Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Nudey Tuesday: Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Bronzer & Powder Foundation Set (Review & Swatches)

Repurchase: No/No
Price: $15
Value: 6/10 (If the foundation had worked for me, it would be a 10/10)
Packaging: 8.5/10
Overall Grade: B+ (for bronzer)/D (for foundation)
I wanted to get the Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Bronzer since Karen did a post on it. I actually found it at CVS in a "set" that included the Healthy Wear SPF Powder Foundation for free too (all the shades included a free powder except for "tan.") There were also other sets like 2 Healthy Wear tinted moisturizers for the price of 1 and blush/bronzer sets. Anyways, I bought Medium (and the foundation came in Natural Beige.) I really bought the set for the bronzer but I'll include my thoughts on the foundation as well. =P
The Packaging: I absolutely love the little compacts that the bronzer/foundation comes in. The foundation comes in bright orange compact with pink text/tab thingy/ribbon and the bronzer is the same but it's a glittery bronze. Both also come with a mirror which I love! Super convenient. Both also have a little pink sponge applicator thing for applying -I didn't use this for application purposes so I can't comment on how well it works. The one thing I can't stand (and this is pretty minor) is the fact that when I open up the compact (this happens for both), the tray that holds the bronzer/foundation always pops up revealing the sponge applicator underneath. It's just annoying and takes away half a second of precious time when I'm in a rush.
The Product:
Healthy Wear SPF 50 Bronzer-
Click here for the company description of the bronzer. I wanted a bronzer that has a glow and some shimmer (without making me look like a disco ball) and something that I could contour with. All of my bronzers are matte so this bronzer is a nice break from my usual matte bronzer. I wouldn't say that it's very shimmery but it does give a nice "glow" effect. However, I definitely cannot contour with it. It's too light. The only thing it really does is perk up my skin and give me a nice glow for the summer sun. It's a decent bronzer but it doesn't give me much color (the tan one might be better but I haven't tried that.) Overalll, this felt comfortable on my sensitive skin. Many powders/bronzers/etc. can make my skin irritated or itchy so I'm happy about that. It also contains SPF 50 which is always a plus but I still like to use sunscreen anyways (so that there's protection all over the face and not just wherever I apply the bronzer.) So for those who are looking for a "natural glow" effect, I'd say give this a try. If you're looking for a stronger, more dramatic bronzer, you might want to skip this.
Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation-
Click here for full Physicans Formula description. I don't use powder foundations because I have super dry, sensitive skin and most powders tend to irritate my skin and look dry and cakey. I really don't have much to say about this except for like usual, this made my skin look cakey and incredibly dry. The coverage I guess was decent but nothing to boast about. It also irritated my skin and made my face itchy and red. I only tried it once and it didn't make me break out so that's a plus. As a non powder foundation user, I think it's best to look up reviews of people who actually DO use powder since there's never been a powder I loved. Reviews of Makeup Alley give it a total 3.8 so it might be something to check out if you are a powder user. Also, it has SPF 50 -always a good thing.
 Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation
Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Bronzer
The Color:
Healthy Wear SPF 50 Bronzer in "Medium"- Nice medium bronzey glow with barely there shimmer. It looks shimmery in the pan but it shows up as a nice glow on the skin. It also shows up a bit darker on the skin even though it looks so light in the pan. (Also comes in Fair, Light, and Tan.)
Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation in "Natural Beige"- Matte beige with neutral undertones. Way too light for my skin. (Also comes in Translucent Light, Translucent Medium, and Creamy Beige. They need to make more colors because there are no options for those with deeper skin tones.)
Swatches..
 Above (no flash) from top: Natural Beige foundation, Medium bronzer.
Above (with flash) from top: Natural Beige foundation, Medium bronzer.
 Here I'm wearing the bronzer right along my cheekbones where the arrow is. As you can see, it doesn't give me much "bronze" but a little bit of glow instead.

Overall: The bronzer is nice if it's what you're looking for. This didn't work for me as I was looking for a glowy bronzer with light shimmer that I could use for contouring. It doesn't add much color to my face at all and just adds a nice glow so if that's what you're looking for, I'd recommend it. I liked the packaging overall but it bothered me that the pan (with the bronzer) always flipped up.
As for the foundation, I didn't like it at all. My skin is very dry and sensitive and this was a BIG no no in my book. The foundation made me look super dry and cakey and it irritaed my skin making me red and itchy. The only reason this got a "D" grade was because it didn't make me break out (but I only tried it once so who knows!! ) Overall, this would be a great value if both the products worked for me but they didn't. I'd say give the set a try if you can find it since you get 2 items for the price of 1. If it doesn't work for you, pass it along to someone else!

7 comments:

  1. Good to know at least one of them works. I like the packaging too especially for a drug store brand. Very nice.

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  2. Yea I love the look of the packaging. It's really fun and very pretty for a drugstore brand. =)

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  3. Thx for sharing
    xoxo
    Liloo

    http://lilooandco.blogspot.com

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