We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Hiatus for the New Glossier Cloud Paint Shades

I no sooner go on hiatus than Glossier does something I've wanted them to do for the past year: they release more dark skin friendly shades of their *Cloud Paints. There's still no true red, but there is finally a warm shade for deeper skintones, a bright coral named Dawn. The other new shade is a slightly muted, rich plum named Storm.

One of the best things about these blushes is that they mix together so well, giving you extra shade options. I often add a dab of Dusk to Beam or Puff for a more natural, less pastel shade. Here are a few other color mixes I tested; I'm especially fond of how Storm and Puff make a sort of lavender color:

As per usual, these new Cloud Paints were purchased using store credit earned via affiliate link clicks. A special thank you to everyone who uses the affiliate links I post. You help this blog thrive!

* NOTE: This is an affiliate link. It is not mine; it is for the YouTuber Jacquelyn Lovene. I have more than enough store credit, so I'm passing on the love. If you don't want to use an affiliate link, just head to Glossier.com. 

I purchased these two tubes of Cloud Paint using store credit earned via affiliate link purchases. I am not a Glossier Rep and my reviews are always honest.

REVIEW: Besame Delicate Rouge and Cream Rouge

When Besame offered to send me some of their blushes, I was expecting just one of the powders and maybe a pot of their Cream Rouge. Imagine my utter shock when they sent me both Cream Rouge shades and two of their Delicate Rouge powders. Actually, if you follow me on Instagram, you probably don't have to imagine my reaction; it was pretty obvious on my story:

Despite the excitement of "ERMAGAHD BESAME NOTICED ME" and legitimately gorgeous new products, I really wanted to take my time testing these out. I rarely use powder blushes, so I'm a wee bit out of the loop, and I have such an obsession with cream blushes and Besame that I was worried I wouldn't give this stuff a fair trial. Having fiddled with these for several weeks now, I think I'm ready to give my review.

Let's start with the Cream Rouges, which come in two permanent shades: Crimson, a cool-toned red, and Apricot, a bright orange. (At the time of this post, there's also a limited edition shade from the Snow White collection called With a Smile and a Song, which appears to be a rose shade.) These are packaged in small tins that are relatively easy to open, which is a definite improvement over their previous packaging that featured a lid like a bomb shelter door. The permanent shades retail for $18 and contain 3.5 grams of product.

People often complain that these are "really tiny," but that's a little misguided. For starters, you really can't compare cream and liquid blushes to powder blushes. Creams and liquids tend to have more concentrated color--you need less product to get the same effect. They're also more commonly applied with fingers, or put on the back of the hand to warm them up before using a brush, whereas powder blushes need to be a bit bigger so your brush can dip right in. For this reason, cream blushes will always seem tiny compared to a powder blush. Most importantly, it's the actual amount of product in the container that needs to be considered. In that case, the Besame Cream Rouges still seem quite small, but a cost per gram analysis reveals that they're actually relatively affordable:

 Besame Cream Rouge, $18 for 3.5g = $5.14 per gram
Stila Convertible Color, $25 for 4.25g = $5.88 per gram
RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek, $36 for 4.82g = $7.46 per gram
Makeup Forever HD Blush, $26 for 2.8g = $9.28 per gram

Wearing Besame Cream Rouge in Crimson on my lips and cheeks.

The texture of these blushes actually sort of shocked me at first. While they look very solid in the pan, they warm up quickly under your fingers and take on an almost liquid texture. They have the lightweight texture and natural tint of a stain. You get a lot of color, believe me, but you can still see your skin, which gives it a very natural appearance. I absolutely adore it.

Speaking of the stain-like quality: the Besame Cream Rouges are actually advertised as a lip and cheek product, which made me side eye them at first. I've always said that these dual use products are usually only good for one or the other: if they work for the cheeks, they're too dry for the lips, and if they work for the lips, they're too hard to blend on the cheeks. That's not the case with these; I had no problem using them on my lips and getting a very natural, beautifully flushed color. They're a hair drying on the lips, but it's easily remedied by some balm.

Because the formula is very lightweight but pigmented, you can layer it up. In other words, you can use a little to look naturally rosy, or you can pack the product on and look truly flushed and borderline feverish. If you wanna call back to the days when tuberculosis was considered super sexy, this is the product to do it.

I can only think of two downsides for these blushes. The entirely personal one is that they contain one of my acne triggers, so I can only use them once or twice a week if I want to avoid clogs. Everyone's triggers are different and the ingredients list is actually pretty solid, so I'm not knocking the formula overall. The more general complaint I have is the smell, which reminds me of cherry Chapstick. I just think it cheapens an otherwise luxurious product.

Now for the Delicate Rouge blushes, which are their powders. I have to admit that I tilted my head a little when I saw the shades they sent me: I'm very fair and lean toward the warm side, but they sent me Raspberry (a violet pink) and Sunkissed (a soft, peachy brown). I actually expected them to send me one of the other two shades, Rose or Sweet Pink.

