7 days of blush. The summer edit...

After years of being blush shy nowadays I love blush but have a habit of reaching for the same one over and over (see that one with the major pan showing above?) That's the reason why I deliberately wore 7 unique blushes over 7 days to kick that habit! This isn't a unique idea but it's the first time I've tried something like this outside of swapping lipstick shades - and it IS a fun way of acquainting or reacquainting myself with some of my blush collection. 

 

My week's selection of powder blushes...



 

...clockwise from top left:

• Australis blush (Baby Doll) - Now discontinued so that gives you an idea of how long it's been sitting in my makeup drawer.  Baby Doll is a vibrant almost electric, ever so slightly shimmery pink in the pan yet it imparts a pretty, healthy flush to the cheeks. I bought it because it looked so pretty, then decided it was scary, and now having actually worn it (Duh!) I really should have trusted my first instincts.  Bright pink blush actually translates as amazing on the cheeks! The funny thing is I already did know that because I'm often reaching for the bright pink blush in my Laura Mercier Lingerie palette (see here).
• Face of Australia (Nutmeg) - FOA still carry this blush in their core line so I'm not in trouble here.  Nutmeg is a medium brown-peach and a great natural looking way to warm up the complexion when I'm wearing cool toned shades on my eyes and/or lips - if it was slightly less peach I think it could work as a contour shade too.  An obvious choice for every day wear so I've decided to bring this one out on high rotation again.
• L'Oreal True Match Blush (Nude Pink) - My favourite every day shade as you can see by all the bare pan and because it sits on the fence of contour/blush/highlight perfectly.  The pink is a very neutral and dusty beige shade and there are - yes really - pearlescent particles in the formula, giving a natural glow to the cheeks.  I was probably cheating by including my go-to blush in the 7 day rotation but then again you probably want to know what my go-to blush is right?  Okay so a blush which does a little bit of everything is a good everyday choice for me and I'm planning on using this one regularly to the very end because it's the fool-proof understated blush of the lot.
• theBalm (Hot Mama!) - theBalm describes this blush as pinky-peach but I think of it as almost rose-gold as it has a lot of golden shimmer.  I was a little hesitant thinking it might be unnaturally shimmery on me but with a light application it's not out there at all.  I wore it as a weekday blush but with a heavier application I think it would come into its own as a shimmery cheek shade for evening.
• Smashbox Blush Rush (Chiffon) -  Another one I've had for ages and just doesn't get enough attention from me.  I go through phases where I love it then suddenly it's too bright for me - infinitely better on summer skin when I have a little more colour.  Chiffon is similar to Hot Mama! a bright peach although minus the same level of gold sheen. It goes with any eye or lip but can look a bit garish on me when I'm sporting my cooler weather pallor.   
• Illamasqua (Naked Rose) - I love this blush because it's a cool dusty matte pink and probably the most true matte blush in my collection.  In the pan it looks very similar to L'Oreal's Nude Pink but it is more distinctly pink when swatched.  It's very pigmented and powdery so a little pat of the brush in the pan easily picks up enough colour for my cheeks.  Very natural without being too neutral.  I think this would work equally well, if not better on pale winter cheeks too.
• Tom Ford (Love Lust) - Coral, with fine gold sparkle and not as scary as it may sound.  I've only worn it once - being precious because it's Tom F-F-Ford probably - but seriously it's coming out for a good airing this season because this is such a flattering coral on my skin and most definitely a summer shade. The sparkle is more subtle than I expected on my cheeks and a light application provided a lovely hint of warmth. 

Swatched L -R:

Baby Doll, Nutmeg, Nude Pink, Chiffon, Naked Rose, Love Lust



 

What are your summer blush picks?

A week of beauty discoveries (and some rediscoveries!)

The content for this post has been sitting in my camera (and my head) since before Christmas!  Late last year I wanted to do something to get out of my beauty rut so I challenged myself to either:  (a) try one new beauty item or (b) show one neglected beauty item some love every day for seven days.  It's my version of that popular 'shop my stash' idea but compressed into a single week.  Behold, the seven beauty products below and now for a mini review - I'm kind of pleased I did this now because most of these items have made their way into regular rotation...

MAC Cremesheen lipstick (Peach Blossom) - This soft, slightly shimmery shade of nude lipstick was released a few months ago in MAC's Cremesheen and Pearl collection.  I had puffed myself into an almighty obsession to buy Pure Zen from that collection but THEN I tried Peach Blossom when I finally got to the MAC counter.  It was pure love at first swatch and when the SA applied it to my lips I knew that THIS was it!  So what the H*** happened?? I got it home, put it away and forgot about it after the initial high, which is a terrible beauty crime I'm guilty of. Good excuse to take this out of storage and wear it to remind myself, right? Now that I've worn it again it's become my pink nude lipstick of choice.  It's a very soft flush of pink/peach/nude and a particularly flattering and youthful shade for me - and because it's so neutral it goes with everything!

