Physicians Formula Plum Rose & Natural Glow Butter Blushes Reviews, Photos, Swatches
Plum Rose
Physicians Formula Plum Rose Butter Blush ($12.99 for 0.26 oz.) is a soft, dusty pinky-plum with neutral undertones and a satin finish. It had medium, buildable coverage with a soft, very slightly powdery texture that was very smooth, easy to blend, and sat well on the skin.
The Butter Blush formula is supposed to “deliver a gorgeous blushing glow.” The powder has a strong coconut scent. The color wore well for eight hours on me, but this shade will show better and be better on fairer skin tones as it doesn’t show up much on me so I’d expect it to look a bit different and more nuanced on lighter skin tones. The finish was more matte than glowing with this particular shade, though. It had one of the more finely-milled powder consistencies I’ve tried by a drugstore brand, so I wish they had more shades available–something that might work for someone that’s light-medium or darker. It’s a surprise to see a brand that really doesn’t seem to want to cater to diversity and richness in skin tones that the beauty industry has in 2017–but given the brand still releases foundations with just two shades, I guess it shouldn’t really be a surprise.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Makeup Geek Puppy Love (P, $10.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- LORAC Caribbean (LE, $23.00) is cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop I Need Space (DC, $12.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- KIKO 105 Dark Rose (P, $12.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- MAC Blushbaby (P, $24.00) is brighter (95% similar).
- Viseart Enamored (Blush) (PiP, ) is cooler (85% similar).
- MAC Sur (LE, $24.00) is more shimmery, darker (85% similar).
- Laura Mercier Chai (P, $30.00) is cooler (90% similar).
- Tarte Unearthed (LE, $29.00) is darker, warmer (85% similar).
- Too Faced Pink Sand (PiP, ) is brighter, warmer (85% similar).
Formula Overview
$12.99/0.26 oz. - $49.96 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to be "ultra-luxurious" and will "smooth skin texture, brighten skin tone, and deliver a gorgeous blushing glow." They are soft, smooth, and blendable with a silky texture that is easy to work with, though sometimes a denser brush is best to apply as the consistency is denser overall. The coverage is typically medium with some buildability, but the shades skew particularly light so they will be more suitable for lighter skin tones (and may not show up as well on me in reviews due to my coloring). The wear has been around eight hours on average for the formula. It has a heavy coconut-based scent that lingers and is noticeable on the face, not just in the pan.
Browse all of our Physicians Formula Butter Blush swatches.
Ingredients
Talc, Alumina, Mica, Dimethiconol Stearate, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Fragrance (Parfum), Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Polybutene, Isopropyl Isostearate, Lauroyl Lysine, Astrocaryum Tucuma Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Tin Oxide, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Oleate, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Ultramarines (CI 77007).
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Plum Rose
PPermanent. $12.99.
Natural Glow
Physicians Formula Natural Glow Butter Blush ($12.99 for 0.26 oz.) is a light, golden peach with a pearly sheen. This shade was more luminous and shimmery compared to Plum Rose, and on my skin tone, it’s more like a highlighter than a blush. It had medium, somewhat buildable coverage. On very fair skin tones, it is likely to add more noticeable warmth as well as shimmer but be hard to overdo, which should make it easy to work with. The consistency was soft, smooth, and velvety without being dusty. It blended out easily, and the shimmer didn’t emphasize my skin’s natural texture. The color wore well for eight hours on me before fading.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Tom Ford Beauty Highlighter (Softcore) (LE, $60.00) is more shimmery, more pigmented (95% similar).
- MAC Highlighter (LE, $34.00) is darker (90% similar).
- Milani Rosa Romantica (P, $7.99) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- NARS Hot Sand (PiP, $30.00) is brighter, warmer (90% similar).
- NARS Unlimited (LE, $30.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- ColourPop Highly Waisted (P, $10.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Surratt Beauty Duchesse (P, $32.00) is less shimmery (90% similar).
