Posts Tagged Blush
Fun with Fuchsia: American Apparel Neon Violet Polish, NARS Desire Blush, and Illamasqua Divine Lipgloss
Posted by Latoya in American Apparel, Blush, Illamasqua, Lips, Make-up, Nail Polish, NARS, Pink, Purple on March 23, 2013
As some of you may know, I’ve been in a slight polish slump for the past while. Nothing has really got me excited much, though I have picked up a few shades here and there (as seen in my last post) that were great additions to my collection. Last week I was admittedly quite enamoured with China Glaze’s new Dandy Lyin’ Around, a sparkling white polish, but by the end of the week, as usual I was ready for a change. I was feeling kinda frisky (huh?) and pulled out American Apparel’s Neon Violet polish, a blue-leaning bold pink, which is part of their Neon collection that came out quite a while ago. I haven’t given this polish much love for whatever reason, though it often draws my eye as it stands out a lot amid the other shades in my stash. As soon as I put it on, my love was seriously revived – guys, this is a fantastic shade!! I’ve shown pics to you before (once as a pedicure and once on a friend’s hand) but I’m not sure I’ve given it enough due – you really gotta check it out. Aside from the glorious color, it’s a near one-coater with a great formula – it’s just FABULOUS.
Anyway, it got me thinking again about skintone and whether I am more cool or warm – this is most definitely a cool-leaning shade, and while I inherently think I’m warm-toned because of my caramel coloring, more and more I think I might actually just be neutral, leaning neither way, because I seem to be able to pull off shades all over the color spectrum (hooray for me!). I also am realizing that it has a lot more to do with just finding the right shade within each color range, rather than whether or not you can wear ‘warm’ or ‘cool’ tones. After all this thought and over the past few months with some of the beauty accruals I’ve made, I have found my jam in one area at least – fuchsia.
A few months ago, I was on this kick where I wanted to collect NARS blushes – I already owned four and I thought I’d just keep going with it. I’ve since kind of gotten over that, but not before I scored Desire in a swap. Initially I thought it was probably a stupid move – a cool ‘cotton candy pink’ on my skintone?? I just wasn’t convinced. And since I received the shade in the late summer, which did not seem like the season for this color, I left it alone for ages.
When winter rolled around, I figured it was time to give this ago and decide if I was going to keep it or not. As true for many NARS blushes, it has great pigmentation, and because it’s completely matte it’s exceptionally wearable (as a general rule, I find bright pink + shimmer = TOO DAMN MUCH). The first time I wore it, I happened to pair it with heavy black liner and naked lips, and BAM! Compliments galore!! It looked smokin’ (sadly, I do not have pics from that day). It was then that I started to think that fuchsia might be a color I want to start giving more of a chance.
One night a couple months ago when Illamasqua was having their last huge sale, I was perusing the site – and on top of discovering that my current blush lemming Crush was on sale, I also could score the Sheer Lipgloss in Divine (a ‘deep fuchsia pink’) for 1/3 of the regular price. When my package arrived, I was pleased to find that Divine was a wonderful addition to my gloss collection, as it was unlike anything I already own. Additionally, it’s smooth, non-sticky formula was a pleasure to use, and while it isn’t as pigmented as it looks in the tube, its a great shade to brighten up my face in a pinch.
Swatches: Illamasqua Divine (left), NARS Desire (right)
As I already noted, I had previously always thought I had a warm-leaning skintone, so when I saw evidence of how yet another cool-based color looked great, I was finally convinced – fuchsia rocks my world!!
Wearing Illamasqua Divine Lipgloss
Out of all this discovery, one thing became glaringly clear – I desperately need a bright fuchsia lipstick!! The lovely Sarah from Beauty and the Baked Goods send me Revlon’s Sweet Tart lip butter, which is a great pink, but it leans more candy-colored. I’ve been doing my research and I’m torn between Bite Beauty’s High Pigment Matte Pencil in Quince $28CAD (described as a rose berry – but looks pretty fuchsia to me), YSL’s Rouge Volupte Radiant Lipstick in Rose Culte $39CAD (a ‘vivid fuchsia’), or new NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Yu $30CAD (a ‘shocking pink’). I haven’t gotten to swatch the NARS pencil in person yet, so not sure if it’s the right tone, but the other two totally do it for me – it’s likely I’ll opt for the Bite pencil as it’s more reasonably priced and I have yet to try a lippie from the brand.
All said and done, I’m pretty stoked that I’ve stumbled upon a go-to shade that seems to work so well with my skintone. I’ve made several discoveries of this kind over the past couple months while funds have been so limited – I’ve been taking the time to play more and make more informed decisions about what I purchase when I have the means to do so, and it’s been a positive learning experience 
What unlikely makeup / polish shades have you discovered to really work for you?
How Convenient That Pantone’s Color of the Year Was Also PERFECT for St. Patty’s Day!
Posted by Latoya in a-england, Blush, Chanel, Eye Liner, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Make-up, Urban Decay on March 18, 2013
So. Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day! 7 years ago (OMG how time flies…barf) I was in Dublin for Paddy’s Day (as they shorthand it in Ireland), and yea…it was as crazy as you’d imagine it to be! Not so much a drunken mess, but just the sheer amount of people…yowza. It was a fantabulous time, and I’ll never forget it!
