My Current Cheek Rotation ft. Hourglass, Too Faced, MAC + more

Over the last few months I tried to push myself out of my Chanel Joues Contraste blush rut (my love for that product is strong, you guys!) in an effort to rotate through my large blush collection. These are the products I've primarily reached for through that time and I have to say that I've been enjoying it - but that I'll always return to Chanel for a good blush rush.

Blushes and palettes are two of my favourite things, so it makes sense that I adore the idea of a blush palette! My current favourite and most used palette is the Too Faced Love Flush Blush wardrobe and I've worn each colour at least once over the last little while. The other blush palette is the Hourglass Ambient Light Blush Palette which I took up to Queensland for our week away, and I'm happy to say that while there I used all of these shades at least once as well. I really like the glowy effect that the Hourglass cheek powders give to the skin and I think those who like a natural but luminous finish would really appreciate these. It kind of takes the need for highlighter away which I like during the day, but I amp up the glow for any special occasion or night out with TheBalm's Mary Lou Manizer, which deserves all of the hype it receives from the beauty community.

Something different that I've been popping on my face lately has been bronzer - I go through stages with wearing bronzer and the lead up to our 'beach holiday' (which ended up being a bit chilly if I'm honest!) I was wearing The Body Shop Honeycomb bronzer every day in excitement for a week away. I love how light and easy to apply this product is, I use it to sculpt my cheeks (which I really need right now, pregnancy puff is real!) as well as give overall warmth to my pale complexion. Two other blushes that have been getting some love are neutrals (surprise, surprise!) Benefit Dallas boxed blush is super pigmented and though I always try to use a light hand with it I always end up buffing it afterwards to tone down the colour. It's a gorgeous though and that perfect bronzer/blush combination shade that I adore. A more pink-toned neutral is MAC Poised which is a staple of mine, it's just an easy colour to throw on if you don't want to put much thought into pairing shades or matching a certain makeup look. 

What cheek products are you currently loving?

Emma x

The Sculpting Cheek Palette

 

I know that it would take a tonne of people from Kim Kardashian's squad to transform my chipmunk cheeks into anything resembling a sculpted face, but this is as close as I've come with ease to having anything resembling cheekbones, so lets just let me indulge for a moment. When this product hit my desk I thought it was cute, but didn't think much more if I'm honest. I'm not one to wear bronzer everyday, I prefer my highlight more intense than the daily average, and trying to pry a Chanel Joues Contraste blush out of my hands is a task in itself - but I'm happy to report that my cheek look lately was done with a single palette, from the drugstore!

Kate Moss for Rimmel London has created this sculpting palette in 002 Coral Glow* that is adorably packaged, and actually brings the goods when it comes to pigment and lasting power. For my first few uses I neglected the blush shade and used the aforementioned Chanel pan, but during the second week of use I figured that if I liked the contour and highlight shade that much, I should probably give the seemingly plain blush a red hot go. It turns out that Rimmel know what they're on about when it comes to cheeks - the easy to wear blush colour is a winner and I featured it in my recent favourites post!

pretty neat guide on the back of the packaging

I knew I needed to dedicate a post to this when I caught myself raving about it to my Mum, sister and nieces when they asked what I was wearing, and a few have since bought it for themselves on my recommendation. I use the very tame 'day appropriate' highlighter first on the tops of my cheekbones (or where they would be if you could see them) and then the contour shade underneath the cheekbones. I'm not game enough for a full on contoured look like Kim K (and this shade has some slight shimmer so I'm sure diehard contour fans wouldn't approve anyway!) but this blends with almost no effort to give my face a bit of shape, and I take it up through my temples and the top of my forehead which warms up my very pale complexion without looking like Snooki circa 2009.

A helpful photo if you've forgotten where cheeks are...LOL

This palette gets two thumbs up from me, and if you follow me on Snapchat (emmabovaryt) I'm sure you've spotted this product quite a few times in my flat lays and get ready with me shots! It's a bargain at $16.95 and my niece sent me a Snapchat saying she scored it for half price at last week, so keep your eyes peeled at the usual drugstore haunts (Priceline, Woolworths, Coles etc)

Emma x

*Product provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Winter Kissed Cheeks with essence // Winter Wonderful Blush

I recently fell into the trap of using only my high end blushes each morning when I put on my face, and while my love for the likes of Chanel and MAC run strong I knew it meant I was neglecting a whole stack of other wonderful blushes! I'm still being a bit of a blush snob (as you will see in my upcoming blush rotation post!) but have added a cheek trio into my routine, as well as this newly released and limited edition blush from one of my favourite affordable brands, essence! 

