A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Clinique are all about the chub nowadays aren’t they?  All of the chub, all of the time.  Chubby lips, chubby eyes, and now chubby cheeks.  Of course, they should have started with the cheeks really… I mean, whoever heard of chubby lips anyway?

The Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balms are a continuation of the rest of the chubby family, perfect for on-the-go application and chucking in a weekend bag.  There are presently only four shades in the range, but there’s enough variation that it should be easy to choose the right one for you.

The Chubby Stick’s domed tip glides effortlessly across the cheek, delivering a well-sized stroke of colour with good pigment from just a single swipe.  Once applied, the cream formula is easily blended with either your fingertips or a brush.  I prefer to initially blend for placement with a clean finger before ensuring that the edges are smooth with my foundation brush.

Despite the aforementioned cream formula, the sticks are holding up well during our current heatwave and showing no signs of quality degradation, sweating or any other unfortunate things that makeup can do at this time of year.  The formula is second-to-none – it feels only creamy, never greasy and despite being oil-free, there’s no streaking or dragging on the skin.  The blush delivers a fresh, glowy look that flatters my skin without emphasising my pores or exacerbating my dryness.

The four shades swatched above are as follows:

Robust Rhubarb – a pretty coral
Amp’d Up Apple – a tawny rose
Roly Poly Rosy – a vibrant, warm pink
Plumped Up Peony – a deep plum

In the shot below, I’m wearing Roly Poly Rosy to complement my lipstick, also by Clinique (Chubby Stick Intense in Plushest Punch).

Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balms are priced at £19 each, available online now from clinique.co.uk and in stores from 1st August 2014

* press sample

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When I first read about the innovative formulation of these delightful new blushers from Clinique, I was naturally a little sceptical.  I mean, most new releases nowadays claim to go beyond the realms of technology in a quest to deliver cosmetics that are like nothing you’ve ever used before.  That’s standard industry bullshit and we all know it.

The thing is though, I actually do believe that Estée Lauder Companies, Inc may indeed have robbed some faraway land of their makeup pixies…

First of all, Estee Lauder come out with the most brilliantly formulated lipsticks I’ve tried in a while, now swiftly followed by Clinique’s rather wondrous new Cheek Pops.  But what exactly is so marvellous about them?  Read on and I’ll tell you…

To begin with, they look bloody incredible, don’t they?  The fine detail in the gerbera daisy design is exquisite.  Completely frivolous and by-the-by, of course… but when has such kerb appeal ever been a bad thing?

The powder texture has an unusual quality… most definitely a powder in formula but in application?  Much more like a cream or gel finish.  It’s translucent and utterly buildable.  Pale girls rejoice, the Clinique team have created a wonderful balance between ethereal and pigmentation.

The depth of colour that you apply to your cheeks is very controllable.  I suffer from the horrors of one swipe with the brush often being too much once applied to my face, for these…. I can comfortably layer on a single swipe and then return to the pan for a second dusting over the apple of my cheek.  It’s a rare joy.

Even the swatches above show the rather lovely translucent nature of the pigmentation, they’re sheer but not lacking in oomph.  You can visually appreciate the quality and luminosity of the skin below the swatch which gives a far more natural and realistic blush effect once on the cheeks than most powder blushers can even dream of achieving.

The four shades available range from the candy-inspired to the more natural warmth.  My personal favourite is the cool-toned and punchy Plum Pop which carries a subtle river of silver iridescence.  Lasting power on these varies a little… the brighter shades generally offer a bit more of a stain-effect that is still present in the evening, while the more subtle and neutral Ginger Pop has disappeared from my cheeks by bedtime.

Clinique’s Cheek Pops are priced at £16.50 and available to purchase now on counter and online from clinique.co.uk

* press sample

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I’m not the world’s biggest Spring/Summer collections fan, I have the kind of complexion that needs contrast… it needs bold colour, the kind that you’re more likely to find in collections released toward the end of the year rather than the beginning.  That being said, I’m nothing if not a total sucker for palettes with a delicate amount of sparkle to brighten and highlight.