As the years pass, it seems the crew of hardcore Paddy’s Day party-goers dwindles in my crowd – job responsibilities, babies, and aging in general all seem to keep everyone at home on one of the most fun days of the year ~tear~ Thankfully, I have an excellent partner-in-crime who I can always count on to celebrate with me! This year it was just the two of us, so it was more low-key than usual, but I still made sure to dress the part – which includes green makeup (and nails), of course!
I usually do a lot more green on the eye, but since it wasn’t a rip-roaring party I went subdued and just wore a simple flash of green liner on the top lash line. I used Urban Decay’s 24/7 Liner in Covet (an emerald green with silver microglitter) on top of MAC’s Blacktrack Fluidline – the black gave the green more depth and helped the line look more crisp. I added MAC All That Glitters shadow all over the lid, as I find it gives the most beautiful shine to the eye without ever seeming like too much, and then a dab of Giorgio Armani’s Eyes to Kill shadow in #6 Khaki Pulse to the crease to add a little bit more depth. *Side note – anyone notice that I’m trying to grow my eyebrows out? It’s so frickin’ hard dude! I want to pluck all the random stray hairs but I’m trying to be patient ~sigh~ They are coming along though
Since it was going to be a long day, I wore MUFE’s HD Blush in #12 First Kiss on bare cheeks, layered foundation on top, and then added a touch of MAC’s Mineralize Blush in Early Morning to make sure my blush had good staying power. I quite liked the way it made my skin look kind of lit from within. I don’t usually layer cream and powder blushers but I really need to get on that! I topped off my cheekbones and other high points of the face with MAC’s Beauty Powder in Shell Pearl, which gives the best glow – I finally got my hands on the Year of the Snake version last week and I LOVE this product. Review will be forthcoming!
I finished with a very simple lip using Benefit’s Ultra Plush gloss in Hoola. I didn’t want anything competing with the green liner, so this gave the barest hint of shimmer and warmth, but that’s about it.
Of course, the look isn’t finished – gotta get some flash on the nails too, right!? Because I’m not a fan of green nail polish as a whole, I don’t actually own any that are going to give me serious pizazz. But I have shades with a green tinge… haha. I made it work, I think! I just read about sideways manicures, so I tried it out – easiest nail art EVER. And also my new favorite!!
The shades I used were a-England Tess d’Urbervilles as a base, and Chanel Peridot on top. This was probably more subtle than I should have gone with – the nature of Peridot with it’s duochrome nature just makes the a-England shade look like a shadow. Nonetheless, I loved the effect, and loved how darn easy this one (no nail stickers required – freehand works perfectly!), so I’ll definitely be trying this again and again with other shades. Fun!
I always have intentions to get these kinds of event posts up before the actual event, but who am I kidding? That’s never going to happen – I’m too busy prepping for the occasion to actually have time to post! LOL Anyway, all the other bloggers have got this covered for me 
And it’s not like I did anything particularly unique, and both the makeup and nails could be done any time of the year, right?
How did you celebrate Paddy’s Day?? Did you do any themed makeup and/or nails?
Illamasqua Cream Blusher in Crush – The Perfect Transitional Blush!
Posted by Latoya in Blush, Illamasqua, Make-up on February 28, 2013
Transitional. Transitional? It’s a word, I checked, but I’m not sure I’m using it correctly….
Haha…I had to post this, I googled ‘confused face’ and this came up. Awesome! (photo credit: iStock)
ANYWHO. What I’m trying to say is, Illamasqua’s Cream Blusher in Crush, a gorgeous deep berry/wine, is the perfect shade to take you from a flushed, wintery look to a pretty, fresh pink look appropriate for spring. So, it can transition well between seasons. Ahhh, see what I’m sayin’??
Last month (which seems like AGES ago now), I was reading all about Amy’s hankering for a fabulously deep, rich-toned blush, and as you do when you’re a beauty fiend, I got it in my head that Crush was going to be THE dark berry I needed in my collection. Lo and behold, while scoping it out on the brands site, it turned out to be majorly on sale, as was a beautiful cool-toned fuchsia gloss called Divine (which I will review soon!), so I sucked it up and paid the shipping costs to buy the both of them. It ended up only costing me like $37CAD with tax and shipping, so I still saved a bunch (both the blush and sheer lipglosses are regularly $28CAD approx. and shipping $13 approx. on the site).
When my package arrived, I opened it to find delicious goodness – Crush was exactly what I was hoping for!
At first glance, this shade looks intense, I know. And truth be told, the first time I went to wear it, I was like WHOA! It can get pretty hardcore, as evidenced by the swatch below. However, as long as you remember that you only need the *tiniest* amount to get a full-on flush, you’ll be good to go. I tend to be heavy-handed with blush because a) half the time the shades I wear are better suited to fairer skin, and b) because I FRICKIN’ LOVE BLUSH and just want to smear it everywhere. In any case, I just can’t get all slap-happy with this blush, and the results you get from taking a bit more time to get it right make it all very worthwhile.
The consistency of the blush is soft, smooth and sort of gel-like – likely because of the inclusion of petroleum. I didn’t like the idea of that at first, but I have found that this hasn’t made my skin oily or clogged my pores at all, so no harm, no foul (it also contains fragrance, but so far it hasn’t caused me any grief, thankfully!). In fact, this blush wears terrifically, lasting all day at almost the same strength as when first applied, which I think is due to the way it melds and clings to the skin.