Each of the Delicate Rouges retails for $25. They come in these absolutely beautiful metal tins with screw top lids. (It took me a second to realize they had screw tops, and I kept trying to open them like they were hinged...which is especially embarrassing when you realize the note inside the cardboard box says "please twist to open.") The powder is embossed with a really beautiful flower logo. I actually held off on trying these out because we had so many gloomy days that it was hard to get decent lighting for photographs, and I definitely wanted to photograph that logo.

With 4.5 grams of blush in each pan, these are in the middle of the pack as far as high end blush cost per gram goes:

Urban Decay Afterglow Blush, $26 for 6.8g = $3.82 per gram
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush, $29 for 5.6g = $5.17 per gram
Besame Delicate Rouge, $25 for 4.5g = $5.55 per gram
Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Color, $26 for 3.7g = $7.02 per gram
Surratt Beauty Artistique Blush, $32 for 4g = $8 per gram
Bobbi Brown Blush, $30 for 3.7g = $8.10 per gram

Besame also sent me their Rouge Brush, and I'm damn glad, because I don't actually own a traditional blush brush anymore. The brush is decently fluffy, made from synthetic hairs, and retails for $30. That's a bit steep for me for a blush brush, but it definitely blends products smoothly and feels nice on the skin.

Now, some people like to tap their brush in to powder blushes, and other people prefer to swirl. I definitely recommend that you stick with tapping. For starters, these are decently pigmented and a lot ends up on the brush. I actually had to tap Sunkissed off on my wrist to avoid overbronzing myself. Furthermore, these kick up a lot of powder. The photo above shows what Raspberry looked like after a gentle tap. Don't get me wrong: a lot ends up on the brush. But you'll definitely have a little bit left loose in the pan.

Wearing Raspberry along my cheekbones and Sunkissed...kind of sort of in the hollows of my cheeks. I TRIED, OKAY?

Because Sunkissed is more of a bronze shade, I attempted to do a wee bit of contour with it, which...didn't work. I don't really contour because it heightens my resemblance to a horse, and I definitely didn't do the best job here. It's too warm for me to contour with, anyway, and it's too brown to work as a blush on my skintone. It's a lovely shade, but it's not right for me. Trust and believe that I have several friends not-so-subtly asking if I'm going to hand them this pot of Sunkissed.

I had better luck with Raspberry. While it reads violet in the pan and in my swatch below, it blends out to a muted pink color. (You might get more of the purple tones if you wear a fuller coverage foundation.) I really love that it's matte without looking dry or flat.

With both shades, I blended by tapping the color on to my cheek, then buffing in small circles. This formula blends easily and smoothly over liquid foundation and over powder, though it was a little easier and quicker to get an even finish on powdered skin. 

So they're not the single greatest powder blushes in the world--I might give that distinction to Surratt--but they're definitely nice. I'd have no problem recommending them to most people. The shade range, however, is a disappointment for me.

The above photos are stills from Lisa Eldridge's vintage makeup series. In all three pictures, you can see vintage blushes in bright, saturated colors. I'm wondering why Besame didn't draw inspiration from products like these. I admit that my frustration stems from my love of bright, clean blush colors, but I'm also thinking about deeper skinned people. The existing Delicate Rouge shades have a pastel quality (with the possible exception of Rose), and none of them seems strong enough to show up on dark skin. Something like that bold pink on the bottom, however, would probably look beautiful on dark skin, and that would make the range more accessible.

Lastly, I want to add a quick note on staying power. Both of these formulas lasted for more than 6 hours on my cheeks with very little fading. I have very dry skin, though, so blushes tend to stick to my face regardless of the formulation. I'm not sure how long these would last on very oily skin.

As a whole, I was pleased with the Delicate Rouge and wowed by the Cream Rouge. They're beautifully packaged, well formulated, and a joy to use.

RATINGS:

Cream Rouge: 5 out of 5

Delicate Rouge: 4 out of 5

These blushes were sent to me by Besame. As I made clear to the company, I only write honest reviews. I do not accept financial compensation for my posts.

You can purchase these products on the Besame website.

1P2L: Powder Blush with Tarte Paaarty

Confession: I haven't really used a powder blush in almost three years. Don't believe me? Just look back on old posts that demonstrate how I organized and downsized my collection. The last time you clearly see several powder blushes is in 2014. As time went on, I owned fewer and fewer products, and much of what left were my powders. After buying and trying mountains of makeup, I eventually reached the conclusion that creams and liquids worked better on my dry skin and were easier for me to apply.

I own a powder blush right now, though, because I got one free from Sephora for my birthday: Tarte Paaarty. I only recently started using it because...well, I hate typing the shade name, to be honest, but mostly because I'm still devoted to my cream blushes. And when I did decide to use it, it was as an eyeshadow--thanks, Pat McGrath! A blush is a blush, though, and I did used to love some of my powders, so why not give this guy the full treatment?

On the left, we've got Paaarty used as a traditional blush. Frankly, I didn't like this shade on my cheeks; despite the fact that I'm quite fair, I had to do quite a bit of building to get the color to show up. It did blend very easily, though, and I think it works well with the red lip.

