 item was almost free. So, I browsed reviews for all Physician's Formula products and ran across the Physician's Formula 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum. It's one of Makeupalley's highest rated PF products, with a 4.3/5 rating and an 86% re-purchase rate. I didn't hesitate to purchase a tube.

Physician's Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner is available in (3) shades: Deep Brown, Black and Ultra Black. It is also available in Clear.

The reason it's available in clear is because the liner contains a lash serum that when applied at the base of your lashes (where you'd normally apply eyeliner), in time, the formula will enhance the appearance of your lashes.

On the website, it's described as a "High-tech Japanese formula" that is long-wearing, water-resistant and smudge-resistant.

The tip isn't your standard felt-tip marker style pen. It's actually a pointed brush applicator. It's thin and comes to a fine point, making it easy to create a thin, precise line. For a thicker line, you can hold the liner sideways and drag it across your lashline.

One of the best parts about the tip, is that it's firm- but flexible, as opposed to being completely stiff or too flimsy like many other liner pens. The benefit of having a flexible tip is that it makes application about 100x easier. Also, with prolonged use, it doesn't dry out (until you've reached the very end) and doesn't splay.

From the drugstore liquid liners, I've used E.L.F Waterproof Eyeliner Pen, Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner Pen, Almay, Styli-Style, Jordana, Covergirl Line Exact, Milani Eye Tech, Prestige, Wet n Wild, L'Oreal, Maybelline and I can confidently say that Physician's Formula is the best.

I own Ultra-Black, and it's a very dark black, with a slightly glossy finish. Once dry, it doesn't budge. (After I let it dry on my hand, I tried to smudge it with all of my power and it didn't move, rub off, nada!)

The lasting power is pretty good. It might fade a little bit by the end of the day, but it doesn't smudge, crumble or flake.

I don't wear liner every day, but there was a period of time where I was wearing it every day for almost a month, and I did notice a minor difference in my lashes. Call me crazy, but they seemed a little thicker.

Although it's pricey for a drugstore liner (around $10 or so), it's very well worth it. I've had mine since September and it's still going strong.

Lastly, it's hypoallergenic, fragrance free, paraben free & Dermatologist approved. Safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers. I have sensitive eyes and didn't have any irritation.

PROS: The tip is fine for precision lines and firm, but flexible for ease of application. With time, I noticed my lashes in better condition. The lasting power exceeds many other comparable drugstore liners. Ultra-Black is very black. You can create very thin, precise lines, or a thicker line depending on how you hold the pen. If you've made a mistake, it washes off easily.

CONS: There are no cons for the performance of this product. As far as using it exclusively for a lash conditioner, your results may vary. But, for an eyeliner, it rocks! Price is a little steep, so be on the lookout for sales!

PACKAGING: I like the packaging. It's small and lightweight. The downside is that because it has a shiny silver finish, it catches fingerprints and scratches easily. If you can tell in my first photo, my tube is very scratched up.

OVERALL: Physician's Formula 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum is one of the - if not the best liquid liner pen the drugstore has to offer. It's a product that anyone could use and master with a little practice. As an added bonus, your lashes are benefiting!

It was love at first swipe! Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush in Natural!

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: 

-Ultra-soft and blendable blushing powder features a fresh and vibrant mix of blushing tones infused with a pop of color to create a healthy glow.
-Multi-reflective pearls provide a soft iridescence to highlight contour and add radiance to cheeks.
-Infused with our Happy Boost Blend, featuring Happy Skin and Euphoryl, natural plant extracts which have been shown to promote a feeling of happiness by mimicking the effect of Endorphins and helping protect the skin from environmental stress.
-The sweet scent of Violet provides a feeling of joy each time you apply.

Hypoallergenic. Non-comedogenic. Paraben-free. Dermatologist approved.

READ MORE FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS, SWATCHES & MY REVIEW!



At the start of 2011, Physician's Formula released the "Happy Booster" line of blushes, bronzers and face powders. It's not really a large line; there are two shades in each category. They seemed to take off really well in the online makeup community, but I held off as I figured I didn't really need them, plus Physician Formula's products tend to be a little pricey.

Well, my blog bestie Cheryl was extra sweet and sent me this blush a couple weeks ago to cheer me up during all what I've been going through lately. How sweet was that? It really does make me smile every time I use it because I think of her - I can't exactly say it's a cause of the "happy boost infused blend" haha!

There are two blush shades to choose from; Rose and Natural. Both are pretty similar, but Rose is a brighter pink, whereas Natural is more of a muted, warm pink. I have Natural, and although I own several blushes, I don't own any that closely compare. There are a handful of different color hearts - a raspberry pink, baby pink, tawny/brown pink, nude pink, etc and when all the shades are swirled together, a luminous warm pink with subtle shimmer is created. I wouldn't say it's overly shimmery or frosty. I'd compare it to a MAC Sheertone Shimmer finish. It's a color that would look great on any skin tone - especially for those of you that have trouble finding a pink blush that isn't too neutral, blue or purple.

Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush in Natural

The blush itself is silky soft and applies sheer with one thin layer, but can be easily built up. I always apply it a little heavy and go back with my setting powder and kabuki brush to soften the edges and tone it down if necessary. The color looks really natural and adds such a healthy color to my face. It's a great color for every day, that doesn't seem to clash with any of my other makeup.

I usually end up disappointed with the staying power of drugstore line blush, but this blush seems to last all day.

Also, like mentioned in the product description, it has a slight (violet) fragrance that I really enjoy. It's no where near as potent as Chanel Joues Contraste Blushes or other scented cosmetics I've used. I can only really smell it when I put my nose up to the pan.

The only bad thing that can really be said is that the packaging stinks. All of Physician's Formula products have bulky, plain packaging with a clear lid that gets scuffed up like crazy when tossed in my cosmetic bag. Also, the brush is too scratchy to be usable. To the PF PR: If you're reading this, I think it's about time to re-vamp your packaging. Just a thought. Love yours truly, Natty.

Here is is swatched heavily on my hand. So gorgeous!

PROS: Great blendability, soft texture, buildable coverage, natural finish, beautiful color
CONS: None for the actual product! Unless you strongly dislike fragrance in your makeup - I know many out there despise it, and it may cause irritations for others.
PACKAGING: A little bulky, Not very appealing (but what drugstore product does have nice packaging anyway..) The design is cute though, and I like that the compact is pink and that the pan flips upward, exposing a mirror and compartment for the brush that's included.
OVERALL: This blush has quickly become one of my top choices as my go-to blushes for daily wear. It's definitely a new favorite of mine and I highly recommend it!