This is an intense shade, no doubt about it, but it can be sheered out beautifully – my application method goes something like this: after applying foundation, very lightly dab a stippling brush into the pan, then dot it along the cheek / cheekbone on both sides of the face. Go back and buff it out for the desired look, and then go over the edges to soften with your foundation brush. I also patted right over the blush with my foundation brush to make sure it looked as natural as possible.
‘Scuse the plain look, I was going for a run, and was running TO a coffee shop to meet friends, so I didn’t want to go totally bare – LOL!
Better? This is me today – I didn’t show a full-face because my hair is all sorts of crazy today for some reason, but you get the gist.
Ahh, this blush is just so great!! Love, love, love. And see how it gives me a pinky tone? I think that with a slightly more concentrated application, it could look more wintery/windblown, but with it’s cream-gel texture and by keeping it more subtle, it is totally spring-appropriate too. The sheerness keeps it fresh and happy
Ingredients for your perusal!
If you’re in the market for a cream blush and/or a berry blush, I would start your hunt with Crush!!
Have you hit the jackpot on a sale item lately? Do you own a fabulous berry blush?
Ending My Coral Blush Addiction (for now) with Senna Sheer Face Color in Clarity
Ever since my major review of all my bronzers and blushes, I’ve been hyper-aware of what shades in which I have more than enough, and in what areas I’m lacking. Unfortunately, I did my review after I purchased yet another coral-toned blush – Senna Sheer Face Color in Clarity. Fortunately for me, it’s quite lovely!!
I had never even heard of the brand Senna until several of my fabulous blogger friends (namely, the lovely ladies behind Makeup Morsels and theNotice) had showcased it in some of their posts. When eBeauty had a boxing day sale, my blush fiendishness got the better of me, and I took the opportunity to order Clarity, a ‘ripe coral.’
Though the pan is quite tiny compared to other blushes, and is $20.50CAD for 0.12oz (for reference, MAC blushes are 0.21oz, and NARS blushes are 0.16oz), I don’t mind. I actually wish more blush would come in these smaller sizes, because that means there’s actually a chance I might finish one!!!
The texture of Clarity is lovely – soft, finely milled, and SO easy to apply and buff out to create a really natural look. Its the kind of blush that works on fair skintones as well as darker ones, as it’s a bright shade with medium pigment, and can be applied lightly or with a heavier hand. To me, this is truly what I picture when I think ‘coral’ – it doesn’t lean orange nor too pink, and is totally gorgeous.
However. I do seem to keep accumulating these kinds of shades, and had to do a comparison to see just how repetitive it would be in my collection. The closest I found were Make Up For Ever’s #12 First Kiss HD Blush, NARS’ Torrid, and Bobbi Brown’s Pot Rouge in Calypso Coral.
Left to right (artificial light): MUFE #12, Bobbi Brown Calypso Coral, Senna Clarity, NARS Torrid
Left to right (natural light): MUFE #12, Bobbi Brown Calypso Coral, Senna Clarity, NARS Torrid
In natural light, the pink tones are much stronger, but I assure you that in person, Clarity is more like the first swatch (though, in the first swatch all of the shades look much more similar – and IRL they’re quite different as evidenced in the second swatch photo). In swatches it’s quite close in color to Calypso Coral, but worn Clarity retains its coral nature, while Calypso Coral does appear more coral-pink. So, not dupes, which eases my mind And of course, Calypso is a cream formula, while Clarity is powder.
I haven’t been wearing Clarity often since I bought it, as I think of it as a spring/summer shade, but I did give it a shot a couple times, and the wear is exceptionally good for my normal-to-slightly oily skin. It’s just such a fresh, inviting shade that truly would work for everyone! If you’re actually in the market for a coral (which, gotta say, I doubt – it seems to be the most popular blush shade EVER), or if you just hoard these tones like I do, I would suggest not to miss Senna’s version, as it’s particularly lovely.
What shades do you keep buying over and over?
Playing Where’s Waldo with My Makeup Collection
Posted by Latoya in Benefit, Blush, Bobbi Brown, Burberry, Chanel, Clinique, CoverFX, Estee Lauder, Illamasqua, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Make-up, Milani, My Collections, NARS, Rouge Bunny Rouge, theBalm, Too Faced on January 9, 2013
I spent two hours – TWO HOURS! – last night, researching what products and shades I should to order from Becca Cosmetics (a brand I’ve yet to try and desperately want to). My (totally logical – I swear!) reason for doing this? To avoid purchasing any shades that were similar to ones I already own. I DID come up with a (very) pared down list, you’ll be happy to hear; if you’re interested (and FYI – the blog Shades of BECCA is a good resource for some swatches):
Papaya Beach Tint $30CAD (hot red)
Fallen Angel Ultimate Color Gloss $29CAD (nude spice)
There were a handful of other products I liked the look of, but in checking out swatches, they seemed to be too close to items I already own (though, c’mon, the brand is gorgeous and I could have easily gone for one of everything!). Which brings me to the point.