- By Terry Light & Tan Vibes #3 (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter, more pigmented (95% similar).
- Ciate Summer Love (P, $26.00) is darker, cooler (85% similar).
- Suqqu Yawakouki (05) (P, $34.00) is less shimmery, darker (85% similar).
Formula Overview
$12.99/0.26 oz. - $49.96 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to be "ultra-luxurious" and will "smooth skin texture, brighten skin tone, and deliver a gorgeous blushing glow." They are soft, smooth, and blendable with a silky texture that is easy to work with, though sometimes a denser brush is best to apply as the consistency is denser overall. The coverage is typically medium with some buildability, but the shades skew particularly light so they will be more suitable for lighter skin tones (and may not show up as well on me in reviews due to my coloring). The wear has been around eight hours on average for the formula. It has a heavy coconut-based scent that lingers and is noticeable on the face, not just in the pan.
Browse all of our Physicians Formula Butter Blush swatches.
Ingredients
Talc, Alumina, Mica, Dimethiconol Stearate, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Fragrance (Parfum), Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Polybutene, Isopropyl Isostearate, Lauroyl Lysine, Astrocaryum Tucuma Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Tin Oxide, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Oleate, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Ultramarines (CI 77007).
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
I love Plum Rose! It’s the perfect sort of subtle blush on my pale skin.
Yayy! 🙂
Agree, I’m fair skinned too…it’s definitely true that they have never had good shade range, though. A lot of their products aren’t pigmented, which looks nice and natural on fair-skinned people, but doesn’t show up on light to deep skinned people. Plus, their products have gotten more expensive in the last 5 years or so.
HA! I just mentioned you in my last comment not even 5 minutes ago and you appeared! Are you magic? lol Christine’s review was about the Spring 17 UD matte eyeshadows and I was commenting on a UD heavy Ulta order I just made. I mentioned that your nudes for pale skin inspired me to finally get Violate. Such a weird coincidence!
I’m so mad about the shade range! Natural Glow would barely show up on my skin and I’m the lightest two shades in nearly every drugstore foundation. People rave about PF products and I understand why quality-wise but…where’s the diversity? Not everyone in the beauty community is the color of mayonnaise.
/rant over. Thanks for the review, Christine. If they ever expand the shade range, I’ll likely purchase Plum Rose. Until then, I’ll give my money to more inclusive brands.
Yeah, I understand, Sarah. I usually skin over Physicians Formula out of the same frustration (lots of other brands and products to cover), but I decided to try the Butter Bronzers and Butter Blushes as I know they’ve been getting raves to see if they’re really as good as the raves.
PF remains one of the worst brands when it comes to diversity. There are so many base products they make (concealers, foundations) with one, two, or three shades. That doesn’t even cover a good portion of the fair/light spectrum, let alone an entire world (or even just the U.S.!) for skin tones.
Normally their brushes are VERY pigmented for pale to medium skin tone. I’m surprised about the paleness of this range considering it really is for only pale girls these shades.
This is my biggest beef with Physicians Formula: they CONSISTENTLY leave most of the human populations skintones! I mean really, this is redonkulous and totally NOT okay in 2017. Most people are darker than their targeted customers demographic. Most of us are beyond, say, NC25-30. So then, quite obviously, these wouldn’t do anything for my NC37 complexion. PF, please wake up and become much more inclusive!
Yeah, the blushes are really, really lacking in any acknowledgment that skin tones go beyond light, though it’s obviously an issue across the majority of products PF makes.
I wonder if this is due to the lack of pigmentation is their products? It seems like they just fail at creating a product that just shows up at all. I do like their powder products as I’m fair skinned… Their liquid products are terrible, imo – their tinted moisturizer looked orange on me.
I can’t wear a lot of PF products as they are loaded with perfume, and this one is no exception 🙁 But good thing I have the 2 listed dupes, Kiko Dark Rose MUG Puppy Love. BTW, I tried MUG Puppy Love this weekend (my first MUG blush), and it was a big winner–pigmented and long lasting on my blush-eating cheeks. And I thought the $15 price tag was very reasonable, considering it came in an elegant compact with mirror. I will definitely be back for more colors, thank you for reviewing those!
