Sleek Makeup Carribean Collection Aruba Blush: Swatch and FOTD

One of the key trends this summer has been that of orange and coral face colours. Of course, Sleek Makeup has come out with just the thing to indulge your craving for an on-trend cheek colour without breaking the bank! The Aruba Blush, part of Sleek Makeup's Carribean Collection, is the perfect shade of trendy summery orange going on right now. Just look at all that pigment!



I don't know about you, but I was a bit surprised when I first opened this. I mean, Aruba is perhaps as neon as a blush probably can get! This is easily the loudest, brightest, boldest blush colour I've seen - it would seriously put even the famed NARS shades to shame! Come to think of it, Aruba does kind of remind me of NARS Taj Mahal, although I'm not sure if they are dupes or not. But for a fraction of the exorbitant NARS price, Sleek Makeup's Aruba Blush is definitely in the same colour category, being also a bright orange-based blush.



I know I've said this before, but I love the design on the Sleek Carribean Collection. Just look at the cute little illustrations of a boat and a palm tree. Feels like summer, doesn't it? Other than the cute design, the packaging is pretty much the same as the other Sleek Makeup blushes, consisting of a sturdy plastic case and a small mirror in the lid.



As you can see from the photo above, the colour in the pan looks really scary - I thought it would be too dark or bright or just too neon for me! So I gingerly swatched it:



There, not so bad, right? The blush can be intense, but once blended out it can leave a sheer wash of colour. I'm thinking for warm-toned girls, this colour would look really pretty on. On cooler-toned girls, the orange hue can look a little weird, since the shade clearly leans warm, but if blended out, can still be wearable. After all, orange is one of the hot shades this summer.

Finally, I worked up the courage to actually try it out on my face:



There, it wasn't half as bad as I thought! When sheered out, it can definitely be used on paler girls as well. I think good application and blending is key - you definitely want to use only a little bit at a time, and blend it well. Given how little I used, I think this blush is going to last me forever, making it really great value for money.

If you're looking for a trendsetting colour, and want something cheap, or just want a more affordable version of NARS Taj Mahal, this is definitely worth checking out. If good-quality pigmented blushes are your thing (and they're definitely mine), the entire Sleek Makeup range of blushes in general would definitely be your cup of tea too.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Benefit Coralista v Bella Bamba: Comparison Swatches

Ever since I featured Bella Bamba on my blog, I've been meaning to swatch it next to Coralista, just to show the difference between the two. So finally, after much ado, here are comparison swatches!



Bella Bamba was released early this year, and Coralista was released quite a while back - possibly a year or more ago. Benefit seems to have cut down on the amount of product product they give in the blushes though. Coralista gives you 12g/0.42oz of product, Bella Bamba gives you 8g/0.28oz of product. That's like, cutting down the amount of stuff inside by a third!



Bella Bamba and Coralista look pretty different in the pan. Coralista is a lot more, well, coral with a side of pink, while Bella Bamba is pink but with just the slightest hint of warmth. Both of them have similar shimmer - small particles of shimmer that aren't too much or unwearable. I guess there isn't really a need to swatch them to show how different they are, but well, here are swatches anyway.



L - R: Coralista, Bella Bamba

Although Coralista looks like it would be brighter in the pan, Bella Bamba is actually the brighter, more pigmented colour on. It's a gorgeous warm pink that is beautiful, whereas Coralista is a bit more muted. I have and love both, and I think that both are pretty universally flattering on most skintones. If you had to choose just one, it probably boils down to whether you want a coral or a pink blush.

(Only Bella Bamba was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Illamasqua Powder Blush Swatches Part 2 of 2

After the last post's tame blush colours, today's swatch post on the Illamasqua Powder Blushes (or Blushers if you aren't in the USA) are a much wilder bunch. Unlike last posts's mainly pink-based selection of pastels and some muted brights, today's range of colours goes all out to please the wildest imagination, while still remaining wearable. My favourite colours from the Illamasquaa Powder Blush/Blusher range all come from today's set of swatches too!



L - R: Excite, Kiss, Sin, Beg, Create

Excite is a bright neon orange, very in-your-face. It looks kinda like an orange crayon.

Kiss is a plummy-pinky-brown. Now I know it looks really blah in the pan, but this happens to be a a colour I actually own, and it's my favourite Illamsqua Blusher colour. It look very brown because when I swatch it I layer it on, but with a light hand it's a pinky-brown colour with a hint of plum.

Sin is a bright plummy pink, heavy on the plum. Unlike Kiss, this one looks pretty much the same on your cheeks as it does on your arm. It's like NARS Mata Hari, but on steroids. For those who felt NARS Matat Hari didn't cut it, this one is brighter and more intense in colour.

Beg is perhaps my second favourite colour in the entire line (another shade I actually have). It's a pinky-brown colour like Kiss, but less plummy and thus more warm-toned. It's also a bit brighter in shade, and very well pigmented.

Create is the weirdest blush colour I've ever come across. It looks like the stuff you'd find in the squat toilets I mentioned in this post. Anyway, Create is a yellowy-brown, very heavy on the yellow. I'm guessing this would be a contouring colour of some sort for very warm-toned girls.

