Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush in Rose

 

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush, a supposedly mood-enhancing range of face powder, bronzer and blush, made quite a buzz when it was released early this year, popping up in multiples magazines, Teen Vogue beauty editor Eva Chen's twitter, and beauty bloggers' monthly favorites and such. The blush is rather expensive for a drugstore product (then again PF always seems to be a "better" and justly expensive drugstore brand)at around 13 dollars but thanks to the CVS promotions and a coupon, I was able to get it for as little as 3 bucks.

There are around 6 different shades in the range(if memory serves,mine usually doesn't), two in each category.I picked up the blusher in Rose, simply because hearts looks better in pink.Being neither firmly pressed nor dusty,the powder blush has a slightly powdery soft texture and a very pleasant floral fragrance (that smells rather high end). Some said it's like the violet scent from Guerlain, which I am unable to confirm (never tried their face product and I don't plan to sniff them at the counter, at least not in the near future).

Arm swatch of Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush in Rose(click for a slightly larger image)- There are five different shades of pink in the compact and from softest to deepest: a warm baby pink, light dusty mauve, brighter blue-pink, hot pink and deep dusty mauve (all with silver shimmer). Theoretically you could use each shade individually or blend them together for a "multi-dimensional" pink.  I just use a big fluffy blush and get them all in one go, as I never am in a mood to use eyeshadow brush (anything bigger wouldn't work) to apply any cheek color.

On the face,Happy Booster blush in Rose creates a beautiful rosy from-within flush (I over did it...) with a soft luminous glow. It has got to be one of the prettiest type of shimmer I have ever seen on a blush (almost like a softer, gentler version of MAC minerlize blush), it doesn't appear frosty or oily and is extremely fine and multi-dimensional, in a sense that it creates a little depth that make skin appear see-through. 

A thing to keep in mind is that the blush is very pigmented (I already overkilled in the above picture) so a fluffy brush (I use my Too Faced Retractable Kabuki) or a stippling brush is best for the job.

No review is complete without some nitpicking so here is something that really tick me off: the packaging. Of course, for the amount I paid, I never expect something as fancy as a Guerlain meteorite compact (someday I will get you...Someday...) but the Physicians Formula compact is just there to annoy the heck out of me.Not only the compact is unnecessarily clunky: There is space between the blush pan (which already took a 180-degree turn before I touch it as it was not properly glued) and the easily scratched clear lid. When you flip up the blush pan, it reveals a mirror at the base and a sizable cavity underneath that houses a cute but otherwise useless brush.

So whoever designed the packaging think that a normal blush routines looks something like this...

1.Open the compact lid

2.Flip the middle pan

3.Retrieve useless brush

4.Flip the blush pan back down to apply

5.Flip the pan up to check in the mirror

6.Repeat step 1-5 for the another cheek

Do they not realize that anything below the blush pan is useless?

Overall:Gorgeous and great-smelling blush that's quite easy to over do (when I overdo pink, it looks like diaper rash), the packgaing is a pain-in-@SS.