Product Review: PF Happy Booster Blush in Rose

My name is Tiffany, and I'm a makeup addict. A shameless glutton for pretty powders and creamy glosses.

Take the Physician's Formula Happy Booster Glow and Mood blush, for instance.

If you'll recall, I mentioned in one of my last posts that I had another CVS coupon (naturally). That coupon, combined with an additional promotional coupon, meant I only spent $2.95 for this blush which normally costs around $12. Now that's a score and worthy of a review.

If you're like me and spend too much time reading beauty blogs, then you know this blush came with a ton of hype. The product is infused with natural plant extracts that mimic the release of endorphins, meaning your body experiences a tiny rush each time you use it. It's also loaded with minerals that protect skin from environmental stressors. Finally, the bright pink color of the product, as well as the use of violet extract to create a sweet little scent, creates a psychosomatic effect that is supposed to make you feel happier after you've used it.

Intro done, let's get back to the product...

After weighing my options, I went with the Rose hued blush because the Natural was a little too brown for my skin tone and seemed more like a bronzer than a blusher.

To start, I love all the colors in this product. I love the cute little packaging, too. It comes with a small mirror and a brush. The brush is nothing stellar, but I love that it's tucked away so neatly.

More so, I really love the smell, which is divine and quite unlike so many other pressed powders (you know the smell I mean; the one where Grandmas hug you and all you can smell is Ben-Gay, baby powder, and that musty perfume that's been kicking around their medicine cabinet since 1968). Nope, this product really does smell like violets!

So, back to the hype. In my opinion, it's totally true. The first time I used this product, I was really giddy and bubbly (see? Psychosomatic). This blush is fantastic! The color payoff reminds me of MAC's Swoon, minus the ridiculous price tag. The formula is soft and easily blendable, and has the smallest amount of shimmer. It's really a blush and highlighter in one, if you think about it.

Here are some action shots:

First up, my freckly skin without any blush.

Followed immediately by a light dusting of PF's Happy Booster (looking a little brownish here, but it's just the lighting):

And now from the front:

A little really does a long way with this stuff. Like any mineral product, it's good to get rid of any excess from the brush before you apply the product. This blush is pretty sheer and you can really work up the amount of blush you put on until you reach the color you're looking for.

And now the whole package:

Just add some Revlon's Cherries in the Snow and you're good to go! You look fresh, healthy, and glowing.

The best part about this blush is that it lasts all day. I never have to reapply unless I want a bolder cheek. This is a product I absolutely plan to buy again and again, so much do I love this stuff.

Grade: A+

UPDATE: Revlon Custom Eyes Mascara Review

Remember the recent review I wrote on Revlon's Custom Eyes Mascara, the super gimmicky new product that seemed to do the trick well enough?

I tossed it. Into the garbage. Never to be purchased again. Rage and hate.

Allow me to rant for a moment, if you don't mind.

First of all, this product completely dried out after four uses. Four uses. Strike #1.

If you'll also recall, I predicted that the wand was the sort of the wand that would begin to pull a large amount of product out with it after only a few tries. Well, I was absolutely right. Not only did it pull out massive amounts of clumpy goop, it failed completely to full cover my lashes with any of the mascara. The roots were a clutter of dried mascara bits, and the ends were totally bare. Running the wand through my lashes only made it worse. The dried formula did a number on my lashes, too. Some of them actually broke off. I know I frequently complain about my thick lashes, but it's that whole, "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone" thing right now.

In short, I was Spider-Lash Lady, except in this case, the title didn't come with a jazzy costume or freakishly acquired superhuman powers (lame!).

Sounds like a winner, right? It gets worse.

The bristles on the wand started to snap off! Which is interesting, when you consider how soft I mentioned the bristles were in my last post. In theory, soft, bendable little bristles should not just snap off. But there you have it; solitary wand bristles in my mascara. Can you imagine the massive amount of suck that would have come about by getting one of those bristles IN your eye?

Which in turn brings me to the flaking. I know I previously mentioned a small amount of flaking when I initially reviewed Custom Eyes, with a flippant, "meh, it's not that bad" attitude. But once the formula started to dry up, it was like I had smeared ash beneath my eyes. It was everywhere; working itself into my pores, creating non-existent black eyes, even flaking off and smudging my notes during class.

I hate you, Revlon Custom Eyes. With all the fiery passions of Hell. Never again will you find your way into my makeup bag, coupon or not.

This experience sours me against Revlon mascaras as a whole, which might be unfair, but honestly, I don't care. Revlon makes lots of great products, so it's not like Revlon as a whole is a massive miss when it comes to makeup. The mascara needs a serious overhaul, though.

I'll definitely be sticking with my Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion. It is hands down the best drugstore mascara out there; it absolutely reminds me of Givenchy's Phenomon'Eyes mascara, which is the best mascara I've ever tried in my life (even if the head of the wand does look like some Medieval torture device).

New grade rating: F.

Product Review: Revlon Custom Eyes Mascara

While buying a tube of toothpaste the other day, CVS once again blessed me with one of those "$5 off the cost of" coupons. Specifically, $5 off the cost of Revlon's Custom Eyes Mascara. Typically this product retails between $8.99 and $10.99. Being the makeup junkie that I am, I always jump at the chance to try something new (especially if its on sale!). I figured, what's the worst thing that could happen in this deal? I spend $3.99 on a drugstore mascara, and toss it if it stinks? Worse tragedies have happened.

So I picked up my mascara in Blackest Black (the only color for Mascara, as far as I'm concerned), and like any good makeup addict, I gave it a spin this morning.

First, some background on this mascara: this is absolutely a gimmick product. The concept  behind this product is that you can choose between two different lash looks with the built-in bristle turn-style. The cap has a rotating mechanism that allows you to decide how many bristles the wand uses to apply the mascara. With one click, one layer of bristles retracts into the wand, allowing for an application that makes lashes look long and "dramatic" (i.e., "thick"). Two clicks adds the extra layer of bristles back, supposedly making your lashes more defined.

You can see the turn-style at the end of the wand, along with an indicator to let you know which look the wand is currently set to.

This is the wand set to 1 click: long and dramatic. If you look very closely, the wand is slender and the bristles are thin.

2 clicks: definition. The difference between 2 clicks and 1 click is subtle, but you can see a little more thickness among the bristles and the wand is a little more full.

At this point, I should point out the actual head of the wand is very flimsy. It's made of very bendable plastic, and when inserting the wand into the tube, one must be careful not to snap the head off. I suppose given the concept behind the product, it would be hard to have a retractable mascara wand that was sturdy. But still, it's a little unnerving to think you might break a product when using it. Additionally, I can see the potential in this wand to pull a substantial amount of product out of the tube once it has been used a few times.

So how does it look? Well, let's see:

These are my lashes with two coats of Custom Eyes in the 2 click "defined" look. 

Please excuse the terrible lighting. My bathroom is cream colored, but apparently my camera translates "cream" into "ochre."

After the stuff has dried, there is a very small bit of flaking. If you're like me (with ridiculously thick lashes) your lashes are gonna clump together to a small degree with this product. Easy enough to separate them, but be advised nonetheless. 

Interestingly though, my lashes feel very soft with this formula. I don't feel like my lashes have turned into spider legs, despite the thicker consistency of this mascara. It does add a bit of length to my lashes as well, which I sort of dig.

Another shot:

All in all, I'd give this mascara a solid B. I really don't like how flimsy the packaging is, and the flaking worries me a tiny bit. But the two different look concept is interesting, and my experience so far has been mostly satisfactory. I'll definitely keep using it and update this post with any new developments or complaints.