Pink Shimmer!

When I did my blush series, I concentrated on offerings from Mac and Benefit but today, I would like to consider a cheaper product from MeMeMe, Pink Shimmer, £6.99.

Technically, the Pink Shimmer palette is not a blush but a highlighting powder. It contains five different shades of pink which you are meant to run your make up brush over and swirl on to your face to highlight.

As you can see, the pallette can get a little messy!

Well to be honest, this little product remained more or less untouched in my draw for more then six months because yes, I had the mega hyped higher end products to show off but also because some of the colours in this palette scared me. A palette that supposedly delivers pink shimmer yet one of the five shades looks pretty much red to me and at least two more of the colours are heading that way. Another one is bright, bright pink. I was never going to use this as a highlighter. Aren’t highlighters supposed to be subtle?!

However for whatever reason, I picked this palette up the other day and took a swirl using the resulting shimmer (don’t worry, it is a slight shimmer that is delivered not a glittery mess) as a blush and wow, it worked. I have used this product in this way every day since, I don’t think I have even touched any of my other blushes for ten days plus.

This product does give a good colour payoff. It adds a subtle, healthy colour to my cheeks without been too much. It is hard to identify what the final colour is on the cheeks (possibly a very muted red) maybe because of the five different shades used to create it. I would say that it is darker then Benefit’s Dandelion .
Basically, the resulting flush seems to come close to my natural (red!) blush colour, it doesn’t look like make up at all when applied subtly. I would say two swipes or it can quickly, look clownish.
It actually says on the box ‘Pink Shimmer for a sassy cheeky look’. I wasn’t sure what sassy meant but to be honest, when I see this product on my cheeks I have to admit that MeMeMe may have hit the nail on the head. My cheeks look “sassy” and effortlessly healthy. I wouldn’t say that Pink Shimmer is particularly long lasting but I get through maybe four or five hours before I reach a mirror and think that a touch up is required. I have heard that these Shimmer Palettes are renowned dupes for the more expensive Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks (which I have yet to try). I have also heard that MeMeMe are renowned for delivering some good Benefit dupes. As I’m so impressed with the Pink Shimmer as a blush, I think I might be trying the real MeMeMe Blushes next, Blush Me. Ahem, Benefit Coralista, anyone?!

I have been using the ShimmerShimmer mostly in a very natural look with a bit of foundation, mascara – I have a new love:) – and Ambre Rose.

So low price and low maintenance. 
Got to love that!

What do you think of MeMeMe? Any more high street wonders, blush or otherwise, that I am missing out on?

X

Blush: Dandelion

Dandelion is one of the ‘older’ boxed powders from Benefit.

Coralista and Sugarbomb got so much hype when they were released that I feel it is important to remember that some of the predecessors are still out there retailing at the same price (£23.50). I would imagine Benefit have a reason for this ie. Dandelion still sells.

Personally I tend to use this boxed powder as a blush. Benefit refer to the light pink as a powder ‘finely spun with delicate mauves and pinks’ and somebody else refers to it on Make Up Alley as a ballerina pink. This made me smile as the pretty powder does remind me of my little pink ballet shoes when I was little. This is a pretty blush but in a very subtle, ‘delicate’ way. I don’t think I’ve ever worn it out as a blush at night before. I don’t think it is a party powder and anyhow, I tend to have some kind of tan or glow going on when I go out and I think this pink would be too light to compete.

Dandelion is pink but unlike the almost red Thrrrob, Dandelion is maybe slightly off pink in certain lights which could be due to a very slight peach undertone.

I have never looked at my Dandelion dressed cheeks and thought, ‘shimmer’ but you can spot some in the box. Even though I’m scared to put this product all over my face, I have found nothing heavy about Dandelion when I use it as a blush. I finds it goes on quite lightly initially and needs building up a little to get any real colour. However even when I think I have applied it too lightly, it seems to add something and indeed the end result is that my skin looks healthier and more awake. I think I said Coralista makes your skin look more alive, I don’t think Dandelion has the same ‘look at me’ impact as Coralista. So rather then making your skin look more alive and up for life, I would say Dandelion makes your skin look more awake. It is a powder I would use on my cheeks whenever I want to look healthy and alert and once built up, I would say that it resembles the powder in the box.

