BLUSH

Le Blanc De Chanel 2012 Collection – Joues Contraste Fleur De Lotus Powder Blush Review and Swatches

May 6, 2012

Being an Asian I always find it hard to resist the Asia Exclusive Collection, as the color palette is specifically designed for the Asian coloring, and the quality is often surpassing my expectation. Chanel has released its Le Blanc 2012 collection a while ago, and I literally wanted everything from the collection but my rational side has limited myself to a few products. One of them is the Joues Contraste Fleur De Lotus Powder Blush which I think is an absolute must have.

Whoever owns this beautiful blush would agree with me that the quality is more superior than the regular JC Blush. The powder is still baked, but is more finely milled, softer and offers a better color payoff. Unlike the regular JC which requires more than a few swipes, the Fleur De Lotus only needs less than 2 swipes per side.

Fleur De Lotus is a universally flattering peachy pink color – an everyday “go to” shade that would complement any makeup look. If you like the Nars 0rgasm, Fleur De Lotus is a more luxurious and refined version of it. It contains finer shimmers and the overall powder texture feels smoother. The finish is more subdued than the Nars, and it inherits the unique finish of a baked formula that offers a satiny sheen with a soft flow. Espiegle is another popular JC shade, so I have also included it in the comparison swatches for you.

Wearing Fleur De Lotus

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Labels: BLUSH • CHANEL • NARS

Guest Post – Spring 2012 Blush Round Up

April 3, 2012

I am very honored to have the opportunity to have Elaine from Miss Elaine-nio doing a guest post for me. It was sad to see Elaine quit blogging some time ago, but glad to see she has not held back on her blush addiction! Her famous quote is “Once a beauty addict, forever a beauty addict“, so why not to showcase her stunning collection of the Spring 2012 Blushes with all of you. Enjoy reading.

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Hello!

Firstly, I want to thank my dear friend, Rei, for letting me guest & contribute this post on her blog.

Today, I am going to share my blush picks & thoughts from Spring 2012. This Spring, we’re swarmed with many brands spotting the romantic rose theme & pretty looking blushers.

Summary:

Coffret D’or Smile Up Cheek in 02 Peach (5.5g/ Made in Japan): The finish is extremely glowy though I need to swipe twice for the color to show up better on my skin. The shimmers are very fine (not gritty!) & doesn’t emphasize on my pores. However, I dislike the bulky packaging as the cover is slightly pop-up & tends to take up a lot of space for storage.

Rating (out of 5): ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Anna Sui Rose Cheek Color in 301 Dreamy Rose & 400 Anna Rose (6g each/ Made in Japan): The blush is palm sized & slightly rose scented. The embossed rose design is mesmerizing & an eye candy.

– 301 Dreamy Rose – mixture of pinks, orange, peach pink.

– 400 Anna Rose – mixture of reds, light & medium pinks.

The Rose Cheeks are very well pigmented & showed up with one swipe.

Rating (out of 5): ♥ ♥ ♥

MAC Ombre Blush in Vintage Grape & Azalea Pink (9g each/ Made in Italy): The Ombre blushes are re-promoted items. I am very curious how Vintage Grape, which looked so purple in the pan, would show up on my cheeks. It turned up to be medium purplish-pink (not too dark). Azalea Pink is a combination of lilac & soft pink. The Ombre blushes’re not powdery & showed up well with a dense brush.

Rating (out of 5): Vintage Grape- ♥ ♥ / Azalea Pink- ♥ ♥ ♥

Dior Rosy Glow in Petal (7.5g/ Made in France): I need not say more about this blush as I believed you have read about Rei’’s review here.

A pretty cool-toned blush infused with Fresh Color Reveal, which adjusts the color to create a rosy radiance according to your skin tone. This is the IT blush!

Rating (out of 5): ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Benefit Hervana (8g/ Made in France): The pinwheel design had tempted me to purchase this blush. This blush is above my expectations as the shades turned out to be more pigmented than the way it looks in the pan (looks pale).