The Illamasqua Powder Blushers are quite impressive in terms of texture and pigmentation, which is why they have such a huge following. I've previously done an FOTD with Illamasqua Sin and an FOTD with Illamasqua Beg, and I didn't come out looking like a clown (or at least I don't think so anyway), so these colours are perfectly wearable with proper application.

Illamasqua Powder Blush Swatches Part 1 of 2

Ooh, Illamasqua - the UK's answer to MAC, has garnered a huge following for their image of being as out-there and as daring as MAC - in fact, perhaps more so, due to the visionary leadership of Alex Box. They've definitely had the support of the blogging community in their early days, although there has been a lot of talk about the brand "selling out" to mainstream media now that they've ridden to success on the support of the blogosphere, and aren't engaging the bloggers who supported them anymore.

With that kind of image and background, it's almost kind of disappointing to find out that a lot of their Powder Blush colours are so tame. In fact, for today's first half of the swatches, almost all of these are really wearable and - dare I say? - some even ho-hum. That said, you can't fault the quality of the blushes - I have three of their blushes (none of the ones pictured here, unfortunately), and I love them all. They're well-pigmented, nicely-textured, and stay on for a decent length of time. What's not to like?



L-R: Katie, Nymph, Tremble, Chased, Hussy

Katie is one of the best selling colours in the Illamasqua line, and one of the more popular ones, but honestly, this is a little boring to me. Yeah, yeah, pale pastel pink. Looks good on most girls. Doesn't every brand have one of these?

Nymph is similar to Katie, but less pastel and a bit brighter, and maybe a hair darker. It's a good alternative to Katie for darker girls who might find that Katie could look ashy on them.

Tremble is a light coral-peach. This colour is pretty unique. Most coral blushes I've seen tend to be quite bright, so this is probably one of the few pale coral blushes out there.

Chased is similar to Nymph and Katie, but is the darkest and brightest of the lot. It also leans more purple than either Nymph or Katie. I like this the best in the lot.

Hussy is also another pretty, intriguing colour that would probably still be wearable with a light hand. This is a coral with a hint of hot pink - very pretty indeed. Me likey.

For some reason, almost all the Illamasqua blushes are matte. I think the formulation of this is deliberate - the theory is probably that if you want to add shimmer to them, you will layer on a separate shimmer product to customize the level, size, and type of shimmer/glitter you want - just like the pros. These are all work-appropriate since they are matte, and come in wearable colours. Despite the brand's outrageous image, today's swatches are all colours you can wear to the strictest office.

26 Colour Eyeshadow and Blush Palette: Swatches

One of the items that has been gaining popularity in recent years has been makeup palettes containing large number of colours, like the 88 colour eyeshadow palettes that have been popular in various forms. The reason why these are so popular is that they are cheap, and have a large variety of colours. I couldn't help but end up with one myself - the ES 26 Colour Eyeshadow and Blush Palette, from this page on the KKCenterHK site.

As you may know, KKCenterHK has been gaining popularity with some makeup fanatics for its wide array of cheap and cheerful makeup items. The 26 Colour Palette cost US$15, which works out to less than a buck per colour. Not bad at all, price-wise. But I was curious as to the quality of the palette, so I thought I'd provide some swatches for a start.



The palette itself comes in a plastic case, that, while not luxe-looking, certainly doesn't seem cheap and flimsy. The palette is also of quite a substantial size - sometimes, with these palettes with humongous numbers of colours, each individual colour can be the size of a dime or something like that. But each individual eyeshadow pan size is only slightly smaller than that of a MAC eyeshadow, which is pretty decent. Here's a photo for comparison. The MAC eyeshadow, Dazzlelight, is placed in between two eyeshadows on the palette. The two larger pans below it are blush colours.



Altogether, there are 21 eyeshadow colours, and 5 blush colours, making that 26. As you can see from the photo below, the colours are mainly warm neutrals, with some bright "sunset" colours (e.g. rust orange, gold) thrown in. Some of the blush colours look a little similar to eyeshadow colours, and a few of the eyeshadow colours are quite close to each other. Generally, though, I'd say the palette colour range is quite decent if you like these types of colours.



Here are swatches of the palette, row by row. The first row is below:



Row 1, L-R: bright orange with shimmer, light tangerine orange with shimmer, warm brown with slight shimmer, matte light pink, bronzey brown with shimmer, brown with a tinge of red with shimmer (think along the lines of Stila's Barefoot Contessa), medium brown with shimmer, which I really like - it could almost be a taupe!



Row 2, L-R: pinky-peach with shimmer (sort of like NARS Orgasm blush in eyeshadow form), burnt orange brown with shimmer, muted neutral brown with no shimmer, rust-red-brown with shimmer (it isn't as red as it looks in the photo, but it is quite rusty in colour), medium warm matte brown, deep matte brown, shimmery brown-gold.



Row 3: Warm orange-pink, shimmery burnt-orange brown, muted matte brown, deep purple with the slightest hint of shimmer, muted neutral brown, slightly darker and less warm-leaning than the previous brown in this row, midtone purple-magenta, and a gorgeous taupey brown shimmer, my favourite eyeshadow colour in the entire palette.

Lastly, here are the blushes.



Row 4: Light peach, pale baby pink-beige, medium pink, deep purple (sort of like the second-last purple in Row 3 of the eyeshadow range), and russet red-brown (similar to the middle colour in Row 2 of the eyeshadows).

