Physician's Formula pH Matchmaker Blush: A Surprisingly Good Gimmick

Physician's Formula has some of the more quirky, inventive releases from the drugstore because they attempt to lure in customers with happy boosting plant extracts and pH adapting products. I'm not easily fooled by these claims but ages ago there was a good deal at CVS on Physician's Formula so I nabbed the pH Matchmaker blush in Natural for a few bucks. Packaging and exaggerated claims aside, it's actually a very nice drugstore blush!

The pH Matchmaker blush comes in a clunky black plastic compact and contains 6 grams of product. It retails for $12.95 which is expensive for a drugstore offering. Physician's Formula is frequently 40% off and CVS sometimes has $7 off $10 coupons for the brand. There are only two shades to choose from: Natural and Rose. Natural is a midtone pink with a touch of coral and from looking at online swatches, Rose looks a bit more like a deep pink. I wish there were more shades to choose from although the marketing behind this claims that "Fluorescein Based Dye-senses the pH level of your skin & adjusts within 60 seconds to create your perfect blushing glow". Not sure if I believe that....

Upon opening the compact, you get a nice mirror with a little switch to the right hand corner. Switch it on and two bright lights will come on. This is supposed to somehow help you apply your blush in dark places but I'm not sure how many people would find this useful. Personally I find the lights way too bright and a bit blinding. The blush flips up to reveal a flimsy brush that is useless. I would much prefer a simple, clear cased compact with no blush and no lights. Brands could save money, reduce packaging costs and make their products much more appealing all in one go.

Despite all the packaging complaints, the blush has a nice formula. There are little raised dots with silver shimmer overlay that come off as you swirl your brush in the pan. I could do without the shimmer but it's not noticeable once applied. The blush itself seems to have a little pearl in it as well but it's still very smooth and soft to the touch. The swatch above looks matte and on the cheeks, this blush gives the face a healthy satin appearance. The color is perfect for a variety of complexions and the powder is easily blended to give a natural flush or you can build it up for an intense cheek. Freshly applied, this looks like a much more higih end blush than it is. Lasting power on me was so-so and lasted about six hours before fading.

Physician's Formula has a few quirks to work out with the packaging with the pH Matchmaker blushes but I really like the color of Natural and the powder itself is not powdery or hard to work with. Did it change color on me? Not that I could tell. But it's still pretty nonetheless and worth a gander if Physician's Formula happens to be on sale.