Physicians Formula Mineral Wear ABC Cushion Foundation

Cushion foundations are the new BB/CC cream craze for 2016 in the Western beauty marketplace. I recently purchased the new Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Talc-Free All-in-1 ABC Cushion Foundation SPF50 in Light. The 'ABC' stands for Airbrushing, Blurring and Correcting.


This normally retails for $16 at CVS, which I think is overpriced for a drugstore brand but it came with a $4 instant rebate coupon and there was also a buy-1-get-1-75%-off promotion. Nevertheless, the cute blue compact does make this more appealing than L'Oreal's cushion compact offering, although L'Oreal offers four times the number of shade options as PF. It is not stated anywhere on the packaging where this is made.


Contrary to my initial impression, the plastic cushion tub does pop out of the case albeit with some effort. However, PF is not selling individual refills at the moment.

The included applicator is alright. Below is what it looks like after a week of daily usage.

The size is pretty similar to my Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion and Hera UV Mist Cushion Ultra Moisture compacts.

However, a closer look soon reveals that the PF cushion sponge is coarser with bigger, more irregularly-shaped wells compared to the high-end Hera cushion and the more budget-priced Etude House.

Below is a close-up of the PF cushion, which holds 14ml.

Hera cushion below - notice how much finer and uniform in size the wells are?

Comparison swatches further reveal how dark the PF's so-called 'Light' shade actually is. PF only offers three shades for this cushion compact - Light, Light/Medium and Medium. Obviously, Light will be too dark for those with porcelain/alabaster skintones.


The foundation is easy to apply and blend, with a slight cooling sensation on the skin. It goes on sheer at first but can be layered for up to medium coverage. It does help to smooth over my pores without looking mask-like. My T-zone does get shiny after a few hours (which is normal for me) with the foundation breaking up in the more problematic areas such as around the sides of the nose. It works fine if I'm just going out for a few hours, but I can't see this lasting that well from morning to nighttime without touch-ups.

Ultimately where this foundation falls short is the shade, which is a tad too dark for my MAC NC20 skintone. It does not oxidise as badly as Cover Girl's Outlast Stay Luminous but it's not so unworkable that I would rush to return it as I did with the Cover Girl foundation. Etude House's Precious Mineral Cushion is much better for a similar price point.

Pic below taken by the window in direct sunlight.

Ingredients list below.

Urban Decay, Becca, Stila and Physicians Formula Sale Haul

The Urban Decay Vice 4 palette is currently marked down to US$39 from US$60 at several US retailers including Sephora and Ulta, so I finally picked it up. With the Ulta 20% off prestige brands coupon for Platinum members, this ended up costing just $31! Perhaps Urban Decay over-estimated the demand for this palette, and hence the deep discount just a couple of days before Christmas.

The Vice series is one of my all-time favourites for their vibrant shade combinations with Vice 4 being possibly the most gorgeously constructed with its multi-hued metal packaging. However, given the plethora of reviews that warned of glitter fallout, it did not seem to justify the original price tag of $60. Moreover, I was less than impressed with the last Vice Limited palette. But for half the original price, it's just too good of a steal to pass up with its veritable smorgasbord of 20 shades.

At Ulta, I also picked up the Becca Radiant Glow Collection which comes with a full size Raspberry/Opal Lip Shimmer Souffle, plus deluxe sample sizes of their popular Moonstone Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed, Opal Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlight in Opal and Under Eye Brightening Corrector. With the 20% discount, this was just $25.60, a pretty good bargain considering that the Lip Shimmer Souffle usually retails for $25 by itself.

The Stila Shimmer & Shine Deluxe Beauty Set ($20 with a $45 value) is another attractive set of minis of their Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eye Shadow in Pixie Dust, Huge Extreme Lash Mascara and Lipglaze in Kaleidoscope. I also purchased the Got Inked Cushion Eyeliner in Smoky Quartz Ink and Rimmel The Only One Lipstick in Peachy Beachy ($6.99). Although I've been an Ulta Platinum member for over half a year, I've never received any of their 20% off prestige brand coupons (which are sent out randomly and never to all Platinum members) until this holiday season when they sent me two mail coupons and one email coupon code. I'll probably use the final remaining code to order the new Stila Aqua Glow Serum Foundation.


CVS was running a buy 1, get 1 75% promotion off all Physicians Formula products so I snagged the new Mineral Wear Cushion Foundation SPF50 in Light ($16) and Disco Glam Extreme Shimmer Strips ($12). The PF foundation was supposed to have a $4 instant rebate coupon on the box but this was missing. Fortunately, the cashier was nice enough to enter a store coupon so I received the discount. Elsewhere, these have been sighted with $9 rebate coupons.

Curiously, it is not stated anywhere on the packaging where this is made. The usual suspect would be Korea, given that this has the standard SPF50 seen in many Korean cushion foundations. The cushion plastic insert cannot be removed.



This haul helped to kick me out of my recent funk in which I've just been too lazy and exhausted to slap on anything aside from a cushion foundation, brow liner and mascara. I'm 22 weeks along now with the twins and already can't see below my massive bump. The twins are also kicking away merrily every day. At least I'm almost two-thirds of the way through. Just hoping I can hold them in till 37 weeks and avoid any time in the NICU.

Wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas!

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood-Boosting Illuminating Bronzing Veil

Enticed by the cute candy hearts, I recently purchased Physicians Formula Glow & Mood-Boosting Illuminating Bronzing Veil in Light Bronze from Drugstore.com, during a buy-one-get-one-half off promotion. Drugstore.com is offering 30% off its entire makeup department until 22 February.