Pigmentation and texture of the eyeshadows was actually very decent. In general I didn't have too many problems with pigmentation, and texture was pretty decent. As with some of these palettes, the shimmer colours for some reason were of better quality than the mattes, being softer in texture and better in pigmentation Still, the palette in general was of better quality than expected.

Over the next few days, I'll be showcasing a few EOTDs (Eye of the Days) using this palette, and we'll see what looks I can come up with! In the meantime, if you're looking for a palette of decent quality at a cheap price, and if you like warm colours and neutrals, this palette would definitely be worth checking out.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Illamasqua Cream Blusher Swatches Part 3 of 3

Illamasqua is one of those makeup brands that rivals the big names like MAC and NARS in terms of cult following. And one of the factors common to all three brands is that they appeal to a wide demographic, including women who feel that your typical drugstore, or even department store, makeup brand doesn't cater to her needs. One of the subsets of that demographic would be tanned or darker girls who feel that most makeup colours fail to show up on them. To that end, all three brands have gone out of their way to produce colours that would show up.

Today's swatches are the two darkest shades in the Illamasqua Cream Blusher line, and appear to have been created with darker ladies in mind, as well as the makeup artistry segment. These are deep, dark colours, but I think with very judicious usage and a lot of blending, a little could go a long way for my fairer girls as well.



L - R: Ravish, Crush

Ravish is a deep and bright raspberry shade. It leans a little to the cool side, but I think warm girls could possibly wear thi as well. It's actually a very pretty shade, and I could imagine wearing a shade like that, if it was sheered out well.

Crush is a not-quite blackened plum shade. Also leaning cool, this shade would be gorgeous on slightly fairer girls as well, but it would have to be blended in very, very well, which could prove challenging.

These shades are very, very pigmented, and also glide on the skin quite easily. In general, I haven't found much to fault with the Illmasqua Cream Blushers, in terms of quality. So if you are interested in a deeper shade, this would be worth looking into.

Illamasqua Cream Blusher Swatches Part 2 of 3

Illamasqua is one of those brands with a huge cult following, because they have the right mix of audacity, quality, and appeal to women of more than one demographic group. The huge range of colours in their makeup is a testament to this. Although, as with yesterday's Cream Blusher swatches, there are some muted, everyone-could-wear-this type of colours, some of the brand's offerings are not for the faint of heart.

If yesterday's swatches of the Illamasqua Cream Blushers were for those who didn't want any drama in their colour, today's swatches contain some big, bad, and bold colours.



L-R: Rude, Dixie, Betray, Libido, Devour

Rude is one of the really, really popular colours in the range, because it's such a wearable shade of peach with a hint of pink. It's wearable, but it isn't exactly that exciting, seeing that it's a pale colour. Still, it's insanely popular. I've heard this is one of the few peaches that look good even on cool-toned people, so if you've been finding that peach blushes look dirty on you, this could be worth checking out.

Dixie is also another wearable pinky-peach, but more pink and less pale than Rude. This one would be quite nice on almost everyone, I think - its one of those universal blush colours that suit a variety of skintones.

Betray is my favourite of today's swatches, and it's a dusty, muted, mid-tone rose with a hint of plum. Very wearable for a multitude of skintones. This, along with Seduce from yesterday's swatches, are my favourites, as they go with almost anything.

Libido is a bright orange with a stronge yellow undertone The colour kind of reminds me of carrots, only more neon. You know, neon carrots. Something like that.

Devour is another screaming bright orange, but this one is less yellow and has a stronger hint of red. To me it looks like a orange-red. I imagine this one, if sheered out, could be lovely on warmer-toned girls, giving that naturally-flushed look.

As with the previous bunch of swatches, the Illamasqua Cream Blushers were blendable, very smooth in texture, and very pigmented. I'm starting to see the appeal of these, actually - they offer good quality and a wide range of colour.

Illamasqua Cream Blusher Swatches Part 1 of 3

If you haven't been living under a rock, I'm sure you'll have heard of Illamasqua, the British brand that has risen as the UK's answer to MAC, with its loud colours, fiercely original inspiration, and endorsement of out-there, crazy makeup. It's an appealing combination, to be sure, one that has captured the hearts of many makeup fanatics, and acheived a cult following.

Still, despite portraying an image of devil-may-care colour overdose, the brand has actually included a lot of very wearable colours. Not everything Illamasqua is necessarily unwearable, and the first set of Cream Blusher swatches just prove this point.

Here's the first set of swatches:



L - R: Lies, Promise, Sob, Seduce

Lies is a pale, shimmery, pastel baby pink. This one could possibly be used as a highlighter as well for darker ladies.

Promise is a cool-toned moderately bright lilac pink. This one has some purple to the colour, and does not contain shimmer. It sort of reminds me of something Nicki Minaj would wear!

Sob is similar to Promise, only less bright and more pastel, although not as pastel as Lies. Like Promise, it has no shimmer, and also has some purple. Also a cool-toned colour.

Seduce is my favourite out of today's bunch, and is a gorgeously wearable medium pinky-plum-rose colour, although it looks a little dull in comparison to the other pinks. I think this one is probably the most universally flattering out of the bunch, although it also leans cool.