You’re all familiar with my organizational obsession right? (and…if you’re new and not aware: Hello! My name is Latoya and YES, I have a problem which manifests itself into a bit of compulsive organization. Could be worse!) Anyway, another problem I have is lack of funds; when you own a home on your own and don’t make the big bucks, things can get tricky. However, I have ANOTHER problem (jeez, someone institutionalize me, will ya?), which is that I love shopping – for cosmetics in particular. Smash the three of these together and what do you get? Well…you get THIS:
My poor broken MAC blush up on the right 
What ‘THIS’ is, is me taking a good look at an area of my makeup collection – specifically blush/bronzers in this instance – and seeing where I have gaps. By gaps, I mean: what shades do I lack that I can justify buying, in order to round out my stash and also quell the burning desire to shop my face off. Ya dig? This fantabulous idea kills three birds three mosquitoes (no one cares about those) with one big-ass swat. I get to organize something*, figure out what shades or products I’m missing, and rationally and systematically purchase new items that are on my wishlist and fit the ‘missing’ bill. BOOM!
*Seriously guys, I joke but….I really like organizing things. So much so, that near the end of the month I’m signing up for a Professional Organizers intro course to see if I’d like to become a professional organizer for realz. It’s THAT serious :S
So, as you can see, I’m starting with blush – because clearly blush is THE BEST EVER and deserves the number one spot for allowing EVEN MORE BLUSH. Because clearly 20 (+ 7 bronzer-type things and 2 mini-blush) are NOT ENOUGH.
(I swear I’m not on the sauce tonight guys – I just feel a little peppy ’cause I’m back into running and signed up for the Ottawa 1/2 Marathon in May…wooo! )
Left to right (flash): Rouge Bunny Rouge Florita, NARS Turkish Red, Illamasqua Tweak; NARS Taj Mahal, Make Up For Ever Blush Powder #25, Illamasqua Lover, Make Up For Ever HD Blush #12 First Kiss
Left to right (flash): NARS Sin, Bobbi Brown Velvet Plum (discontinued shade); MAC Raizin, CoverFX Bronzed FX in Garnet, Burberry Russet, MAC Early Morning
Even with 20+ blush, I can plainly see what shades I’m lacking: A bright red! (NARS Turkish Red is more of a burgundy) A true orange! (NARS Taj Mahal is kind of a burnt orange and quite shimmery) A neutral pink! (…I literally do not own one beige-y pink blush, for shame) A nice deep berry would be lovely! And also – varying formulations! I have NO cheek tints, and only four cream blush. You see, there actually ARE shades/formulas I do not have despite having far more blush than is probably necessary. And then, there are shades I need NO more of, like medium pinks…I have enough of those, yep. I don’t think I need any more bronzers, especially since I rarely wear them and I’m already kinda *ahem* bronze. I only really have a couple coral shades, which tends to be the one a lot of people go gaga for (myself included), but I’ll hold off till the warmer months on thinking about those right now. Same goes for apricot-hued shades.
Left to right (flash): NARS Desire, Illamasqua Unrequited (discontinued shade*), theBalm Down Boy, Chanel Blush Horizon de Chanel, Benefit Bella Bamba, Illamasqua Hussy, Bobbi Brown Calypso Coral, NARS Torrid, theBalm Hot Mama
Left to right (flash): NARS Laguna Illuminator, Too Faced Sun Bunny Bronzing Powder, NARS Laguna Multiple, MAC Refined Golden Bronzing Powder, Milani Sunset Duos in Sunset Beach, Clinique Bronze Uplighting, Estee Lauder Illuminating Gelee in Shimmering Sands
What I’m wondering is, what gaps do YOU see? Since I only have my stash to compare it to, I can’t get a good idea of what I’m missing. What shades can you suggest that I should focus on buying?
I’m planning on doing this little experiment with all my makeup over the next little while, so be prepared: more lame examples of my organizational obsession coming your way! But do come back anyway, because I need your help
Is your makeup collection where you want it to be, or do you have a few gaps you’d like to fill?
Illamasqua’s Unrequited Powder Blusher – I *Might* Never Buy Another Blush
Posted by Latoya in Blush, Illamasqua, Make-up on July 18, 2012
A disclaimer before I begin: the absolute awesomeness of what I’m about to show you is no longer available for purchase. *ducks hurtling objects* I know, I know!!! I normally don’t like to do this, especially when I’m well-aware that the product has been discontinued. However, I really can’t hold back on my excitement and I just really want to share with you, is that ok?? Please don’t hold it against me!!!
Alright. So, once upon a time, about a year ago, there was a girl who owned 8 blush (give or take a few). She really had no interest in accruing any more; blush was kind of a ‘must’ due to no natural flush of her own, but nothing that really sparked her interest. Then, she began seeing swatch upon swatch of HG blushes: shimmery, matte, warm, cool, highlighting, contouring – and suddenly she became intrigued. The word ‘blush fiend’ was thrown around a lot, and somehow a phrase that was supposed to imply something negative, started to sound kind of…fabulous. Time passed, and suddenly the girl woke up to find herself with 3 times the blush she had before, and a MAJOR hankering for many more. It seemed that none could satisfy her lust completely (though she managed to snag a TON of pretties along the way).
Until.
Illamasqua Unrequited
One day, said girl came across a blush that at first, seemed to be just like any other. But, being the blush fiend that she had proudly become, she nevertheless forged ahead and tried it on…..and just like that, she fell hard for THE ONE.
(Ok guys, I can’t write in third person any more, it’s too hard on my head – and to top it off, I’m watching episodes of the discontinued ‘Lipstick Jungle’ series and drinking wine. So yea.)