The cheery pink plastic packaging reminded me of a yoyo. There are two shades available (Light Bronzer and Bronzer) but based on other online reviews, there is hardly any difference between them.


These violet-scented hearts are supposed to provide a warm luminous glow and also boost your mood by using a blend of natural plant extracts that mimic the effect of endorphins. Made in Taiwan, they are paraben-free.

The hearts come in two bronze hues with a soft glowy finish.



Also included is a brush and a powder puff. Both were not great at picking up the product, so I switched to using a Body Shop powder brush instead which is more efficient at swirling across the hearts.


Compared to the Etude House Princess Etoinette Hearts Blusher which has only 10 hearts (12g), the PF version is more generous with 18 hearts (20g).

The PF hearts are more compact and tightly packed, without the visible fissures in the side of the Etude House hearts.


I swatched the hearts directly on my skin without primer underneath. These are extremely sheer and it took quite a bit of layering to show up.

As adorable as the packaging is, ultimately these were a disappointment due to the lack of pigment. While these are designed to be used all over the face for a glowy veil, the effect was almost too subtle to be distinguishable. They do add a light glowy sheen. In the pic below, I applied it with a large powder brush to my cheeks. This usually retails for US$13.95. It's not a wallet-breaker but I think PF makes better bronzers and glowy powders than this.

Nevertheless, it's a nice addition to my collection of hearts-themed makeup products!

List of ingredients.

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips in Fashionista

This week, I've been using mainly Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow & Liner in Fashionista. I purchased it from Drugstore.com, which often has "buy 1, get 1 50% off" deals on Physicians Formula.

The faux leather exterior with a crocodile effect is a nice departure from the usual clear lucite packaging of the Shimmer Strips. This was released late last year together with three other palettes in Smoky, Casual and Nude. You can see swatches of all four palettes on Vampy Varnish and Makeup & Beauty Blog.

The color combination of Fashionista is very similar to Green Eye Candy, basically a rainbow of purples with an eye-catching lime chartreuse in the middle. Some of the shades are very similar, so you probably do not need both but Fashionista on its own, is still a pretty nifty palette to have if you like purple hues.

Most of the shades have a soft shimmery finish and fairly good color payoff without excessive powdery kick-up. The texture is more refined and not as pigmented as Went'n'Wild eyeshadows. The included sponge applicator actually works better in laying down the eyeshadows evenly than my usual brushes. However, it did bleed a little when I washed it with Daiso sponge cleanser. When applied with brushes, I found that the eyeshadows applied more sheer and took more effort to build up. My favourite shade is the royal purple (2nd from extreme right).



Applied over a good primer like Too Faced Shadow Insurance, these lasted very well over a whole day without creasing or fallout. Below is a look featuring the pink and purple hues from Fashionista. The shades are so easy to coordinate and blend that this took just a few minutes to do.



Literally cute as a button and easy on the pocket, I would say Fashionista is well worth checking out!

Physicians Formula Happy Booster in Rose

When Physicians Formula launched its Happy Booster collection of blushes and face powders a few months ago, it quickly became a hit thanks to the endearing heart motifs and cute pink packaging. During a recent trip to the US, I managed to hunt down the Happy Booster blush in Rose at a CVS. With only one piece remaining on the shelves, I quickly snapped it up and traipsed to another CVS, where again there was just one piece remaining and I got that for Mag (Makeup Stash). The blush also comes in Natural.

The Happy Booster Blush is truly a drugstore gem as the blush is very well pigmented, long-lasting and silky to touch. It does have a strong "mood boosting" violet scent, which some may not like but I don't mind it.

The paraben-free blush contains natural plant extracts that are supposed to mimic the effects of endorphins. I can't say how effective those plant extracts actually are but just looking at the blush each time I use it makes me smile, and that definitely is a mood booster! The finish is mostly matte without any frostiness.

The blush pan flips up to reveal a mirror and a brush. One big flaw of Physicians Formuala's products is that they often come with terrible brushes that are so scratchy that it would have been better to leave them out altogether. The red and pink brush in the Happy Booster looks cute and does a decent job of applying and blending the blush. It's not as rough or scratchy as some other PF brushes I've tried but it's still not soft enough for my liking. It has also started shedding sporadically.


The Happy Booster has a fraternal twin in Stila Make Me Blush, which was also released around January.

Make Me Blush is more coral and peachy pink toned than the Rose Happy Booster. The gold overspray on the hearts disappears very quickly. Of the two, I find Rose Happy Booster to be slightly more pigmented. With the Happy Booster, I often step back from the mirror to find that the effect is more intense than I like and then I have to tone it down by wiping some off and dusting loose powder on top.

Naturalnchicmakeup has an excellent post comparing Make Me Blush with MAC's Marine Life.

Below is the ingredients list for Happy Booster, which is "made in the USA from domestic and foreign parts". Net weight is 0.24oz/7g.

Make Me Blush, on the other hand, is made in China. Ingredients list below. The net weight is 0.34oz/9.9g. Price-wise, Make Me Blush was US$14 versus US$11.99 for Happy Booster. There was a $3 off sticker with my Happy Booster and I had a 20% discount code for Make Me Blush.

I like the fuss-free packaging of both blushes. The Happy Booster is bulkier but the brush does a decent job and would be convenient for travel.

Here's the look that I did with the Rose Happy Booster. I used the Stila Make Me Blush in this earlier look.


The other products that I used for this look.

Make Me Blush is limited edition and no longer available but Happy Booster is fortunately permanent. The Happy Booster blushes are definitely worth hunting down if you visit the US, or if you are in Singapore, one option is to order from drugstore.com and ship via VPost, Comgateway or Borderlinx.