Physician’s Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain – Hot Pink

I am enamored of gloss / stain hybrids lately – I love both YSL Glossy Stains and the L’oreal Shine Caresse gloss stains.  So, when I saw a new Physician’s Formula product that claimed to be a glossy stain (and on sale for $3!), I knew I had to give it a try.  The Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stains come in only two colors – Red and Hot Pink, and I bought Hot Pink.

First off, I hate the name of the “Sexy Booster” line of products, and the Sexy Glow name as well. Second, I hate the packaging with the little charm attached to the gloss.  I’m sure some will like it, but it is just not my style at all – I like sleek, minimalist packaging, and this is just the opposite (the charm and ribbon are not easily removable, by the way).

The packaging is functional – the charm is securely attached, the wand is a good shape to apply the gloss, and the package is sealed — very important for drugstore products! Here’s a close-up of the wand; it’s a similar shape to the other gloss stains I’ve tried.

PF Glossy Stain wand / applicator

And, here’s the package – as you can see, PF claims that this product has intense color, high shine, and kiss proof wear. It is also supposed to stain.

Here’s a short version of my review: the glossy stain is not glossy, is not kiss proof, barely stains, and basically does nothing that it is advertised to do. However, as a long wearing liquid lipstick, it’s fantastic, and it’s a beautiful color – so despite the packaging, I really like it!

To expand: the glossy stain does absolutely have intense color.  It does not, however, have high shine. If I apply a normal amount, it has a low shine finish – just slightly glossy, more glossy than a satin, but not what I think of as a high shine finish.  If I apply an extra layer, it takes to to actually glossy, but it’s still not high shine, and with the extra layer it is quite messy and transfers on to absolutely everything.

I haven’t done an actual kiss test, but I assure you that this is not kiss proof. If I wear a normal amount without blotting, it transfers on to my coffee cup significantly – just as much as any non-matte lipstick, and more than a matte lipstick.  Of course, if I blot it enough, it will transfer less, but that’s true of any lip product.

It also doesn’t stain very well – it’s nothing like the YSL Glossy Stains or L’oreal Shine Caresse stains.  In the swatch below, I left it on my arm for several minutes, then wiped it off.  There is a faint stain, but nothing more than a reasonably pigmented lipstick would leave.  Compare to the L’oreal stains in this post.

When worn, the Glossy Stain does wear down to a kind of a stain over several hours, but it’s not the type of stain left by a true lip stain; it’s the type of stain left by any pigmented lipstick. Does that make sense? The product isn’t actually a lip stain – it’s a pigmented liquid lipstick, that leaves a bit of a stain as it wears off.

Here’s my lip swatch.  And for a full face photo of me wearing this product, see this post.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the Physician’s Formula Glossy Stains – I’m planning to buy the red one too! It’s a really nice product – as long as you are looking for a liquid lipstick, and not a glossy stain.

If you haven’t seen this at a local drugstore yet, it’s online at Drugstore.com.