I definitely prefer using this as an eyeshadow, though. Blended in to my crease, Paaarty adds some warmth and depth to my eyes. I'm pretty lazy about eye makeup these days, but I love the look of this so much, I've kind of gotten more in to eyeshadow. If I weren't so hyper-aware of my spending habits, I'd probably pick up another powder blush in a different shade at the drugstore just to use it on my eyes.

As with the last 1P2L post, there's a lot of unintentional product crossover here: I've been testing the YSL Touche Eclat, Catrice Long Lasting Brow Definer, and Dior DiorShow mascara for the last week, so without thinking about it, I used all three products in both looks. I also used Glossier Boy Brow and the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly in both looks, but that's mostly because I'm in the mood for brushed up brows lately, and because the NARS concealer is a staple for me.

There are two different shades of MAC Face & Body foundation in these photos as well. On the left, I'm wearing N1 and C1 with White, since I was trying to use up the last little bit of N1 I had. On the right, I'm wearing just C1 mixed with White. I thought the latter mixture was reading a bit dark on me, but seeing these photos confirms that the switch was probably a good idea. N1 has always been a hair too pink for me; I've just been able to get away with it because Face & Body is so skin-like.

Oh, and see that Butter London Glazen Eye Gloss? That review is coming soon! Spoiler alert: I think I'm finally out of the disappointing products rut.

REVIEW: Glossier Cloud Paint

I've snarked a lot about Glossier on this blog. I think their skincare is overpriced and overhyped with the obvious exception of the Milky Jelly Cleanser and, to some extent, their lip balm. I enjoy a lot of their makeup, but I also know the ingredients lists and sheer, fleeting formulas make them a hard pass for many. But somehow, I always get suckered in to their new product releases. Their marketing campaigns are clearly aimed at lazy, Instagram-obsessed mother fuckers like me, sure...but it's also the fact that I really like some of that makeup! I wear the Perfecting Skin Tint and Haloscope on the regular, and the Generation G lipsticks are my go-to lazy day lip colors. A tube of flavored Balm Dot Com lives in my work bag. Still, I apparently have unreasonably high expectations and a low tolerance for "all of our models are size 2 perfect skinned teenagers who never wear foundation because they use our amaaaaaaazing skincare!" marketing, so I crank and complain.

Then Glossier announced that they were releasing a liquid blush, and I was pretty excited. I tried to hide my glee beneath that veil of snark ("Are you fucking serious with boysturizer?!"), but I'm 99% sure I wasn't sneaky enough.

I'm not excited, I had a cramp.

Glossier's Cloud Paints cost $18 for each 0.33oz tube, though they're currently running a two-for-$30 promotion. The range includes 4 colors: Beam (peach), Puff (pink), Haze (raspberry), and Dusk (beige). Because I'm brown blush intolerant, I went with the first three shades.

The packaging is paint tube inspired, which is nothing new, as several others have pointed out. I'm not entirely sure I'd call it a blatant rip-off of K-beauty products, though; that packaging style has been around for a while. Remember MAC Paints in their heyday, when they came in a dozen different colors? (If you don't remember, I'm showing my age and you can ignore me.) It's cute, it's portable, and it works decently, although I will note that my tube of Beam blew up a bit when I first removed the safety seal:

I haven't had any more mishaps since, but this type of packaging is definitely prone to bubbling and bursting in my experience. Just a heads up!

Now, I figured I'd love these, because I'm a sucker for liquid blushes and they looked mad pretty on their models. But a few things made me go "eh?" before they even reached my doorstep. First, I have to do my usual thang and complain about the shade range: the only shade that really seems to show up well on their darker skinned model is Haze. The current color selection is geared toward light to medium skintones. A comment from the company on their own Instagram actually confirmed this: the only shade they suggest for those who wear the deepest Perfecting Skin Tint, Rich, is Haze.

Guys. If you're going to drop a new product, the least you could do is try to have more than one shade that works for your clientele with dark skin. You came out with a deeper highlighter shade and released darker Perfecting Skin Tint shades when people complained; clearly, you know this is A Thing.

Still, I did and do assume that they'll update the range. No problem, right? Except then they launched the Cloud Paints, and as per usual, the product page was a bit much:

The pillowy, gel-cream formula is designed to be the most user-friendly cheek color in existence...One-of-a-kind, lightweight gel-cream texture makes for silky, even application.

I said it when they launched the Generation G lipsticks and I'll say it again: these are not revolutionary, no matter what Glossier says. And I know I rag on them a lot for doing the "OMG SOOOOO NEEEEW!" squee game that most companies do, but I feel like they just go so hard with that line. Then again, I have to repeat that I'm weirdly snarky about this company for somebody who likes a good 50% of what they produce, so take my griping with a grain of salt.