The Suqqu Spring/Summer 2014 Collection* is is my first experience of Suqqu’s colour makeup, it’s not a brand that’s stocked within 80-miles of where I live and when it comes to flying-visits to Selfridges in London, I’ve only ever peeked with curiosity at the much-lauded brush range that the Japanese brand are famous for producing.

It’s with this in mind that I’m approaching my post by placing more emphasis on the overall impression of the products, their textures… their longevity and blendability, than I am the colours that come and go depending on seasonal releases.  I hope this is ok, I’ve included plenty of photos to show this year’s Spring Summer shades but my curiosity was mostly centred-upon trying to work out for myself whether or not the legendary SUQQU quality lives up to my inflated expectations.

The pieces I received* from the Suqqu SS14 Collection are shown in the photo above, from left to right: Smoothing Face Color, Sirakoucha EX05 Nail Polish, Mitsucha 15 Eyeshadow Quad, Usubeni EX-03 Creamy Glow Moist Lipstick, and Momoshuiro 01 Balancing Cheeks Blusher.

I’ll start by focusing on the Balancing Cheeks Blusher (£38.00) below, and will say outright that for me… it was my favourite item in the collection.

Looking at both the product in the pan, and the swatches on the back of my hand… I was sure that I’d struggle to get the colour to show up on my pale but prone-to-ruddiness cheeks.  I was wrong.  When I’m reviewing something that may end up in someone spending £38 on a blusher, you can be sure that I take my responsibility seriously… and that extends to doing something I might not ordinarily do.  I used the cheek brush that comes with the product.  Interestingly, so should you.

The textures of the blushers are incredibly soft and they kick up a lot of dust… the powder needs the touch of a whisper-light brush, and one is thankfully included in the pan.  Infact, despite owning some beautiful, and rather expensive blush brushes… the one that comes included with this duo is softer than anything else in my collection.  The colour glides on beautifully.  I ended up using the warmer and paler of the two shades in the traditional blusher “stripe” configuration before blending the slightly sparklier pink (pan on the right) into the apples of my cheeks and drawing upwards as you would use a highlighter.

Longevity is day-long.  I just can’t give any complaints about this product… except to say that it’s more money than I’ve ever spent on a blusher before and I’m just not sure I could bring myself to part with almost £40 for 4g of product.  If you could, then you should give the range a once-over on counter.

The next item under scrutiny is the Eyeshadow Quad, Mitsucha 15 (£45.00) – a warm-toned palette with an incredible luster and grown-up sparkle.  The depth of pigmentation is perfect here, no matter which shade my brush picked up… I felt that I had – as if by voodoo – managed to transfer just the right amount of product from pan to brush each and every time!  The only occasion I returned to the palette was at the end of my application just to add a little more of the gold (top left) shade to the centre of my lid after blending the crease.

Overall, the shades in Mitsucha 15 wouldn’t be my first choice but this is a personal opinion on what suits me.  The texture, quality and luminosity delivered by the palette is second-to-none.  This is grown-up stuff for those of us who aren’t willing to give up on sparkle and highlight but appreciate that our eyelids are a little too mature for the same heavy glitters or metallics that we used to favour.

The formula reminds me a little of how the Clarins eyeshadows suit my personal tastes, but with an undeniable added refinement brought about by the fact that with no primer applied, these shades didn’t move a centimetre in over 9-hours of wear.  For the perfect quad of shades, I would be willing to part with the £45.00 required to get my hot little hands on the product.

I hope you don’t mind but I’ll be covering the SUQQU polish in another post, I’d just freshly painted my nails the day before taking these swatch shots and I couldn’t give up an hours-old manicure just yet!

The Smoothing Face Color (£50.00) is an interesting concept, featuring a trio of shades that combine together to deliver a three-in-one solution to help beat complexion imperfections.  The white powder on the right contains green pearls to create a “photography reflector effect” diffusing light and blurring imperfections.  The larger, central beige powder is a finely-milled, non-pearlescent powder that helps create “smooth-looking skin without visible pores”.  Finally, the pinker shade on the left aims to correct uneven skintone and discoloration.

