A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I was sent these a couple of months ago but only got the chance to photograph and review E.L.F’s NARS Albatross dupe – Gotta Glow before my camera kicked the bucket.

I’d like to show you the other two that were released at the same time as Gotta Glow.  I hope the pictures and swatches are useful.

Fuchsia Fusion is a glitter bomb of a blush.  A slightly muted raspberry rose shade with silver chunky sparkles.  Texture is a bit hard but the pan gives up a lot of powder when you pass the brush over the top.  I personally wouldn’t bring this blush within 10 yards of my face until I’ve tapped off at least some of the glitter.

Pink Passion is my preference of the two.  A proper dolly pink matte blush that feels chalky but soft.  Pigmentation is impressive for the price and you could do far worse than this blush for double the money.

If only that glitter in Fuchsia Fusion were a little finer, I’d be giving a double thumbs up.

Both blushes are priced at £3.50 and available online from the ELF website.

I was on the lookout for a true peach blush but I couldn’t decide whether I wanted matte or shimmer…. I do love my shimmers but it’s mattes that consistently give me the best results on my skin.

I was walking round John Lewis a couple of weeks ago checking out all the peaches at ALL the counters (I don’t do brand discrimination when I’m on a hunt) and my eyes alighted on this little number:

I don’t actually own a Dior blush… so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  I find Dior can sometimes be a little hit and miss in terms of texture and pigment but on my pale skin, a slightly less pigmented blush can work just as well if not better.

I took the plunge!

Check it out!  Matte on the left, shimmer on the right – you CAN have your cake and eat it too!

The shimmer side is very finely milled and adds a touch of glow to the long-lasting and overall matte appearance.  It’s a great combination for shimmer/matte fence-sitters like me!  The strange thing about this blush is that although it looks scarily peach in the pan (I did have a little wobble after buying it because of this)… it actually ends up looking pretty pinky/peach on my cheeks.  Which in fairness, is probably for the best.

(A terrible patchy swatch, I’m sorry… it looks quite ruddy here.  I’ll do a FOTD when bruises have gone)

I only need to pull my brush across the surface once to pick up enough product and I do notice a little bit of excess powder lift on the pan (what’s the term for that? – when you have to blow on the pan after to get rid of the excess powder?) but it applies smoothly and blends nicely.  I really don’t have any complaints about this blush at all.  Apart from perhaps the price… but I didn’t go to the Dior counter expecting to get a Sleek bargain now did I?

I paid £27.50 for this and am truly delighted to have done so… more DiorBlush! More!

Available online and on counter, do you ladies have any other shades that you’d recommend a hopeless addict?

I couldn’t resist picking up the Paul & Joe Creamy Cheek Powder in 01 – Marionette last week in the ASOS sale… it was down from £18 to £11 – steal!

This post is a bit picture heavy… simply because it’s so pretty and I got my new camera and I couldn’t stop snapping.

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If cat-shaped lipsticks aren’t really your thing, Paul & Joe have also released three new (and rather lovely) limited edition face colour shades for Autumn/Winter and as always… P&J know exactly how to do the pretty.

They Say:

Blended with several varieties of champagne gold frost, each face colour has an individual overtone and translucent sparkle creating a  truly sublime radiant glow.

How perfect does the champagne frost sound for the upcoming party season?

Paul & Joe Face Colours are priced at £15 each and available instore from Fenwicks and Harrods.  Alternatively you can buy online from Zuneta and HQHair.

If matte orange lips for Spring isn’t your kinda thing… how about some coral for Autumn?

These new inclusions from New CID Cosmetics… I could handle nicely!  It’s that guava-y coral that usually works well on both warm and cool skintones!

Perhaps a touch summery, but the general consensus last week was that we don’t *really* go in for all that trend stuff anyway…

They say…

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New CID i – glow in Coral Crush (£23.50) offers a perfect ‘pick me up’ for dull and tired skin. The beautiful marbleised baked powders offer an easy, silky smooth application, while the light reflective pigments mimic the skin’s natural radiance. Build up the shade to use as a blusher or sweep across the face and décolletage for a beautiful warm glow.

New CID i – gloss in Coral Candy (£15.50) is the perfect companion to keep some sunshine in your life. This pretty shade is suitable for all, creating high-glam shine that really lasts. Featuring built-in lights and mirror for easy on-the-go application, you won’t be fading into the darkness this season!

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I’m wondering if the i-glow is a more wearable version MAC Stereo Rose for cool, pale skintones.  Any thoughts on New CID’s i-glow range?

On an unrelated note, I’m positively itching for my new camera to arrive (hopefully tomorrow!)… hurry up!

I’m starting a new series called The Countdown.  Each month, around this kinda time I’m gonna be having a root about on my desk and in my cabinets to find the top 3 products that I’ve reached for in that particular month.  They may be long since discontinued or they may be new acquisitions.

I love reading people’s favourites lists and I often find hidden gems amongst them, so I hope this will be interesting to you lovely lot!  Today it’s my top 3 blushes of August.