I mean, really take it with a grain of salt, because I think these are pretty damn nice overall. The ingredients list is loaded with silicones, which explains why these have such a thin, soft texture and are so easy to blend. I was able to get a seamless, flushed look in less than a minute. And because they are so sheer, it's tough to overdo them or to get harsh lines. Granted, I'm used to applying cream and liquid blushes with my fingers, but I actually think even a liquid blush newb would have zero issues with these. Just dot the product where you want it, then tap it out gently with your finger--easy. (You can certainly apply this with something like a flat foundation brush, but really, it's easier just to use your fingers.) Cloud Paints certainly fit Glossier's "effortless, natural beauty" style. The formula is scentless, dries down completely, builds easily, and is just plain delightful for me.

The one exception to this is Haze. I found its formula a bit thinner and more watery than the other two shades, and I had to work a bit more to get a smooth application. I think you can actually see the texture difference between Haze and the other two shades in the above swatches. It wasn't terrible, and I think having to be very light-handed because the color was so bold factored in to it. Still, it's worth noting that you might get a slightly different experience depending on the colors you use.

From left to right: Puff, Beam, Haze.

Here they are on my actual face. Again, I think you can see that Puff and Beam applied a bit more smoothly for me, but the look of all three is generally consistent. It's natural, soft, and very pretty. Puff might be my favorite, which is sad, because I need another favorite powdery pink blush like I need a hole in the head.

Now, I don't usually talk about staying power when it comes to blushes, because that's not often a problem for me. As a dry-skinned person, color products tend to stick to my face like glue. But I want to note that I didn't have any problems with these fading throughout an 8 hour day. That's impressive, given how lightweight they are, and the fact that they're...well, Glossier. The company isn't exactly known for creating long-wearing makeup. It's not their gig. But these get a star from me for wear.

Overall, I think these are a solid addition to the Glossier lineup. Actually, they're more than solid: it's their best, most user-friendly makeup product yet. Update that shade range and be aware of formula inconsistencies, and you folks could easily have a five star product.

In the meantime, take my veil of snark, Glossier. I think it's time I said goodbye to it and embraced the rather good makeup you're producing...at least for now.

I've already included two gifs portraying Sassy Long-Dead White Guys in Wigs...might as well go for broke.

RATING: 4 out of 5.

These products were purchased from Glossier.com using store credit earned through referrals. Affiliate link: Glossier.

REVIEW: Milk Makeup Cheek Products

I rip on makeup brands and products in general because I am, admittedly, a crotchety old bitch. But I must confess that I'm rougher on Milk Makeup. I'd blame it on their trying-too-hard-to-be-quirky "tutorials" featuring naturally gorgeous hipsters and obnoxious editing techniques if there weren't more practical concerns. Namely, a lot of their products are housed in packaging that's more funky than functional, and while I'm a fan of "getting your money's worth," I know I'm not the only person who thinks an ounce of cream blush is absurd. Just half the amount of product and drop the price a little! Geez.

Cranking aside, I'm clearly a hypocrite, because I keep trying their stuff. Not only have they made a few products that are genuinely good, like the Gel Brow pencil I wore for these review photos, but they also create the sorts of quick-and-easy cream and liquid formulas I'm attracted to. That's why I decided to get sample sizes of their Lip + Cheek in Perk and their original highlighter in Lit. Thanks, eBay!

The full sizes of these babies contain a full ounce of product and retail for $24. While you're definitely getting your money's worth, I repeat that you're probably never going to finish a full ounce of cheek product, even if you use it every day for a year. The minis are 0.1 ounces each (so a tenth of a full size) and currently are only available in subscription boxes or kits like this one. I wish Milk would sell the minis separately; I think they'd go like gangbusters. The packaging is simple plastic twist-up tubes with clear lids that snap on tightly.

  Both of these products contain a host of potential cloggers, including (but not limited to) ethylhexyl palmitate, castor oil, coconut oil, hydrogenated vegetable oil, and some citrus oils and waxes. They're also fragranced, the highlighter with an actual perfume and the lip and cheek product with those citrus oils. Honestly, I'd recommend that those with acne-prone or sensitive skin give these a hard pass, even if you plan on patch testing.

The formulas for these sticks are not quite as creamy as many other cream-based cheek products; in fact, I find they're a little tacky and can feel rubbery during application. With that said, they glide across the skin with relative ease and are easy to blend out with a finger or a brush. I noticed that these did make my foundation move a bit if I applied too much pressure or swept them back and forth, so I just drag them across on my cheeks in a C-shape and blend out with my finger. They don't dry down completely, either, although it's nothing too extreme; your hair won't get stuck on your cheeks, for example.

While both of these products look okay on me, they have their issues. Lit is a bit more metallic and shimmery than I would like, but it does provide a lot of glow and reflect light very well. However, it seems to emphasize texture on my face. You can see this in the above photo: the rest of my face looks weirdly smooth compared to the spots where I've applied the highlighter. Perk isn't quite as pigmented as I expected it to be, and I had to apply two layers to get it to show up in real life and on camera. I can't imagine this shade showing up on anybody with medium to dark skin. I didn't care for it on my lips, either, because it had a vague "filmy" texture and didn't last long.

Here are the Milk products compared to two of my staples, the Glossier Haloscope in Quartz and the Becca Beach Tint in Dragonfruit. (The picture lies: this shade is Dragonfruit, not Lychee.) Quartz is lighter and more "natural" than Lit, with no real obvious shimmer. Dragonfruit is brighter than Perk, and it has a satin finish. I'd say these two alternatives are frankly superior to the Milk products, although I must admit that some will find Haloscope's persistent stickiness less appealing.