Ultimately, it doesn’t leave me tempted.  It’s a lovely, lightweight powder that delivers the “smoothing” finish it promises but I just couldn’t justify the price difference between this and some of my other luminosity-delivering finishing powders in my collection.  I’m already a huge fan of Guerlain’s meteorites range and Clarin’s regular releases of LE face powders (not the “blush” ones).

The final piece from the SS14 collection I’m reviewing today is the Usubeni EX-03 Creamy Glow Moist Lipstick (£27.00) with its sheer, balm-like formula.  Again, this isn’t one that would tempt me into a purchase, I simply need more pigmentation than this lipstick provides, but if you’re a fan of balms and want a polished-look from a fuss-free formula that genuinely leaves lips feeling better conditioned at the end of the day… I’d make it another one to check out on counter.

And finally, a couple of shots showing how the products look once applied.  Combined, they achieve a Spring look that is understated but fresh and luminous.

I haven’t been disappointed by my introduction to Suqqu.  The quality is evident from the first touch… not just in the sleek packaging but in the high-tech textures and long-lasting formulas.  The introduction has made me question just how much of my own cash I’d be willing to part with to pay for the kind of quality that a range like this provides… and how much more discerning I’d force myself to be when faced with the prospect of spending £50 on a face powder.

Ultimately, it’s a range that is more than worthy of the hype that surrounds it, particularly when it comes to the kind of products that would benefit from technologically-advanced, lighter textures.  Next time I’m in London, I’ll be checking out the base products.

The Suqqu Spring/Summer 2014 range is available to buy on-counter in Selfridges and online at selfridges.com

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In all my years of makeup-hustling, I’ve never once gotten used to the idea of applying cream blush with my fingers.  On paper, how hard could it be?  Dap, dap, rub, rub, rub.  A child could do it…

Except, that my blush-fearing soul has the tendency to rub a little too hard and I always – not occasionally – but ALWAYS end up blending the colour away to nothingness.  My fear of being clowned by a blush knows no bounds, my uber-ghostly complexion simply won’t allow for mistakes and after lots of experimenting, I usually revert back to my “safe” blushers.

Clarins Multi-Blush Cream Blushes are particularly kind to blush-fearing souls like me.  When you usually read a statement like that, you can scan between the lines for the word “sheer” and discover it, but not in this case.  It’s not that these blushes are for wimpy types, it’s more than they have a magical ability to blend themselves.

“Oh, hang on!  Let’s not carried away here… blend themselves?  Are we talking revolutionary-style, robotic blushes with superhuman capabilities?”

Err, not quite… it’s just that they’re so damn blendy, it feels as though they’re doing more of the work than you are.  These new blushes, due on counter next month, are incredibly lightweight and enriched with floral waxes from rose, mimosa, jojoba, and sunflower to help create a flawless application over even the most dehydrated of skin-types.

I’ve got two shades sat in front of me: Grenadine, on the left in the picture above is a warm pink-coral, and Rosewood is more your skin-friendly neutral rose.

Both pans are generously sized with plenty of room for fingers (or brushes) to get right in there without the need for contortion and each compact comes complete with a mirror.  I’m wearing Grenadine today and I need to tell you about how completely curious it feels to apply…

When you apply a cream blush, you can feel your skin move under your fingers… there’s a resistance against the motion of application.  Using my index and middle fingers together for application here, my finger pads glide over my cheeks and nothing moves underneath.  The application feels bone-dry to the touch, almost as though I’m applying a powder in the oddest of ways, except that when I’m done… there’s no patchiness, just a smooth and even application of colour.

I tell ya, this stuff has been formulated with fairy-pee.  You need to get to a counter and try it yourself, then you’ll all be… “AHHHHH! I can see what she means now!”