So happy the MUG blush formula is working well for you, Katherine! 🙂
Yeah, they are loaded for sure! Their Argan line is too strong for me. I like coconut, so the scent in this is tolerable for me, thankfully.
This was the first product from Physicans’ that I have ever tried (I swiped it up along with the Butter Bronzer — ULTA was doing BOGO 1/2 off sale) and I really enjoy it. It actually covers two things I have been wanting: a plum/lavender blush, and a nude satin blush. For me, this does both of those things at once, which kind of blows me away! I do, however, wish that they made shades of this (AND the butter Bronzer) that were more suited toward ladies and gents (and all in between!) with deeper skintones. I think the root of that comes from the fact that I so greatly enjoy the performance of this product, but I don’t want to recommend it to people because I feel like I only enjoy it so much thanks to my fair complexion.
I totally get it, Anime. This is a nice formula… but only if you are fair/light. I’m glad you found it already! 🙂
Their refusal to expand their shade range really bugs me! I don’t think I’ll ever buy anything from them unless they change that. There are too many other companies catering to a larger portion of skin tones and making sleeker and more interesting products to bother with PF in my opinion.
It put me off the brand for awhile, but I know the Butter Bronzer (and now, Butter Blush) formula got a lot of raves so I did want to include them in the gallery and all that… but PF is one of the worst brands when it comes to diversity.
I wonder if it has more to do with the brand trying to expand the actual range of products, in order to “justify” more retail space, and then expand the shade range…? It seems like the brand keeps going through a complete overhaul every couple of years, and hasn’t quite found a niche… There used to be a decent shade range back in the early-90s, and the products were so different from what they are now. Most of what was offered were “base” products, then those slowly disappeared, and eye products popped up. Then, back to base products, including a talc-free range, but that disappeared, too… A new range of eye products appeared, as well as bronzers, blush, and highlighters, and that’s when the “diversity” completely disappeared. Over the last 25 years or so, the brand has gone in at least 15 different incarnations, LOL! To be honest, I’m surprised they’re still around…
They do feel very Dior-esque in that they redo packaging and products a lot (but they aren’t largely different than past versions). I agree that it’s a brand that is baffling – both in their approach and how they manage to survive with as much competition as there is now.
It’s just mind-boggling to me how unwilling PF is to change their shade range. With all the attention diversity in beauty is getting, I can’t imagine it’d be anything but a great business move. What’s the point of having great formulas (which I admit they often do) that you then cannot sell to 85% of the population? And their foundation shades really are that restrictive. It seems counterintuitive. I really try not to buy from them for this reason. Plus, I find their prices are getting a bit much for a drugstore brand. I understand overall prices are going up in the drugstore, but I feel like PF’s are just ridiculous sometimes.
Sometimes I’m caught off guard by drugstore prices, but I imagine the big problem is that so much of drugstore brands is on sale at a given moment – if you wait a week, surely PF will be in the next sale, right? (It’s almost like they have to start the price higher because of that.)
But yes, PF is one of the few brands that doesn’t seem to care about improving their shade ranges. Normally, even brands that aren’t offering the greatest shade ranges have at least shown improvement (Chanel, Dior, Guerlain all come to mind) over the years.
I’m pretty fair and getting paler by the year and this just wouldn’t be enough colour for me. I wonder if it would work more as a highlighter or setting type powder. What you say about colour range and diversity is absolutely true, Christine. Even Guerlain redid their Lingerie de Peau foundation to offer more than the original 5 or so shades they used to have.
We are obviously not anywhere close to being totally inclusive all of skin tones/undertones across all formulas but I have felt like we have been seeing larger ranges overall, but brands like PF don’t seem to be waking up at all.
Natural Glow would definitely work as a highlighter!