I'm glad I got the minis of these products for roughly $5 each, because they're small enough that I can finish them relatively quickly. Once they're gone, I won't repurchase them. They're just really "meh," and there's much better stuff available on the market.

RATING: 3 out of 5

You can purchase these products at Milk Makeup's website.

Try This: Tint Your Highlighter

Being on a low buy or a no buy can be very tough, especially when you have direct deposit set up. The money hits your account, a Valentine's Day sale springs to your attention, and all you can think is, "Yeah, I have $50 extra to spend right now." This happened to me this past week with a product that has been tempting me for about a year now, the Becca Beach Tint Shimmer Souffles. These little pots swatch beautifully and look amazing in others bloggers' photographs; they look like the most perfect, glowy blush-highlighter hybrids.

I managed to resist by reminding myself that I have tons of products already, most of them are liquids and creams (which mix easily), and I used to play Makeup Mixologist on the back of my hand all the time. So let's just go back to my roots and save $27!

Daylight on left, flash on right.

Here are two of the combinations I really fell in love with. The first is equal parts MAC Strobe Cream and Becca Beach Tint in Dragonfruit; it creates a glowing coral shade that looks--surprise surprise--a lot like the swatches I've seen of Becca's Lychee/Opal mix, just less golden. If you wanted to create more of a soft pink highlighter, you could easily add a far smaller amount of the Beach Tint to your white highlighter for that effect.

I also wanted to see if I could add a smaller amount of highlighter to a cream blush to make it softer and more dewy. The BBIA Downy Cheek blushes are already quite creamy, but if you want a more pastel shade with even more glow, you can add a dab of MAC Strobe Cream, blend the two, and get the effect.

If you really want to add a powder to a highlighter and see the results, you can, but one of the products should still be a cream or liquid, and loose powders are obviously easier to use. Also, you don't have to use flat white highlighters; other shades can work.

Here's an example using Kismet Cosmetics Toasty highlighter (top left) mixed with MAC Jardin Aires pigment (top right--squint to see it). Mixing the two makes the highlighter more golden and reflective. The bottom left shows the mixture swatched heavily, which I think would make a gorgeous eye color, and the bottom right shows the mixture sheered out, which is a slightly lighter, more glowing, and more golden cheek or brow highlight than Toasty is on its own.

Obviously, you can still apply your blush, then top it with a bit of highlighter. That's a stand-by routine that I'll probably use for most of my makeup wearing days. But mixing the two products together, than applying, really can give you a different effect and provide you with a wider range of colors to choose from. As an added bonus, if you really enjoy a mixture you make, you can pre-mix it and save it in an airtight container from a store like TKBTrading.com.

Moderate Stash: Introduction and Blush

2015 was the year of the minimalist. In the spirit of KonMari, bloggers and YouTubers all around the world went through their stashes, asked if they loved all of their forty lipsticks equally, and purged whatever didn't bring them joy. It's a far cry from my YouTube heydey over 5 years ago, when having the biggest collection possible was the goal.

In some ways, this minimalism trend is a good thing. It's lead many to be more cautious about their spending, to think carefully about what they truly love, and to better understand their habits. But just like the "OMG NEEEED" mindset, minimalism can go too far. If you're castigating yourself for spending $20 on a blush after months of restraint, or you're screeching at people that they don't need more than one red lipstick because "red is red" (true story, that happened to me), it might be time to take a step back and think about what you're doing. (For the record: I believe in all things in moderation, and I like stash videos/photos showing collections of all sizes. Just be sane about it, yo!)

Those of you who have been with me for a while know that I have been slowly but surely been shrinking my stash since late 2012. That was after I'd moved home from graduate school with a giant suitcase full of makeup, and I realized I was hanging on to products I didn't truly love. I've even done a post describing some of my methods for purging unnecessary products (which was well-received--thank you!). Now my collection is maybe 1/10th the size of what it was when I did YouTube, but it's still the collection of a makeup-obsessed person. I will never, ever cut my collection down to "2 of each item!", but that was never my goal. Instead, my goal was to have a MODERATE STASH: manageable and easy to move, but still varied and rife with possibilities.

Also, I am told that people like ALL TEH SWATCHEZ!!!!

So I decided one of my new series for 2016 would be "Moderate Stash," a series that shows what has remained in my collection through many culls and purges. There's no way to do every type of product (brushes, for instance, would be obscenely boring, because I am not that interested in them and it would show in my writing), but it should still be helpful. These posts will help me keep my stash goals in sight, and they'll provide readers with swatches and insights on the products. Win-win for both of us, I think, but please let me know how you feel about this new series! It's very labor-intensive, so if it's not useful for both parties, I probably won't continue.