Well, you’ll be pleased to hear that you won’t have long to wait…

The new Clarins Multi-Blush Cream Blushes arrive on-counter and online in February as part of the new Opalescence Spring collection.  They’ll be available in four shades: 01 Peach, 02 Candy, 03 Grenadine, 04 Rosewood and priced at £18 each. 

Go for a snoop and tell me what you think!

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Give it a couple more months and we won’t need to use blusher.  The faux Jack-Frost-has-been-pinching-your-cheeks look will be served up daily by Mother Nature.  In the mean-time, Clinique have a rather lovely solution to inject some colour into our cheeks!

First things first, it’s a thing of beauty in the pan.  I mean, look at it.  Look!  I never tire of pretty makeup…

Considering I struggled like hell to cut out pastry leaves that actually looked anything like leaves for the top of my apple pie last week, you can colour me impressed by Clinique’s ability to craft a bleedin’ poppy into their blusher pans.  You don’t want me to spoil that pristine surface do you?

Tough.  Here’s a swatch:

Plum Poppy makes for a soft-neutral shade with enough pink in it to ensure that it’s a flattering choice for cool skin-toned girls like myself.  The pink keeps the colour looking fresh, rather than muddy as some plums (including the much-loved NARS Sin) tend to turn against my complexion.  There’s a slight iridescence to the formula that translates nicely once on the skin, giving a subtle highlight without any over-the-top shimmer or sparkle.

The texture is soft and picks up easily on a brush.  For application, I prefer to use a stippling brush… just for a lighter touch as I do tend to be a little heavy-handed and Plum Poppy doesn’t take too much effort to build into a natural-looking flush.

The brand actually market this as an “all-over color” as well as a blush, meaning that you could… if you wanted to…. wear this all over your face.  In my opinion, it’s far too pigmented for that kind of application but hey, whatever tickles your pickle!

Clinique Fresh Bloom All Over Color in Plum Poppy is priced at £26 and is available to buy on counter and online at johnlewis.com

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I live in a little town on the South coast which is currently being inundated with politicians and media types thanks to a certain hotly-contended by-election taking place next week.  It’s become a bit of a silly hoo-haa and supplies are running rather low as I daren’t visit the supermarket out of genuine fear that Dave Cameron or Boris Johnson might pop up over the meat counter to canvass my opinion.  A frightening thought.

Infact, my sister-in-law was enjoying a quiet lunch in a local-to-her-school pub the other day when half of the BBC descended en-masse.  I’m just pleased that I elected to conduct my vote via the postal system and can barricade myself indoors until the circus has left town.

Which brings me rather nicely to today’s review of an intriguing product from Lipstick Queen…

Honest Politician is a shade from the brand’s Oxymoron Matte Gloss range.  Matte?  Gloss?  How can it be…  Well, the clue is in the title.  An oxymoron, it most definitely is.  Housed in a cheap-looking acrylic compact, Honest Politician is a neutral-based stain that can be applied to both the lips and the cheeks.  To all intents and purposes, it feels like a gloss during application yet dries to a (somewhat) matte finish once on the skin.

The formula is quite dry and since I’ve been recovering from being quite poorly over the last 10 days, neither my skin nor my lips are in the best condition to do it justice.  Both lips and skin need to be flake-free and my lips are in a state thanks to my complete disregard of doing anything to prevent dehydration.

As such, the FOTD below shows me wearing Honest Politician over a slathering of Lanolips.  You’ll have to Google Image search for a lip swatch of the product on bare lips, it does have a slightly less glossy finish than my FOTD would suggest.

Shade-wise, I’d describe Honest Politician as being a pinky mauve-brown, rendering it thoroughly useful in an arsenal of office-appropriate tones.  It’s not the most exciting product in the world and I can’t bring myself to raise my heart-rate much beyond that of a brisk walk over it… but if I were in the market for a work-horse lip/cheek combo that I could hit pan on again and again, Honest Politician should not be ignored.

Worn on the cheeks, I found it a little difficult to blend without reaching for my foundation brush (which still had a little product on it).  I tried with my fingers and it was hard work.  Frustrating but testament to the fact that it isn’t going anywhere once you’ve got it applied.  Again, a work-horse.  Worn below on the lips and cheeks.

