Finally, the perfect lipstick (after a 50-year search!)
That's right: I'm a 65-year-old semi-retiree and free-lance writer working from home. Good looks may not be way up there on my list of values and priorities, but I still enjoy looking pretty and chic, and I tend to take some care with my appearance. Even for a quick trip to the corner store, when I skip most of the drill (foundation, eyeliner, etc.), I will usually smooth my favorite moisturizer over my face and dab on some Physicians Formula pH Powered Lip Gloss -- always in Pink, since the Light Pink shade doesn't quite work for me. I've been startled to receive many compliments on my lip color. I wear the gloss alone and find that I get the perfect skin-complementing color that way. I no longer buy any other lipstick or lip gloss, since this one is right for every occasion and every variation in ambient lighting. It has a nice, skin-soothing consistency and the perfect "natural" look. I've been ordering the Physicians Formula gloss at Amazon ever since my local CVS stopped carrying it, at least in my shade. Please understand that I am a tough customer and a rigorous critic: of consumer-products in general, and cosmetics in particular. These days I rarely buy make-up at upscale department stores, having found that I can save hugely by scouting out acceptable equivalents at the drugstore or discount store. At heart I am a minimalist; the relatively few other categories of discretionary-income purchases I do make repeatedly include books, DIY necessities, and basic art supplies. Since I first started wearing make-up regularly, around age 14 or 15, I have hunted in vain for a lipstick I could love and rely on. My skin is unusually fair but has a good texture and is one of my better features. I have never been happy with any of the 9.5 zillion lipstick colors (slight exaggeration) I have gone through over the past five decades. During the "Color Me Beautiful" era I did learn that I was a "Winter" and needed to seek out cool blue undertones in both clothing and make-up. This marginally improved my choice of lip colors, but a truly appropriate and complimentary shade still eluded me. Physicians Formula pH Powered Lip Gloss freed me from ever having to select a lip color again, only to be repeatedly disappointed and dissatisfied. It always looks perfect. Moreover, when I check out my mouth in a mirror after four or five hours, it still looks fresh -- no need to reapply. I do not understand the chemistry of the stuff, but there is no question that it adapts to your individual coloring. I believe there are similar products available in the high-end market. In fact, I just saw a recommendation for one such lip gloss in a magazine. It was available from Sephora, but for about triple the price of this one. If you decide to give this lip gloss a try, you are at high risk of loving it. My one caveat: You may want to make an initial investment in two or even all three of the shades offered, since Light Pink or Natural may suit you better than Pink. I can't regret wasting some money on the Light Pink before I settled on Pink, since I am now saving huge amounts of money on endless trials of other shades from other manufacturers, none of which worked for me. I can not praise Physicians Formula highly enough: In the relatively small and frivolous arena of cosmetics, it is a breakthrough -- a revelation -- an epiphany. In fact, the only room for improvement here is in the company name. There really should be an apostrophe either before or after "Physicians" in "Physicians Formula." Alas, this omission has become ubiquitous -- the apostrophe is either vanishing or long gone from company names throughout the English-speaking world. (Yes, I know, it may be surprising, but even some of us natural-born pedants and punctuation nerds do not feel dressed without our lip gloss!) Read more