For reference, my goal is to have no more than 15 blushes. I currently have 16, so I'll be keeping an eye on my collection this year and seeing if there are any that should go to a new home. All of my blushes are creams or liquids because I'm dry skinned and, again, I hate faffing around with brushes. Swatches are on the inside of my arm, which is about NC5 on a MAC scale (aka stupid pale). For full reviews of some of these products, please check the product: blush tag!

PINK BLUSHES,

arranged roughly from pastel to mid-tone to bright.

PASTEL PINKS: 

• Yves Saint Laurent Creme de Blush in Babydoll. Looks-neon-but-doesn't-apply-that-way pink with a beautiful mousse texture that smooths over skin like a dream and gives pale skin the most perfect healthy glow. Discontinued because YSL hates me. 
• BBIA Downy Cheek in Downy Pink. Extremely emollient cool-toned pink from Korea with a very dewy finish. Not recommended for oily skin in the slightest.
• Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Moist Glow in Pravella. Neutral pastel pink that is incredibly dense and pigmented, making it especially useful over medium-to-full coverage foundations.

MID-TONE PINKS:

• Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelee in Pink Escape. A gel blush that looks red in the pan, but applies as a healthy pink stain on the cheeks. Highly recommended for people who want something very natural looking and/or have a hard time finding a blush that works on super dry skin.
• Becca Beach Tint in Watermelon. A mid-toned, neutral pink with some berry tones in a sheer liquid formula; it always looks natural and flawless on the skin. My second tube because it's THE go-to for work!

BRIGHT PINKS: 

• Stila Convertible Color in Petunia. Looks shockingly bright in the pan, but blends out to a sweet, slightly yellow-toned babydoll flush on the cheeks.
• Face Stockholm Creme Blush in London. Not the "soft pink" I was promised by the website description or swatch, but still a nice color: a jelly-finish candy pink with coral undertones. Very easy to blend!
• Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Moist Glow in Liquifuschia. A true blue-based fuchsia, I only wear this with a few specific lipsticks (like MAC Viva Glam Miley Cyrus I), but it always looks perfect with them.
• Becca Beach Tint in Dragonfruit. A coral pink in a liquid formula. This is another go-to for work, especially if I'm looking sallow or ill and need an instant face brightener. 

 Natural light on top, flash on the bottom.

OTHER BLUSHES,

ranging from red to peach to "nude."

RED OR RED-ISH:

• Canmake Cream Blush in CL06. A jelly-finish Japanese blush that looks scary red in the pain, but has a clear base that makes it easy to sheer out. This is the neutral true red for fair skin. Also lasts through humidity surprisingly well!
• Stila Convertible Color in Tulip. Deep berry and incredibly pigmented, very cool. It's workable on almost every skin tone. Just use a very, very light hand if you're fair and blend well!
• Stila Convertible Color in Hibiscus. Bright orange-red/coral shade, very warm. Like Tulip, this will work on most skin tones if you're careful about how much you apply.

PEACH:

• BBIA Downy Cheek in Downy Peach. A bright, pastel peach from Korea in a very emollient formula. Again, not recommended for oily skins. 
• Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Moist Glow in Tansoleil. A true peach shade, with less of a white base and slightly more orange tones than the BBIA. This has been my go-to peach for ages; it even works with red lipstick!

"NUDE:"

• Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Fresh Melon. A soft light peach with hints of brown. The newest addition to my collection, this formula works better for me now that my skin is especially dry.
• Stila Convertible Color in Lilium. A light beige shade with some neutral pink tones. Blended carefully and applied sparingly, it will work with almost any lipstick I want to wear, particularly nudes and reds. Excellent for fair skin that has trouble with brown-based shades.

 Natural light on top, flash on the bottom.

Natural Light vs. Flash Comparisons

REVIEW: BBIA Downy Cheek

While much of the Korean makeup look is not up my alley (no matte lips, wuuuuut?!), other parts are absolutely My Bag. This includes the focus on youthful, glowy skin, which prompts Korean companies to produce dozens and dozens of lush cream blush formulas. (They produce a lot of nice powder blushes as well, but alas, I don't use powder blush.) I was particularly drawn to the BBIA Downy Cheek blushes, though, because:

1. They're super cheap; I paid about $6 for each one at F2Plus1.
2. The colors are right up my alley: pretty peaches, bright pinks, and soft pastels.
3. There's no shimmer! So many pastel products are glittery or frosty, but these are absolutely shimmer-free.

So I maybe went a bit crazy and bought four of the five shades. Oops.

The Downy Cheek blushes come in 3.5 gram pans, housed in simple plastic compacts. I'll be the first to admit it: the compacts are cheap-looking, and they certainly don't give the product a luxe feel. They're surprisingly sturdy, however, and they snap shut very tightly, so I won't bitch about it too much.

The formula has an especially emollient feel: rub your finger across one of these and it practically turns to liquid. The one exception is the Lavender shade, which is still very creamy, but has a slightly waxier feel than the other shades. I find that these are (like most cream blushes) best applied with fingers to prevent streaking and get a seamless look. However, you can certainly blend them out with a small synthetic foundation brush.

