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?