scenery's Full Review: Prescriptives Illuminating Liquid Potion
Just about everyone looks better in candlelight, or in that magic hour right around sunset...or through beer goggles, for that matter. The effect is a bit blurry, a bit glowy, and flaws are nicely softened.
Did you notice that I didn't say, "Everyone looks better spackled with makeup and rendered perfectly matte with powder?" There is a reason. I'm just not a fan of the full-on matte monochromatic mask. Real skin has pores, freckles, and shade variations--and when healthy, reflects light. So, if you prefer the perfectly powdered look or you have more than enough natural glow on your own, (lucky you!) you can skip the rest of my review, because this potion will make you shine.
The Actual Review Starts Here
Unfortunately, my moody combination-skinned face rarely wakes up looking like a dew kissed rose, or with a sunset glow--so I cheat with Prescriptives Magic Illuminating Liquid Potion. (that's a mouthful isn't it?) For the sake of my laziness, I will call it Magic Potion for short.
Let's Get the Obligatory Packaging Paragraph Out of the Way...
Let's see. I'm holding my Magic Potion right now, and the jar is made of thick, smooth glass.(see picture above, handily provided by epinions) The silver screw on top is sturdy, and the silver coating does not flake off, even when banged around. The glass is weighty; heavy enough to warrant transferring the liquid into a plastic bottle for travel.
And now for the (un)screwing...
Just a few easy turns and the bottle of magic potion opens, exposing its attached white plastic spatula. From the name and the price ($30 for one ounce), I was half expecting a little fairy to fly out of the bottle, and sprinkle my face with a fine veil of pixie dust. But, that has yet to happen, so the spatula will have to do.
The folks at Prescriptives promise that this liquid "instantly lights the skin," and they speak the truth. Let me try to describe it for you. In the bottle, it looks like a milky-pink pearly lotion. So pink, in fact, that pink haters and deep skintones might be more likely to dip their faces into vats of Pepto-Bismol then to drop thirty dollars on this stuff. But, looks can be deceiving. When blended over bare skin the look is sheer, and somehow, not pink in the least. All you see is a smooth, vibrant glow, with the barest hint of iridescence. And, as a bonus, lines, scars, and other imperfections are minimized.
So is it Really Magic?
NO. Px Magic Potion relies on the clever combination of color, moisture, and the powers of light refraction and diffusion. Through the marvels of modern technology, light refractors (usually ingredients like mica)can be made extremely tiny. When suspended in a lotion, these little particles play tricks. When light hits them, they reflect and scatter light rays in all different directions. So, what you get is a very subtle blurring of flaws and a lovely illusion of natural radiance.
(Magic Potion is just for special effects and is not intended to replace your moisturizer)
How to use your Potion
The directions on the bottle suggest applying this over Prescriptives foundation, and over the entire face. But, as I've discovered in my adventures in the beauty business, directions on color products are often best taken as suggestions. When I have tried using Magic Potion as directed, the effect screams "oil slick" instead of whispering "magic."
I have much better results when I apply Magic Potion under my foundation as a makeup primer. That way, the glow peeks through a little without looking like a grease pit, and the flaw mininmizing properties let me get away with less makeup. Or, on good skin days, I can skip the makeup altogether.
No special tools or brushes are needed, just dab with the handy plastic spatula and smooth the thin-textured potion on with your fingers. The formula has rather slick feel going on, but blends quickly and feels virtually weightless on skin.
Good News and Bad News (This part may sound familiar)
Let me give you the good news first. For those who hate ingredients lists, I threw away the box long ago. That was also the bad news.
But, all hope is not lost for you ingredient-readers and sensitive skin-types. Please visit www.gloss.com, and check out the nifty "Ask Prescriptives" feature.
Final Recommendation
Prescriptives Magic Potion blurs flaws, adds sheen, feels smooth on skin, and a little goes a long way.
If you have normal to dry skin, and like a luminous look, this is the way to glow.
Still Reading?
A Few Other Magic Tricks
Try mixing a few drops with your regular foundation for a sheerer look, and a very subtle sheen. Magic Potion also looks great as a highlight, dabbed onto shoulders, clavicle, or cleavage (if you dare.) When I'm tired, I like to add some extra magic in a v-shape from the tops of my cheekbones to my temples (dabbed lightly over makeup)... I'll stop now, before I tell you all of my secrets...
***This review was my last minute entry in the Beautiful or Bogus Write-Off and I want to win a prize. Please keep your fingers crossed for me and check out the following website for a list of participants:
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