I can appreciate a haughty high-end beauty product if it knocks it out of the park, but my heart belongs to drugstores.
When you can get two bags of groceries (complete with Cheddar Bunnies and Mango Bars) to go with a budget-friendly blush, powder, lipgloss, concealer and a trio of tinted eyeliners, and still spend less than a $108 blush, the drugstore beauty products deserve some extra wiggle room when it comes to packaging and quality. Pretty good starts to look pretty great when you only cost $12.95, like the new Physicians Formula pH Matchmaker Powdered Blush (I love that dotted border inside the pan!).
Here’s a quick look at it and the rest of the doctor’s collection of beauty bits for spring 2012…
Youthful Wear Cosmeceutical Youth-Boosting Powder
Youthful Wear Cosmeceutical Youth-Boosting Powder in Illuminating Translucent, $13.95; also available in a shade called Mattify Translucent
A youthful youth-boosting powder? Um, marketing much? LOL!
Mineral Wear Talc-Free Mineral Airbrushing Pressed Powder SPF 30
Mineral Wear Talc-Free Mineral Airbrushing Pressed Powder SPF 30 in Translucent, $13.95; also available in Creamy Natural and Natural Beige
Bronze Booster Glow-Boosting Season-to-Season Bronzer
Bronze Booster Glow-Boosting Season-to-Season Bronzer, $14.95
pH Matchmaker Powdered Blush
pH Matchmaker Powdered Blush, $12.95
Happy Booster Glow Mood Boosting Blush
Happy Booster Glow Mood Boosting Blush in Pink (new shade), $11.95; also available in Warm (a new shade), Rose and Natural
Happy Booster Glow Mood Boosting Bronzer Blush
Happy Booster Glow Mood Boosting Bronzer Blush in Bronze/Natural, $13.95; also available in Bronze/Rose
Cashmere Wear Ultra Smoothing Blush
Cashmere Wear Ultra Smoothing Blush in Natural, $12.95; also available in Rose
Custom Eye Enhancing Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Trio
Custom Eye Enhancing Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Trios from the left: Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes and Green Eyes, $10.95 each; also available in Hazel Eyes
Blue Eyes
Brown Eyes
Green Eyes
Cosmeceutical Youth Boosting Concealer
Cosmeceutical Youth Boosting Concealer in Light + Yellow, $12.95; also available in Light + Light
Youthful Wear Cosmeceutical Youth Boosting Foundation
Youthful Wear Cosmeceutical Youth Boosting Foundation in Fair, $14.95; also available in Light and Medium
2-in-1 Lash Boosting Felt-Tip Eyeliner + Serum
2-in-1 Lash Boosting Felt-Tip Eyeliner + Serum in Deep Brown, $10.95; also available in Ultra Black, Black and Smoky Grey
pH Matchmaker pH Powered Lip Gloss
pH Matchmaker pH Powered Lip Gloss in Light Pink, $9.95; also available in Pink
Swatches on NC42 skin
Swatches from the left: Youthful Wear Cosmeceutical Youth-Boosting Powder in Illuminating Translucent, Mineral Wear Talc-Free Mineral Airbrushing Pressed Powder SPF 30 in Translucent and Bronze Booster Glow-Boosting Season-to-Season Bronzer
pH Matchmaker Powdered Blush, Happy Booster Glow Mood Boosting Blush in Pink, Happy Booster Glow Mood Boosting Bronzer Blush in Bronze/Natural, Cashmere Wear Ultra Smoothing Blush in Natural and pH Matchmaker pH Powered Lip Gloss in Light Pink
Custom Eye Enhancing Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Trios in Blue Eyes, Green Eyes and Brown Eyes
2-in-1 Lash Boosting Felt-Tip Eyeliner + Serum in Deep Brown, Cosmeceutical Youth Boosting Concealer in Light + Yellow and Youthful Wear Cosmeceutical Youth Boosting Foundation in Fair
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
The Happy Booster blush is so cute. =O
The pH Matchmaker Blush is adorable!
I like the look of the Season to Season bronzer. Kinda clever.
You’ve gotten me intrigued about Game of Thrones. I think I’ll read the books once this semester ends.
I made it halfway through the first one and then got traumatized! I’m still too heartbroken to finish it.
I picked up the liquid liner pen for free using their rebate – and I’m totally loving it! I have it in black though.
what are your thoughts on the liners? I love that they’re elongated so I could do like my mom in the 80s and just close my eyes and pull it out the side – but not sure if they’re worth trying if they won’t stay or smear everywhere!
Whoops – I meant the kohl kajal liners, not the liquid one. The liquid one I own!
Hi Christina,
I haven’t had a chance to test them yet (doing that today), but from the swatches they seemed kind of iffy. Almost every tip broke off. I think they’re just too long, ya know?
Do you know if that season to season bronzed is limited edition?
I love how those mood boosting powders look as well!
Hi Isabel,
I think it might be perm…
I am such a fiber geek that I stared at the Cashmere blush and got super excited. Then I started naming the pattern. My name is Rachael, I’m a beauty junkie and a yarn addict. Now I want to go buy it….
Ooooh! I love the look of the cashmere blush!!! Does it gave a scent? I know the mood boosting blushes at least used to…they smelled like roses to me…
Hi Kali,
I just gave it a big sniff and it doesn’t seem to have a scent.
thanks for the awesome post!!! I’ve been wanting to see these reviewed / swatched for a long time now 🙂
Everything looks so pretty! Thanks for the swatches.
