Taking a little break

Ok, first off, I know I take a lot of breaks, but they were all mostly unplanned.  But now, something's come up where I need to take some time to relax and not feel guilty about not blogging (got that?).  I'll be trying to update my personal (non-makeup) blog with details -- Tuna Parfait. Thanks and much love.  Enjoy your blushes!

A Beautiful Bunch of Bright Pink Blushes

I don't think it will come as a surprise to most of you, but my very favorite color for blush is bright pink.  It is just irresistible to me and if possible, I think that I would like to collect every single one.  I'm not sure if this is all of my bright pinks, but here is a picture of most of them:

 Aren't they lovely?  Ha!  Some of the blushes I chose are currently available, some are discontinued, some have been reformulated, and some are brand new.  People often ask what my favorite blush is and I'd have to say it's Chanel Turbulent.  I prefer the color of the Euro/baked version, but the texture of the US one.  I've been using it sparingly because it is one of the discontinued ones and very hard to find.  Luckily, Nars Gaiety is really close in color and the texture is very nice for a Nars blush.  It doesn't have any shimmer, but still gives a nice glow.  If I need more, I can use a separate highlighter.  Here are the bright pink swatches:

Some are much more raspberry pink and others become cool and pale instead of the fluorescent pink they look like in the pan.  One of my favorites for texture is Beauty is Life.  The texture of Joy (and the others I have) is soft and creamy powder, really heavenly.  You can see the older versions of a couple Shu blushes on the far right--they're among my favorites in texture as well.
I have to admit to being a bit of a snob when it comes to the texture of blush.  I really prefer very fine powder that isn't too compressed or hard.  That is why I'm not crazy about the Chanel baked blushes--it's a bit hard to get color payoff from them.  They're finely milled, but the texture is hard.  There are no blushes here that I hate--the colors are lovely and even though not all the formulations are my favorite, there are much, much worse on the market. 
I'm trying to post more and I'll be doing smaller groupings of colors/brands/etc. in the coming weeks.  Thanks for reading!  I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my favorite things.  <3

A few things--Blog Sale...

First, I want to apologize for not posting anything in months.  I really will try to post my pretty blush pictures more consistently.  Also, I wanted to mention that I'm having a blog sale--I've purged a bunch of blushes and other things.  

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and your new year is going well.  Thanks so much!  Enjoy a few pictures of some recent pretty things. =)

Chanel Joues Contraste--Candy

Candy from Chanel is another baked Euro blush in Chanel's Joues Contraste line, it was a Limited Edition from a few years ago and was pretty popular.  Here is a picture of it in the pan

It's a lovely color--on me it is pretty much straight up peach with just a hint of coral.  There is no visible glitter, it just adds a bit of that JC glow thanks to a tiny amount of pink shimmer.  Here is a swatch of it--it's 2nd from the left.

As you can see it is a lovely, bright, smooth powder.  The baked formula glides on easily without being overly powdery or chunky.  It has the signature Chanel rose scent.

Here are the rest of this batch of Chanel blushes:

 

Tomorrow will be the lovely Caprice.  Thanks for your time! <3

Blog Sale

Just a quick note to let you know I've updated my blog sale with a few new things and lowered the price on some older items.  As always, US shipping is included.  Thanks and have a great day!!

Chanel Joues Contraste Blush--Brume d'Or

Chanel's Joues Contraste line of blushes are lovely.  They have a unique glow that is hard to capture with a camera and hard to find in other blushes.  Today's blush, Brume d'Or is one of the baked blushes, usually part of the European, Canadian, and Asia collections.  The baked versions are harder and usually have less color payoff.  The powder on these is very fine and blends well into the skin.  Here is how Brume d'Or looks in the pan.

Brume d'Or is a peachy terracotta brown with very subtle super-fine silver shimmer. Here are the swatches--Brume is on the far left.  It doesn't really capture the glowiness of it.

If you're sensitive to smells, you need to know that all these Chanel blushes have a rather strong rose smell.  I can smell them when they're in the drawer and especially when I open the compact.  Once it's applied to my face, however, I don't notice it at all.  Here's a pic of my first batch of JC's.

You can get Chanel at pretty much any department store, but many of the ones in my collection are the Euro version or discontinued.  Thanks for reading, tomorrow will be the lovely Candy. <3

Cargo Blush--Tonga

Cargo Tonga is the last of my blushes from Cargo.  It is also one of my favorites.  It is a lovely dusty rosy-pink color.  It is matte and has a lovely creamy texture.  This is the perfect everyday blush for the pale ladies.  It is subtle and just gives a gentle flush.  Here is how it looks in the pan:

I'm not sure if it varies by batches, but this blush has the softest texture.  It really just feels like silk on the skin.  Here's another look at all my Cargo blushes:

If you have a chance to test these, I think you'll be impressed and Cargo has some unique colors and there is something for everyone.  Here are the swatches that I've done.  Tonga is the last one on the far right.

Thanks for reading my blog, I really appreciate it!  Starting tomorrow I'll be working through my Chanel stash alphabetically.  Have a great week! <3

Cargo Blush--The Big Easy

The Big Easy blush from Cargo Cosmetics is one of those perfect go-to blushes.  The color is a soft nude-pink peach that works perfect on my pale complexion. 

I know it doesn't look like much in the pan, but goes on such a pretty color.  It should work for Fair to Medium skin tones, but might be too light to work for the Medium-Dark ladies.  Here is the swatch, it's the second from the right.

If you have a chance to try it out, I think you'll be surprised by it.  Cargo blushes are smooth and The Big Easy has a lovely silky texture.  There are a couple pieces of ultra-fine glitter, but really the blush just adds a lovely glow.

 

Monday is the last day for this round of Cargo--I'll finish up with Tonga.  Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

Cargo Blush--Sunset Beach

Cargo's Sunset Beach blush incorporates four different colors into one blush.  I love using this for an easy natural look.  The colors blend together to make a glowy wearable blush.  Sunset Beach is part of the Beachblush line from Cargo and each has four colors in a striped pattern.  Here's how it looks:

The colors are a peachy-nude, brown, pink, and champagne.  They all combine to become a shimmery nude shade.  There is some fine glitter in this one and for some reason it doesn't feel as smooth and soft as my other Cargo blushes. 

I do like that the color is somewhat "adjustable" in that I can pick up more or less of a color to personalize it for my coloring.  Here is the swatch--Sunset Beach is third from the right.

I hope you've enjoyed the Cargo blushes--I really like them and feel they don't get enough attention.  Tomorrow is one of my favorites--The Big Easy.  TTYL!

Cargo Blush--Miami Beach

Miami Beach from Cargo is one of their striped Beachblushes.  I've used this more as a subtle blush/bronzer than straight up blush.  It has a bit of a shimmer and sheen about it, but not much real glitter.  The colors are in the rose, brown, and beige family.

One thing I like about these striped blushes is that I can pick how much of each color to use.  For example, if I want more of a beige highlighter, I just use the lightest color.  For the swatch below, I just swirled my finger around evenly over the surface of Miami Beach.

When I blend all the colors together, it becomes an almost peach-rose color with a pretty sheen to it.  This should work on everyone.  Cooler toned gals may want to skip the top color as it might warm it up a bit too much. 

Obviously how it looks will vary by how much of each of the four colors you get onto the brush.  Miami Beach has a lovely texture, just like the rest of the Cargo blushes I have.  Thanks for reading and tomorrow, will be another beachblush--Sunset Beach. TTYL