Hervana is described as orchid-blossom in shade. It consists of 4 shades– lucky shell, divine peach, heavenly rose and berry delight.

Rating (out of 5): ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Jill Stuart Mix Compact in 106 Sprouting Joy (8g/ Made in Japan): In terms of color, Sprouting Joy is a mixture of its permanent mix compact in Little Bouquet & Romantic Poppy. I don’t think this is a must have as the peach pink shade is dupable.

This is a Limited Edition & comes with a floral printed case.

Rating (out of 5): ♥ ♥

Chanel Joues Constrate in 69 Fleur De Lotus (4g/ Made in France): The Spring JC blush’s texture felt extremely smooth compared to the regular line. The fool-proof peach pink shade spells love & felt extremely luxurious.

Rating (out of 5): ♥ ♥ ♥ ½

Lunasol Glowing Powder Cheeks in EX01 Pure Coral (6g/ Made in Japan): I do not fancy the cardboard packaging (seems like a Benefit-wannabe). The shade is not the most unique but it’s well-pigmented & gives a nice translucent finish.

Rating (out of 5): ♥ ♥ 1/2

Canmake Cheek & Cheek in 06 (Filled in Thailand/ Made in Japan): I would say to put Canmake Cheek & Cheek blush in 06 in your shopping cart for those looking for a cool-toned blush. The quality is superb for a drugstore brand. Extremely fine & well pigmented. This lilac pink is flattering for Asians.

Rating (out of 5): ♥ ♥ ♥ 1/2

Sleek Blush BY3 in Pumpkin (20g/ Made in Taiwan/ Developed in UK): The shades in Pumpkin are vibrant & super pigmented. I find the shades hard to blend especially for P Pie. I had to use a stippling brush to apply & a powder brush to tone down the shades. The shades are pigmented but felt drier compared to its single blushes. Retailing at £10 for 3 shades, though it’s a value for money blush palette but it didn’t impressed me compared its single blushes.

Rating (out of 5): –

Lavshuca Fairy Cheeks in PK (15g/ Made in Japan): Lavshuca Fairy Cheeks reminds me much of Guerlain Meteorites. This blush comes in a round cardboard packaging with a cute puff. The shade is the ‘standard’ pink which I don’t think it’s any unique.

Rating (out of 5): –

Physicians Formula pH Matchmaker in Rose (6g/ Made in USA): Physicians Formula is a US drugstore brand. This is a gift from my friend- Olivia. The light-up mirror is making the blush very classy. However, the blush is about 1-inch thick making it very bulky & less travel-friendly. The texture may not be superbly fine but pigmented. It contains silver shimmers. The blush is said to be able to detect the pH level of your skin & adjusts within 60 seconds to create your perfect shade. Another innovative blush!

Rating (out of 5): ♥ ♥ 1/2

Stila Love at First Blush (6.2g/ Made in China): A continuation of Stila Make Me Blush from 2010, Stila came out with Love at First blush this Spring. The embossed hearts in graduation pinks look lovely on the pan but I find it too overly shimmering for my liking.

Rating (out of 5): ♥

Swatches:

Verdict(s):

I had always been into coral/peach blushes. For this Spring, I am a cool pink blush convert with neutral eye makeup.

Top 3 Favorites: Benefit Hervana, Dior Rosy Glow, Coffret D’or Smile Up Cheek in 02 Peach

Best Quality: Dior Rosy Glow, Chanel Joues Contraste in Fleur De Lotus

Best Looking: Anna Sui Rose Cheeks, Stila Love at First Blush

Best Drugstore: Canmake Cheek & Cheek in 06

Most Innovative: Dior Rosy Glow, Physicians Formula Matchmaker in Rose

Thank you & do share with us your blush picks from Spring 2012?

Any favorites? Any misses?

