E.L.F. Studio HD Blushes Review, Photos and Swatches!

E.L.F. Studio HD Blushes

E.L.F. Studio HD Blushes ($3) are velvety soft cream blushes encased in a pump dispenser. The cream is lightweight, highly pigmented and long wearing.

E.L.F. Studio HD Blush is available in (5) shades: Headliner (natural pink), Superstar (coral), Diva (bright pink), Encore (vibrant rose) and Showstopper (plum raisin).

They look reminiscent of the Make Up Forever HD Blushes ($26), because they essentially have the same packaging and are both named "HD" blushes. They do share some other similarities in that they apply the same way, are both pigmented and long wearing, but the textures are slightly different. The E.L.F. Blush is almost like a creamy cheek stain. I actually find the E.L.F. Blushes easier to work with as the product itself isn't as concentrated as the MUFE Blushes, so it's a bit easier to blend out. They also don't set as quick as the MUFE blushes, so you have a little bit of time to work with them. They have a good amount of silicone in them (although it's not the first ingredient) so if you do well with silicone-based blushes, these blushes should be no exception.

Be warned that they are extremely pigmented. It took me a few tries at first because every time I tried, I applied too much product (which didn't seem like a lot at all). You literally only need a tiny dot for both cheeks. It's a little tricky - you have to be careful not to dispense too much product. I like applying a tiny dot of product on a clean surface, or the back of my hand (sometimes I sanitize the lid of one of my compacts and pump the product directly on the lid) and smooth it out with my fingers and then take a stippling brush and lightly tap the ends of the bristles into the product and then go cheek to cheek applying the blush in circular, buffing motions until blended. Some cream blushes are touchy and can only be stippled on, but these blushes don't deem to disrupt my foundation or make my cheeks look blotchy. I've also applied a dot on each cheek and used a stippling brush to blend with equally good results.

The finish on the skin is very natural, soft and matte.

Swatches from left to right: Headliner, Superstar, Diva, Encore and Showstopper. (please excuse my goosebumps... it was freezing today!)

Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blushes Review, Photos and Swatches!

Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush

Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blushes ($12.99) are a small range of cream blushes that were released with Revlon's Summer 2012 Collection. They are now part of Revlon PhotoReady's permanent range, so if you've been curious to try them, don't worry, they aren't going anywhere (for now at least).

There are (3) colors to choose from: Flushed (cool pink), Coral Reef (vibrant coral) and Pinched (natural peach).

If cream blushes scare the wits out of you (because some formulas can be tricky to work with), the Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blushes are a good place to start. It's silicone-based (the first ingredient in the blush is dimethicone), so the very smooth texture allows the product to glide easily across the skin. 

The cream is firm  - somewhat like the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge, but they aren't tacky, and they aren't as sticky/greasy as a lip balm. They offer sheer pigmentation with one layer, but are buildable. I find that Coral Reef builds much better than Flushed. Even after several layers Flushed remains quite sheer.

I don't tend to use my fingers much for application of cream blush, but you can literally use anything without messing up. I still prefer using a brush, and it doesn't necessarily have to be a duo-fiber, because of the texture, you can use any blush brush.

They are cased in small, plastic containers with a glossy black screw-top lid, very reminiscent of the older style Bobbi Brown Pot Rouges. They are compact and lightweight, so you can toss them in your bag without weighing down your bag or taking up too much space.

Revlon Coral Reef on my cheeks

Milani Sweet Rose Minerals Blush Review!

Milani Sweet Rose Minerals Blush

I recently picked up three of the four Milani Minerals Blushes once they were marked clearance (75% off) at CVS. (View the post here, with swatches) Well, a couple of weeks ago, I walked into another CVS and noticed they still had several of the clearance products without clearance tags. So, I scanned them, and sure enough they were 75% off. I grabbed a couple of powders, a bronzer and the only blush I didn't purchase prior; Sweet Rose.

Sweet Rose is a dusty plummy-pink with rosy undertones. It's a very natural, every-day kind of color that won't clash with most of your makeup looks. I initially skipped purchasing this blush at first because I figured the purple tone would make me look ashy. But, I was very wrong. You don't see much red in the pan, but once the color hits my cheeks, it mimics the rosy hue my cheeks would turn after a jog.

