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.

Minty Fresh

I have a feeling you might be sick of hearing about how amazing Dior eyeshadows are, but the Fairy Golds palette has honestly been on my lids 99% of December and so it makes sense that it is featured in this face of the day. The main excitement for this look was the inclusion of a mint inner corner highlight, but sadly the photos are still from my iPhone and I still haven't been able to capture the effect all that well. I've been popping a little bit of essence Beauty Beats I'm Backstage single shadow on every morning because I think it looks really cool - close enough to pale champagne to look normal because it is sheer, but just that little bit cooler.

 

Illamasqua Sophie* is such an amazing blush, shimmery but looks glowy on the cheeks so I don't technically need to bother with highlighter. I dusted on a little bit of essence Return to Paradise shimmer powder anyway, and topped off the shimmer with some NYX Peach powder blush. Sounds like a lot of powder right? Good blending saves the makeup crazy mood every time. I am trying to use up the NYX pan and find that dusting a little bit on can alter the colour of the blush underneath and it helps use up the pan. I'm quite sick of the shade on its own, so this is how I plan on getting rid of it.

 

Base was the usual, and I've been using the Revlon 3D Volume mascara for a little while now but I'm not totally impressed with it. It's a bit too wet for my liking and the look isn't all that good on my lashes. Something that I have been impressed with more so is the Too Faced Shadow Insurance which has served my lids well (though it could also be attributed to the Dior awesomeness that is Fairy Golds)

A nice and easy look that is very wearable, but is lots of fun to apply in the morning is often the key for me. I'll try my best to capture the mint pop and pop it up on Instagram soon (@emmabovary)

 

I'd love to know what shade you use in your inner corners?

 

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty