Blush Collection - Hot Pink

top: Smashbox Blush in Radiance, MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in Band of Roses
middle: Nars Blush in Mata Hari, Bobbi Brown Blush in Pale Pink
bottom: Sleek Blush by 3 in Pink Sprint

There is something about a hot pink blush that I find irresistible. To many it may look a bit scary or intimidating, because of course no one wants to have bright clown cheeks. But a hot pink blush applied lightly and blended well gives such a pretty and healthy look to the cheeks. It is absolutely gorgeous in summer, but also works all year round. These are some of my favourites from my collection.

l to r: Radiance, pink side of Band of Roses, Mata Hari, Pale Pink, center shade from Pink Sprint

Smashbox Blush in Radiance - This was the first blush I purchased in my experimentation with the shade. I purchased this so long ago, and the packaging/formulation has since changed so I'm not exactly sure if the new version (called Blush Rush in Radiance) is exactly the same or not, but it looks similar on the website. Anyways, it is safe to say that this product started my fascination. It looks beautiful on the cheeks and easily blends into a soft rosy cheek. It gives a soft matte finish - no shine. I love it.

MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in Band of Roses - I believe this is from an old MAC collection, but I found it relatively recently on Beyond the Rack. The swatch above is just of the pink side on the left of this compact. This blush is a bit shimmery, but it gives a really pretty glow in the cheeks.

Nars Blush in Mata Hari - I actually wore this one on my wedding day! Of course I blended it in so it wasn't quite as vibrant on the cheek. I read in one of Bobbi Brown's makeup books to use a neutral blush, layered with a bright on the apple of the cheek for a flattering, natural blush look, so that is what I did, using Mata Hari as the bright. It is a bit deeper and more on the berry shade than the other pinks, but still vibrant and gorgeous.

Bobbi Brown Blush in Pale Pink - I think this is one of the more popular and well known blush shades in the Bobbi Brown collection. I only purchased it this year, but it is a great addition to my collection. The shade really livens up my face.

Sleek Blush by 3 in Pink Sprint - The swatch above is just the shade in the center which is called Pink Ice. This pink is super intense. Honestly, out of all of these, this is the one that is trickiest to apply. It is so pigmented. I actually don't reach for it that often because I'm afraid of accidentally over-applying when I'm in a rush in the morning. All three shades in the palette are really gorgeous though. If you want a high-pigmented blush, you should cheek out the Sleek palettes!

Do you have any favourite bright pink blushes to recommend?

Thanks for reading!

Neutral Eyeshadows - NARS

In attempts to use some of my older products that I have not been paying too much attention to, as of late, I went rummaging through the drawer where I store many of my eyeshadow singles. These often get overlooked as I normally reach for a palette, just out of convenience. Most of the shadows that I have from NARS are in single form. I have a couple of small palettes and duos, but the single shadows are always amazing, with their creamy texture and great blendability. Anyways, I thought I would talk about some of my favourite neutrals that NARS offers. I actually don't have any brights, so while I love the neutrals, they are also all I have!

l to r: Barritz, Cairo, Ashes to Ashes, Lhasa, Bali, Galapagos

Barritz - this is a perfect "blank canvas" type of shadow for me. You can barely see it in the swatch above, but it is there! I like to blend this over my entire lid, up to the brow before I apply any colour. 

Cairo - this is a rosy taupe shade with a bit of shimmer. Really pretty to blend out darker colours or as a lid colour. 

Ashes to Ashes - this is one of those "taupe-y, brown-y, mauve-y, not quite sure what to call it" colour. Actually, it is very similar to Cairo, but definitely darker. It is really pretty as an allover lid colour, or blended into the crease.

Lhasa - this leans more towards grey. It has a bit of a tinge towards lavender as well. It is also more cool than I'm used to wearing, but it really is a pretty neutral on all eye colours.

Bali - this is more of a brown-taupe, and is more of a matte. I love this for darkening the outer corner and for blending into the crease for a more smokey look.

Galapagos - this is a gorgeous warm deep brown with gold sparkle in it. Don't be afraid of the sparkle though - it looks like a lot in the pan, but once on your eye, it blends beautifully. I really like this one all over the lid or just along the lashline.

Now that I've taken inventory of all my neutral NARS shadows, I'm thinking it is time to run out and add some colour to my collection!

Thanks for reading!

NARS Pierre Hardy Blush Palette

If you are looking for an absolutely gorgeous new blush for summer, you need to take a look at the new NARS Pierre Hardy Blush Palette in Boys Don't Cry. I had heard about this new collection coming out, and had seen photos of the products, but when I swatched this blush, I had to get it.

The collection consists of two blushes - Rotonde and Boys Don't Cry, as well as several nail polish duos. I'm on a bit of a hiatus as far as purchasing nail polishes, so I skipped looking at those. However, the blushes are gorgeous!

top: Rotonde
bottom: Boys Don't Cry
source: Sephora

left: heavily swatched
right: blended out

As you can see from the above swatch, this blush is extremely pigmented, as are most Nars blushes. A light hand is definitely necessary! Blended out however, the look is a gorgeous, healthy, peachy pink cheek that is perfect for summer. Once applied, I wondered if I had something similar to this. I thought perhaps it was similar to MAC's Stereo Rose, which I had picked up recently when it was re-promoted as part of a collection. So I did a couple of comparison swatches:

l to r: Boys Don't Cry, MAC Stereo Rose, Tarte Achiote

Boys Don't Cry is the most vibrant of the bunch. Stereo Rose, while it also gives a peachy pink cheek, it is more shimmery, and less vibrant. Tarte Achiote is probably the most similar colour I own, however, it does not give the same intensity. You might not need to pick up the Nars version if you have Achiote, but I'm sure glad to have it in my collection!