PF’s approach to skin tones is absurd. I’ve tried a good number of their blushes/bronzers, and most were too light and not pigmented enough to really show up on me, despite my light skin tone. On the other hand, some of their foundation or BB cream formulas that only come in 2 shades (ridiculous to start with) are too dark in the lightest shade. And also usually very pink toned. So who are they catering to exactly? I don’t get it. What’s the point of even launching base products that will only work for a very small segment of the population (a segment that already has lots of options available), especially as a national brand sold at the drugstore??
Well-said, Lulle. I have no idea who their demographic is, and given the increased competition over the years, can’t even figure out how it’s profitable to not be more inclusive (even if it was them jumping to 6 shades instead of 2).
Thank you for pointing out their lack of shades.
I don’t quite understand the logic with a brand like this: yes, it costs more money to produce more shades but then you can sell to millions more people while also achieving some recognition for the effort. But I’m no industry insider. Their foundation shades are too dark for me but I’d say I’m not interested in these. Not a fan of scented products.
It’s been a long-time problem with a lot of their range, but it is impressive (and depressing) that they commit to it even in something like blush.
I can’t wait for these to show up at my local walmart!! I want the second one to use as a subtler highlight!
Yay! Enjoy!
Agree with you Christine on how odd it is that PF is so fair-skin centric. Their butter bronzers are such a hit but both are so light, and here the same with the blushes. What a missed opportunity! The brand’s loss, I guess.
Yeah, I remember PF always being terrible in this department, but I just had to see whether the hype was real over the Butter Bronzer (and Blush) formula… which caused me to go through all of their ranges and be further irritated by how genuinely ridiculous their shade ranges are (two shades? what? one shade for concealer?).
Good point. I have always liked their bronzer, but my skin is fair. I guess that’s why I liked it – most bronzers are too tan on me…
I’m glad it fills that void for you, Elizabeth! 😀
I’ve heard the Butter products line is really good! I’ll have to give it a try. The bronzer is scented though, but I’ve heard it’s a nice coconut scent
They have a nice texture, and I think if you are lighter, they definitely work well!
I’m MAC NW10 in the winter which I believe is MACs lightest shade. I’m porcelain in most drug store brands. I don’t know that the lightest blush would show up on me. I know I won’t be buying them as they put too much perfume in their products. It always makes me wonder how much the product stinks on its own that they need to put that much scent in it to cover it up, lol.
I get a hint of color, and I’m closer to NC20-NC25 so I bet you’d get at least some 🙂
But yes, they are heavily scented in general (the brand’s products).
They actually don’t make a foundation light enough for my skin tone.
That’s not at all a surprise when they often only have 2 shades in a formula!
Physicians Formula is a great brand, but they do only offer a very limited range in any of their products. These blushes are great, but the pinkish one is better I think. Most of their blushes do lean pink.
The blushes are pretty!
I love PF, especially its matte eyeshadow quads and mineral loose powder. None of its liquid foundation is pale, though. I tried several of PF’s liquid foundations in shade light, all of them have strong yellow tone, like Mac NC25 to me. I believe PF’s mother company has Black Radiance, which is specially made for WOC, so maybe PF has a different role to play?
I think it’s actually Marwkins, which also owns Wet ‘n’ Wild and Black Radiance. It’s a little confusing, because Markwins doesn’t list either PF, Black Radiance, or Wet ‘n’ Wild on their corporate site. They acquired PF in 2012, so it’s actually even more interesting that they haven’t made any changes with respect to improving shade ranges.
Thanks for the information! Wnw seems to be the most developed brand compares to the other two brands. It has more foundation shades, tools, not to mention seasonal releases. Also I think PF is a little over priced as a drugstore brand.
I live in a very, very white area. (Most people in my suburb are descendants of Scandinavian + British immigrants.) And still, PF foundations/concealers/etc are on regular clearance at the drugstore–I don’t know if it’s an undertone issue, or the fact that (surprise!) not all pale people wear the same two shades, but I don’t understand how this makes sense for PF even from a business perspective. I’m also pale, but their lack of shade range makes me unlikely to try anything–odds aren’t good that their one or two or three options won’t work for me, anyway.
