Review: Physician's Formula Organic Wear Mascara

After a horrifying analysis of the ingredients list on the back of one of my old mascara bottles, I started reading up on more natural lash alternatives. Much to my dismay, most of the "organic" mascaras I found were extremely costly ($20 range - no thanks!) and had to be purchased online, which only added to the problem due to high shipping costs. Luckily, I stumbled upon a review for this new line of mascara from Physician's Formula, a well-known drugstore brand. Though it wasn't necessarily a glowing endorsement, I figured it might be worth a try and took a trip to my local Rite-Aid, where I purchased this mascara for what amounted to pocket change after the full mail-in rebate.

I've now been using this mascara for a full week, and I have been very happy with the results. The ingredients are natural and you definitely do not encounter a chemically smell like you get with traditional brands. I've read a lot of bad reviews about various natural mascaras and was expecting the worst, but in action this has been very comparable to my previous chemical and paraben-laden products. All in all, I was very impressed with the length, color and fullness this gave my lashes. The formula is very light and does not seem to cause drooping. The only negatives (and they are non-issues in my book when compared to the benefits) are: a) the orange water contained in it stings your eyes like crazy if you aren't careful with your makeup removal at the end of the day, and b) the mascara never fully "dries" - if you touch it, for instance, it will leave a slight smudge on your finger, but this really isn't a problem unless you're swimming or watching a "Beaches" marathon.

Price: $9.95, but Physician's Formula is currently offering a full mail-in rebate with purchase!

INGREDIENTS: CITRUS AURANTIUM DULCIS (ORANGE) FRUIT WATER*, GLYCERIN, IRON OXIDE, MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE, GLYCERYL STEARATE, WATER, BEESWAX*, JOJOBA ESTERS, TAPIOCA STARCH*, COPERNICIA CERIFERA (CARNAUBA) WAX*, STEARIC ACID, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICE*, CELLULOSE GUM, CINNAMIC ACID, CUCUMIS SATIVUS (CUCUMBER) FRUIT EXTRACT*, GLYCINE SOYA (SOYBEAN) OIL*, HYDROLYZED ORYZA SATIVA (RICE) PROTEIN, MAGNESIUM ALUMINUM SILICATE, OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) LEAF EXTRACT*, MAY CONTAIN: TITANIUM DIOXIDE

Oh, and how cute is the packaging?!? Not especially "green", but adorable nonetheless.

Review: My Favorite Mineral Eyeshadow Sites

In case you're new to the whole MMU scene, most homegrown companies offer samples of their products that you can purchase anywhere in the range of $.50 - $2 a piece. Needless to say, I now own enough samples to paint my entire apartment with, but have actually managed to glean some knowledge along the way. Besides TKB Trading, which I mentioned just a few posts ago, here are some of my favorite companies I've ordered samples from so far:

Alima Pure

Alima specializes in really earthy hues, but the color payoff is good and their samples are generous (and come in cute little jars with bird logos on top). Price: $1 per sample.

Heavenly Naturals

Heavenly Naturals is a great little vegan company with some very unique eye colors. I'm still trying to get them to work for me (everything turns grey on my lids, arggggh!) but they're very pigmented and the sample sizes are generous. "Sea Dragon" and "Believe" are seriously awesome. Price: approximately $1 per sample.

Aromaleigh

Aromaleigh is another small mineral company with super unique eye colors. Their sample sizes are pretty small but still good for several uses (they've also recently lowered the price from $1.25 to $1 a piece). I love their "Gothic Lolita" and "Elemental Lustre" collections, though some of their other plainer collections don't really strike my fancy. A big plus for them, though: they offer a "coupons and specials" link on their page where you can get some great deals, along with their regular weekly specials.

The She Space

At $.50 per sample, you don't have much to lose with this company! They have about a GAZILLION colors to choose from and the price and service is great. Color payoff also seems to be good and lasts throughout the day with a good base.

Fyrinnae

Oh my word, I am LOVING Fyrinnae! Their samples are a bit more expensive than some of the other companies, but their colors are FABULOUS! They also stay put all day without turning to mud on my lids. Their sample sizes are really generous (the best I've seen) and they come in cute little plastic jars. "Polar Bear" is a regular with me, it's one of the best gold eyeshadows I've ever come across and I plan to buy a full size soon. Price: $1.75 per sample.

Pure Luxe

Although their website leaves a lot to be desired (I hate the layout), Pure Luxe's eyeshadows are very pretty and come in little jars with a very generous amount of pigment in each. I own dozens of their colors now and have only found one or two duds so far - all the rest are highly pigmented, unique hues with great staying power. "Peach Champagne" is a current favorite of mine - so pretty! Price: $1 per sample.

I'm such an enabler...