"'Item two: rosy cheeks.' Obviously."

(This post is reposted from Mary's personal blog.)

If it's good enough for Jane and Michael Banks to put on their "requirements for a Nanny" list, then CLEARLY it must be important.

I'd like to review a product I just recently tried. It's Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush, which I actually first read about on Nylon's blog.


So here's the deal: it supposedly has mood-boosting ingredients which, coupled with the cute color, makes you happy. Really? I mean, HAPPY MAKEUP?! I saw this and was like:

According to their site, it's made with plant extracts that supposedly mimic the effects of endorphins. Not sure I buy it. I mean, I've only worn it a couple of times, and I felt relatively cheery, but that could just be because I've been in a good mood lately.

Regardless of whether it makes me happy or not, I LOVE the packaging. It's super cute. The little heart designs in the actual blush are cute-- probably the thing that makes me happiest about it, haha! I got it as a V-Day gift to myself. PERFECT for Valentine's! The compact itself is red metallic, and underneath the blush is a "secret" compartment which holds the brush and a mirror. Really convenient.

It comes with your standard crappy little blush brush, but it's better quality than some. I still recommend getting a better blush brush for more even and accurate application (currently using one from Sonia Kashuk that I've had for ages...it's excellent!).

The one I got is the blush and the color is called "Rose." I was hesitant at first because it's a pretty bright, bordering on hot, pink. But on a recent trip to Sephora I tried Tarina Tarantino's blush in Carved Rose, which is a pretty hot pink, and it was surprisingly flattering. Just not to my wallet. Anyway, the nice thing about this palette is that you get a wider range of shades, and they all blend very nicely on the skin into a soft, rosy pink. It's pretty.

They say it smells like violet. There's definitely a *hint* of scent, but I was super worried it would be overpowering. It's not. It's barely noticeable, which is perfect.

Overall, I REALLY like it. I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say it's universally flattering, but it works really well even with my super fair coloring. It's adorbs to look at, so if you're curious I would say give it a go. It runs for about $10, but I got mine with a $3 off coupon at CVS. Definitely worth it and would make a SUPER cute Valentine's Day gift for someone you know or YOURSELF!

ETA: It's been a couple years since I wrote this post, and I still recommend this blush if you're looking for a great drugstore deal (I was recently gifted a "higher end" blush and am using that up, at present)! I wore this blush every day for about a year, and still love the color payoff and how rosy it looked. I did not, however, notice it making me any happier in a clinical way (though it made me happy every time I looked at it...so cute!). I still recommend it, though!