The quality of these blushes was good - they glided on easily, were very blendable, and are all quite pigmented, even the paler shades. They have also been getting raves all over the blogosphere, so if you're into cream blushes, this one could be good to check out.

Lancome Miel Glace vs Jelly Pong Pong Brazilian Sun: Dupes or Not?

Having a makeup stash as large as mine, every now and then there are products that look pretty similar. In my recent ravings over the Jelly Pong Pong Brazilian Sun bronzer, I couldn't help but notice that it was actually quite similar to Lancome's Blush Subtil in Miel Glace.

Now for those of you not in the know, Miel Glace is one of Lancome's more celebrated blushes, and is a classic as a nude blush - you know, the type of blush you wear when you want some colour on your cheeks, but don't want it to be obvious.

Here are photos of both blushes side by side. Don't they look similar?



And here are the products swatched beside each other. As you can see, they are actually quite similar, although Miel Glace is a blush, and Brazilian Sun is a bronzer.



Although they are similar, there are still some differences between the two. Miel Glace has more shimmer than Brazilian Sun. However, the base colour is actually quite similar, although I think Lancome's blush pulls a little more ruddy than Jelly Pong Pong's bronzer.

So which one would I recommend you get, if you only could pick one? This is a tough choice, really. I guess it would boil down to whether you want to use it as a bronzer or a blush, and whether you'd want to apply the product over your body, or just the face. If you intend to use it for the entire body, I'd probably opt for the Jelly Pong Pong version, since you get 19g of product, versus the 5.1g of blush you get in the Lancome compact. However, the packaging (big paper tub) of Jelly Pong Pong's Brazilian Sun might make it harder to use than the Lancome's Miel Glace, which comes in a more accessible compact. I guess ultimately, it would be about packaging and price.

(Jelly Pong Pong product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Benefit Finding Mr Bright Swatches and Quick Peek!

Benefit has released Finding Mr Bright, a boxed set comprising of some of the brand's bestselling products, including highlighters, a liquid cheek/lip stain, and a concealer. You know I have a thing for sets, and I was pretty darn excited to get my grubby little hands on this baby!

The product comes in the cutest little paper box ever, complete with girly flourescent orange and pink print. This would make a really great gift, because it's just so cute, pretty, and presentable!



Opening up the package and taking a peek got me all excited. It really did feel like opening a treasure trove of cute little mini items, all delightfully packed.



Inside, you have a 7.5ml tube of Girl Meets Pearl, a 4.0ml mini bottle of Posietint, a 2.5ml mini bottle of High Beam, and a 3.2g jar of Erase Paste, in No. 2 Medium.



I'll eventually be reviewing some of the products individually, but for now, I thought I'd give a quick look into the set by swatching the individual items.

First up, the two highlighters, Girl Meets Pearl, and High Beam.


L-R: High Beam (applied heavily and lightly), Girl Meets Pearl (applied heavily and lightly)

It might seem a bit redundant that Benefit included two highlighters in the set, but after playing around with these, I can see why. Girl Meets Pearl is meant more as a brightening primer, and the highlighting effect in this product is very subtle. In fact, if you blend it in, you'll barely get any shimmer at all. It's also a bit more skin-coloured, as opposed to High Beam's pale-pink shade.

High Beam, on the other hand, can definitely be a reflective highlighter, suitable for selective highlighting on areas you want to bring out, as opposed to all over the face. In fact, I wouldn't recommend you use High Beam all over the face, unless you blend it into moisturizer or foundation or some similar base, as indiscrete usage could make you look like a discoball!

Next up, we have the ever-popular Posie Tint. I have to say, although Posie Tint has been on the market for awhile, I was never drawn to it, until I tried it:



When Posietint first came out, my thoughts were, "Meh, pale pink? I don't do pale pinks on my cheeks or lips." But what do you know, this is one pretty darn gorgeous shade. While it's a pale pink, to be sure, it wasn't the sickly, pastel pale pink I envision. This shade is actually quite bright, and can be blended in for that barely-there flush, or used more intensely for a brighter effect. I'd call it a sheer pop of bright pink. I really like it. Very Spring/Summer.

And lastly, we have Erase Paste, one of Benefit's better-selling items.



Unfortunately, No. 2 Medium isn't quite my shade (I'm NC20 in MAC). This shade is a fair bit darker and pinker. I'd guesstimate the shade to be around NW25 or NW30-ish. The coverage is definitely impressive, which is why it sells so well, but the texture is that of a thick, tacky paste, which could be either good or bad, depending on user preferences. Personally, I do feel like it's a bit too tacky for my liking, but this product gets fantastic reviews everywhere, so it could just be me.

So, would I recommend this set? Well, assuming the Erase Paste shade is a decent match for your skin, why not? You do get a good range of products, and all of them are worth trying. In particular, if you love highlighters and brightening products, or products for the face and cheeks, this set will really appeal to you. And lastly, it's also a pretty good set to give away, because it just looks so cute.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Dupes or Not? Rock and Republic Kinky Vs Evil Shades Backtalk

Finding dupes in my stash always produces mixed feelings in me. Sometimes, it makes me happy, (Yes! That limited edition shadow has a permanent dupe!), sometimes it makes me sad, (What, did I just spend double the amount of money for two of the same product), and sometimes it just makes me incredulous (What?! You mean that expensive overpriced thing has a cheap dupe!?). In today's case, I'm feeling incredulous. And you'll see why.