Thanks for reading!

I've Hit Pan!

Ok, so I do have a huge bag of empties that I have been saving up for an empties post, but for now, I've decided to show the makeup items that I have hit pan on. We all know that empties posts mainly consist of hair and skincare, as makeup items can be difficult to use up, and I wanted to show you what the product looks like, before it is completely gone. Not to mention, even though I have hit pan on all of these items, some will not make it to my bag of empties for quite some time still. So here we go...

clockwise from top left: MAC Eyeshadow in Phloof!, Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Pink Mosaic, Make Up For Ever Mat Bronze #20, Kiko Makeup Milano Soft Focus Compact Wet & Dry Mineral Foundation in #3, NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat Powder Foundation 01 Ivory, It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation in Fair
center: Nars Blush in Orgasm

The Powder Foundations

l to r: It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation in Fair, Kiko Makeup Milano Soft Focus Compact Wet & Dry Mineral Foundation in #3, NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat Powder Foundation 01 Ivory

I have been trying a lot of new powder foundations lately. It is so quick and easy to buff on a powder and then be done with foundation. For over ten (!!!) years, I was extremely loyal to the pressed powder mineral foundation from Pur Minerals, as it gives amazing coverage, and holds up very well on my oily skin. However, they have recently reformulated, and I'm not as impressed with the new version. So I have been on the hunt for something to take it's place. 

I actually like all three of the above products. It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation is definitely the winner for me. If price is a concern, the NYX version is very good as well, at a fraction of the price. I picked up the Kiko powder when travelling to Italy, as it is an Italian brand that I do not believe is available in North America. While it is a nice product, it doesn't bother me too much that I cannot replace it once it is all gone. 

Out of these three powders, the only one that I have already repurchased is the It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation. It has very nice full coverage and doesn't look too cake-y, as powders sometimes can. I do have several other brands of powder foundation on my wishlist to try in the future. I'm always interested in seeing if there is something that I will like better.

The Cheek & Eye Products

clockwise: Nars Blush in Orgasm, Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Pink Mosaic, Make Up For Ever Mat Bronze in #20, MAC Eyeshadow in Phloof!

Nars Blush in Orgasm

This is actually my second time buying this product, as I do think it is a staple. The first time I bought this blush, my collection was significantly smaller, so I wore it all the time and therefore it was very easy to use it all up and immediately repurchase. Although I have hit pan and obviously made a very large dent in this one, I likely won't be finished with it anytime soon as I have so many other options these days. 

Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Pink Mosaic

You might have seen this in my Top 5 - Highlighters post the other day. I love this highlighter and it has lasted an extremely long time. I use the top and left shades more as a blush, and the bottom and right shades as a highlight. I haven't tried any of the other Shimmer Blocs, but of course they are gorgeous as well.

Make Up For Ever Mat Bronze in #20

I purchased this bronzer less than a year ago, but used it pretty much everyday last summer. It is probably a bit light for me, but I don't mind as it makes it a bit harder for me to go overboard. I bought this matte product with the intention of using it for contour, but it is also great for helping my face match my body when I have been using self-tanning products. I recently picked up a Bobbi Brown matte bronzer that is very comparable to this product, except perhaps a bit deeper so I likely will not repurchase this MUFE version when it is finished.

MAC Eyeshadow in Phloof!

This MAC eyeshadow basically goes with anything and is a perfect shimmery highlight, so it is easy to reach for it on a daily basis. I would recommend this as a nice basic to have.

I used to get so sad hitting pan on some of my favourite makeup products as I always wanted them to last forever, but now, with so many new and exciting things coming out, it is great to know you have enjoyed and really gotten your money's worth out of everything you buy.

Thanks for reading!

Top 5 - Blushes

I've accumulated a decent sized makeup collection over the years, so I thought it would be interesting to go through it and see what my favourites are. I'm thinking of posting my top 5 lists for various categories, such as lipsticks, eyeshadows, bronzers, etc. I read a few posts, quite some time ago, by Will Work for Makeup where she compared her top 5 lists to the lists she made in previous years, and thought it was a fun idea to see how your tastes change, or if they stay the same. 

I'll start with blushes. Just by taking a quick look at what I have, it is obvious that I prefer pinkish berry tones, and especially deeper shades. Even with my pale skintone, I think these are super-flattering on me. I just have to remember to use a lighter application with those deeper shades. 

clockwise from top right: theBalm Down Boy, It Cosmetics Matte Sweet Apple,
Inglot Face Blush #54, Tarte Blushing Bride, Nars Sin

Of course no blush favourites list (in my opinion), could be complete without something from Nars and Tarte. These brands just make extremely beautiful blushes, and are super popular. I actually purchased Tarte's Blushing Bride with the intentions of wearing it for my wedding, but ended up using Nars' Sin, layered with their brighter pink shade Mata Hari. I think it was in Bobbi Brown's makeup book that I read about creating the perfect cheek by layering a bright over a neutral, so that is what I was aiming for with this combination. 

The Inglot and It Cosmetics blushes are must-try products. Such beautiful colour payoff. The It Cosmetics blush is actually a powder stain for the cheek, so it is a bit unique in that regard. 

I've been obsessed with theBalm lately, and have collected a good portion of their whole collection! I haven't been disappointed with any of their products. 

swatches are in the same order as above,
from top to bottom:
theBalm, It Cosmetics, Inglot, Tarte, Nars

What are your favourite blushes?

Thanks for reading!