Cheers,

Elaine

One who loves to share, Japanese cosmetics & a blush addict.

For reference: I am NC-25, OC-C & yellow toned

Disclaimer: All products are bought with my own money, otherwise stated.

{ 25 comments }

Labels: anna sui • BENEFIT • BLUSH • CANMAKE • CHANEL • Jill Stuart • LUNASOL • MAC

Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush NARCISSE Review and Swatch

March 21, 2012

I took some makeup swatch pictures on a rare sunny day over the weekend. When the lighting was perfect, everything appeared just the way I anticipated. I love the the look of the Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in NARCISSE in some of the pictures, so I thought I will just do a quick review for one of my all time favorite Chanel Blush.

I own quite a lot of Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blushes – all are in the euro baked version and I loved them all. Though many people much prefer the US version, for a blush I really adore the soft and glowy effect of the baked version. The texture of NARCISSE is quite hard and dense, as it doesn’t have a rich pigmentation so I normally apply it with a more coarse brush such as the enclosed brush.

NARCISSE is my favorite pink blush, and it is a soft pale pink blush that leans slightly blue in the pan, but it shows up as a perfect soft neutral pink on me. The finish is very natural and subdued I would say, even though it appears as a relatively matte powder without shimmer in the pan, it creates a natural luminous glow on the skin and this is the beauty of baked powder texture.

Swatched on the back of my hand

On Me:

Just in case you are curious, I had the Shiseido Maquillage Eye Creator by Alexander Wang on my eyes.

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Labels: BLUSH • CHANEL • Maquillage by Shiseido

Chanel Spring 2012 – Blush Horizon de Chanel Review and Swatch

February 13, 2012

I am not in a makeup phase right now, so I was quite hesitant to buy the Blush Horizon de Chanel (Soft Glow Blush) from the Chanel Spring 2012 Collection given that it has received quite mixed reviews. I had no idea what made me bought it in the end but it was one of those “Don’t want to miss a LE Chanel” regretful purchases. By no means is the blush a bad product, but I just feel other than the alluring design there is nothing else about this product that really blows me away. And for such a high price tag, I expected a lot more than just a pretty package!

Blush Horizon de Chanel is packaged in a black mirrored compact. Different to the blushes from the previous releases, it comes with a seperate brush that is packed in a velvet pouch which I thought was cute. The brush feels surprisingly silky soft.

The blush powder is very buttery smooth and pigmented – one swipe is enough to show up on fair skin. There are small strips of white, beige and dark raspberry color mixed with the pink blush, and each strip contains different degrees of shimmer. When applied mixed together, as the name claims it gives a natural flush of pink with a soft glow. I was in love with this blush until I saw my face under direct sunlight – it can look too frosty and the shimmer flecks just enhances the size of the pores which is quite unflattering. After playing with it for a few days, my tip is to avoid the white and beige strips as much as you can for a less glittery finish.

On Me

I pulled out the Les Tendres De Chanel in Les Roses that I acquired when I was in Asia, and despite the size of the strips, don’t they look surprisingly similar?! This could be one of the reasons why I thought Blush Horizon de Chanel was not so unique.

On the skin, Blush Horizon appears slightly more peachy pink than Les Tendres. Both blushes are shimmery, but I personally prefer Les Tendres as it just looks more flattering on me without the obvious glitter.

So, have you picked up the Blush Horizon de Chanel? Do you love it or do you wish you could have spent the money on something else?

{ 27 comments }

Labels: BLUSH • CHANEL

Dior ROSY GLOW Healthy Glow Awakening Blush Review and Swatch

January 28, 2012

The Spring 2012 Makeup Collection is finally making its way to Australia ,with Dior 2012 being the first spring collection landing on the shore. The Dior ROSY GLOW Healthy Glow Awakening Blush is one of the most anticipated products from Dior for me. I was very excited when I saw this gorgeous blush in real life – a beautiful cool tone pink blush totally meant for me!