Just take a look at these two blushes. They look pretty much the same in the packaging, don't they? Looks like they might just be dupes. And this is why I'm incredulous - the blush on the left is the cheap and cheery Evil Shades blush in Backtalk, while on the right is the ridiculously overpriced Rock and Republic blush in Kinky.



I know what you're thinking - wait, you mean that cheap indie Evil Shades brand has a dupe of that expensive Rock and Republic blush? Sure does look like it, doesn't it? When I saw these two side-by-side in my stash, I almost wanted to kick myself for having shelled out the money for Rock and Republic Kinky. I mean, sure, I did get it when it was on sale, but still... I felt vaguely cheated.

I consoled myself by saying, well at least there's some difference - Kinky is entirely matte, while Backtalk has some fine gold shimmer through the blush. So they're different enough to own both. I swear the fine gold shimmer in Backtalk is there, my camera is just having problems picking up the shimmer. I promise I didn't invent it to make them seem different and make myself feel better!



Anyway, the only sure way to know if something is a dupe or not, is to swatch both products side by side. So I did, and here we are:


L - R: Evil Shades Backtalk, Rock and Republic Kinky

Here you can see that they are close - very, very close - but they aren't absolute dupes. For one, as I've previously mentioned, Backtalk has non-obvious fine gold shimmer throughout the shade, while Kinky is matte. Also, Backtalk is a hair more neutral in undertone, probably due to the gold shimmer warming up the colour, while Kinky is a bit more blue-based, and thus cool-toned. But these differences are pretty minute, and I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference between them if they were worn sheerly on the cheek, except perhaps for the shimmer.

So, which one should you get, if you decide you don't want two almost-dupes in your collection? Well, I guess it would depend on your brand and price preference. Some people love Rock and Republic blushes, while some people love good prices, and that may be enough to sway a purchasing decision. But if you prefer a blush that's a bit more shimmery, then Backtalk is a better choice. Also, I feel like Backtalk's more neutral undertone would suit it better to a wider range of skintones, so if you aren't cool-toned, Backtalk would probably look better on you. They aren't perfect dupes, but I'd say you probably only need either of the blushes. (Although as a blush fiend, I still insist on keeping both!)

Budget Beauty: Simple and Natural FOTD

Today's FOTD (Face of the Day) has a budget beauty theme. I decided to try using the US$3.80 Love Alpha Summer Gradually palette I got recently to see how the palette would look on. Yay for cheap makeup!

Love Alpha seems to be a generic brand of makeup that is available through various cosmetic wholesalers, and I got mine from KKCenterHK. My experiences with them has been good so far - customer service is prompt, and packages arrive without delay.

I decided to go with a girly, more natural look this time round, since my previous EOTD was a little more intense. Here are the shades I used:



The blush, despite looking really intimidating in the pan, actually applied sheer, and could be built up for more colour. So if you're worried about having too much colour on your cheeks with this palette, don't! It isn't as bad as it looks.

And this was the outcome. Not too bad, actually. Although I do apologise that you don't see enough of the eyeshadow, and see too much of my undereye circles.



I actually like this look - to me it's as simple and as natural as makeup can get, while still being pretty. Lasting power of the blush and eyeshadow was pretty decent. They faded after a few hours, but for $3.80 I'm not going to complain.

This palette would be pretty useful for occasions where you're not concerned with the lasting power of your makeup - for example, if you're just running errands, or dashing out for a couple of hours. It woudln't make sense to use your expensive makeup then, right? (Well, not to me, at least. Did I say I'm cheap?) So palettes like that would bridge that gap where you want to wear something on your face, but it's only just for awhile.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

MUFE Sculpting Blush Swatches Part 2

MUFE blushes have been garnering quite a few raves in the beauty blogosphere, so I thought I'd better get on and swatch part two of the blush swatches. The brand also happens to be one of my personal favourites, so I have no complaints about swatching such products.

Today's swatches are all blushes with an orange slant. Perfect for the inevitable coral colour trend that comes around every summer!

Without further ado, here are the swatches:



L-R: 18 Satin Light Peach, 20 Bright Blood Orange, 22 Iridiscent Orange Coral, 24 Matte Fawn

All these blushes look kinda orange, I'll admit. But here's my attempt to distinguish between them.

18 Satin Light Peach is the lightest of all the peachy/orange colours. It's also got a bit of shimmer, but I didn't notice the shimmer once it was on.

20 Bright Blood Orange, as the name suggests, is just that - bright orange. Orange like, erm, oranges? Definitely a warmer-toned kind of colour.

22 Iridiscent Orange Coral is a little bit like Bright Blood Orange, but this one is more coral, and thus a little more wearable (to me, at least).

24 Matte Fawn is a browned-out fawn-orange colour. Also a warmtoned colour.

In general, the blushes were good in terms of both pigmentation and texture, and I really liked them. If any of these are colours that would work for you, they're worth checking out.

MUFE Sculpting Blush Swatches Part 1

With all the Spring collections out lately, I have to admit I have been lagging behind on the swatch front. So here's my attempt to make it up to you by swatching something I know you'll love - MUFE (Make Up For Ever) Sculpting Blush swatches!

MUFE is one of those brands that take their makeup seriously. Most brands tend to be good in some items, but not so good in others. MUFE, however, seems to excel at everything - I don't believe there is an MUFE product that hasn't garnered raves, everything seems to be well-loved. Blushes (both powder and cream), lip products, foundations, concealers, eyeshadows...the brand seems to have it all.

MUFE's Sculpting Blush is a powder blush, and one of the relatively underrated products in their line. Here are swatches of some of the colours. I'm sure there's more out there, but this was what was available:



L-R: 06 Fresh Satin Pink, 08 Satin Indian Pink, 10 Satin Peach Pink, 14 Matte Raspberry Brown

06 Fresh Satin Pink is a light pink with a hint of lilac. This is a cool-toned colour, and almost pastel (but not quite).

08 Satin Indian Pink is a pink in the same vein as 06 Fresh Satin Pink, only that it isn't cool-toned, it's more neutral, perhaps even veering slightly warm. Not a bad colour, I can imagnie this looking good on most girls.

10 Satin Peach Pink actually looks a lot more peach to me than pink. In fact, I'd say it was more orange than pink.

14 Matte Raspberry Brown is, well, matte raspberry brown. It's a neutral-to-cool colour, and I imagine this is MUFE's version of some NARS blushes out there (e.g. Exhibit A, Crazed and so on) - it looks scary in the pan, but can b applied sheerly for that rosy look. Of course you could also layer it for a very flushed look, too.

As you can imagine, the blushes were smooth, pigmented, and I don't actually have any complaints about them. The finish is also given in the colour name. The Satin colours have slight shimmer (nothing too visible once on the cheeks), while the Matte colours, as implied, are matte. I know MUFE doesn't come cheap, but they're actually pretty good quality if you don't mind spending the cash.

Benefit Bella Bamba: Swatch, Review, FOTD

One of Benefit's cult products are their boxed powders, so when Benefit released their latest boxed powder offering, Bella Bamba, I just had to give it a whirl! Most of Benefit's boxed powders have been blushes, and Bella Bamba isn't that much of an exception - it's a blush, but this time, it's 3D!

Yes, you heard me right. Benefit calls this blush a "3D brightening pink" - the idea is that the gold shimmer is supposed to impart a multidimensional look to your cheeks that's not flat.

Going along with the whole 3D, multidimensional concept, the blush packaging also features some cool holographic-ish effect. I don't think my camera captured it too well, but you can tell there's some cool visual effect going on:



Visuals aside, the blush packaging has also changed in substance this time - instead of a totally removable top as with previous boxed powders, the lid on this one is hinged, and there is a mirror inside too! Not bad at all. I consider it an improvement over the previous design.



As with Benefit's other boxed blushes and bronzers, Bella Bamba also comes with a brush. I'm not too keen on the brush myself, and I personally prefer to use my own blush brushes, but in a pinch (say if you're travelling), this is quite adequate.



The colour of the blush itself is actually very pretty, and one of my favourites to date. Bella Bamba is a very pretty colour, with gold shimmer, and Benefit was right in describing it as "watermelon" - I do think this is watermelon pink, with a hint of coral. I love it!



The colour is remiscent of NARS Orgasm and all its dupes, but to me they aren't quite the same. I had NARS Orgasm awhile back, and didn't really like it - it came out too peachy and quite "meh" on me, but I really love this colour. I think the key difference is that Bella Bamba is pinker, and less peachy than Orgasm, which helps make it a little bit more universal. Unlike Orgasm, which didn't look good on me (I absolutely detest those ads that proclaim Orgasm as the "ultimate universal blush colour"), I can imagine most people being able to wear Bella Bamba. It's pink, but the coral tinge and gold shimmer help to ensure that it's a pink that would be wearable even for girls who don't normally like to wear pink.

Here's a swatch. On my skin, it's pretty obvious that Bella Bamba isn't an Orgasm. Oh no, it's way better.



The texture of Bella Bamba is pretty good, and also quite comparable to Benefit's other boxed powders. Benefit pulls no surprises with regards to quality on this one - if you've liked their previous blushes, you'll like this too. Another thing I liked about Bella Bamba is it's buildability. You can wear this colour sheered out as a barely-there blush, or you could build it up for a pop of colour on the cheeks. It's actually pretty versatile that way, and I do appreciate that.

Here's a FOTD (Face of the Day) with Bella Bamba. This one features a light-to-moderate application of the blush colour.



I thought the glitter would show up too much in the photo, but it isn't that obvious once applied, which is a plus. The amount of gold shimmer is nicely balanced - there is enough to ensure that it does add some dimension to the colour (so they weren't totally lying about the 3D claims), but at the same time not so much that the blush becomes a glitterbomb. Still totally wearable for work, in my book.

So do you need Bella Bamba? Well, I thinnk you do! For one, it's a great colour I could imagine most girls wearing. For another, it's got a great texture, and nicely buildable pigmentation. And it comes in a cool-looking holographic box! What's not too like? If you've been eyeing Bella Bamba, it's definitely worth checking out.