All of the shades in this range are pretty pigmented, especially Mai-Tai and Sunset Beach, and I expected the same from Sweet Rose, but it's actually a little less pigmented with one tap of the brush. It doesn't lack in pigmentation overall - it does pack a good amount of color, and is very buildable. It's just not one of those blushes you have to be nervous about over-doing.

It's my favorite blush from the range, as I easily favor shades that can be worn the most often.

Milani puts emphasis that this blush is talc-free and non-irritating. So for those sensitive to talc, this may be a range to look into. (For the full ingredient list, scroll down to the end of the review.)

Milani Sweet Rose Minerals Blush

READ MORE!

L'Oreal Cherubic Magicsmooth Souffle Blush Review, Photos and Swatches!

L'Oreal Magicsmooth Souffle Blush in Cherubic

At the start of 2011, L'Oreal launched their Magicsmooth Souffle Makeup, a whipped, airy mousse foundation promising to create a poreless, and flawless finish. It took a year for L'Oreal to add a few blushes to the line, launching the L'Oreal Magicsmooth Souffle Blush at the start of this year. 

There are four (4) shades in total: Celestial (pale pink), Cherubic (warm rose), Angelic (warm peach-pink) and Plume (dusty plum).

All of the shades are very subtle and won't deliver intense color. If you like very light, neutral shades to add just a hint of color to your cheeks, you may enjoy the color selection.

From the swatches I've seen on other blogs, I took the strongest liking to Cherubic - a natural, dusty rose.

Like the foundation, this blush has the same mousse texture that is suppose to glide on the skin with ease, and diffuse into an ultra-soft, natural finish.

I tried using a stippling brush like I do with most of my cream blushes, and it worked fine, but my favorite brush to use is the Real Techniques Blush Brush. It's a tapered, domed synthetic brush with ultra soft bristles. Just a tiny tap of the product on the tip of the brush, and I'll swirl it into my cheeks for a little bit of color.

I've been wearing it on the days where I don't want my cheek color to overpower my eye makeup (if I'm wearing a lot on my eyes) and on days where I've gone bronzer happy and still need a little color on my cheeks without looking like I'm wearing too much makeup.

Physician's Formula Natural pH Matchmaker Blush Review, Photos and Swatches!

Physician's Formula pH Matchmaker Natural Blush

Physician's Formula came out with a bunch of new products for the new year, including a whole new line called "pH Matchmaker". What is basically is, is makeup that adapts to the pH - or body chemistry of your skin. Once the makeup is applied, within one minute it will adapt to your skin. As far as I know, there are a couple of blushes, bronzers and lip glosses in the line.

Have you heard of MAC Matchmaster Foundation or Smashbox O-Gloss? Pretty much the same concept. It's basically a product that will work with your individual skin - and may or may not look the same on you as it does on your friend. It's kind of like your own "custom" match. For more information and before & after photos, check out the Physician's Formula site (here).

I wasn't too interested in trying out another bronzer or lipgloss, but I was very interested in trying out the blush. There are two shades of blush in total: Natural and Rose. Rose was actually sold out at my CVS, so I picked up Natural. 

Natural is a vibrant, warm watermelon pink with a satin finish.

ADDITIONAL PRODUCT DETAILS: 

-1st Ever Blush with pH Power Complex transforms into your perfectly personalized hue.
-Fluorescein Based Dye-senses the pH level of your skin & adjusts within 60 seconds to create your perfect blushing glow.
-Photochronic Powders-light adjusting pigments adapt to your environment so color looks the same indoors & outside.

Physician's Formula pH Matchmaker Natural Blush 

75% OFF Select Milani Cosmetics at your local CVS!

As a beauty blogger, I pretty much have a weekly routine of checking out my local drugstore makeup aisles, taking note of all of the new sales and product displays. My drugstore of "choice" is CVS Pharmacy, as most of the time, I fine a little gem in the rough, ticketed to a price too good to pass up.

Sometimes there aren't any good sales going on, but I always make sure to quickly scan each brand section, looking for a little neon orange sticker. That wonderful little sticker means that the item is a whopping 75% off. 