Here you can see my cheek with only foundation.

Here with foundation and Dandelion.

I used about four swipes across my cheek to get this look. It does not appear quite as light in real life and in fact, it should be noted on my other cheek where I have few little marks, my cheek looked pinker a lot quicker. I’m not sure if this was because my skin was irritated further by the powder or if it was just because my skin there was obviously pinker to start with because it is irritated and therefore less colour build up was needed. I really could not tell. However I have seen some reviews that suggest this powder is very sheer. Now whilst I agree that you’ll probably get little colour with the very first swipe, you do get some kind of prescence and then some colour builds after one or two more swipes.

Dandlelion was my very first blush from Benefit. Like all of my Benefit blushes, Benefit describe Dandelion as a powder rather then a blush. Benefit suggest that you can use Dandelion wherever necessary to brighten. I don’t think I have ever done this. My skin is quite pale and I guess I have always been fearful of looking like a clown. I just do not think that this powder is as sheer as some reviews suggest and I’m still not happy applying to my whole face to brighten.

I’ve also heard people refer to Dandelion as a highlighter. I get that and indeed, I have used it in this way underneath my eyes to set my Erase Paste. It works but this is something I am reluctant to do unless I have time to blend properly, good light and a slight tan. Generally, I’m going to stick to my High Beam or MEMEME to highlight.

Blushwise, Dandelion can be flattering and lately I have tweaked the look layering it under Thrrrob. I like the effect. I will talk about this a bit more when I review Thrrrob.

Again Dandelion comes in the typical Benefit box with the little brush. I talk about this in my Coralista review here http://essjay23x.blogspot.com/2010/06/blush-coralista.html

Oh and yes, today I can certainly tell that this product has been perfumed.

Have you tried Dandelion? How do you use it? Do you have Well Dressed (MAC), how does this compare to Dandelion?

X

Blush:Coralista

Coralista is a blush from Benefit. I actually have several blushes from Benefit (all of which will be reviewed at some point) but this is my most recent purchase.

There was a lot of hype surrounding this blush when it was first released. Many You Tubers and Bloggers were raving about it. Many citing it as a dupe for the infamous Deep Throat from Nars.

I find most Benefit products (apart from the Creaseless shadows) very strong. There is no doubt that this blush immediatly impacts on your look as soon as the powder meets your skin for the very first time. Although the colour appears a lot brighter and so much more vibrant in the box then it does on my skin, I still advise using a light hand to apply this product and then building up gradually. If you do so then a you can create a very pretty peach flush to flatter your skintone, no matter what it is.

However if you apply this product quickly and heavily then like all blushes, it will look just a bit odd and clownlike. In addition to this, I would say that with Coralista, you could also end up looking “Cullenfied” because like Photoready, there is some shimmer in Coralista.

I would say Coralista is a very pretty blush and compliments my skin tone (and in fact, flicking through reviews, most people say it suits their skintone whatever that maybe). However, I don’t think it is a particularly natural shade for me and it could come across as product rather then a natural glow but applied in the right way, this does not necessarily make it any less flattering. Make up can be attractive. Sometimes!

 

I would say the colour of the product sat in the box was an accurate indicator of the peachy pink shade which materalised on my cheeks but maybe the one on my cheeks was more subtle and teasing.

 

Coralista certainly stands out in my blush collection. I have a peach cream blush from Maybelline and there is no doubt that the cream product is peach. Meanwhile my other blushs such as Dandelion and Throb are obviously more pink. Even BlushBaby is different more of a matte (mature) product but Coralista is a very vibrant shade combining pink, peach and a shimmer which almost talks to you. I find it quite teasing and tantilising which maybe is why I think it is the blush to use for more casual fun occasions. The shimmer helps to awaken the skin (as I read in a review on Make Up Alley and thought ‘oh yeah, so true’) and keep the years at bay. I would say Coralista is a great blush for looking younger and well, more alive.