The Winter Wonderful collection was full of some pretty neat looking products, but the one that spoke to me straight away was the Winter Kissed Cheeks blush - I mean, look at that embossing and the mix of pink, peach and nude!? I also knew from experience that the limited edition blushes tend to be more pigmented than the standard run of essence blushes, so that pop of hot pink was a welcome addition for a truly winter-appropriate flush.



Each shade swatched individually, then mixed

There are small particles of glimmer in the powder but in swatches and during use it translates to a satin finish, and almost a matte/satin finish on the cheeks for me. I like how easy it is to add a pop of colour to my apples without having to blend it out much at all, and I'm happy to report that the flush of pink colour lasted all day on my cheeks when I trialled it. I'm constantly frustrated by blushes that fade, so to have a pan around the $6 AUD mark that stays put leaves a big smile on my face for sure.

Are you a blush snob too?
What is your favourite high end and drugstore blush?
-Emma x

Current Blush Rotation

As a self-proclaimed blush fiend I have my fair share of cheek colours, but lately I seem to be rotating the same handful of shades and formulas leaving all others by the wayside. Soon I will attempt to branch out into my collection (perhaps a blush challenge is in order?) but for now, these are the blushes that have been gracing my cheeks.

TOP: Alezane, Golden Sun
BOTTOM: Jersey, In Love

Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blushes in:
260 Alezane
280 Golden Sun
80 Jersey
55 In Love

The Chanel powder blush formula is easily my favourite on the market, and I can even say that Chanel blushes are my favourite beauty product - period! Nothing gives me a thrill quite like adding a new shade to my collection and I've been using my very favourite Jersey (a neutral) as well the coral In Love that Mister bought me for Christmas. Recent additions to the mix are the new Fall 2015 shades which deserve their own post, the shimmery Alezane and Golden Sun. They are so easy to apply, the rose scent is addictive and I highly recommend trying them out if you are a sucker for blushes like I am.

Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in 10 Nude Mauve
Physician's Formula Argan Wear Ultra-Nourishing Argan Oil Blush in Rose

I was apprehensive about these two initially as drugstore blushes find it hard to compete with the likes of Chanel and co, but lo and behold these two hold their own and I'm proud to say I'm a big fan of them. Nude Mauve is my perfect work shade and it brightens my face up with ease, and Rose steps up to the plate when I'm craving a pretty flush of pink for something different.

As you can see, neutral and nude blushes practically rule my makeup life right now! I think I need to dive into my blush drawer and sift through some pans to make room for these new Chanel beauties, but as a blush fiend a clean out is such a hard thing to do...

 

What shades are in your current blush rotation?

What is the best drugstore blush, and which is the best high end you've tried?

-Emma

The Possible Purchase List - Winter 2015

It's been a fair while since I've felt spendy, but it seems like the latest crop of newness on the beauty front is more tempting than usual as I'm preparing my beauty drawers for some new additions...I'm thinking of giving away a few products to lessen the guilt of picking up new bits, and even just considering that makes me feel better about spending overall so hooray for that! I'm not sold on all of these (hence the 'possible purchase' part) but I know that the new Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette will be coming home with me as I love the first three Naked editions and have a lack of smokier shades in my stash anyway. Another absolute no-brainer is the new loot from Chanel - that Alezane blush though! As soon as I saw this post on the Bloomin' Beauty Instagram I was all aboard that Chanel train once more, and I'm even considering popping my Chanel Le Vernis cherry with the dark green from this new Fall 2015 collection.

 

I think the new Too Faced Love Flush blushes are pretty amazing to look at, but it'd be my first from the brand so I'm going to have to swatch them before I say yay or nay for these ones. Of course it's the most natural shade I've popped into the collage, as it's the most gorgeous in my eyes and one I would get a lot of use from. Speaking of cheek products...I love the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes so am betting the Ambient Lighting Bronzer would be pretty amazing too, but I need another bronzer like a hole in the head so...