The ROSY GLOW blush is housed in a sturdy glossy silver case, and I much prefer the silver packaging than Dior’s classic blue packaging. The blush is embossed with Dior Logo and it has a faint rosy scent, but it’s not detectable when it is applied to the skin.

The blush is extremely finely milled and feels velvety smooth – it is one of those blushes that makes my skin looks better as the ultra fine powder conceals the pores, rather than settling into them as with some other chalky blushes. Dior is introducing the ROSY GLOW as a blush that intuitively adjusts to the moisture of each skin, and upon application ROSY GLOW develops a rosy radiance to match each skin tone for an all day ultra natural, customized and healthy glow effect. Therefore although the blush appears as a cool tone vibrant pink with a hint of lavender tone in the pan, it reacts quite differently on my skin.

When it is swatched it on my arm, ROSY GLOW shows up as true blue based pink.

On my face (NC15), ROSY GLOW begins as a luminous soft candy pink glow upon application, and it does not look as cool as it is on my arm. The blush gradually transforms into a warmer pink glow (with a hint of coral undertone) on me once it is settled on my skin.

Bottom Line: If you could only get one blush this spring, make it this one! The good news is that it will be part of the permanent collection, but I reckon it will just be as popular as the Dior lip glow which was released years ago and has always been low in stock. DIOR ROSY GLOW Healthy Glow Awakening Blush retails for AUD$75 in Australia. It’s also available here in the US.

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Labels: BLUSH • DIOR

Lunasol Modelling Cheeks in EX03 Coral Pink Review and Swatches

January 17, 2012

I always have a soft spot for pink blushes and lipsticks, so when Elaine told me to check out the Lunasol Modelling Cheeks in EX03 Coral Pink (limited edition), it was so beautiful I just couldn’t let it pass. I particularly like the fact that it comes in four strips of different variations of pink and peachy shades that can add dimension to the skin, and the coral pink color is literally fool proof on any skintone.

The pigmentation is of typical Japanese blushes – soft but just good enough to be shown on fair complexion ladies with a few swipes. Each strip of color contains very tiny particles of shimmer that is only noticeable when you look at it very closely. When applied on the skin it gives a lovely pearly sheen.

Swatches

What I love most about this blush is the luminous finish to it – whether I want to go for a sheer wash of color, or adding more layers for more color. The finish is always a luminous coral pink on me – it never looks too cakey and opaque. The lasting power is about 4 to 5 hours.

I had Elaine purchase this blush for me from Singapore as it was out of stock on Adambeauty at that time, but I believe it is back in stock now, so ladies be quick to snap one up! I only bought the blush powder itself and many many thanks to the sweet Elaine who gifted me the case for the blush 🙂

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Labels: BLUSH • LUNASOL

NARS 9966 DANMARI All About Cheek Palette Review

December 2, 2011

The NARS 9966 DANMARI All About Cheek Palette was on top of my shopping list before I went to the States, so the first item I grabbed from Sephora was this one. Actually it was all sold out at the first Sephora so I had to go to another store.

I am sure by now you will have read thousands of reviews on Nars blushes so I really don’t want to bore you with my opinions. Basically I love Nars blushes, as they have been my staples ever since I started wearing makeup. I don’t collect all of them as some shades just don’t work with my complexion. I bought this palette mainly because it is just too good value for money – it only retails for USD$65 for 6 blushes which will normally set you back $107 if you buy them individually (almost half the price)! It contains some of the most classic Nars shades such as the 0rgasm and desire which I already own – they are so beautiful so it doesn’t hurt to have multiples of them. Sin is also a good addition as it has just been repromoted in the2011 holiday collection. The rest of the shades are nice to have for me but are not necessary.