Face Shop Illuminating Cushion Blusher Swatches!

Even if you have only a customary knowledge of Asian beauty brands, you would probably have heard of The Face Shop before. It's a drugstore brand of makeup hailing from Korea, and in addition to the requisite cute, girly, and drowned-in-pink packaging that Asian brands seem to be fond of, it's also pretty well known in Asia for engaging hot Korean stars (both males and females), and putting them in very girly, pink advertisements. Yes, girly and pink, and kawaii. Even the guys.

Case in point: an example of a typical Face Shop ad that just ran for Christmas 2010 featured some Korean star (Kim Hyun Joong, but I have no idea who he is because I don't follow Kpop) for the following ads:



See? What did I say? Pink and girly, and he's a guy!

Now, here's kawaii:



(Images are courtesy of http://fangurls.blogspot.com)

Having lived in the West for 4 years, I am always slightly bemused by these ads, because these are the kinds of ads that would sell products to people in Asia, but not necessarily in the West. I mean, I can already imagine the reaction some of my American friends would have to ads like these: "Oh my gosh, is he gay?!", "Wait, you mean, this is normal advertising in Asia?" "So noone in Asia thinks this is too effeminate for a guy?" "Wait, are these ads targeting the gay segment?" "Ewwww....that's so gay." Ah well. But just as the West has its on advertising idosyncracies, so does the East. After all, if Paris Hilton can sell false lashes and perfume, I'm sure we can wrap our male stars up in pink and make them look all girly. You know, whatever sells.

Anyway, yes, this post was about the Illuminating Cushion Blusher. Not much to be said about it really - just like those ads pictured above, it rides more on it's innate cuteness and girly packaging instead of actual product quality. The packaging for these blushes is absolutely adorable - they come in little round paper pots with a little ribboned powder puff in them. As the name suggests, it's a Cushion Blusher because you use that little powder puff (which they have called the cushion) to apply the blusher. Cute, right?

By request, I've updated the post with an actual product picture. It's a pretty last-minute update, so I took the liberty of plucked off from another website, a Thai makeup selling forum. (Picture courtesy of 212cafe.com)



Here are swatches. These are my own, of course:



L-R: 01 Pink, 02 Orange, 03 Violet.

01 Pink is a candy pink shade that leans slightly cool. 02 Orange is a similarly candy-looking orange shade, while 03 Violet isn't actually violet, but a very pale pinky-white with a hint of violet. I personally can't imagine wearing either the Orange or the Violet colour, but I can imagine that some girls might like them. The colours have some shimmer, but nothing too OTT for work. I personally like the pink best, for that naturally-flushed-cheeks look.

That said, when I swatched these, the product was a little disappointing. For one, it was quite sheer, and you really need to layer these on for them to show up. My swatches reflect a heavier application. But I guess as far as Asian cosmetic brand blushes go, this is pretty alright. For some reason, Asian brand blushes tend to be pretty sheer, probably because sheerer blushes seem to sell better in Asia. Also, I'm dubious about the efficacy of using a powder puff to apply blush. I mean, wouldn't you need to blend it out with a brush anyway? I guess it adds to the kawaii factor.

So these blushes are decent, but they aren't perfect. But for anyone who wants a piece of kawaii, you know which brand to start looking at!

Rock and Republic Spank vs Stila Bud Blush: Dupes or Not?

While plumbing the depths of my makeup stash, I noticed that two of my blushes looked eerily familiar. One was a blush I've raved about before, Rock and Republic's Spank, and the other was Stila's Bud blush, which I had and liked at one point in time, but forgot I had over the years. Oops.

Both appear identical in the pan, and to be sure, they are from the same colour family - both are muted, everyday, go-with-everything neutral pinks.



L-R: Rock and Republic Spank, Stila Bud

I was curious to see if they were actually dupes or not, so I swatched them side by side. I think they're pretty close, although they're not absolute dupes. But they are close, though, so very close.



L-R: Stila Bud, Rock and Republic Spank

They're pretty much the same, but Spank is a little bit brighter than Bud, and also perhaps a little bit more cool-toned. But they are both muted neutral light pinks, so the similarity is pretty slight. I guess when you actually wear the colours on your cheeks, they're not going to look too different.

Quality-wise, both were good, although the Rock and Republic was more pigmented than the Stila, and also had a smoother texture. I'm not saying the Stila isn't good though, because it is, but Rock and Republic is better.

So which should you get, if you can only get one? Well, given that both colours are relatively close, I'm going to frame this as a quality vs price thing. Rock and Republic has the better quality, but Stila has the cheaper price. Both are good though, so at the end of the day, your choice could end up being decided by your budget.

Rock and Republic Seduce, MAC Flirt and Tease, First Light Cosmetics Sundowner: Dupes or Not?

Since First Light Cosmetics is currently having a 20% off promotion for OFAF (Of Faces and Fingers) readers, I thought some comparison swatches would be in order. The last time I featured First Light's blushes, I mentioned that there were some very similar colours for a higher price, and that Sundowner could potentially be a dupe for some of those.