As is standard with Benefit blushes, this product comes in a beautiful little box with the standard brush (which I never use, I use my Sigma skunk). A lot of people find this cardboard box thing very annoying. I have mixed feelings, the box is very pretty and summery but if I wanted to take Coralista out with me, it would be very diffcult to do so without damaging the box and possibly the product. Maybe Benefit should design travel back ups in more pratical packaging. Some people say that Coralista is scented, when I think about it and sniff, I think I can smell something pleasant but I wear so much perfume that it might be better for you to test the product out for yourself (and have a sniff) next time you are at the Benefit counter.

The price of Benefit blushes are quite expensive, £23.50. I think that I would happily forego the smell and box if the blush was £5 cheaper. Like all Benefit blushes, this product seems to last. You need so little for it to do its job that even if you use it everyday, one box may well last almost a year.

Although Coralista is not strictly a straight peach, I count it as so and have worn it a lot lately with my friend, Frenched. Tanya Burr suggested in her wearable red lip tutorial that you wear peach blush whenever you wear a red lip. I must say that I have started to take to Coralista. When I first brought it, I was slightly disappointed because I struggled to apply it well. However now that I have got used to the product, I’m liking Coralista again. I think it is quite an original blush which can only mean a thumbs up for me and then of course, it quite a fruity peach, tropical and summery. Double thumbs up, I’m liking all things summery at the moment. Actually Benefit’s promo spill for this product is quite apt, ‘Our warm coral-pink cheek powder is your “coral blush for a tropical flush”! This shade cheers up every skin tone in seconds.’

Oh and I have just noticed that Benefit suggest that you sweep this across your cheeks starting from the hairline and working in. I always work out from inner side of the apple and slightly up to give those cheekbones a little tug and lift. What do you do with your blush? Do Benefit suggest this because there is more colour in the brush to start with and there should be more colour on the outer apple then the in? Argh, now I am confusing myself . . ?

What do you think of Coralista? What Benefit blush would you like me to review next? And also moving away from Benefit, what blushes do you recommend? I’d love to know :)

Girls, I do have a better picture of Coralista on my cheek but uploading seems too mammouth for my connection. I will try to edit it in soon!

X

Blush: Blushbaby

Ok Girls, do you remember Blushbaby?

I think I have written about it before. Blushbaby was my first and is my only MAC product that I use for Blush.

As the pictures above show, the colour is hard to define. It does not look particularly exciting in the pan. It looks sort of old and functional. It kind of falls inbetween peach and pink. I personally see it as neither/or. I’m not that familar with MAC blushes yet but I have read reviews that suggest it is a darker version of Tenderling. Somebody said it was a rose blush and I thought yes, it is but then I looked at the pan and thought it too peachy to be a rose. I think Blushbaby is often referred to as a beigy pink.

Beige? Eurgh, that doesnsn’t sound very inspiring. I don’t want Beige on my lips so why would I want it on my cheeks?!

This was not even on my list when I walked in to MAC unlike Well Dressed, Pink Swoon, Style and Dollymix but this was what the MUA strongly suggested. I wasn’t very excited by it but he made it seem like the wise choice and yeah, when he swatched it on my cheek, it looked okay.

When I got home, I kept comparing this to Coralista. Coralista seemed a bit more obvious on me and needed less building up but you know what, I actually think for a day to day blush that I prefer Blushbaby.

One good point is that it seems to glide on to the cheeks and give an evenly distruibuted finish. However, you may need to build this finish up slightly so you can see it.

Blushbaby is a sheertone so designed to go on gently and be built up. On the first swipe, Blushbaby is certainly very subtle and more is needed. On the second, you can see a hint of blush and it does look pretty (I think this is where the rose connotations may be coming from, I guess it kind of give the cheeks a subtle rosy flush). So pretty that you think I’ll add a bit more but be careful once you can see it, the colour does seem to build quite quickly.