So you can imagine my excitement last night when several items on the Milani Cosmetics Display had orange labels on them! In my opinion, Milani is an awesome brand. You don't hear too much about the brand because they don't do much advertising, are hard-to-find, a little pricey, and they rarely ever go on sale! 

Not everything is on clearance, but there is a good number of bronzers, blushes, nail polishes, nail art pens, eye liners, lipsticks, etc, that are all a part of the amazing deal. 

*Note, if you go to your local CVS and don't see labels on the Milani cosmetics, make sure to take some (select) items to the price-checker, as they should scan the clearance price.

Onto the goodies I purchased!

Milani Minerals Blush is a talc-free pressed mineral powder blush. It's lightweight, pigmented and has a smooth finish. It's available in 4 shades: Sunset Beach, Mai-Tai, Luminous and Sweet Rose. I purchased 3 of the four shades, and have yet to test them out on my face, but I'm excited to try them! I've known for a while that Luminous is a dupe for Nars' popular Orgasm Blush. They do appear quite similar.

Heavy Swatches of the three shades:

The Natural Pink Blushes in my Current Rotation!

Aside from foundation, blush is my most favored item of makeup. Blush instantly adds liveliness to the face, while sculpting the cheeks. I love all shades of blush, from peach, orange, pink and red. In the summer time, you can bet I'm sporting bronzer and warm-toned red and coral blushes, but in the winter, I usually wear colors that are much more natural.

For the past couple of months I've for the most part skipped out on self tanning and bronzer, and gone the natural-pink route for my cheeks. I've found myself picking up the same shades over and over again (thus calling it a rotation).

CONTINUE READING FOR MY PICKS + ADDITIONAL PHOTOS & SWATCHES!

Hard Candy Living Doll and Honeymoon Baked Blushes Review!

  

Hard Candy Living Doll Baked Blush

Hard Candy Blush Crush Baked Blushes are super soft & blendable blushes that are meant to give your skin a luminous glow, without being glittery. 

They are available in four (4) shades: Honeymoon, Bombshell, Living Doll and Pin Up. Of the four blushes, two (Honeymoon and Pin Up) are very light & are most suitable as highlights/pearly sheens for the face, rather than an actual "blush". Bombshell is a deep bronze, and is more like a frosty bronzer. Living Doll is a cotton candy pink, and is the only blush of the four that I would actually call a "blush". 

I already own Honeymoon, but I was interested in trying Living Doll. So, I ended up purchasing at the same time I purchased the Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer.

Living Doll is a light/mid-tone cotton candy pink with yellow veining. Although the color is quite cool, it doesn't seem to look ashy on my warm skin tone. 

The blush itself is very soft, and has the consistency of an average "baked" blush. In comparison to MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes, I would say they are quite similar, but MAC is a little more dense, whereas Hard Candy is a bit more sheer and powdery. Because the texture is so soft, the color blends effortlessly on the cheeks. That's the main reason I love baked blushes, powder and eye shadows & gravitate towards them when I'm shopping for makeup. 

This blush is sheer with a light coat, and can built very easily. I wasn't at all disappointed with the color payoff. The finish is quite frosty, but I personally don't mind frost on the cheeks as long as it's not too frosty, where it will give my cheeks a silvery/gray cast. It's ultimately up to you preference wise. I know there are people who hate MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes because they are frosty, but I love them and wished I owned every one of them.. haha!

This is the color swatched heavily on my hand so you can see the color well. With a much lighter hand, this color is very nice on the cheeks for a pink glow. 

I figured since I own Honeymoon as well, I'd swatch both. Honeymoon is a light, frosted peach with pale purple veining. It doesn't show up prominent on my cheeks, so I like to dust it over my blushes to add a peachy sheen.

Left: Hard Candy Honeymoon, Right: Hard Candy Living Doll

Here are both colors swatched on my hand. 

Left: Honeymoon, Right: Living Doll

The only downside with the blushes is, they aren't very long lasting. Within a few hours, the color has faded drastically. Next time I wear Living Doll, I'll apply a creme blush prior as a base and see how that works. I'll also wear it in a FOTD to show you how it looks on my cheeks very soon!

Here is Rocky today enjoying the weather outside. Yesterday he turned 6 months old.. :) He's looking extra shaggy, so I'll be setting up an appointment at the groomers sometime this week.

♥