Everything looks so amazing!! Sadly we don’t get this and many other great brands in India.. 🙁
That Cashmere Wear Blush looks so cute!
Sadly we don’t have that brand in my country. Now I’m jealous… haha.
Karen may I just say that your blog is amazing?
I recently discovered it and have been a daily visitor since.
Thank you for your work! 🙂
Thank you, Mai!
I REALLY like how most of these products look! I need to do another drugstore swap with a US blogger soon lol
Everything looks lovely! I don’t mind trying the blushes with their cute packaging!
My fave PF products are the automatic pencil liners – they don’t smudge at ALL and the Nude Eyes trio is an awesome set of colors. (Of course, I’ve only got two of the three left, as my mom commandeered one of them…)
OMG these are gorgeous! Its so hard to pick a fav, the blushes look amazing! So do the liners!
i’d be interested to read your opinion on the these! i like the idea behind PF, but haven’t been too impressed with their shades. so far, i’ve tried their tinted moisturiser (natural to tan) and powder, and found them too light even for my nc30 asian skin.
Hi Karen, I tried the PF crayon eyeliners in black, purple and green and hated them. They smeared, never set up well and were completely gone in 1 hour. The black was the best of the bunch but I tossed them all. Maybe you will have better luck. Thanks for your great blog.
I love Physician’s Formula. I get the powders that are meant to give skin a nice glow – the palette looks like it’s made of glowy and bronzey pearls. I use the one for Light skin, and it works well as a setting powder for my makeup, and makes me look well rested and glowy.
I hear you on drugstore makeup. If it works better and costs less than a lot of the designer makeup, then I am all for it.
Hi Karen, I’m a huge fan of the Youthful Wear powder. Since I posted about it I’ve already used it so much the words have disappeared. I have really been impressed by it; I’m looking forward to your reviews of all of these products from Physicians Formula to see if there’s anything else I should look into :)).
I might have to try the cashmere blush. Pretty!
I was up bright and early today to do my grocery shopping for the week. Side note — groceries are getting expensive!
I stopped by CVS and saw these. Seriously cute, and I was seriously considering a bunch of stuff – the heart blushes and bronzer, the blush in a box, and the season to season bronzer. I held off but might cave soon.
I already bought the blush and bronzer w/ the cute lights in the packaging last week!
Good for you! I still have to go…we have mere niblets in our fridge right now, wah!
I like your mini PF haul! I’m going to test the blush today. Are you liking the bronzer?
I *try* and go Saturday late afternoon or very early Sunday morning to the store. There’s less people and I can shop in peace. Grocery shopping is a “my” thing as opposed to “our” thing and I love it!
The bronzer is actually pretty good. Its subtle but really makes the face alive esp when I dont wear blush. 🙂 The blush is pretty godo as well!
I am an early Saturday morning grocery shopper myself. If I don’t go then it’s madness at our Trader Joe’s for the rest of the weekend! One thing I miss about living in SF and East Bay are the Asian grocery stores. There’s not a lot of options up in the north bay where I live, wah!
Ahh, thanks for the heads up on the bronzer. I just might have to try it. Plus the lights are super cute…although I doubt they *really* do much to help the lighting, LOL!
I have 2 PF coupons burning a hole in my pocket lol. I might head out at lunch today – I want the Season to Season Bronzer and the Cashmere Blush. Theyre 4bucks off at CVS this week too.
I cant wait for Trader Joes to open. That will hone my early morning grocery shopping fu even more since I hate crowds and love to browse. Luckily one will open quite close to our house. 🙂
You will LOVE Trader Joe’s. Especially when it comes to the seasonal stuff around the holidays.
In the summer you’ll have to get some Mango Bars, for sure.
Don’t be surprised, though, if it’s super crowded during the first few months. The one near our old place was SO BUSY all the time. If we didn’t get there first thing in the morning it was really, really stressful.
Physician’s Formula Bamboo Bronzer is pretty much the only bronzer I reach for because I love it so much. So these blushes/bronzers always have me looking! I will probably buy these.
Hmmm.. I have blue\greenish eyes and I found that shades of purple, violet, pink etc. work really well as to making my eyes pop. I’d pick the Brown Eyes set actually wich has purple in it. I wonder why they didn’t include any shades like that in the Green\Blue eyes kit..
The product packaging is BEAUTIFUL !!!!
Good god I love PF. They’ve started stocking it in Australia – with a BIG delay in product – but our main supplier has recently pulled everything with the intent of bringing it back super-stocked. I’m hoping this means more happy boosters and crazy kajal and all types of things! SO much of the line is fabulous and isn’t making it over to us.
I have the happy booster blush though, which has to be the most beautiful blush pan I’ve ever laid eyes on!
I have the eyeliners for hazel eyes and absolutely love them. I love the lasting power and how they make my eyes look
I have been using the Kohl Kajal eyeliners, and love the ease of use. BUT – it seems that every time I wear it, my eyes get a sticky film and grunge in them….. I guess I must be allergic to some ingredient. Regretfully, (I liked them), they are going into the trash.
Oh, and my drugstore was clearing these out at $4.95 a set. …