Swatches/Thoughts: Shu Uemura Creamy Dome Blusher in Sunlight Peach

The moment I saw the promotion photos for Shu Uemura Spring 2012, I knew I wanted one of the Dome Blushers. The design of these blushers are so cute and while I don’t generally wear cream blushers, these just looked too good to pass on. I’m really glad I went and purchased one because Sunlight Peach looks and wears fantastically.

The texture of Sunlight Peach is a hard cream in a dome shape that can be applied directly onto the skin and then blended out quickly with fingers. I wear this right on top of my foundation or base makeup for the day. It looks extremely natural on, not too orange or like I’m wearing any makeup blusher. You can build it up for more a intense colour, but I prefer to wear it natural. When swatched, it is a coral-0range with subtle sheen (you can easily sheer this out for a more natural flush).

The only issue I have with it is that it doesn’t last through the entire day that I’m out. By the time I get home, I’ve noticed that it has obviously faded but you can still see remnants of it on my cheeks.

I think this is a great choice if you want something that is natural but buildable without looking like you’re wearing any makeup.

Swatch/Review: Joe Fresh Blush in Rosetta

If you’re not familiar with the background of Canadian beauty brand Joe Fresh, you can see a short description here along with swatches of their cream lipstick.

Joe Fresh Blush, like all of Joe Fresh Beauty products, is housed in a clear plastic case that is sturdy and very well made. I like this packaging because you can very easily see the shade inside without having to flip to the back for the label or opening the case.

Rosetta is a light pink blush that leans cool and is mostly matte with a little bit of sheen. This is a foolproof colour, one that you should definitely have in your makeup bag. The blush is smooth and applies well, but it is not pigmented, which is perfectly fine because I don’t think it is meant to be pigmented. It looks very natural on, highly recommended!

Some swatches, first under sunlight and then indoors in natural lighting.

Recommended if you are looking for an inexpensive, but pretty blush!

Perfect rose blush: Chanel Joues Constraste in 99 Rose Petale

Recently Cosme-De was doing a 10% off promotion for everything on their site if you pay with your Paypal account and so I took the opportunity to grab myself another Joues Constraste. These Chanel blushers are among some of my favourites in terms texture and colour payoff. I purchased 99 Rose Petale as I was looking for a rosy blush to add to my collection.

Rose Petale is a dusty rose pink with a bit of a mauve tone to it as well (in the photo above it looks muted, but this is actually what it looks like in real life). It applies mostly matte with a very subtle sheen. From past experience, Joues Constraste blushers in general are relatively long lasting, staying put until I need to remove it, and adheres very well to the skin. It also has a rosy fragrance that I absolutely love, and fits well with its name of Rose Petale.

Here are some swatches (top is indoor light, bottom is in direct sunlight – in real life the direct sunlight swatches glistens in the sun with a more obvious shimmer, but when worn it is still pretty subtle)

You can now purchase this blush, as well as 15 Orchid Rose from Cosme-De for just $36USD after discount (until August 15, 2011). You can see a comparison swatch I did of the two blushers and Orchid Rose is a lot more orange looking on my arm. Sorry for the bad quality photo, I did the swatch in store and took the photo with my Blackberry. Orchid Rose is second to the right and Rose Petale is second to the left.

Stash Showcase: Blushers…

I’m finally home! That means I will [hopefully] have lots of time to blog for you. First up, I’m going to showcase my stash and all the makeup products I own. This is a way to organize and catalog the products I own. The first “category” of products I’d like to show you is blushers. I have 26 blushers in total (two aren’t shown – one of them in Benefit Sugarbomb which my friend borrowed and the other is a Givenchy blush that I will showcase later).

From left to right -
[First Row] Guerlain Blush G, Diorblush in English Rose, Diorblush in Vintage Pink, Dior Shimmer Star in Pop Diamond, Chanel Joues Constraste in Espiegle

[Second Row] Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Nectar, Rock & Republic Blush in Lust, R&R Blush in Call Me, R&R Blush in X-Rated, Maquillage Face Creator in 66

[First Row] Jill Stuart Blush Blossom in Sensual Dahlia, Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compact in Lovely Tulip, Jill Stuart Powder in Puffy Marshmallow (from Holiday 2009), Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compact in Little Bouquet, Illamasqua Cream Blush in Lies, Nars blush in Oasis

[Second Row] Paul & Joe Blush in Risque, Japanese blush that I don’t have the name for (gifted by Yumeko), Canmake Cream Blush in Peach Dream, MAC Beauty Powder in Oh So Fair, MAC Mineralize Blush in Two Virtues, MAC Blush Ombre in Ripe Peach, MAC Blush in Bite of an Apple.

Let me know if you want swatches for any of these. Most of them you should be able to find by searching through this blog using the search function in the top right corner.

I’m also going to be doing lip products and eye makeup, so keep your eyes out!

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Swatch/Mini Review: Jill Stuart Loose Blush Powder in 08 Aurora Rosa

I purchased the Jill Stuart Loose Blush Powder in 08 Aurora Rosa from Kathi‘s blog sale back in May/June. I’m a big fan of JS’s Mix Blush Powders, which is the pressed form of their blush so I really wanted to try their loose blushers as well. For reference, I am more of a loose powder person than a pressed powder person. I find pressed powders to be more cakey and not as natural as loose powders, and its also harder to create a natural look with pressed powder. My current loose powder favourite is Chanel Poudre Universelle. I’ve been using it every time to set my makeup and it works like a dream.

First off, I love the design of the case. The entire thing is about the size of my palm and looks very princessy and cute like all JS containers. The top is screw on, which I am thankful for because I dislike loose powders cases that can’t close completely. This means that I can at least take it with me on my trips, if not in my makeup bag.

The top screws open to reveal a blush brush. This blush brush is different from the ones that are included with the new loose blushers and the mix blush compacts.

Its shorter, stumpier and wider. It is also comparably softer and not as dense as the brushes that come with the Mix Blush compact. It is still made with the same white goat hair material though.

Underneath the brush is a little tray. Oh I cannot express how grateful I am of this little tray. It is such a simple but ingenious design that I think ALL loose powders should adopt (I usually place a big piece of packing tape over the holes in my Chanel loose powder if I plan on taking it on my trips). Basically you place this over the holes or the net that is over the powder and then when you screw the top back on, it secures the little tray, preventing any powder from falling out.

Underneath the tray is the loose blusher. There is a little net that covers the loose powder to prevent it from falling everywhere.

Aurora Rosa is a bright rose with lots of shimmer. When I first swatched this, it almost looked like a duo-chrome to me because of the shimmer, it was borderline metallic. It swatches extremely smoothly and you only need very little product to get good colour intensity, ie. use with a light hand! I feel that the brush that’s included with this blush might even be a little much if you want to create a more natural look, so I would recommend a duo-fibre brush instead like the MAC 188 or 131.

What do you think, is this something you would want to wear?