Fenty Beauty vs. Physician’s Formula: Bronzer showdown

Hi friends!

We’re talking drugstore vs. luxury makeup in today’s post. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may remember that I picked up the beloved and well-rated Butter Bronzer from Physician’s Formula last summer. I did a full review on it which I’ll link below, but <spoiler> I really, really liked it. Well, fast-forward almost a year and there’s a new kid in town. A few weeks ago one of the brand-new Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk’r Bronzers came into my life, and <spoiler> I’ve also been loving it!

I love a good drugstore/luxury mash-up, so I thought I’d do a comparison post on how well each product performs both in terms of application & wear. Are they dupes? Alternatives to one another? Read on to find out!

Read this: Review: Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer

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FENTY BEAUTY SUN STALK’R BRONZER IN SHADY BIZ

INSTANT SUN-SOAKED GLOW THAT LASTS. 

BLENDABLE, BUILDABLE, TRANSFER-RESISTANT.

A longwear, transfer-resistant bronzing powder in 8 groundbreaking shades, each carefully curated to bring all skin tones to life with an instant sun-soaked glow.

– Fenty Beauty website

I have the shade Shady Biz, which is categorized as a light shade with warm undertones on Fenty’s website. I completely agree with that description. It really pops against my pale, cool-toned skin, so I do have to be a bit careful when building the pigment up. This is a completely matte bronzer that retails for $30.00.

PHYSICIAN’S FORMULA BUTTER BRONZER IN BRONZER

Ultra-luxurious bronzer, infused with Murumuru Butter, delivers a radiant Brazilian goddess glow! Incredibly creamy and soft texture combines the best features of a powder and cream bronzer, to deliver a lit-from-within tropical glow unlike any other.

– Physician’s Formula website

I have the shade Bronzer, which I would categorize as a light shade with neutral to cool undertones. Physician’s Formula has since brought out more shades, but Bronzer is an absolutely perfect shade & tone for me. Unlike the Fenty Beauty bronzer, the Butter Bronzer (which retails for $15.99*) has a satin-finish on the skin but it’s incredibly subtle. Check out the swatch comparison above – the Fenty Beauty is definitely warmer, while the Physician’s Formula is neutral/cool.

FENTY BEAUTY VS. PHYSICIAN’S FORMULA – APPLICATION

Both of these bronzers are quite similar to me in terms of application. They’re both smooth-textured powders that are extremely buildable and blendable on the skin. I use the Large Powder Brush* from Joah Beauty to apply these products. It’s a super soft and highly affordable brush that disperses color really seamlessly across the cheeks.

I want to make a note here that I usually apply these powder products directly on top of very dewy bases, and still there is no skipping or patchiness with either formula. Very impressive.

However, I would say that the Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk’r is slightly more pigmented than the Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer. I have to build up the Butter Bronzer a bit more to get the same saturation of color that the Sun Stalk’r can achieve with less product.

FENTY BEAUTY VS. PHYSICIAN’S FORMULA – WEAR

I generally wear my makeup for anywhere between 8 to 11 hours, depending on the day. I’ve worn both of these bronzers together on the same day (one product per cheek) a couple of times, and I can say that both products are still present on my skin after a full day’s wear. However, I have noticed more fading with the Physician’s Formula than the Fenty Beauty over time.

Please keep in mind: a) I have dry skin that tends to hang onto makeup quite well, and b) I was not testing these together in warm or humid weather conditions. Both of these factors could affect wear differently on you, just FYI. (So far the spring in NY has been generally cooler than normal, sadly.)

VERDICT

Do I think the Sun Stalk’r Bronzer and the Butter Bronzer are 100% dupes for each other? Definitely not. Firstly, the finishes are different (one is matte, the other is satin). Secondly, the application is slightly different (the Sun Stalk’r builds up pigment faster). Lastly, the wear is slightly different as well (the Butter Bronzer fades quicker).

Do I think they are great alternatives to one another? Yes, absolutely. Despite their differences, the overall effect of these two products are very similar on the skin. I personally love both of these products and will continue to use both for the foreseeable future. But if you’re looking to buy one over the other, it all will simply depend on what you’re willing to spend at checkout.

Read this: Drugstore alternatives to Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter

Have you tried either bronzers from this post? If so, what do you think? I’d love to know!

xo, Erica

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