Mirenesse Tight Liner Hydra Gel Eye Liner (Caviar Black) - I received this gel liner pen as a gift and after it sitting in the drawer for months (again) I decided to overcome my fear of fine liners and take the plunge.  The felt tip pen is much easier to use than a fine brush (fine brushes and I just don't get along these days cos they're just too dang fiddly and I'm just too dang nervous) and the sharp black line itself would not budge for the entire day until I chose to remove it.  There was no smudging, no bleeding and no dreaded transfer to my upper lid.  I don't go for the retro black eyeliner look all that often but when I do I know I can use this pen with confidence.

Rimmel 100% Waterproof Mascara (Black) - This is now my chosen waterproof mascara - yet again it had been sitting around for months beforehand!  It's a budget product which ticked all the boxes for me:  100% waterproof was not an exaggeration cos it stayed put even when I'd spent hours in the pool on holiday; the brush is soft and tapered to easily get into the lashes; the formula is quite creamy without clumping;  it thickened my lashes beautifully; and they were soft and not at all crunchy to the touch. 

MAC Veluxe Pearl Eye Shadow (Sumptuous Olive) - For some reason this gorgeous antique gold shade got buried in my makeup case, so once I spotted it I knew we had to get reacquainted!  This shade can do a smokey eye or add some glamorous oomph to an otherwise neutral eye.  After a bit of experimenting I find it works better for me as a crease shade rather than an all over lid shade but with a good inner lid highlight I can still get away with it all over my lids for an evening eye.  I'll continue to use this as an alternative to brown when I want to do a warmer, slightly shimmery eye shadow look.

Smashbox Blush Rush (Chiffon) - This blush pan is another reacquaintance from my makeup case! I do love this peach/pink for spring and summer so it was just a matter of dragging out from the deepest, darkest depths of my makeup stash. It has the teeniest bit of sparkle in the pan but this isn't really visible on my skin so I don't have to worry about sparkly cheeks! Because of my fair colouring I find a light swish of Chiffon gives me all the flush I need and it stays put for the day.  Very pretty, and I don't know why I'd neglected it when I'd loved it so much in the first place.

Tom Ford Black Orchid Eau de Parfum (1.5ml sample) - After finally trying it I'm now rationing this sample because it's wonderfully seductive and I can't afford to buy a full bottle.  This deeply exotic fragrance contains notes of:  bergamot, citrus, mandarin, black gardenia, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lotus wood, black orchid, patchouli, sandalwood, incense and vanilla.  Sound like a sexy concoction? Well, yes it is although it can be quite heavy and overpowering if not applied with restraint.  That's fine with me - I'll just use the teensiest bit!

Vaseline Total Moisture Aloe Fresh Daily Light Lotion (SPF 15) - This was the only lukewarm product I encountered in my seven day experiment.  I always like the idea of SPF products and idea of moisturising and protecting my limbs at the same time sounded doubly appealing.  The thick white lotion has a lovely refreshing aloe scent but, OMG, it took literally minutes to get that white streakiness to disappear and absorb! I'll use this on the weekends but I'm way too impatient to be using it during my early morning rush from Monday to Friday...

The swatches from left to right:
Caviar Black, Sumptuous Olive, Chiffon, Peach Blossom

 Do you ever 'shop your stash'?

Until next time.

Vita :)

Making me blush: MAC, Smashbox, Essence

As I've only renewed my love of blush over the past couple of years I have a relatively modest blush collection, although I plan to add to my collection as soon as my P10P's over (Danger! Danger!). I thought about doing an inventory post just because I love reading those, but decided to start with the three blushes I've been using most on my NC20 cheeks:  MAC Blushbaby, Smashbox Chiffon and my everyday go-to blush Essence Adorable...

Clockwise from top:

MAC Blushbaby

Essence Adorable

Smashbox Chiffon

Blushbaby - is the only MAC blush I own (I know that's really sad and I need to do something about this beauty crime) and is a mauve-toned nude blush (MAC's website describes it as a 'flushed beiged pink') from MAC's Sheertone range.  It was recommended to me by the MAC sales assistant when I was looking for a natural blush shade.  As it's matte and sheer it does look quite natural and because of the nude/beige slant it sits between blush and contour for me, depending on my mood. 

Chiffon - This Smashbox blush is the newest in my collection and I just love the shimmery peach/pink tone.  I bought this last spring and have been getting lots of wear out of it since.  It's my second most reached for blush and gives me a healthy looking flush.  It's a great shade for the warmer months and goes well with coral, peach and pink lips.

Adorable - I've posted about this soft peach blush from Essence before (here and here) and I love it because it's just so easy to wear.  This soft matte shade is impossible to overdo on my cheeks and imparts just the right amount of subtle colour to bring life to my complexion.  This blush lives in my makeup bag and goes everywhere with me.  Yes - let's not forget this blush is ridiculously inexpensive too!

Swatched indoors and outdoors L-R:

MAC Blushbaby

Smashbox Chiffon

Essence Adorable

What are your favourite blushers?

Until my next post.

Vita :)