Lipstick Queen Honest Politician is available to buy online and instore from SpaceNK, priced at £20

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Alright glitter munchers, how’s 2013 treating you so far?  I’m coming to terms with taking down the decorations today (12th night and all that), to be honest… I started to take them down a couple of days ago after Louise told me that taking just a few down each day makes the process less soul-destroying…  Still, let’s all take comfort from the knowledge that it’s only 352 days until Christmas.

Last month (year), I treated myself to a new blusher… at least, I thought it was a blusher because I didn’t pay any attention to anything that I saw or read about it until after I’d bought it.  NARS Satellite of Love was released as part of the Andy Warhol collection a couple of months ago… an odd collection in my opinion, with exceptionally expensive eyeshadow palettes but rather tempting nail polishes.  What did you make of it?

Anyway, the one item that caught my eye immediately… I assumed (on sight) was a blusher.  Infact it’s a highlighter… or Highlighting Blush to give it its official name.

Rather than just review, I thought I’d compare it to my super-beloved highlighter from NARS, the only (powder) one that I really reach for, a product that can transform your look in seconds: NARS Albatross.  Albatross is a cult product in the NARS catalogue and it’s easy to see why.  It imparts a smooth, champagne-gold shimmer that both lifts and illuminates the complexion without dusting your face in glitter or an odd pinky/white highlight.  It’s a wonderful product to use at anytime, night or day – just use a light hand and a loosely packed brush for optimum effect.

NARS Satellite of Love is… different.

Now, don’t be assuming that I don’t like it, because I do… but it’s a completely different animal, and that’s probably for the best because what would be the point of it otherwise?  Satellite of Love is a warm-toned peach/nude/orange shade with gold glitter.  Gold glitter like Super Orgasm glitter, chunky knock-it-off-the-brush-before-that-shit-comes-near-my-face glitter.  Again, not necessarily a bad thing, I own and love Super Orgasm… but you just have to pay deference to its bling.

I treat super-glittery blushes in the same way that I treat McDonald’s hamburgers.  The glitter – like the gherkin/pickle – is optional.  You’re in complete control and the only time any kind of issue arises is when you take your eye off the ball and dive in without paying attention.  When it comes to NARS blushes/highlighters… all you need to do is swirl (gently) and then tap the handle of your brush against your forearm to rid yourself of the chunkiest pieces of glitter.  Infact, it’s far less hassle than removing gherkins from burgers, and you don’t get the nasty surprise of a second hidden pickle in your blusher*.

I am disappointed that Satellite of Love isn’t as nude as I expected it to be, there’s a lot of warmth in that there pan and whilst this is a minus for me… I can only imagine how beautiful this would look highlighting richer-toned girls who suit warmer blush.  Can you imagine?  With all that gold sparkle in the summertime (when the weather is fine)?  Lush.

In the face swatch below, I’ll apologise for the placement – I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to wear it as a bronzer, blusher, or highlighter… so I just sort of put it in a really weird place on my cheeks.  I’ll call it the brunzlighter placement.

NARS Satellite of Love and NARS Albatross are available to buy online from narscosmetics.co.uk priced at £21.00 (and if you could pick me up NARS Dragon Girl VMLP while you’re there? Cheers!)

Do you own either of these blush/highlighters?

* this is all bullshit, I actually LOVE the gherkins in burgers.  I’m the original give-me-all-your-gherkins girl.

Can we please have an all-together-now chorus of “it’s tooooo cold!”.  Is anyone else finding it harder-than-usual to adjust to the plummeting temperatures?  I was doing ok until about a week ago, when things seemed to take a leap from chilly to arctic.  Anyway, with the big freeze only just beginning, I’ve been battling it off with this lovely face and blush powder from Clarins.  Part of their Autumn/Winter collection, it gently injects a little warmth and colour without looking “bronzy”.

As much as I want a bit of warmth on my face, I don’t want to look like I’m desperately hankering after a bit-part in Benidorm.

