December 20, 2012

Physicians Formula Sexy Glow Glossy Stain Review & Swatches

As you know from my prior posts Physicians Formula Sexy Glow Glossy Stain released in drugstores for Spring 2013 in two shade selections.

These contain pheromone boosting ingredients to give you a “sexy” feel and look. I can’t stop laughing when I type sentences like that. The pheromone aspect of lipgloss isn’t necessarily a new thing, Urban Decay Pocket Rocket Lipgloss had packaging which released pheromones when you rubbed it. But hey, at least Urban Decay didn’t go so far as to inject pheromones into the formula. Supposedly the Sexy Glow Glossy Stains are infused with cocoa extract or what Physicians Formula refers to as “the Love Chemical” and horny goatweed…I’m not making this up, it’s on the back of the box.

As far as sexy goes it might be the vibrant, intense shades of red and raspberry that you get into a sexy mood as these shades will rock your pout.

Take a look!

Spring might be the season of Glossy Stains as L’Oreal also has a new launch of gloss stains as well. I’ve always loved stains for cheeks and lips anyway of course, a new formulation of stains is exciting. Gloss and a stain in one? Great marketing and an interesting concept!

Physicians Formula calls these a hybrid gloss and stain that combines color and gloss into a single product. Gloss..well that isn’t the case really. The texture starts out as a watery almost glossy like formula which applies on lips in an easy, smooth glide however, they have a semi-matte almost velvety dry down sans any shine or glossiness. The end result is color but no gloss factor at all. I find this is the case with L’Oreal’s Caresse Shine Stains as well. The texture of the gloss has a certain glossiness to it on some level but also feels like a liquid lipstick. This is particularly the case considering the amount of pigment each of the two shades available has. There’s some elements of Korres Raspberry Antioxidant Liquid Lipstick here as well as Stila’s All Day Liquid Lipstick if you want a more accurate product to compare the formula and pigmentation to.

You’ll be more than pleased with the pigment here but the lack of shades might prove disappointing. The shades available are Hot Pink and Red. Unfortunately, that’s your choices, nothing more, nothing less. A few other shades would be brilliant as variety is the spice of makeup life. Both shades are intense and bold. The red unfortunately is a little too clown-y on me and might prove the same for other skin tones.

At first the formula feels hydrating on my lips, lightweight, cool, and comforting. Within a few minutes of dry down the finish begins to tighten a little on my lips. I didn’t experience issues with migration thankfully and color stayed where I put it at first. However, as the hours progressed I noticed the wear got a little drier and the color less intense towards the center of my lips which resulted in intenser color surrounding my lip line and less vibrancy around my inner lip area. Kinda like I applied lip liner around my mouth with lipstick that faded off, leaving me with lip liner sans color. Make sense? You can eat and drink through the wear but I wouldn’t suggest as although the box says they have 12 hours of wear, you’ll see that decrease by several hours if you strain the wear with these activities. How long do they really last? If you can bear the dryness probably around four hours with fading happening anywhere within one to two hours in. They leave a stain behind when worn completely down but nothing major noticeable.

The warm vanilla taste and smell is pleasant enough. It isn’t foody but more like Warm Vanilla Sugar Body Mist from Bath & Body Works. Realize that doesn’t sound terribly tasty but it seems to work out ok and tastes nice on my lips.

The packaging as you might have noticed is worth mentioning. They have red caps, a border of fishnet and red ribbon, a tiny stiletto charm and a black ribbon. It’s all rather charming if you put a ton of emphasis on packaging details.

I believe I paid $7 for each of these after a $2 or $3 coupon that was attached to the box. I imagine they’ll range at $9.99-$13.99 at Walgreens and CVS so I do suggest Harmons if you have one in your area as that’s the cheapest you’ll find them.

I wasn’t particularly impressed with them. The colors aren’t very me, the formula is mediocre due to the dryness I experience, and the wear can prove iffy if you aren’t on top of touching up as I really don’t love the entire fading in the center of my lips with a color ring around the mouth look. I think the packaging will prove the most tempting.

If you want them, haul them, who knows you might love them. The pigmentation is outstanding and darker skin girls will rock these like no one’s biz. However, just keep in mind you might not love the formula.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts when you do try them! Or share them now if you tried them already!

I purchased this item.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Jenny D

    I’m such a sucker for a pretty red that I can’t wait to try it. Bet it’ll be $19.99 here though. I need to make another trip across the border.

    So glad you reviewed them! I always wait for a review before shopping. 😉

  • amy

    I run far & fast from bright pink lippies, and I prefer deeper reds, so I think it’s safe to say these are a pass. I think they should have also done a sexy, creamy nude to go with a sultry smoky eye…

  • Icequeen81

    If I may be honest with you, those shades look outstanding and good by you, I really like this kind of shes

  • Kiss & Make-up

    That red looks so pretty! I actually like them both on you, but personally I’d go for the red 🙂

    • the Muse

      aw thanks kiss & makeup! I’m not really sure, they seem a little too bold for me!

  • Kelly

    Those shades really look great on you, Muse! Too bad they’ll make me look horrible. Need more shades Physicians Formula.

  • Laura

    I think you are wrong – that red looks great on you (you and I have the same skin tone) And I never feel like I can wear crazy clown red either.

    What is the eye color you are wearing – cuz that bronzey brown with red lip is really cool!

    • the Muse

      aw thanks laura <3! the brown is actually a loose mineral eyeshadow from Bare Escentuals the name of which escapes me at the moment, it's in one of the new holiday sets...will update you with it shortly!

  • Paige

    Do you mean “I wasn’t particularly impressed?” I’m seeing that you were particularly impressed. They look good whether you like them or not! 🙂

  • Chelsea

    I picked up hot pink this weekend at CVS when they had $5 off all PF products and it had a $2 off peelie meaning I got it for $2.49! I really like the color but wish I had picked up the red instead. I was reading the back of the box and saw “horny goatweed” and couldn’t decide if I thought that was funny or disturbing haha.

  • Melissa

    I picked up the red one the other day at CVS and actually really like it. It is a cool-toned red and flattering on me. It left a nice stain behind, too.

    But it is a bit dry and not glossy at all, like you reviewed. I don’t think that the naming suits it. It is more of a matte liquid lipstick.

  • cora

    I can see what they mean by “sexy” hot pink and that shade of red are the most attractive colors to men. You said they smell like vanilla which is a scent that drives men crazy (in a good way). It seems to me that this is more for a man to find sexy on the woman wearing it, rather than the woman her self.