Here's what I dug up from my makeup stash for comparison - the much vaunted and raved about Rock and Republic Seduce, the one-with-the-fangirls MAC Flirt and Tease, and First Light Cosmetics Sundowner. All three of these were powder blushes, and they were in the same colour family. All three are plummy blushes with a hint of brown - a bit overwhelming to look at in the pan, perhaps, but lovely if applied with some caution on the skin. And yes, I do think fair girls can wear these colours too! (I'm NC20, and these happen to be some of my favourite shades.)

Anyway, enough with my gushing about plummy blushes. On with the swatches:



L-R: Rock and Republic Seduce, First Light Cosmetics Sundowner, MAC Flirt & Tease

Now, first off the bat, you'll notice that these are very similar. Very, very similar. They aren't 100% dupes for each other, but I guess once worn it's a little difficult to tell the difference. But there are some small differences.

The first small difference is that Sundowner is a lot more shimmery than either Seduce or Flirt and Tease. It doesn't have huge glitter bits, but it's more light-reflective than either the Rock and Republic or the MAC colour.

The second tiny difference is Sundowner is more plummy and rose in colour, while both Rock and Republic's Seduce and MAC's Flirt and Tease are more brown. But as you can see in the photo, the difference isn't very great.

The last difference is that of pigmentation. Rock and Republic had the best pigmentation, while MAC was the least pigmented. Now before I get lynched by all the MAC fangirls for even daring to suggest that MAC can be less pigmented than another brand, let me offer an olive branch by saying that Flirt and Tease is a Sheertone colour, anyway, so it isn't meant to be super-duper pigmented. It isn't sheer by any means, though, and you can definitely build it up to the level of kabuki clown cheeks, but it is a little sheerer than Seduce and Sundowner.

So, are all three blushes dupes for each other? Colour-wise, I think the Rock and Republic and the MAC blushes are more similar to each other than the First Light Cosmetics version. So if you want the closer dupe of Seduce, then Flirt and Tease is the one to get, even if it's a tad sheerer. But they're all similar enough that I can't tell you which one to pick definitively - it's going to depend on your brand preference (high or low end?), budget (cheap or expensive?), and other preferences in terms of form (loose powder blush or pressed powder blush?), pigmentation (more pigmented, or less?), and colour (more red, or more brown?).

Rock and Republic Spank Blush: Review, Swatch and FOTD

Rock and Republic has been making huge waves in makeup fandom. Although they're very steeply priced (and I say this with no exaggeration), people have been clamouring left and right for their makeup items, because they are of undeniably good quality. It also helps that they go on sale at Hautelook and Editor's Closet every now and then in the USA (Ahem - there are invite links in the "Like Shopping? Join Me!" sidebar to both online stores if you need them). But whatever the reason, be it hype, product quality, or discounts, you can't deny people have been raving about them.



That said - I'm pretty sure packaging plays a part. The blushes themselves come in a huge pan, and the mirror-like casing is substantial and has the R&R logo elaborately decorating the cover. And to top it off, the entire huge compact comes in a big black paper box - yes each blush has its own paper box container. It looks really luxe, but it takes up a lot of space, and not to mention, the environmentally-conscious will bemoan all the trees that had to die for fanciful packaging. But otherwise, ostentatious presentation aside, the packaging is alright - the flip-top lid is sensible, it's got a good-sized mirror inside the lid, and the blush pan is big enough for your brush to comfortably make swipes across the product.

Spank is one of the more celebrated colours from Rock and Republic's blush line, because it's a universal, flattering pink. Honestly, it's pretty subtle, and if you're a NARS blush kind of girl, Spank might look pretty disappointing at a first glance, because it just looks like your everyday subtle pink blush. I mean, it's a neutral light pink. Sure it's a universal colour, but it does sound a little boring...



Upon swatching, you realize why this thing has been getting all the raves - its smooth texture and awesome pigmentation take the cake. Of course, neutral light pinks along the lines of Rock and Republic's Spank are a dime a dozen, but where Spank outdoes the most of them is in quality. One of the pitfalls of light-coloured blushes is that often, companies formulate them in such a way that they are chalky and unpigmented. So if you're looking for a light-coloured blush, finding one that is of decent pigmentation and quality can be a challenge. But Rock and Republic has made sure that Spank didn't fall into that trap. It's smooth, silky and finely-milled, and very nicely pigmented indeed.



Wear time on this blush was also good, and it pretty much lasted the whole day. I really liked this blush a lot, and while it's not a particularly exciting colour, I think it's a good basic. It's also one of those no-brainer colours that goes with everything - perfect for those days when you don't know what colour to wear.

Here's an FOTD (Face of the Day) with Spank. I urge you not to look at the pimple. Repeat, do not look at the pimple. Aww shucks. I knew you'd look anyway...



I guess the idea of paying Rock and Republic prices for a blush so basic might make some girls gag, but I suppose if you are looking for quality basics to spend on, Spank is a really good option. It has everything I look for in a blush - soft texture, good pigmentation, and great lasting power - so if you do end up buying it, you won't regret it. But of course, if you already have a colour like that and are happy with it, then perhaps Spank would be a nice addition to your makeup stash, but not one that is strictly necessary. My advice, if you are located in the USA, would be to wait til it goes on sale at Hautelook and Editor's Closet to make your purchase (Ahem again - don't forget the invite links in my sidebar :P ). Spank is a great blush, so if you can get your hands on it for a decent price, I think it's worth it.