Unrequited is my fourth Illamasqua powder blusher – I also own Tweak, Hussy, and Lover – and while all of those shades bring joy to my blush loving heart, they do not blow my mind like Unrequited.
Natural light
Flash
Sunlight
The shade of this blush is utter perfection on my skintone – like my ultimate natural flush. It’s soft and demure without being too subtle, and the pink tones compliment my skin – and pretty much any makeup look – in the best way possible.
Artifical light
Sunlight
I just can’t get enough of this shade, I want to wear it every day (and have been)!! It is more powdery than my other Illamasqua blushes, and kicks up a fair bit, but it doesn’t look powdery on the face, and this one small drawback does NOT decrease how much I love this shade even one iota. I suspect that the lighter the color, the more ‘fluffy’ it will be – a similar shade I own (though not as lovely), theBalm Down Boy, has similar issues.
Speaking of Down Boy, here is a comparison, along with Illamasqua’s Hussy:
Left to right: theBalm Down Boy, Illamasqua Unrequited, Illamasqua Hussy (natural light)
Left to right: theBalm Down Boy, Illamasqua Unrequited, Illamasqua Hussy (flash)
Left to right: theBalm Down Boy, Illamasqua Unrequited, Illamasqua Hussy (sunlight)
You can see that Unrequited has a touch of warmth and is a bit deeper than Down Boy, which makes all the difference – truly, this is the ultimate pink blush. I’m always surprized by shades like these, because they look so light on my skin in swatches, but then turn out beautifully on the skin.
If you own Unrequited – good for you! May you use it in good health for the rest of your days (I know I will be)! If you don’t….truly, I’m sorry to rave about this, but it literally *just* was discontinued, and I just can’t get past how much I love it to NOT show it to you! My advice is to find it somewhere, somehow – on eBay, or Makeup Alley – or possibly better yet, find a dupe! And if you do, please let me know, as I’d love to put a note about the shade on this post, I’d feel so much better about my total awfulness.
Do you own Unrequited (please say yes!)? What is your ultimate shade of blush for your skin?
*Product was provided by the Brand’s PR for my unbiased consideration.
You’re Making Me Blush: Rouge Bunny Rouge Original Skin Blush in Florita
Posted by Latoya in Blush, Make-up, Rouge Bunny Rouge on July 5, 2012
Back in May on my birthday, I mentioned that one of the 30 goals for my 30th year was to try 12 new-to-me beauty brands. Since the Burberry haul was a birthday gift to myself, that was considered 1 brand down – today, I bring you the next: a little treat from Rouge Bunny Rouge, an Original Skin Blush in Florita!
It’s easy enough to find brands I’ve never tried, but the real challenge is finding products that I don’t already have. While my stash continues to grow, I’m making every effort to fill any gaps I may have rather than just buying the same shades over and over. Florita was a perfect fit within my blush collection, as I own nothing like the glowing berry shade. The fact that the blush itself is also absolutely wonderful, and it was a major win.
With flash
How cute is the imprint!?
Natural light
RBR describes the Original Skin Blushes as blending with a ‘sheer, melting touch’ for a ‘naturally luminous silky glow.’ *Ooh, sexy* They go on to say that the blush contains active ingredients such as Uhaloa from Hawaii (for long term brightening) and Indian Gooseberry Extract (which guards against free radicals) *Sounds good to me!*. ‘Sheer pearls amplify the creamy soft touch and ensure a limpid glow’ *GAWD, doesn’t that invoke some major imagery??* Lastly, ‘innovative powders entwine with your skin to preserve perfection all day long. Result is ‘your skin but better’ effect; you’ll wonder how you blushed before.’ *Holy smokes. If that’s not a description and a half, I don’t know what is!*
Artificial light
With flash
Ok, so after all that, how does Florita stand up?
First of all, the illuminating formula of this blush is what I wish ALL my blushes would be. It gives me the best glow ever without looking shimmery or glittery in the least. I only have a couple blushes that do this – MAC’s Early Morning Mineralize Blush, and Burberry’s Russet Light Glow Blush (though the latter does come close to being more shimmery than glowy). I just love how this looks on the skin, like you’re just radiating health. The color doesn’t hurt either – it’s a gorgeous berry pink that comes close to how my skin looks when I flush naturally. It’s a deeper tone (they actually recommend the shade for medium or olive skintones), but the blush is so finely milled and so soft that anyone can wear it – it just requires a bit more building on darker skin.
Sorry for the ‘angry face’ here, it was SOO sunny that day!
Squinty-McGee here lol
The only beef I have with this blush is that on me, the wear time is fairly paltry – maybe 5-6 hours? I have a similar issue with my Burberry blush, and I think the culprit is that these shades have such soft tones that even slight fading means they all but disappear on my dark skin. So, I’m not going to hold it against them – it’s my own stupid fault for buying shades that are designed with fair skin in mind. And I have SO much blush now, that reapplying throughout the day sort of appeals to me, because that means I’ll be using it faster. Another bizarre quirk of mine, I know!! lol In any case, I’ve heard much better results from other sources, so I would hazard a guess that on medium to light skintones, you won’t have issue with the wear time at all.