 

Last but not least on the temptation front are the Surratt blushes - I wouldn't have given them a second thought had I not read this Beauty Reductionista post in which the phrase 'Holy Grail' is uttered, and as luck would have it Surratt is launching at Mecca soon so I'll get a chance to try them out.

 

What is on your possible purchase list right now?

-Emma x

That Blush Sensation with In2It

I love bringing home wearable memento's from trips overseas, and a few years back when Mister and I were in Thailand I picked up this In2It 'Sensation' blush and promptly forgot all about it. I pulled it out last year and have been pairing it with my Maybelline Blush Stick 'Just-Pinched Pink' and my NYX 'Peach' and have loved the effect and the colour, so thought it time for a full post about it.

 

The colour is a gorgeous neutral pink that has enough of a brown edge to make it fit into my 'nude blush' obsession that is still going strong. I started off using it as a mixer blush but lately I've been popping it on by itself and it has made me appreciate just how pigmented this drugstore blush is - much better than other affordable powder blushes I've tried! I use my usual NP Set blush brush and the powder is soft enough to work with while still being firm enough to keep the pretty pattern intact. I find that there is still some colour left on my cheeks come end of the day too, which is quite impressive for a blush that I had low expectations for. The delicate and pretty embossing doesn't hurt things either, does it?

a screenshot of the In2It website

I also wore 'Sensation' in this 'What's On My Face' post if you'd like another look at it. I'm really impressed with this blush - the packaging is lightweight and cute, the small pan means I get to use it up in this lifetime and the colour is right up my alley. My only wish is that this brand was more readily available in Australia so I could pick myself up another shade - oh well, I guess a trip back to Thailand is on the cards then ;)

-Emma

Addicted to Blush Tag (#blushfiend)

I recently decided that there was a distinct lack of blush love on here considering my status as a #blushfiend, and so when I saw the gorgeous Kat from Kitsch Snitch had created a blush tag I was all up on it! Blush is definitely my favourite thing in the beauty world and I had a blast rifling through my rather large blush drawers to pull product for this tag. These answers will definitely change for me as time goes on - sometimes the life of a #blushfiend is fickle, ya know?

What colour blush suits you the most?
I think peach tones suit my skin tone the most, despite it not being my favourite blush shade to wear (neutral wins that, with ease!) I find I receive more compliments when I wear peach tones and it seems to photograph relatively well also.

- peach tones suit me best -
Clinique Cheek Pop 'Peach Pop*'
 Chanel Joues Contraste ' 76 Frivole'
Chanel Joues Contraste '55 In Love'

Pressed/cream/loose blush?
The majority of my blush collection is definitely pressed powder blushes - I find them the easiest to work with, and it takes a really good cream formula for me to want to try it out! I recently bought the new MUFE HD Blush and I've heard it's a great cream formula, so I'm looking forward to testing that out.

YSL Crème de Blush '6 Rouge Passion'
Topshop Cream Blush 'Head Over Heels'
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush 'Exposed'
Illamasqua Powder Blusher 'Naked Rose'
 

Favourite shimmery blush?
I tend to favour Satin finishes in general, but sometimes a nice fine glitter or shimmer doesn't go astray and I like the glow it adds to my face on 'good skin' days. My most recent favourite is MAC's Warm Soul blush which I picked up on my honeymoon, but more glittery favourites are Chanel Pink Explosion (like a satin finish with fine glitter mixed in) and the MAC Mineralize Blush in Hand-Finish. I think the MAC Mineralize blush range is the best way to dip your toe into shimmery blushes if you are unsure of them!


MAC Mineralize Blush 'Hand-Finish'
Chanel Joues Contraste 'Pink Explosion'
MAC Mineralize Blush 'Warm Soul'

Favourite matte blush?
I actually had trouble finding a good range of matte blushes in my collection - most were satin finishes when I looked at them properly! The best matte blushes that come to mind are from Illamasqua - the pigmentation is insane and the colours are usually pretty awesome, so even though I don't wear them very often I'd have to say they are my favourite matte offering!


