Disappointed… Physicians Formula All-Star Face Palette Review

Physicians Formula is starting 2021 strong with several new releases that look promising, but I’ll admit that the first couple I’ve tried have… missed the mark. Last week, I reviewed their new Matte Monoi Butter Bronzer on my YouTube channel— a new formula that I enjoyed, but the shade selection is abysmal. Which led me to exploring the new Physicians Formula All-Star Face Palette, since it contains a limited edition shade of the bronzer that was semi-usable for me.

The All-Star palette contains six of the brand’s most popular face products, with two bronzers, two blushes, a highlight and a translucent pressed powder. In theory, it’s a great all-in-one holding the powders you need to finish your face. It’s only available in one shade variation, which frankly will mostly only work for light to medium skin tones.

Let’s cut straight to the chase: one of my biggest complains was the limited edition Mineral Glow Pearls shade they included in this palette, called Pearlescent. It’s a cool toned pink highlight, but with a ton— I mean a crap ton— of silver glitter spray over. Meaning that once you dip your brush in it, the silver glitter flies everywhere in the palette because it’s not actually incorporated with the formula, it’s only on top. Once all that glitter is wiped away, this is a nice highlight. You can sort of see the true shade in the photo above where the glitter is missing. But it makes the palette messy, spreads glitter into all of the surrounding pans, and is simply just annoying. It’s the worst shade in the palette.

On a more positive note, the best shade included is the Rosé All Day Petal Glow in Freshly Picked, a gorgeous and glowy peachy pink blush with a gold sheen to it. I am in love with this shade, and can even skip highlighting when I wear it because it does all the work for me! This is not a limited edition shade and can be purchased individually, though the price of the single compact is almost the same as this entire palette.

Looking at the swatches, you can see what I mean about who this palette will work for. On my medium skin, these all just barely show up with the exception of the Matte Monoi Butter Bronzer, which still leans very warm for me. Even with the blush, I do tend to have to build them up for impact. With that said, these are all very solid formulas (with the exception of the highlight) and are popular for a reason. Indeed, they are “all stars” of the brand. Considering what it would cost to buy these face products individually, the palette is also an amazing value if you can get use out of all shades.

Above, I used the Matte Monoi Butter Bronzer to warm up my face and contour with, and the Freshly Picked blush for color and glow. I think it turned out nice, though they’re the only two shades I like in this palette which seems like a waste, personally.

One more thing to note: because Physicians Formula uses fragrance in many of these formulas, there are at least three separate scents competing in this palette that are rather strong upon first opening. You have the coconut sweetness of the Murumuru Butter Bronzer, the beachy floral fragrance of the Matte Monoi Butter Bronzer, and the rose perfume from the Rosé All Day Petal Glow all very prominent. If you’re sensitive to fragrance, this will not be the palette for you. Though, you can try keeping it open overnight to dull the strength of the scents.

Unfortunately, this palette left me underwhelmed, especially after their similar Butter Collection x Weylie Palette was such a hit in my book (and what I recommend you trying 100x more than this one) . Expecting something similar, this just didn’t do it for me. However, if you have a light complexion and enjoy warmer face makeup, this could be a great addition to your collection. You can find the Physicians Formula All-Star Face Palette at Walmart for $14.95.

How did the All-Star palette work for you?