I will never tire of the classic elegance of Clarin’s packaging.

The Clarins Colour Accents Face and Blush Powder offers a trio of shades that should suit all skintones, I’ve swatched them below and you can see that there is slightly less difference on the skin as there appears to be in the pan between the two tan shades.  I would say that the darker section is slightly more orange-toned, and the lighter tan a little cooler, which is why this set doesn’t “oompah, loompah” me.

Unlike the more summery offerings, this palette is also very matte.  There’s no shimmer and not even a hint of luminosity – which is actually a bit of a shame because Clarins does luminosity in their face powders better than any other brand I know.

Having said that, on my skintone, this works more as a blush than a face powder and I don’t have any issues adding some highlighter to my foundation instead.

 Clarins Colour Accents Face and Blush Powder is a very nice choice for adding some warmth to your complexion without looking like a summer-desperado.

This limited edition product won’t be around too much longer but is still available online at clarins.co.uk (£30) or even better, you can currently grab it at the special price of £24, from escentual.com

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When your skintone is resolutely adhering to its own fish-belly chic agenda, a girl has no choice but to combat the anaemic look with a touch of bronzer.  Well, she does have a choice… but unless she’s Anne Hathaway/Nicole Kidman/Julianne Moore, there’s always the risk of looking more pilsbury than palesbury without it.

Finding my perfect bronzer shade has been a journey of epic, I repeat, epic proportions.  I mean, let’s face it – I’m 31 and can only now feel confident enough to say that I have found something that could even be considered to come under the hallowe’d Holy Grail tag.

Laura Geller’s Air Whipped Bronzer (still a name in beauty that doesn’t get much UK blog love) has me turning myself inside out with glee over its slightly cool undertones that warm me up without creosoting my complexion.  Throw in a formula that would please even the most die-hard of Soleil Tan de Chanel fans and you’ve got the perfect bronzing combination for pale pink types.

The packaging is kinda ugly but I can vouch for its effectiveness in keeping the cream contents suitably hydrated and whippy.  Pigment is impressive but buildable and the texture really is so very light and blendable, providing you don’t leave it long enough to set.  And set it does, steadfastly – you get about 20 seconds before it dries down, so blend quickly and efficiently once you’ve sheered the product out.

The matte formula makes Laura Geller’s Air Whipped Bronzer an absolutely perfect contour shade and I usually buff this in to my imaginary cheek hollows before using whats left on the brush down the edges of my nose and at my temples.  My favourite tool to pair with this is a stippling brush, which I find gives me greater flexibility and a lighter touch.

An alternative use for this bronzer would be to mix a little into your daily moisturiser for an all-over glow, I think this would work pretty well thanks to the airy texture and gentle colour.  Now that I’ve fallen so deeply for this product, I’d love to see a shimmer version too!  Just for those days when a little bit of sparkle ain’t no bad thing!

Sadly, the Laura Geller Air Whipped Bronzer is not easily available within the UK.  Your best bet is to head on to the QVC website or hit up eBay to find a source – LG is one brand that I sincerely wish I could find in a bricks and mortar store, I’d love to play with all those baked goodies!

Laura Geller Air Whipped Bronzer is priced at £26 and available to buy online at QVC.co.uk

Do you have a favourite contour shade that you can’t live without?

I’ve been dragging my heels when it comes to getting excited for Autumn. Everyone around me has gone chunky-knit/boot-buying crazy while I’ve been trying to eke out one more wear from my floral palazzo trousers before I vacuum pack them away under the bed for the Winter.

But I’m feeling zen about it now. Infact, I feel quite vindicated seeing as Autumn has now clearly arrived with a vengeance this week. Yeah, you go ahead and shiver in your new chunky knit. You brought this on yourself.

