Hello! I’m back for another review, this time on two Physician’s Formula products. The first is the Physician’s Formula Eye Booster Instant Lash Extension Kit (here for $15), and the second is the Physician’s Formula Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls in Light Bronze Pearl (here for $14).
I’ll admit… I’m cheap. I’m so cheap. So Physician’s Formula is not the first brand I browse at the drugstore, simply because I don’t want to be tempted. These things add up… But, I took one for the team. TWO for the team, actually. Here are my fndings, starting with the Eye Booster Instant Lash Extension Kit:
The mascara, step one, has a curved wand, which makes it easier to access the root of the lashes.
The extensions, step two, have a straight, short wand, which makes it easier to add the fibers to the tips of the lashes. I didn’t tap off the excess, so you can see the little tail of the fibers sticking out of the top of the wand here.
Next, we’ll talk about application:
Here’s my naked eye, again, with nothing but brow product. This time, all I’ve used on the brows are the NYX Gel Liner and Smudger in Scarlette (here for $9), which, when used sparingly, is fantastic for the brows (and for lining and smudging). I’ve curled my eyelashes.
Step One: Adding a generous coat of mascara. The mascara does a good job of thickening and adding length to my lashes, though I find the formula to be quite sticky and a little messy. But overall, I could do this mascara alone. My lashes wilted ever so slightly.
Step Two: Add extensions. The video on the website recommended that you tap the excess product off the brush before touching it to your lashes. Even then, I noticed a bunch of fallout.
The fibers seemed to irritate my lash line a bit, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t simply sweep away; I didn’t feel itchy. You can see the ONE stray lash in this picture…. It would not curl for the life of me.
Step Three: sealing the fibers in with another layer of mascara. I wasn’t overly satisfied with the result. From afar, the lashes looked full and voluminous, but not very long. Up close, you can see quite a bit of clumping. But I thought, WHY THE HELL NOT, let’s add another layer of each.
The same amount of fallout, and still the weird lash-line irritation.
I definitely noticed a little more length at this point, as well as more volume. If at all possible, I noticed more separation and, though still a little clumpy, the lashes were more uniform. I especially like the lashes from a further distance.
So, as a before and after:
Overall rating: 3/5. My lashes felt heavy the first five minutes, but after messing with the Mineral Glow Pearls, they felt normal. I don’t think I’ll use this mascara daily, because of the process, but I do really love the effect. I wear glasses most of the time, so this is a good one to amp up my lashes behind my myopic lenses to open my eyes up.
Next up is the Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls:
As for packaging, it’s beautiful. I love that the compact comes with a mirror and a brush (which is fantastic, btw). The product is quite firm in the pan, and has been molded in such a way that I know the “pearls” won’t crumple. I must be awfully rough with mineral product, because this Powder Palette is the first that I have managed to keep in tact for longer than 24 hours.
I chose the color Light Bronze Pearl because Emily Loke of emilyloke.com, who is my latest blogger obsession (of course on recommendation by Karima McKimmie, my all time favorite beauty blogger), raved about it in one of her Highlighter Chronicles posts, found here. She compared it to MAC’s Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle, which I have swatched and lusted after for months. I, hearing of a drugstore dupe from a trusted source, immediately went to the store to purchase it.
Here is my bare skin. No foundation, concealer, powder, nothing but my daily moisturizer. I have a bit of highlighter on my brow-bone, some brow product, and, of course, the Instant Lash Extension Kit. And excuse what looks like a bunch of blemishes… it’s freckle season.
Here is one light layer of the highlighter on my cheekbone. I wasn’t completely wowed by the effect, but it doesn’t picture as well on camera. I used a really delicate fan brush in fear that I would overapply, but it in turn created very little impact. I decided to add another layer, this time using the more dense brush provided.
It DEFINITELY made a difference. As Emily described, I did notice that it blurred my skin in a really lovely way. It was enough to make my skin shimmery without looking frosty, while still showing my natural skin through. I really loved the effect, and the dense brush absolutely allowed for more impact.
Is it a dupe for MAC’s Soft and Gentle? Unfortunately, from what glorious memories I have, no. Light Bronze Pearl has more definitive sparkles, versus the fine shimmer of Soft and Gentle. The overall effect on my arm is similar, though. It wouldn’t hurt to try it.
Here is the effect from the front. In retrospect, I should have really applied some undereye concealer, because LOOK AT DEM BAGS, but, eh, such is life. Overall, I rate this product a 4/5 - I have a few cream products that I have loved more than this product, and therefore cannot give it a full 5/5. The product did really WOW me, and I can’t wait to test it in conjunction with cream product to really cause some impact. I didn’t do an arm swatch because I can’t find my 55mm lens (!!!), and my arms are way too short for the 50mm lens. Trust me. I tried. The results were hilarious.
Thanks again for reading and making your way through an entire post! I know these are always so packed with rambles - there’s just so much I feel can’t be expressed with just pictures.
Xoxo, Kassy