Illamasqua Powder Blusher 'Naked Rose'
Illamasqua Powder Blusher Duo in 'Lover/Hussy'

Favourite cream blush? 
As I mentioned, cream blushes have to be pretty darn awesome to catch my eye and these two releases certainly are! The YSL Crème de Blush range is an old favourite and the Powdery Rose shade is everything, but the brand new Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Sticks have impressed me and I really wasn't expecting them to!

YSL Crème de Blush '2 Powdery Rose'
YSL Crème de Blush '6 Rouge Passion'
Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick 'Just-Pinched Pink*'
Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick in 'Pink Fever*'

Favourite drugstore blush?
It's not until you complete a tag like this that you notice trends in your makeup drawers - it seems I have a weakness for high end blushes! These BYS Blush Trios are definitely the best quality 'drugstore' blush I've tried - the pigmentation is stellar, the lasting power is akin to a Myer branded blush and the shades are exciting and varied! The are affordably priced at around $5-6 and they are worth so much more in my eyes. Gorgeous!

BYS Blush Trio in:
On The Brightside
Coral Me In
Endless Summer
Heart Skipped a Beat

Favourite high end blush?
Easiest question in this tag by far - my beloved Chanel Joues Contraste collection took a while to kick off it must be said, but once the ball began rolling it took over my blush love! I used to read posts like this by Pink Sith and swoon over the idea of owning one, but never understood just how amazing they were until Mister bought me one for Christmas a few years ago. My collection has grown fast since then and shows no signs of stopping, Chanel JC's make me so happy!

Chanel Joues Contraste Blushes in:
80 Jersey
76 Frivole
55 In Love
64 Pink Explosion

Favourite bright blush?

I'm not afraid of a good whack of colour in a blush, so I had quite a few to rifle through for this question. I ended up choosing the bright shades that get my heart racing as they haven't been something I reach for too often lately (I'm all about the neutral cheek right now!) The most wearable bright shade is definitely my Chanel JC 'Pink Explosion' which was my first Chanel blush, and I love the way it brightens up my whole complexion when I apply it with a Real Techniques Stippling Brush. Actually, that is how I apply all of my bright blush shades!



BYS Blush Trio 'On the Brightside'
essence Beauty Beats Blush 'Groupie at Heart'
Chanel Joues Contraste 'Pink Explosion'

Biggest blush disappointment/regret?
I've spend years trying to understand the Nars blush phenomenon (perhaps I just haven't tried the right shade?) and the hype surrounding the Bourjois Blush Pots, like this one in Rose D'Or. I had to scrape away a thick layer to get my swatch to show up (and it was gorgeous once I did, for sure!) but so much effort for a blush that keeps hardening up is not worth my time. The worst blush I've ever purchased is definitely the essence Bloom Me Up Blush Stick '01 Chaising Lacy' - not only is the name spelt strangely which irks me, the texture is terrible and pills on my skin no matter what I try, with hardly any pigment to speak of. I just had to swatch you to explain it well - it looks like an arm rash, am I right?

Bourjois Blush '34 Rose D'Or'
essence Bloom me Up Blush Stick '01 Chaising Lacy'

Bourjois swatch, essence swatch

Best blush packaging?
I can appreciate many different blush packaging, but I'm not sure whether or not I have a favourite in this regard...I love how clean and clear Illamasqua pans are but hate breaking my nails opening them, I love my Chanel JC's (which I keep in their boxes) but it's hard to quickly distinguish the blush shade, and other brands have their pro's and con's as well. As long as it is relatively pretty and keeps the product safe, I'm usually a happy camper!

What's on your blush wish list?
I am looking at trying some of the Colourpop Blush line, and also really want to hunt down the MAC Pro Longwear blush 'Make You Mine' which I neglected to buy in America and now really regret it. I always wait with baited breath for a new Chanel blush release and the upcoming Crescendo looks pretty interesting...the new Bobbi Brown Blush Trio's also look utterly delectable to me!

Number 1 holy grail blush?
I have to stay true and choose my wedding day blush for this question - my beloved Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush 'Exposed'! I also snuck in my other HG blush because I'm a rebel like that...the stunning Chanel JC 'Jersey'!