I know some people have an issue with the packaging being sort of cheap, considering the higher price tag (I paid $31 – minus a 20% discount! – from Beauty Habit), but it doesn’t bother me at all – though it’s plastic, it’s sturdy, and it looks pretty to me! As long as it’s not super crappy/gaudy, and the product inside is amazing, I’m happy as a clam I find Illamasqua’s packaging to be of similar quality, but again, the product inside is so terrific that I couldn’t care in the least. It just makes those products (like Burberry ~swoon~) seem that much more luxe.
So. Florita. Wonderful, beautiful shade that I am pleased as punch to own! I really love how it gives my skin such a natural lit-from-within look, and the tone (though prone to fading on me) is just perfect with my skin. The size of the blush is a wee bit on the small size (0.123oz, as opposed to 0.19oz for NARS, 0.15oz for Illamasqua, 0.20 for MAC – though MAC’s Mineralize blushes are 0.10oz) but again – am I ever going to use it all up with all the other shades I have? Doubtful. Overall, it’s a fantastic shade, fantastic formula, and a great introduction to the brand. I was tempted to order some shadows as I’ve heard so much about them, but for the time being resisted. For now…
What do you think of Florita? Have you tried the Rouge Bunny Rouge brand yet? Any suggestions on some must-own products?
Just a Tad Bit Overdue: My Birthday Burberry Haul
Er, so it’s been like what – 18 days since my birthday, plus a few more than that since I received my Burberry items, and I have yet to post about ‘em…WTF? Sorry about that! It’s just that these products are kinda special, you know, and I really wanted to make sure I did a thorough review, with the best photos I could manage and without being too biased, since the general consensus online about Burberry cosmetics is: AWESOME. After giving each piece its fair share of face time (literally), I think I’m finally ready to show you and discuss my recent acquisitions.
First of all, my purchases came housed in a cute little Burberry box, quite sturdy, from Holt Renfew, with a couple sweet extra samples and treats for me to try from the brand – a gorgeous mirrored compact housed in their iconic substantial packaging, two deluxe size samples of their Lip Cover, a sample packet of four of their Lip Mist shades, and a handful of samples of their foundation and concealer, which the SA guessed as using my NARS foundation shade as a reference (as my order was over the phone). The actual products I purchased were: Sheer Eye Shadow in Trench, a pale satin cream shade; Light Glow Blush in Russet, a muted rust shade with a hint of shimmer; and Fresh Glow Luminous Foundation Base, a liquid face illuminator.
When I was trying to figure out which items I was going to purchase, I wanted to be sure that they would be of good value and use in my collection, as of course the products are terribly cheap. I picked Trench eyeshadow ($33CAD) because, interestingly enough, I don’t have one shade like it in my stash. I have a handful of similar, shimmery shades, but I was finding that I had nothing to wear as a brow bone highlight that didn’t look garish or ‘too much’ for every day. I also find that as I tend to wear shimmery eyeshadows on the whole, I prefer a more matte shade to wear under the brow.
Trench is an excellent compliment to almost all of my looks – as it’s not a flat matte (you can see the very slight shimmer in the photos below), it looks very subtle. I’ve been reaching for it almost daily since I got it. As the powder is very smooth and soft, it kicks up a bit of excess but not so much that it’s a problem, and it doesn’t get terribly messy in the pan (pet peeve!).
The color of Trench works really well as a highlight as it’s neither too yellow nor too pink, but very neutral in tone. I think this would work for almost all skintones except very dark for that purpose. I worried a bit that Trench might be too light for me, but as long as I use light hand it works very well. In the 8 months of the year when I’m not tanned, it will be perfect. Note that the shadows are fragrance free.
Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in Trench (Natural Light)
The Light Glow Blush in Russet ($54CAD) looked lovely in swatches, but wasn’t necessarily my first choice out of the possible shades. However, many of the Burberry blushes looked as if they may be too genteel for my darker complexion, which Russet appeared to be substantial enough, which is why I chose it. Note: there IS fragrance in the blushes – a nice, subtle scent I can’t place – but once on the skin it dissipates, and so far it hasn’t caused any issues with my sensitive skin at all.
Russet is a really hard color to capture, and describe, as it’s not quite brown, not quite peachy – its really more a mix of the two, closer to a dusty terracotta but not so orange. I think it’s soft enough to work for many skintones, but I definitely suggest trying it first if you can, especially if you have cooler tones. It does contain shimmer, but on the skin even in sunlight I find it very subtle and enhancing, rather than gaudy, giving the skin a glow rather than an Edward Cullen-like shimmer (so Breaking Dawn Part II isn’t till November – what of it?). Again, the formula of the powder is so soft it kicks up a bit, but no big issues with that. Oh, and if you tap your brush into the pan rather than sweep, you preserve the pretty pattern MUCH better
One thing I really like about this blush is that its a great transitional shade that works for me in several seasons. Right now, it looks very subtle and adds just a lovely warmth to my skin without too much color – it’s great for those days when I’m wearing a strong lip, or if I’m going ‘au naturel’. However, in the Fall months when I lose some of my tan, this will be an excellent shade to wear with deeper Autumnal tones, as it leans somewhat brown and makes me think of the changing leaves. It’s also not SO warm that I can’t wear this during cooler months as well – I can’t wait!
