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

Trying Out a New Brand // Shu Uemura

Trying out a new brand for the first time is such an exciting moment, especially for someone who spends so much time in the beauty world. Previous to these products I had tried the Shu Uemura Skin Purifying Cleansing Oil (pink bottle) and enjoyed the small sample bottle, but apart from that I had only gazed in awe at the luxurious lashes at the David Jones counter on Bourke St Melbourne, and not actually tried my hand at any of the colour products available. I know of so many bloggers who are big Shu fans, and I was elated when a package full of this makeup (and a cleansing oil) landed on my desk.

I used all of the makeup in a single look in order to showcase them all, and it just so happened that all of the shades worked well together. The Glow On blush refill in Soft Orange (M 542) is quite a pastel shade, and when compared to something like Cream Soda from MAC is really is orange. Though I applied the cheek shade heavily in order to take these photos, I think a lighter flush would work well on my pale skin tone and be a nice change to my usually orange (which tends to be Stila Gerbera more often than not!) I still prefer some of the other blush shades from the brand though, so though I like the formula this colour isn't 100% in my book.

The Drawing Pencil in Pearly Gold was surprisingly my favourite product from this package, and I love the way that the pale gold looks as an inner corner highlight. I have used this pencil quite a lot for that task, and though it isn’t a shade I would normally pick out I think it has made me rethink my choices when I head to a makeup counter. Often I reach for the typical ‘exciting’ products (blush, anyone?) but pencils like this can slot so well into an everyday routine to perk it up a bit!

 

Working with the warm toned theme, Shu Uemura kindly sent me a Rouge Unlimited lipstick in Bright Orange, and I think the sleek modern packaging really stands out amongst my black MAC and gold YSL lipstick tubes. I love the way this glides on without accentuating any dryness on my lips, and I think I really needed a shade like this to stand as a true orange in my collection, as opposed to the bountiful coral oranges I tend to collect like Pokemon! I also love the way this photographs, though I think a bit of mascara would have balanced it out a little bit. I was trying to branch out and see how I fared without a bit of definition on the lashes, but I am definitely in camp three-coats-at-least on this one.

So now it is your turn- when was the last time you tried a new brand out for yourself?

 

*Products were provided for consideration. Opinions are my own. Honesty, always.

Lover & Shell

I wear this eye combo quite a lot, and it is most likely my favourite colourful eye look I’ve come across. I use two Inglot shades from my most colourful palette to make a shimmery deep orange eye, and though I know that some might think it over the top, I like to play matchy matchy and since I wear orange so much, it just works for me.  

 

I used to struggle to pair a blush with this eye look, but since I bought the Illamasqua Duo, Lover has been my go-to orange toned cheek colour. MAC Coquette was thrown through my brows and smudged under my lower lashline to ground the look, and I used TheBalm’s Mary Lou Manizer atop Lover to get myself glowing.

 

oh Mary Lou!

 

Still loving the nude lip trend, I chose fall back shade Nude Delight from Rimmel. Addicted to glossy lips, Mineralogie’s lipgloss in Shell* was plucked from the depths of my handbag and paired with it. I have been wearing this paraben-free shade a stack lately, and I love the way it is pigmented for a gloss, and takes my lips into a pretty nude realm rather than a sheer lip look like my other pale glosses can do.

 

Are you a fan of orange and peach tones? What blush do you recommend I try next to go with a look like this?

 

*Marked item was provided for consideration. Honesty, always.