1. Shu Uemura Glow On Blush in M23 Wine – Stupid shade name, I’ve never drunk a wine this shade. If I had, I would be sure to have remembered the belly ache that would have followed!

I’ve been using this matte blush with a very light hand, just a pop on the apples of the cheeks with a loose bristled brush.  EASY to go overboard with this one!

2. Topshop Blush in Butterscotch – If Shu’s Wine is easy to overdo… this is the exact opposite.  It takes quite a bit to get this to show up on me.  I’ve been using my fingers to apply and like the natural effect this cream blush gives.  I’m not sure I’d repurchase because I’d like one with a bit more oomph – but I’ve been reaching for it a lot this month because I’m loving the nude colour.

3. Illamasqua Cream Blush in Laid – A recent purchase, Laid is a cool toned hot pink… again, this one is best reserved for the apples of the cheeks unless you’re going for that 80s look!  Blends like a dream and so quick for a fuss-free pop of colour.  Love it.

What have been your favourite blushers this month?

After my disappointment with The Body Shop’s new eyeshadows, I was happy to discover just how wonderful the new Baked to Last blushers are!

Available in 2 shades: Petal (cool pink) and Coral (duh coral!)

Weighing in at 5g and costing £12 each, these can’t be described as high street bargain buys.  But, I guess you’re getting your highlighter thrown in too… and the price in this case justifies how great they look once applied.

Some swatches…

When both shades are swirled together, this cool-toned pink blush takes on a slightly more neutral yellow-pink hue.    I can see this being flattering on most skintones.

The coral is hot right?  A bit scary looking even?  Used with a light hand this gives a pretty warm flush to my cheeks, subtle but buildable to quite a bright coral (as you can see!):

Staying power on these is average, and despite being seemingly infused with sparkles, they stop short of making your cheeks look too glittery or metallic.  A great choice for everyday wear.  I’m particularly loving wearing these in conjunction with the new bronzers (well, one of them).  Review of those to follow.

If you had to, which would you go for?  Petal or Coral?

Illamasqua Sob is one of my favourite blushes… the creme texture is a delight and practically blends itself.  The colour is a cool, frivolous candy pink and once on, it doesn’t budge.  Not even in this heat!

Too hot for much makeup…

Face
Bare Escentuals Mineral Foundation in Fairly Light
Illamasqua Cream Blush in Sob

Eyes
MUFE Aqua Eyes Pencil in Black
Bourjois 1001 Cils Mascara in Black

Lips
Guerlain Kiss Kiss Maxi Shine in Lychee Shine

I thought it might be useful if I did this post ahead of the upcoming MAC In The Groove Collection which is due for release on the 1st July.

The rather lovely Karleigh wanted a shot of my pale arse wearing it. Well, not my ‘arse’… that would be enough to send global MAC sales plummeting. I mean… oh, you know what I mean.

Anyway, I’m gonna show you my FOTD and then I’m gonna link you to one of my fav bloggers who’s got a fabulous shot showing the shimmer far better than I was able to… so read on!

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Here’s my other recent purchase, I’m currently hiding the invoice email in a folder I never venture into.  Out of sight out of mind right?

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Rose (£29.50)  is a much cooler toned blush/highlight.  It’s slightly less pigmented than Nectar and also a touch more metallic (though equally beautiful).

The white shade is opalescent… it has that pearly pink thing going on, very pretty!

I’m still working out how best to wear these, if you have any tips or blush combinations that work for you… be sure to let me know!

I paid £16 for my Rose Shimmer Brick (unboxed) from StrawberryNET.

My StrawberryNet order arrived on Saturday, super fast shipping from Hong Kong… incredibly fast actually, took about 2 days.

Anyway, here’s my first Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick…

Nectar…

Isn’t she lovely?

I’m pale enough to pull this one off as a blush if I wanted… it might be a bit frosty for that, I think it’s a product I need to experiment with before I work out how best to put it to use.

The texture is pretty smooth and the shimmer although very obvious, isn’t too chunky.  I’m pleased with my £16 bargain!

Next on my ‘play with’ list is Rose – can you see me?  I’m doing a happy makeup dance!

Another mini splurge from last week!  I know you’ve seen these 100 times now, sorry!

I only bought two things from the range though, aren’t I good?

I was tempted by the chunky lip pencils and the LE eyeshadow trio too (gold,blue,red one)… but I resisted!

At £6 each, I think these blushes are brilliant value for money and there are some lovely shades available.

Flush is a warm pink… I would say Guava, but I keep going on about Guava shades… *whispers* Guava.

Butterscotch is a natural neutral shade… it’s warm without being orange… lovely!

This is heavily swatched and unblended.

My favourite thing about these blushes is the finish… they’re cream to powder and they blend soooooooo smoothly.  I’m crap at blending and I can blend these with my eyes closed.  They’re completely forgiving to makeup incompetence.

I really hope that Topshop bring out some more shades in the blushers… is there a cool-toned pink in the range? I don’t remember seeing one and I want one!

If you don’t have a Topshop that stocks the range nearby, you can purchase online. Prices start from £4.