These blushes do seem nice, but I bought a bunch of sheerer/buildable Estee Lauder blushes the other day, so I should be set for now.
Oh, definitely – two shades doesn’t even cover the fair/light spectrum adequately, let alone an entire global range of shades.
I’ve noticed an orangeness in a lot of their products! Their powders are light but the liquids are another story ? Not to mention the price has gotten out of hand!
I tried a tinted moisturizer of theirs that was supposed to be “light” but was a medium orange – somehow I didn’t notice it in the bad hotel lighting, ruined my beach day pics, lol 😛
“descendants of Scandinavian + British immigrants” – you just described my background, hahaha!
My skin tone is similar to Christine’s, so I’m passing on these. I find this brand frustrating because the shade range is so narrow and for people who have medium or darker skin, there is nothing that will work.
I agree, Jessica 🙁
I started buying PF in the early 2000s and I swear the color range has not changed in 15 years. That’s SAD. I’m usually the second to third lightest in most foundations and even the fair option in some of their products makes me look like an Oompa Loompa.
I’m conflicted on buying one of these as I’m not sure if it would show up on me, but the reviews have me intrigued. I just wish it wasn’t PF. PF should really stand for “please fix.” ugh.
It doesn’t seem like it – they have always been heavily criticized for their lack of shade range in foundation/concealer products. I hadn’t really looked in the last year or two, so I was surprised that some concealers only came in shade of one…
You’d think with their new slew of products targeted to Instagram makeup followers that they’d, you know, actually consider their potential customer base instead of alienating everyone who isn’t lighter than maaaaybe an NC or NW20. It’s awful. I went on their site and they have a few pages that feature a WOC, and I wondered when looking through the site, “do they have any options that work for her other than eye, lip, and maybe cheek products?” I’d like to know why they seem to be so defiant in getting with the program here. They certainly have shelf space – just stop double exposing the same products.
It is really strange!
Cute packaging! And Natural Glow looks very natural indeed 🙂
Glad you like it!
I like the subtle look sometimes or on days my redness is in overtime. I might pick these up.
I love the look of Plum Rose, and since I love the bronzer formula, I may get that one. It would be nice if they expanded their shade selection, but I won’t hold my breath. They continually put out more and more formulas of blush and bronzer but rarely have an extensive shade selection within any of their formulas.
why am I so attracted to plus rose and this line? i’m like a shade darker than you Christine so I bet this would be a total waste of money for me. I’m not even a natural makeup kind of a girl. i either wear dramatic ‘night-time’ makeup, or no makeup at all. must. resist. the urge. to spend. money. such. pretty packaging. argh
The weird thing about the lack of diversity in PF’s, well, almost everything is the fact that they make a fairly wide assortment of bronzers in terms of shade selection.
Most the stores I’ve been in don’t have the full spectrum, but my local store that stocks Black Radiance, Covergirl Queen, and a couple other lines for women of color also have the darker PF bronzers which were darker than the BR and CQ ones!
So why doesn’t the company diversify anything else? It’s odd.
I avoid companies that don’t cater to a diverse base. I don’t know what Physician’s Formula is doing but I can’t approve of their marketing.
They’re coming out with two shades that are actually colors! They showed them on instagram and they look like they’ll be much better for more skin tones.
Also, I bought plum rose and it’s a perfect natural everyday blush on my very fair skin. It’s impossible to overdo because of the light pigmentation which is great when I want to throw on makeup quickly, and the formula is great.
Is the formula of the butter blush similar/the same as the formula of the butter bronzers? I know they’re all in the butter line, but the blushes look more powdery than the bronzers do :/
Yes, it is very similar!
I was looking for a dupe of the Nars olympua duo blush (the blush color), and I think this is it! the plum rose butter blush, the nars one is matte, but the color is very similar.