physicians formula super all-in-1 beauty balm powder

This was a gift from my sister on a recent Toronto visit – she had purchased it for full price but it was eligible for a mail-in rebate so it only ended up costing around C$10. I hadn’t seen any beauty balms in powder form (Physicians Formula claims it is the first ever BB powder) so I was very interested in giving this a try. The product claims to provide 10+ benefits, but I counted 10 on the website (unless "priming + filling" was actually meant to be 2 separate benefits). The product does provide SPF 30 (through the use of titanium dioxide), which is always a plus for me.

 

The BB powder comes in 2 tones – I ended up with the light/medium shade, which was probably the right one for me. Similar to other Physicians Formula face powders and blushes, the compact includes the actual product with a compartment for the brush hidden underneath. I had previously owned both the blush and translucent powder compacts, which were similarly constructed, and found it to be cumbersome and a little messy, since some of the product would become loose through use and therefore spill out when the powder compartment was flipped up to access the brush. I’ve used the BB powder for about a week now and the powder has stayed pressed, so there was little to no mess when I flipped it up to get to the brush. 

The applicator is interesting: it’s definitely a brush as it has bristles, but once it’s been dragged across the powder, it feels more like a makeup sponge during application. It has a narrow design, which warrants a little extra attention as you may end up with a line of BB powder if you don’t blend it in enough. There are some advantages to the narrow design though, as it allows more control when working around eyebrows, nose, lips, and the hairline.

The powder has very light coverage - doesn't do a whole lot for my freckles, and it definitely will not cover up pimples or anything with a reddish tone so it does not eliminate the need for concealer. In fact, Physicians Formula recommends on its website that the BB powder be used with the concealer and BB cream in the collection. One thing I was a little surprised about was the fact that the BB powder did not have the mattifying (i.e., oil absorbing - spell check is giving me a hard time on this one) effect that is commonly associated with powder products. A few hours after application in the morning, my face starts to feel as grimy as it would with a tinted moisturizer or BB cream. This may just mean I need to invest in some blotting papers to use throughout the day, but at the same time, I thought the powder formulation would help a little more with oil control than it actually did.

Consistent to my thoughts on other BB products that I have tried, I am still skeptical of the skin-improving benefits these products tout – after a week of use, I have not seen any marked improvements in the condition of my skin (definitely not to the extent that Physicians Formula claims here). 

Overall, I was a little meh about this product – it feels light, blends in pretty easily, seems to last for most of the day, and doesn’t irritate my skin. However, the only reason I thought the BB powder would prove to be superior compared to creams (oil control) did not come to fruition. As I end up having to apply translucent powder on top of the BB powder to help ward off the greasies, this product doesn’t streamline my morning routine. In addition, it just seems redundant to put BB powder on top of BB cream. 

Verdict: this product would be good for people with flawless (or close to flawless) skin, especially given the reasonable price. However, given the choice between this and the Maybelline version I’ve already tried, I would still stick with Maybelline. ~8.3g, C$19.95/US$13.95