I hope you can see where I have swiped it on my (strange) hand in the picture above. It is a nice colour on the cheeks. A very natural blush. To somebody not in the know, it may not even look made up just like a healthy flush or glow. Maybe more flush then glow as this product has a matt finish and no shimmer.

So Blushbaby which seems to last pretty much as long as the day decrees is the perfect compliment to neutral looks and has earnt my love in a similar way that Ambre Rose did.

I am quite pale and did I mention, I like this blush a lot on my cheeks but after a little research, it seems that Blushbaby is reported to suit skintones from Nw15 to NC40.

I purchased this product in February. It costs £16.50 but this seems to go a long way. I use this blush four or five times a week and can not see a dent in the pan yet. I just ran my fingers across the top (incidentally it feels very soft, I like the idea of soft powder grains coating my cheeks) and I can feel a very slight hollow but I would imagine this blush will last me almost a year, if not more.

You can read a little more about Blushbaby here https://essjay23x.wordpress.com/2010/02/13/fotd-mac-london

Most people seem to have a MAC blush, what is yours? What do you think of Blushbaby? Have you heard of it before?

X

Leaping in to Blush!

It came to my attention when the Top Shop make up range came out that people thought a lot of the Top Shop blushes. From what I have read, the blush products seem to be the strength of the brand.

Now I have yet to investigate the Top Shop make up range properly yet but I am determined to get a blush from the range.

The main reason for this, aside from the rave reviews, is that blush seems to be the one make up, pretty thing that I don’t get that excited about.

I have blushes and I wear them but to be honest, my eye sight can be shoddy and I can’t always see the difference it is making to my complexion and the chances are when I am thinking ‘ooh, this blush does make me look radiant’, it does not necessarily mean that the product is great or that I look fantaboulous to others. It is more likely the case that if I can see the difference a blush is making to my look then I have applied too much and in fact, look like a clown to everybody else.

So I guess that the relationship between Blush and I is difficult and I need to make a little more effort to try and embrace blush so this post is a bit of an introduction to an occasional series of Blush posts where I am going to celebrate all things blush. I will consider how I can make blush work and I will share the blushes I already have with you.

And hopefully this series will include at least one Top Shop blush so girls, please let me know, which one I should get!

I think Neon Rose and Flush look very pretty. What do you think?

 

Flush at the top and the brighter Neon Rose below.

Of course, they are quite different. I think I read once on Make Up and Beauty,Ie (Dazzledust25) that blushes are either coral or pink based and each individual is either suited to one or the other. So how do I find out which one suits me the best? I’m thinking it is probably whatever brings out your eyes etc best. That seems to be the bog standard make up test and using that I usually buy a lot of pink toned blushes but I do like Coralista and peachy eyeshadows so am I just sticking to the pink because that is more conventional for us English roses?

The blushes at Top Shop cost £6 which is maybe middle of the price range for a blush. It is probably one of Top Shop’s better value products. I just happened to notice (it wasn’t as if I intentionally clicked on to the lippie page and reviews or anything . . , aherm) that the lippies are £8.

Also as you will find out soon, most of the blushes I have are from Benefit. However, the ones I have are powder products and I’m very interested in getting a liquid blush for the summer.

Could Benetint or PosieTint be what I’m looking for? The rosy Benetint is the cult product but would pale old me get more use out of it’s little sister, Posietint?

I’m also struggling to find other liquid blushes. I think MEMEME have a dupe for the Benefit tints but I don’t really know how they compare. I have tried some of the Maybelline mousses but I’m not sure if that is what I’m looking for now.

And Elf and Nars, are their blush products worth investigating? I know that you hear a lot about Laguna and Casino.

So girls, I know that this is a very rambly post but I’m just leaping in to the world of blush full heartedly for the first time and there seems to be so much to discover so I’d love to hear your thoughts blush style?!

Images from The Top Shop website and Google Image Search

X