Friday, April 10, 2015

Blush Fiends Unite: Addicted to Blush Tag

While I may not have been officially induced into the #blushfiend society, it is no secret that I love blush. Yes, I used to be one of those sadly unaware people who didn't see the point of wearing blush ('I already have redness in my face, I don't need any more!'), but once I tried my first pot of Bourjois Rouge, there was no turning back - so when Emma graciously tagged me for the 'Addicted to Blush' round-up, it took me a mere, hmm... 6 weeks, to come up with my answers (I have excuses if you want to hear them. No? I thought so).
1. What color blush suits you the most?
I believe we all know the answer to this one - peachy pinks. I have the most peachy pink blushes in my collection, and I always have at least one on regular rotation. I think the balance between the warmth of the peach and the brightness of pink perks up my skin without making it look too made-up or bringing out too much of the redness I struggle with. Peachy pink blushes are also so cheery to look at in the pan!
2. Pressed, cream or loose blush?
Definitely pressed powder (see the line-up of powder blush compacts in my happy place... I mean, my blush drawer). While the skin on my cheeks is normal and doesn't eat up cream blush too bad, I still struggle with finding formulas that feel lightweight on. And loose blush... No. That's just asking for trouble.
3. Favorite shimmery blush?
NARS Sin. I thought long and hard about this one, and realized I don't actually own very many shimmery blushes; I do have a lot of satins, but I have to be careful with obvious shimmer in cheek products, as it tends to draw attention to textural issues (bumps and scars). Somehow, NARS Sin is quite forgiving in that department, and it has a beautiful balance of cooler plum tones and warm golden sheen.
4. Favorite matte blush?
Again, not very many purely matte blushes in my stash, but here are three formulas I enjoy a whole lot: Inglot Blusher no. 72 (please note that these come in a variety of finishes, some shades have quite a bit of sparkle), the Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten in Boysenberry (again, some of the blushes in this range are highly shimmery, some are matte; why so confusing?!), and the recently reviewed Catrice Defining Blush in Rose Royce (I have no idea what the finish is on the other shades in the range - sorry!).
5. Favorite cream blush?
This award has to go to the Canmake Cream Cheek blushes in the clear finish, reviewed and swatched here. The beauty of this tag is that it has reminded me of some abandoned blush favorites - I forgot how much I love these as I've been focusing on putting a dent in my Stila Convertible Color, and need to pull them back out for spring and summer. If you still haven't tried these, do yourself a favor and order one on evil Bay.
6. Favorite drugstore blush?
Hmm, my blush stash has veered a bit more into the high-end territory over the past couple of years, but I still enjoy wearing my collection of five NYX Powder Blushes. However, having recently tried the Catrice Defining Blush, I have to say I love the formulation of the latter a bit more, though then again it's difficult to judge based on just one shade. I shall rectify that next time I'm in Europe.
7. Favorite high-end blush?
Thus far, the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes (I have the LE palette with three shades, but I'm assuming the singles are just as good). The pigmentation is fantastic and the luminous finish brings beautiful dimension to the cheeks. However, I have to say I haven't ventured into the really high-end end (lol) of the blush universe and I'm intending to change that this year, so we'll see if a new favorite formula shall emerge in the next couple of months.
8. Favorite bright blush?
How bright are we talking? I do have some eye-searing shades in my stash, but to be honest, they're quite hard to apply properly on my fair skin. I do however find these Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelees in Pink Escape and Red Getaway very easy to pull off, because despite being scary/awesomely bright and juicy in the pots, they sheer out quite a bit and give off just a flush of color on the cheeks.

9. Biggest blush disappointment/ regret?
I don't have any of these anymore to show you because I've given them all away to friends and family, but both Benefit Coralista and theBalm Hot Mama! blushes were ultimately disappointing on me. Not only did they have the kind of shimmer that emphasized pores on me, but the shades were just way too warm/orange and clashed with the cool undertone of my skin. I've never tried NARS Orgasm, but I'm sure this one would be a fail too. Funny how these three are often touted as the perfect blushes for all skintones - not so much for me.
10. Best blush packaging?
I really enjoy minimalist make-up packaging, and I think Laura Mercier's Second Skin blush packaging is pretty perfect: cute, small, equipped with a mirror inside and the option to depot into a palette. I dislike bulky designer compacts because I don't really have the space to store them, and they're a pain to travel with, even though the elaborate cases look beautiful and luxurious.

11. What's on your blush wish list?
I haven't been tempted by a lot of blushes recently, but I've always had it in the back of my mind that one day, I would really like to try the grand dame of powder blushes, Chanel Joues Contraste - and see, Emma's raving about them too! I don't have a specific shade in mind quite yet but I'm thinking I may swatch them at the counter soon and pick one up as a treat for my name day in May. I've also heard great things about Armani Cheek Fabric Blushes (and I love their packaging too!) and Clinique Cheek Pops - the newly released shades are especially enticing.

12. Number 1 Holy Grail blush?
Whyyy do you torment me sooo?! How am I supposed to pick a favorite between all my babies? I really don't know - I think if I had a clear Holy Grail, I wouldn't be buying so much blush :) However, some of my top favorites would definitely include Laura Mercier's Lotus Pink, NYX Angel, and, and, and... uhm, maybe bareMinerals READY Blush in The One? All of these are really good.