Burberry Light Glow Blush in Russet (Natural Light)
One thing to note about both the shadow and blush are the wear times – for the shadow, I haven’t been paying close attention because I’m only wearing it on the brow, but so far it seems to last most of the day. As for the blush, I have to sadly report that the wear time is not great – by midday it’s faded quite a bit (over powdered skin) – but somehow it still leaves my skin with a warmth to it. I suspect the reason it seems to fade away is that it’s already quite subtle on me; when my tan fades I will investigate further and see if it seems to be apparent for a longer time period.
Burberry Sheer Eye Shadow in Trench, Light Glow Blush in Russet (Natural Light)
Burberry Sheer Eye Shadow in Trench, Light Glow Blush in Russet (With Flash)
Since Holts was having a GWP of sorts with Burberry when I ordered, I had to get another item to get in on the deal, so I picked the Fresh Glow Luminous Foundation Base ($66CAD) since I had read rave reviews about it previously on Cafe Makeup. The packaging is statuesque – I love having this on display as it looks so pretty
The product comes out via a pump dispenser that gives just the right amount, no overkill here at all. Its a pale, shimmering creamy shade that is fairly neutral, meaning it doesn’t lean too pink or too golden, making it exceptionally wearable for almost everyone. It’s also fairly sheer in application, so even very dark skin can wear it without it looking ashy.
I’ve been experimenting with this several different ways, applying it under my foundation, over it, mixing it WITH my foundation, and wearing it on bare skin. To be honest, I haven’t seen much of a difference either way – it’s very subtle. However, when I swatched it for this post, I realized that this product must be GENIUS, because its CLEARLY noticeable in these shots and has some decent shimmer going on. But worn on my face, not ONCE have I looked glittery or obviously wearing some sort of highlighting product, so…? I guess it’s just that good? I just don’t notice much of a glow happening either, but then again, I’m already a touch oily so I’m not exactly begging for it. One thing I will say is that using this on top of foundation is not really the way to go – I found it hard to blend and THEN I was able to see an outline of shimmer versus my natural skin. It needs to be rubbed in without fear of taking the makeup itself off, so either go for it beforehand or add it to your foundation.
Lastly, we have the Lip Cover shades, which I will just touch on as I’ve only worn one of them so far, and this post is already WAY too long! Rosewood is a medium rose-mauve shade, which typically doesn’t look great on my skintone, and is why I haven’t tried it yet. Cameo Pink is a soft coral-pink shade that looks really natural on me – it’s nearly a MLBB shade but is a hair too light this time of year to be so. It feels fantastic on the lips; really creamy and smooth, hydrating and lightweight, and I find after its been on for a few minutes it really melds with the skin to look super natural. There is no scent that I can detect. I’m already planning to pick up some full-size shades when I can – it won’t be a cheap buy at $36CAD, but they feel so luxurious and wonderful that I can’t resist!
Burberry Lip Cover in Cameo Pink and Rosewood
Burberry Lip Cover in Rosewood and Cameo Pink (with flash)
Wearing Burberry Lip Cover in Cameo Pink (sunlight)
Like many others, the packaging is what really grabs me about the Burberry products. I’m not a huge fan of the Burberry pattern in clothing (though I don’t dislike it at all), but the gunmetal metallic cases with the design are so striking and just feel SO elegant (and of course the repeating design on the powders themselves – to die!). The magnetic snap closures are divine and so satisfying to close shut – so lame but you know you love it!
And of course…they look awfully pretty on
Wearing Russet Light Glow Blush, Cameo Pink Lip Cover, and Trench Sheer Eye Shadow (sunlight)
I had to add this photo because I’m making the most hilarious face…but it’s a good example of how the Russet blush warms up my face – and also I thought it was good for a laugh 
Finally. This post has been weighing on my mind for weeks – I hope did these products justice! My overall thoughts are that I’ll probably pick up a few more shadow shades over time; I may check out more of the blushes, but only if I see them in person; the luminizer is either the most genius product ever made, or a total waste of my money; and the lipsticks are absolutely phenomenal and a few full-size ones will be joining my lippie stash in the very near future. If nothing else, I’m getting some serious pleasure just looking at these items in my stash – they’re just beyond lovely!
What do you make of the Burberry products? Worth the hype (packaging)? Are there any items that you’re lemming?
Spring Look: Pretty Pastels from MAKE UP FOR EVER
Posted by Latoya in Blush, Eyeshadow, Make Up For Ever, Make-up, Spring 2012 on May 5, 2012
I know that in the beauty and fashion world, we’ve come to a point where shades and styles are almost season-less: we wear red lips in Summer, shorts in Winter, and bronzed skin year-round. But I still associate certain color palettes with particular seasons, and pastels and Spring just ‘go’ together for me.
Though for most of my beauty-loving life I’ve favored rich, deep, jewel-toned shades in makeup and nails, lately I’ve been loving pops of bright color. Every shade I’m drawn to these days are some happy forms of orange, or pink, or blue, and my stash, previously devoid of these brights, is slowly showing some change. My starting point for make up came from MAKE UP FOR EVER with three perfectly pastel shades: Chartreuse (#57), Light Blue (#118), and Pearly Orange (#25) ($23CAD ea.).
Pearly Orange is described as an ‘apricot orange sheen’ and I think this is pretty accurate. You can wear this shade on either eyes or cheeks – I find on eyes the shimmer is less noticeable than on cheeks. It provides a more sheer veil of color and is a great way to wear this year’s color of the year (Tangerine Tango) in a soft, subtle way.