It’s not that I hate Autumn… despite my protestations, it is indeed my favourite season too and I am particularly partial to the new collections that the cooler weather brings.  I’m already contemplating vampier lips and more Autumnal blushes.  Infact, here’s five Autumn blushers that I bet you don’t own…

1. Cargo – Tonga: A beautiful, muted matte rose with a hint of mauve

2. Makeup Store – Sugarpink: A soft, dusty pink with a touch of earthiness.

3. Becca Pressed Shimmer Powder – Princess: A muted plum with a hint of bronze, scrumminess.

4. Jane Iredale – Cotton Candy: A sparkly plum with shimmer that flatters without looking too glittery.

5. T. Le Clerc – Brun Voile: A sheer, neutral brown that will go perfectly with everything.

What are your favourite Autumn blushers that don’t get the hype they deserve?

While my heart will always remain true to an undying love for peachy pink, or even better, guava blushes… I won’t deny an eternal hunt for that perfect pop of pink.  For some pale girls, it’s Benefit’s Dandelion… for others, MAC’s Well Dressed.  I’ve been partial to a bit of Cargo’s Catalina in the past but I’ve now fallen head-over-heels for an alternative: MyFace Cosmetics Pink Paradisio (or Paradiso as it’s spelled on the website).

The blusher’s packaging is pretty cumbersome… plus, the whole “look, don’t I remind you of an iPod from 2003?” dates it somewhat, in my opinion.  Having said that, it’s always handy to make space for a mirror and brush for on the go applications.  Except, this brush isn’t very good and picks up far too much product (whilst flinging it about all over the place FALL OUT STYLE).

But the product itself? Oooh, it’s good… so, so good.  A beautiful, slightly warm pink, vivid enough to provide a true ‘pop’ without delivering instant clown cheeks.  If you’re particularly fair, I’d recommend reaching for something like a stippling brush to apply Paradisio Pink with… it does pack a punch but will be kind enough to all pale skintones if treated with a little respect.  I rescued this from my untried pile before going on holiday and whilst the brand are unfortunately no longer available to buy at Boots (which is a real damn shame because I also love the MyMix foundation), you can still purchase online from myfacecosmetics.com or at the new BeautyMART retail space in Harvey Nichols.

MyFace Cosmetics R&B Rouge Blusher in Paradisio Pink is priced at £14.99 – yeah, I’m sure that price has JUMPED from what it used to be *sad face*.

What’s your favourite “pop of pink” blush?

A good “nude” blush isn’t as easy to come by as you might imagine.  It should lean neither too cool nor too warm, this is no time for that “pop” of colour you often hear mentioned.  It’s the blusher you reach for when you just want to look fresh, more awake – a workhorse that will never let you down.

Liz Earle‘s new cosmetic line contains a particularly lovely nude blush, imaginatively called “Nude”.  It’s in a forgiving cream formula that drier skin types should gravitate toward.  Having said that, it’s not too emollient for the warm weather though I wouldn’t recommend it for oily skinned wearers.

The packaging conforms to the navy blue (with a hint of sparkle) colouring that we first saw on the brand’s Sheer Skin Tint.  Enclosed with the product is a mini-booklet featuring application tips.

As for the shade itself, I’d describe it as a true nude.  On first inspection, I didn’t think it was as it does look a little warm and dark in the pan, particularly for my very cool-toned, pale skin.  However, once blended on the cheek – it seems to allow my own rosy cheeks to influence the shading, rendering it a very natural-looking flush without any of the ruddiness that my natural natural flush would try to impose.

Buildability is impressive, I’ve been wearing it with no more than two “layers” which offers plenty enough pigmentation for me.  The product does set, though not fully – there’s enough workability there to blend the edges (I usually go back in with my foundation brush) but this does mean that longevity may be an issue if you find that your blush generally wears off quickly.  You could set it with some powder (especially in this warmer weather) but I prefer to keep a dewier finish.

My only gripe with the product is that I’d like to see more product for my money.  At 2g, I frankly own larger eyeshadows.  Sure, it’s not the most expensive blusher in the world but ideally, I’d want another gram of product in there to warrant a price on the “wrong” side of the fifteen pounds mark.

Liz Earle Healthy Glow Cream Blush is available in 7 shades and can be bought online from LizEarle.com, priced at £16.50

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