The thin texture of these blushes means you can layer them for stronger and stronger color. I personally tend to do two thin layers, which provides plenty of pigment on my fair skin; darker skinned folks may need to add a bit more to get real color pay off. The staying power on my dry skin is also decently impressive: I get about 6 hours of wear.

Here are the slew o' shades! The first two I purchased were #01 Pink and #02 Peach. Pink is (as the name suggests) a bright, cool-toned, bubblegum pink. Peach is a cooler peach with some pink in it. This has quickly become my favorite shade of the bunch; it reminds me of Kevyn Aucoin Tansoleil, but slightly brighter and "girlier."

I then ordered two more and decided to go for the "odd" shades you can't usually find in western brand line-ups: #03 Apricot and #04 Lavender. Apricot is that very yellow peach shade that never ever EVER looks right on me, but I keep buying it because Reasons. Lavender is one of the few true lavender blushes I've seen, and while it's lovely on pale skin, I think the strong white base will render this worthless on medium to dark skintones. (I swatched it on NC30ish skin and it looked very chalky.)

I've seen a review or two describe the BBIA Downy Cheek blushes as "matte," and I have to say I'm surprised by the idea. My skin is dry and I've been wearing these during the fall/winter season, and these definitely apply dewy and glowy on my skin. They do dry down to a more satin finish throughout the day, but they're definitely not matte on me. I'm therefore lead to believe that, between the emollient texture and dewy finish, these aren't the best option for oily skin.

To demonstrate the shine, the picture above shows #03 Apricot on my cheeks about 30 minutes after I applied it. There is no highlighter on my cheeks at all, but oooh, shiny! Also, yes, I am aware that this shade does not work on me at all, but I wanted to demonstrate the finish.

I am truly, truly loving these blushes. Except for Apricot (which looks awful on me), these have become a winter staple for me. If you're looking for a cheap but effective Korean cream blush, give these guys a try!

RATING: 4 out of 5

Stila Convertible Color Swatches

I used to own a Stila Convertible Color or two, and I always enjoyed the formula. Granted, it's meant to be a dual lip-and-cheek product, but it's not the most comfortable or flattering lip product. Still, it's an emollient cream blush formula, and I'm all about that. I resisted purchasing more of these, though, because I am a cream blush queen and really shouldn't collect more.

So why did I cave? Well, Stila released some trios of "mini" Convertible Colors for spring. Now that fall is coming, the trios are on sale for $10 each (get them while you can!), and there was also a coupon for an additional 20% off of all sale items.

6 blushes for $16 plus shipping? Sold!

The compacts for these minis are not as sturdy as the full-size compacts. The plastic is thinner, especially at the hinge, so you need to be careful when you open and close these. The actual product, however, is the same. The six colors I got are, from left to right, Camellia, Petunia, Tulip, Lillium, Hibiscus, and Peony.

Camellia is a warm nude shade. It will definitely look terrible on me, so I plan on giving it away. Petunia is a warm pink; it reminds me of a peachier Kevyn Aucoin Isadore. Tulip is a berry red, and it's definitely the most pigmented out of all of these. It's also slightly less emollient than the other shades, but it's by no means dry. Lillium is a soft pink nude, one of those rare nude shades that is doable for pale skin. Hibiscus is a bright coral shade; out of all of these, I think it sits on the lips the best. Peony is a pink nude that I might be able to get away with, but if I can't, it'll look great on my mom.

All of these swatch relatively true to what's in the pan with one weird exception:

Petunia arrived with a weird layer o' fuchsia on top of it. I've heard of this happening with this particular Stila CC shade, so I just scraped off the top layer. But c'mon, Stila, you should figure this stuff out!

As a side note: a few of the tags have been moved to a new "Challenge Series" category on the blog side bar! :)

REVIEW: Benefit Lolli Tint

Getting my hands on Benefit Lolli Tint was...interesting. While I enjoyed Benetint, I had less luck with Posietint, making me hesitant to dish out $30 for a brand new, full-sized bottle. Lucky for me, a seller on Reddit was purging her barely-used bottles of Chacha Tint and Lolli Tint at a great price. I jumped on the deal, oh so excited to get my new goodies!

Then this happened:

Is...is that a boot print on my package? Wow. Just wow.

Needless to say, the stuff was not usable, nor could it be exchanged. The seller was kind enough to refund me--even though this mess was totally not her fault--and I fumed for a good 24 hours.

Then a friend said, "Oh, hey, I have Lolli Tint and I never use it; wanna swap for this lipstick I want?" Huzzah! The tint was obtained!

Benefit charges $30 for 12mL of product, which isn't bad as far as stains go. The packaging of Benefit's tints is the subject of much debate: it comes in plastic bottles with a nail polish-type applicator. A lot of people reeeeaaally hate this packaging, but I don't mind it; I had no problem swiping the stuff on my cheeks and lips, then blending it in with a finger. If you're concerned about keeping the product sanitary, you can use a clean finger or a spatula to remove some from the brush tip and apply from there.

Benefit describes Lolli Tint as a "candy orchid" color that will work well on your lips and cheeks. This is a relatively accurate depiction of the color, at least on swatching: it's a creamy, dreamy, soft purple color that makes me weak at the knees.

