Swatch Sunday #1: Physician's Formula

SWATCH SUNDAY #1 | PHYSICIAN'S FORMULA

 I'm so excited to be bringing you these swatches this week, because everything I swatched is available at a deep discount at Dollar Tree and/or Burlington Coat Factory. 

SCORES AND SCALE:
When I mentally rate a cosmetics purchase, I tend to score against six criteria: formula, color payoff, fidelity, staying powder, packaging, and cost.  Of course, there are other issues that could factor in (i.e. if it smells like vomit, the other things won't matter), but those are hard to account for.  The first four criteria receive double weight. 
 
Formula (2x): 7/10  It blends well, and it sticks nicely to damp skin or a primer.  It does, however, tend to apply a bit powdery.

Color Payoff (2x): 7/10  Most shades are pigmented at first swatch and build in intensity with added product.  (Note: the Custom palettes rate 10/10)

Fidelity (2x): 10/10  Setting aside opacity, the colors are what they appear to be - there were some surpise duochromes, but those are always welcome in my collection.  ;)

Staying Powder (2x): Unknown.  I can say these removed easily with kiddie wipes (Dora The Explorer 80-pack wipes, available for $1 @ Dollar Tree)

Packaging (1x): 8/10 Some of the packaging is VERY attractive.  However, the items packaged in sets (or repackaged for sale at Dollar Tree) were in clear acrylic containers devoid of any branding.

Cost (1x): 5/10 The full price is outrageous.  These retail for $10 or more.  I'd say these are a hard PASS at full price. 


Google search: "Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips eye shadow"

If you can find these for $1-2, though, I'd recommend picking them up.  They're comparable to Profusion eyeshadows (which I'm a big fan of - more on that later), and those are sold for $1 a palette at Dollar Tree. So, at that price point, I'd rate these 10/10.


REVIEWS:




 Courtesy of Ulta.com

The general consensus among Ulta reviewers is that Physician's Formula shimmer strips palettes offer nice colors and blend well, but don't have great pigmentation and don't tend to last very long. Click the photo above to read additional details.

I also watched a pretty thorough brand review video by Emily Noel of YouTube.  Click on the screenshot below to be taken to her video.

COLLECTIONS:
After a great deal of web-surfing, I was able to identify all six of the palettes I own.  I added those names to the corresponding swatch photos below.

 

Based on the swatches and the collection names, I would rate the custom collections (the last two palettes) as the best of the bunch, followed by the Smoky Collection, and then the Pop Collection.  The Casual Collection has some shades that could double as fantastic bronzers (or highlights, depending on your complexion), so that's my first pick.  The Custom Collections also have better texture/consistency than the others. 


PACKAGING:
Here's a look at the original product packaging, as found on the web.  Credits are in the captions.

POP COLLECTION:

Photo courtesy of IAmNymphette.com

 

 

CUSTOM COLLECTION:

Photo courtesy of Physician's Formula

SMOKY COLLECTION:

Photo courtesy of Physician's Formula

ALLERGENS AND INTERACTIONS:
These products contain silicones, talc, and parabens.  If you have sensitivities to corn, you should also note the inclusion of corn starch in each of these palettes. 

INGREDIENTS: MICA, TALC, OCTYLDODECYL STEAROYL STEARATE, ZINC STEARATE, DIMETHICONE, ZEA MAYS (CORN) STARCH, ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, BIS-DIGLYCERYL POLYACYLADIPATE-2, CETYL DIMETHICONE, SORBITAN, SEQUIOLEATE, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, DEHYDROACETIC ACID, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, SORBIC ACID. MAY CONTAIN: TITANIUM DIOXIDE, IRON OXIDES, ULTRAMARINES, YELLOW 5 LAKE, BLUE 1 LAKE, CARMINE, FERRIC FERROCYANIDE, CHROMIUM OXIDE GREENS, CHROMIUM HYDROXIDE GREEN, MANGANESE VIOLET.


Bottom line: Give these a try if you find them on sale.  I find that certain collections (the Custom palettes) offer better opacity, and would recommend applying wet for more intensity.  If you can only get one, go for one of the four custom palettes, definitely!


Thanks for reading - please check out my Instagram and YouTube for more thrifty finds!  If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share them below.