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush 'Exposed'



Tarte Exposed, Chanel Jersey

 

I would love to see everyone I follow complete this blush tag, it's so refreshing to think about your collection as a whole and it's made me pull out old favourites from my drawers to play with! That being said, I would especially love to tag Vita, Norlin, Ling, Sleep and Water, Tracy, Monika and Liz! Feel free to leave any blush recommendations in the comments, too - I would love to know what your favourite blush is, and which is the worst you've ever tried!

-Emma x

Peach Blush Perfection

Getting stuck in a blush rut is pretty frustrating for a #blushfiend - I love so many different blushes but often stick to my neutral loves and neglect the other colour families that should be thrown in every now and again. The ease of a neutral that goes with everything is tempting, but each time I lay a peachy powder across my apples I am reminded of just why these blushes are so darn popular.

All of these are quite pigmented peach shades, all with different shade leanings (some are more pink-toned, whereas orange shines through in others!) The Luma Cosmetics blush in Soft Peach* is the latest to enter my stash but don't let the 'soft' name fool you - this ginormous blush pan packs a punch and needs a light hand to apply without looking a bit crazy. The same can be said for TheBalm's Hot Mama which is the shimmeriest of this bunch, perhaps of my whole collection? (I try to buff the shimmer out for glowier cheeks #HotTip)

MAC Springsheen is the most orange-toned, a rusty sort of peach that I was once afraid of using on my fair skin before true #blushfiend bravery set in years ago. I think the fact that it is a sort-of neutral rusty peach is what redeems it in my eyes, ya know? A shade that needs no redemption is Clinique's Peach Pop*, a shade that consistently impresses every time I swipe some colour from the gorgeous embossed petal pan. More often than not this is the blush that sparks a blush upheaval in the ranks and pushes my neutral blushes aside, which as I mentioned earlier is no mean feat...

Saving the best for last, my beautiful Illamasqua Sophie*. When this hit my desk many moons ago I knew not how hard I'd fall for this stunner - in the pan she appears awkwardly glittery and dry, but on the cheeks she blends and brightens with an ease that makes me sigh every.single.time. It's the pink tones in this that make this so amazing I think, and it really cemented the fact that Illamasqua know how to knock it out of the park with their blushes!

I'm off to scan my blush drawers for more peachy goodness...hit me up with your favourite peach shades, lest I slide on back to my overloved Tarte Exposed...
Emma x

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

The Forgotten Beauty Purchase - MAC Blush in Poised

I've been spending a lot of time rustling through my beauty room (and the house in general!) in an attempt to clear out what we don't need and whittle down my makeup collection to a reasonable sort of crazy amount. I delved into the beauty back-ups and stumbled upon a blush box that I had completely forgotten about - yes, in the Bovary camp that can happen! I found a few forgotten gems in there (MAC Azalea Blossom, essence Renesmee Red etc) but the ultimate score was seeing a boxed up MAC blush peeking through the rubble...

I had to turn to Google to find out more about Poised, as I had no idea it was a shade I owned! It was released with the MAC Strength collection which came out overseas in late 2012 as I found out on Temptalia's review here. It is described there as a muted pinkish brown and is a satin finish, and I find that it gives a nice glow to the cheeks and as on Christine it lasts most of the day on my cheeks before fading. It's the sort of wearable neutral that goes with an array of makeup looks, and so I've been wearing this non-stop for a few weeks now with bright eyes, smokier eyes and lazy champagne eyes alike.

I remember liking the look of the Strength collection, but I had totally forgotten about buying something from it! I searched my own blog archives to see that I bought it in this haul, with my Archie's Girls products which obviously distracted me from Poised until now! You know you have a shopping problem when you search your own blog for evidence of a purchase...

 

 

Finding this when I've been on a tight budget lately has been quite the thrill for me - now I get to enjoy the rush of a new product (a blush no less!) without having to drop a dime at the counters! It has certainly made waiting for the honeymoon to shop a whole lot easier, and added a spark into my beloved neutral blush stash.

Have you ever forgotten about a purchase?
I hope that it isn't just me who makes these discoveries!

Emma x