Top Row: Hungry Heart Duo II, orgasm, Desire

Bottom Row: Casino, Super 0rgasm, Sin

Top Row Swatch:

Bottom Row Swatch:

Group Swatch:

My Nars Blushes Family Photo: The NARS 9966 DANMARI All About Cheek Palette has completed my Nars blush collection. As you can tell I tend to go for the muted colors by Nars.

Bottom Line: Not matter how many Nars makeup you have, Nars palettes are just too good to pass! This is a limited edition palette and at the moment it is only exclusive to Sephora.

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Labels: BLUSH • NARS

October Favorites – Drugstore Products Edition

October 31, 2011

I haven’t done a monthly favorite for a while. Reason being I use way too many products throughout a month that is impossible for me to consolidate a list of things into a short post. So I have decided to resume my favorite posts as of this month but will focus on one particular category. For the month of October I would like to do a Drugstore Products Edition! Surprise?! I just feel like I always talk about high end products, but in the mean time there are some really wonderful and affordable products that deserve a shout out!

Western Brands:

PANTENE AQUA LIGHT Lightweight Nourishing Shampoo, Conditioner and Treatment:

These are absolutely amazing!!! I have been neglecting my high end shampoos and conditioners ever since I had them. They have made my hair feel soft, smooth, tangle free and most importantly as light as feather. The first few times I used them I literally could not stop swinging my hair (like the girl in the shampoo ad but in a clumsy way). It is the same feel as if you just had a hair cut – the hair just feels so healthy, manageable and light. I need to re-iterate, these are amazing 🙂

OPI NAIL ENVY

I wear nail polish everyday as a result my nail becomes yellow and dull. This product has completely rescued my nails and serves as a good base for nail polishes.

Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof Mascara

An oldie but a goodie. It separates, volumises, holds the curl and doesn’t budge. May not be the best mascara in the market but definitely best value for money!

SLEEK Blush in Rose Gold

Gifted by my sweet beauty pal Joyce! She always raves about it and I totally understand why she loves it more than the Nars 0rgasm blush the minute I opened it. The color is gorgeous. I will do a comparison post later in the future, for now please check out Joyce from Atelier Beauty’s review here.

Asian Brands:

LAVSHUCA Eyeshadow Palette

Newbies to Japanese drugstore brands? Lavshuca is the brand to go! It is a affordable line of Kanebo. Though the packaging may not look as elegant Lunasol quads, the actual eye shadows are just as good – smooth, finely milled and great color payoff with a soft shimmery finish. If I only had 10 dollars as my budget for eyeshadow this will be the one.

K-Palette Liquid Eyebrow Pen

Big fan of liquid eyebrow pens because they last 24 hours on me. If you love the Suqqu liquid eyebrow pen, you would love this one. Actually they are pretty identical to me and K-palette is only a fraction of the cost.

Etude House Cream blush

They are housed in a sterdy glass jar with an adorable packaging. These are very pigmented, cool tone pink blushes. They have a perfect texture of cream blush that is not too creamy nor too dry, and give a dewy finish that lasts all day. What more can I ask for?!

From LTR:

Dolly Wink 02 Sweet Girly: super long and dramatic, wore them in this post.

Dolly Wink 04 Feminine Style: these are cute corner lashes, very natural and suitable for daytime wear. Wore them in this post.

Dolly Wink 01 Sweet Dolly: the perfect style for a sweet and dolly looking eyes. Wore them in this post.

Helena Rubinstein Lash Queen Feline Extravaganza Waterproof Mascara (AUD$48)

Okay I am cheating… this is not a drugstore brand. I am just loving this one too much that I have to include it in this month’s favorite! HR Lash Queen Feline Extravaganza WP Mascara is my Holy Grail Mascara. I have tried tons and tons but nothing else beats this one! I always get a few backups whenever I get a chance to shop at DFS Galleria.

{ 21 comments }

Labels: BLUSH • DOLLYWINK • Etude House • FALSE LASHES • HAIRCARE • Helena Rubinstein • KANEBO • MASCARA • My Favorites • OPI

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