Well, this has been difficult - but fun! Thank you for tagging me, Emma; and now I guess it's my turn to tag a few fellow #blushfiends. I'd love to see Claire's, Belly's and Kar Yi's answers - show us the dark depths of your blush stash!

21 comments:

  1. OOOOH! I love this post! I love your collection of the cream ones! I only wish I could get those to work better for me. Thank you so much for the tag, Lovely Monika! Get ready for the UNLEASHING of the BLUSH DRAWER! *junk clatters out onto the floor*

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    1. UNLEASH THE BLUSH KRAKEN!!! Can't wait to see you wither under the terrible definitiveness (yes, that's a word) of these questions. <3

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  2. Nice tag! I'm also a blush-a-holic. I also stick to presed blushes. Nars Sin seems to be an interesting colour. I have never swatched it before (we don't have NARS here) It's a pitty that you don't likde the Benefit Blushes. I was plannung to have one but as Hot Mama has been listed out, I haven't gathered a look on benefit blushes any more. I think the same about these "perfect for all skintone shades". I have tried Sleek - Rose Gold (close to NARS Orgasm), but this shade did not flatter me. Its some strange fact that my skintone does well with dirty plum shades. Have you tried one of these?
    May I also answer that tag?

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    1. Lila, yes, please, do the tag!!! I'd love to see your answers!

      I think you'd like Sin - it's definitely in that dirty plum shade category. I actually have to be careful with blushes that pull too plummy/ purpley, because they can make me look a bit bruised (NYX Raisin unfortunately did that on me). I don't have Sleek Rose Gold for the same reason I never got NARS Orgasm, but I have Sleek Pomegranate and it's a really nice shimmery blush - I just have to be careful as it's super pigmented :)

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    2. Thank you :) I'll tell you when my post is done. It may take a while...

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  3. This is a fun tag and kudos for coming up with such great answers! I bet it was hard! I love blushes too and they are my favorite makeup item, for sure!

    http://herandmakeup.com

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    1. Haha, yes, it was pretty challenging - which is part of the reason it took me so long to come up with my answers :) I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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  4. Love this tag!! I do love blush, but I don't think I qualify as a fiend since my stash is rather small ha ha! You make me really want to try those Canmake blushes though...I remember them from your review and they just sound SO good!! Beautiful range of colors, brands and finishes!! Thank you for sharing, and I can't wait to see what the other ladies have in store!

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    1. Gummy, you need to do this tag too - I'd be so interesting to see what's in your stash, since it's so edited! I think you'd really like the Canmake blushes, I remember you saying that a lot of powder blushes were looking too dry and cakey on your skin; these are super lightweight and give a nice glow to the cheeks.

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  5. Aaah, such a great post. Blush is my favourite and I love getting ideas for other blushes to add to my collection (not that I need anymore, LOL). Sin is one of my favourites too... I like it far better than any other NARS blushes like "everyone's favourite" Orgasm.

    xo, alison*elle

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    1. Hahah, I feel you on blush recommendations - I love to shop for blush but I've never used up a blush in my life, so clearly I don't need to have this many... I have a feeling no one really likes Orgasm anymore, but I remember when everyone was raving about it and it was such a 'must-have' item for so many bloggers. I'm glad I've never fallen for the hype!

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  6. I have a relatively small blush stash, since it really seems to be that a lot of them all look the same once I apply them! I have my eye on some of the new Clinique cheek pop shades too, though! Some of them look quite unique and quite nice. Also, the new UD shades!

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    1. I do realize nearly all of my peachy pinks look the same once applied... but I still love having them all :D I saw you tweet about the purple/lavender UD blush, and then I was watching a haul video where the new reformulated Sephora blushes were shown, and they have those lavender shades too! Now I'm thinking I need to swatch those too next time I'm in a Sephora, lol.

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  7. You will love Chanel Malice JC. xo

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    1. Thank you for the recommendation, Susan! I'm putting it on my 'to swatch' list :)

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  8. Hi Monika, oh wow!! You are a girl after my own heart, so many nods from me: ditto, tritto, quadritto w/ what you wrote here. Sorry haven't been around much, we've been very busy and next week is my son's Spring Break so it'll be of no help, but I cannot wait to prepare for the tag post <3<3

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  9. LOVING THIS! All the blush, all the time. Will bookmark this to look back on, is that sad...?
    I am pining for a new blush to land in my drawers, I want Chanel to come out with a new shade that I just have to have so I can add another JC to my stash. I should probably just look into the permanent line-up but I seem to have many shades similar to their permanent neutrals, and the rest are just so - pink?! #blushfiend problems!

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  10. I too only have a small blush stash, i tend to forget to put it on. It's so good to see what is in other's collections though, great tag. I like how you have a signature blush shade, I'm trying to find mine and have burgundies/corals/pinks in my little stash.

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  11. You're so brave answering that last question Monika! I tried but got ultimately stumped on that one - perhaps because it leaves the door open to buying more blush?! Lol

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  12. I am a Canmake cream blush fan! They are like my Pokemon - I want them all!!!

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    1. They look so beautifully bright and juicy in their dinky pots, don't they? I've been using the pink one lately and now I don't know why I ever stopped wearing it!

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