Chartreuse, another sheen, is not as yellow as some shades with the same name – it’s more wearable than those versions and gives a soft veil of color to the lids. I think this color would look particularly lovely on someone with blue eyes! The sheen in this shade is quite subtle.
Light Blue is described as ‘vibrant’ and that is the case with this sky blue shade. Though it doesn’t specify online, I think this shade is a matte – there is no discernible shimmer to my eye that I can see.
MAKE UP FOR EVER eyeshadows/blushes are pigment-rich and wear ages even without a primer. I did find that the two ‘sheen’ shades had less density and I had to build the color up a bit. On a more fair skintone, this probably won’t be much of an issue. A tip Dany (MUFE creator) suggests for darker skin is to first apply a light-colored base shade so that the following shade shows up better and allows for more dimension. I haven’t tried this trick yet but I see it being quite effective.
Top to Bottom: #118 Light Blue, #57 Chartreuse, #25 Pearly Orange (sunlight)
Top to Bottom: #118 Light Blue, #57 Chartreuse, #25 Pearly Orange (with flash)
I found that the more sheer nature of these shades actually suited quite well, as pastels worn as a wash of color look perfectly pretty and romantic. I’ve tried each of these colors and all wore all day without primer and with only slight fading. I tried #25 Pearly Orange today as a blush and it was a little bit shimmery for my taste, but in the evening I think it would be lovely.
Another great way to wear these shades is a technique suggested by MAKE UP FOR EVER:
1) Apply a nude shadow from lash line to crease
2) Sweep a pastel eye color from inner corner of eyelid to the outer corner of the eye , extending just above the crease while keeping outer corner open
3) To add an extra pop of color, try also applying shadow to lower lash line
4) Add mascara!
I have yet to try out this technique, but will do so this week and post pictures! I think it will look really fun
What do you think about pastel shades? Have you tried them before? How do you wear them?
*Products in this post were provided by the PR / brand for my unbiased consideration*
The Only Spring Blushes You’ll Ever Need: Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Lover and Hussy
Posted by Latoya in Blush, Illamasqua, Make-up on April 30, 2012
While waiting for our late afternoon flight to Jamaica (which is the WORST, waiting all day to go on vacation!!), I was catching up on emails and saw that Illamasqua was having an Easter Egg hunt on their website. That day’s deal was five powder blush that were half-price (£8.25 from £16.50 – approx. $13.25CAD from $26.50CAD), and two of the shades were super-popular colors Lover and Hussy. Of course, I snatched them up quickfast.
I had a REALLY tough time photographing these shades, no matter what lighting and camera setting I used. The photo above is the closest I could get; they look less dusty in real life, and are a bit brighter and lighter than shown here.
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Lover
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Lover (with flash)
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Lover (sunlight)
Lover is described as a soft apricot, and has a matte finish. The close-up shot of Lover in sunlight is the most accurate, though it’s a touch more orange in real life. I thought this might be close to MUFE#12, but that shade is far more peach in tone, and darker.
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Hussy
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Hussy (with flash)
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Hussy (sunlight)
Hussy is described as a bright candy pink, and also has a matte finish. Hussy’s description is bang-on and looks like the perfect pink blush that runs neither too cool nor warm. The close-up with flash is more accurate here. I thought this might match theBalm’s Down Boy, but that shade is wayyy lighter and more cool-toned pink than this!
Illamasqua Powder Blushers in Lover (left) and Hussy (right) – with flash
Illamasqua Powder Blushers in Lover (left) and Hussy (right) – sunlight
Illamasqua Powder Blushers in Lover (left) and Hussy (right) – sunlight
I was worried that Lover would be too pale for my skintone, and it’s borderline too light with my tan. If I layer it, it gives me a really subtle flush which I actually don’t mind at all – most of my blushes are quite pigmented and colorful, so it’s nice to have this pretty option. Once my tan fades, I don’t think the softness of the shade will be much of a problem. The tone of lover once layered looks less orange and more peachy-pink when applied to my skin, as you can see below. I’m curious to see how it looks in the Fall when I’ve got less color.
Hussy comes out much more warm on my cheeks than it looks like in the swatches above. It comes close to looking like a light-handed application of Tweak, another Illamasqua shade I own. However, I appreciate that with Hussy I don’t have to be so careful in the application, and it might be better suited for lighter skintones than Tweak (though it’s still a gorgeous blush as well!).
Heh, after looking at these shots, both shades look pinky – trust me that in person, they are entirely different. Sometimes I find that my skin makes blush tones turn kinda pinky overall – like lipsticks sometimes turn red or pink on others. Sorry about that!
When I purchased Tweak, though I was enamoured with the shade, I found the texture of the blush to be kind of hard and I had to use a light hand to get the look I wanted. With these shades, I’ve found a new appreciation for Illamasqua blushes, as they go on easily and blend with no problems. They’re intensely pigmented, like NARS blushes; but unlike NARS blushes, there is no shimmer or glitter which can sometimes make them less wearable. These particular shades are going to get some MAJOR use in my regular rotation, as they’ll go with just about any look I create – particularly fresh Spring looks! I definitely recommend BOTH of these shades as an addition to your collection!!
Do you own any Illamasqua blushes? Do you prefer shimmery blushes or matte ones? What’s your go-to Spring blush?
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