Wearing Lolli Tint, though, wasn't the purple dream I expected. While this stain looks like a cool, bright pink or even a soft lavender on other people, it looks like...plain pink on my cheeks. It's not bad, but it's definitely not the color I expected. The same goes for my lips: it sort of "darkened up" my natural lip color.

The formula is quite thin, so I only applied the stuff to one cheek at a time, then worked quickly to blend it out. This didn't bother me because it's par for the course with stains. What did bother me was that I didn't get much pigmentation with one layer, despite the fact that I am very pale-skinned; I had to add three layers of product to my cheeks and two to my lips to get it to show up fully. I can't imagine this working on anybody with a deeper skintone.

My biggest problem with Lolli Tint is that it just looked awful on me. On my cheeks, it highlighted texture I didn't even know I had--see the tiny red "specks" in the macro shot above. Instead of looking like I was blushing and cute, I looked like I had a terrible fever. The stain did last for 5-6 hours, but because it was hideous, I wasn't too thrilled by that.

This was also a poor excuse for a lipstain. Again, it made my lips look darker, not cool pink or lagender, and after an hour, all of the color had gathered in the center of my lips. It also left my lips completely parched.

The frustrating thing is that I didn't really have these problems with the original Benetint. Benetint sat well on my lips and cheeks and was the perfect "in from the cold" color. It left me with high expectations for other stains. Lolli Tint? Totally not matching up.

RATING: 1 out of 5

REVIEW: Colourpop Cheek Products

If you've read my review of the Colourpop lip products, then you probably already know that I think they're a "good" brand. Not stupendous, not horrible, not Holy Grail Worthy...just plain ol' "good." So I assumed I wouldn't be too tempted by what else they had to offer; after all, I'm not a huge eyeshadow person.

Then they came out with highlighters. And I think we all know how I feel about highlighters. Since I was already buying the highlighters, I figured I'd let a few blushes fall in to my bag as well.

All of these products are $8 per unit. Each unit weighs 4.2g/0.15oz and is housed in a simple plastic screw-top jars. Unlike Colourpop's Lippiestix (which are smaller than the standard lipstick), these are about par for the course: MAC Cream Colour Bases are 3.2g each and Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Moist Glows are 4.5g each, for example.

The formula is a cream-to-powder that's practically identical to the Colourpop eyeshadows. It has a moussey texture with a lot of slip. They're easy to apply with fingers or brushes, though I personally favored using my fingers because it makes them a bit easier to blend. This formula apparently dries out easily, so be sure to put the lids on tight.

Daylight on top, flash on the bottom.

On to the swatches! I decided to order 2 blushes (Holiday and Thumper) and three highlighters (Smoke n' Whistles, Hippo, and Lunch Money) for my testing purposes. I tried to pick shades that were different, but still workable with my skintone. Holiday is a bright coral and Thumper is a cool-toned pink; both shades have a matte finish. Smoke n' Whistles and Lunch Money have similar yellow undertones, though the former is slightly cooler and paler. Hippo is a pale lavender color.

In swatches, these look particularly impressive. The pigmentation is way high on both, and the blushes look smooth and beautiful while the highlighters look mega reflective. Of course, swatches can be deceptive--let's look at how they actually perform on my cheeks.

In the left photo, I'm wearing Holiday and Lunch Money. On the right, I'm wearing Thumper and Hippo. The blushes are probably jumping right off the picture at you, and they should. I found these an absolute dream to blend. Despite being a cream-to-powder product, they did not look dry or cakey on my cheeks. It was also easy to apply a small amount of color for my pale skin, but you could easily pack more on.

The only disappointment I have regarding the blushes is that the staying power is average. They lasted for about 4-6 hours on my cheeks, depending on what I was doing that day, how much I applied, and how warm and humid it was outside. My cheeks are dry, so this makes me wonder how they'd perform on oily skin. They're so easy to slap on, though, that I'd have no problem tossing the little plastic pot in to my purse.

The highlighters, however...they were a let-down.

To be fair, they aren't AWFUL. Hippo definitely gives me some glow, especially in photos. But for the most part, they just look like very visible shimmer on my face--click on the photos above and look at the picture on the right, and you can absolutely see Hippo's shimmer particles on my cheeks. Lunch Money looked like glitter smeared on my cheeks, but it didn't even have the decency to give me a megawatt glow in my photos.

As added proof, here's a close-up of Smoke n' Whistles on my cheek:

I'm fine with highlighters being glittery. I'm fine with them being very natural. But if you're going to look like straight-up shimmer on my face, the least you can do is give me some glow as well.

Overall, I think some people will enjoy the highlighters, and many people will enjoy the blushes. I might even buy more of the blushes if the mood strikes me...but for now, I'll pass on getting more of the highlighters. In fact, I'll probably sell mine off or swap them away. They're just too "meh" in a sea of better products.

RATING: 4 out of 5 for the blushes, 2 out of 5 for the highlighters.

Colourpop products are available at Colourpop.com.  This is an affiliate link that will give you $5 off of your first order and will reward me $5 in store credit.