Must Haves: Top 5 Highend Blushes- Spring Edition!

Worth Saving For!

I'm all about a great sale or deal on makeup, fashion...anything really haha. But sometimes you just need to go the extra mile and indulge on things that you wouldn't normally get. Throughout the years I've managed to add some more pricey items to my makeup collection and each time I use them its a reminder of how hard work pays off! :-)

I compiled my favorite five blushes that are on the higher end spectrum that would be perfect for Spring and Summer! These are all amazing in quality and pigmentation and worth every penny! Luxury may cost a lot but you get what you pay for. Each and everyone of these blushes are unique to my collection and I find myself rotating them without getting bored. The colors are beautiful and the texture of these blushes are incredible. They are never patchy and apply so easily! Here are the colors up close:

Packaging is key to a great blush. It's the first thing you see and what really catches your attention before purchasing it. All of these have the best packaging... nothing that will fall apart anytime soon haha. Here are the swatches:

From left to right:

*NARS Blush in Gaiety- a bright candy pink! It's a great matte blush that awakens the face. It's a subtle pink on the cheeks that makes you look youthful. It retails for $30.

*Illamasqua Powder Blush in Hussy- a bright petal pink with such an amazing formula! This is top on the list of my all time favorite blushes. It's so smooth and pigmented without being overpowering. I find myself reaching for this color a lot. I loved it so much that I ordered another color on Sephora.com! This one retails for $26.

*Clinique Cheek Pop in Plum Pop- a bright pink mauve with a beautiful satin finish. This blush is the buildable type, you can wear it as sheer or as bright as you'd like! It feels like a really buttery powder, almost like a cream blush. The imprinted flower is such a nice touch and it made me want it even more haha. This one is perfect for this time of year! It retails for $21.

*Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Fearless- a pinky coral shade that will suite anyone! This formula is also impeccable. When it says 12 hour wear it's not lying, you'll have your blush looking like it did when you first applied it! It doesn't fade one bit! You can purchase this one for $26.

*Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Diffused Heat- a vibrant poppy, the priciest of the bunch but the most unique! I'm so happy I bought this one because I love it! No two blushes from this line look the same because of the marbling. It has bit of shimmer but nothing that transfers onto the skin. It's such a gorgeous color and the packaging makes it look even more expensive! It was hard to justify this one because it retails for $35 but I got it on my birthday so I guess that makes it ok! haha.

 

You can find any of these blushes at Sephora! I would recommend to order them online via Ebates so you can get some cashback! If you want more information on Ebates click here. Make sure to check them out, any of these will complete your spring and summer looks without a problem. If you have any recommendations of your personal favorites please leave a comment below! :-)



Review: Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids! + swatches!

Saturated Color At Great Prices!

Last Spring/Summer Maybelline released their Vivids line of lipsticks and I wanted each and everyone of them! Since I wasn't planning on spending $80 at the time I waited a bit before purchasing them. I was so happy to find them on sale on Target.com for about $2.50 and... they were worth the wait! The ColorSensational is a wonderful formula but these are out of this world. They are extremely pigmented and full of life. They are a great addition to anyone's lippie collection! :-)

They come in red/orange packaging that will stand out on your next drugstore visit. There's a total of 10 shades in the line and I only purchased eight of them. They're all unique but there was a orange and red one that I felt I wouldn't wear too often. Here are the lip swatches:

From left to right (click to enlarge!):

*Pink Pop- a blue based baby pink, doesn't look too flattering on me but I'm sure a lot of people will like this one! Reminds me a bit of Mac's Snob.

*Fuchsia Flash- a hot pink, one of my favorites!

*Shocking Coral- a pink with coral tones. This color is amazing and will look great if you have a tan!

*Vivid Rose- a bright magenta pink. This color is the perfect darker pink shade that still look bright and fun.

*Vibrant Mandarin-  a orange based red, looks crazy in the tube but great on! I was a bit hesitant about this color but I'm so glad I tried it.

*On Fire Red- a bright red that makes your lips look juicy! It's the perfect red for a night out. It's also one of my favorites!

*Hot Plum- a bright pink with purple tones. This is the color I wore on my birthday and I got so many compliments!

*Brazen Berry- a bright purple with a bit of pink to make it wearable. It's the perfect shade if you're looking to try out the color of the year "Radiant Orchid"!

 

Bottom line: All these shades are super creamy and hydrating! The lasting power is about 3-4 hours which is pretty good. I love the formula and any of these shades would look amazing with minimal makeup. Just picture it: winged liner, nude shadow and BOOM- a bright lipstick! These aren't limited edition so you can find them at your local drugstore. I would checkout Ulta now because they're having 40% off Maybelline products! :-)









Review: City Color Cosmetics "Be Matte Blush"!

Spring Shades for $2.99!

City Color Cosmetics was introduced to me by good ol' Ipsy when I got my February bag. They sent me one of the Be Matte Blushes and I was very impressed! I decided to place an order on their site citycolorcosmetics.com just to give some other colors a try and make sure that I just didn't get lucky with Ipsy haha. I got my order fairy quickly and shipping wasn't too bad. I was just a little hesitant because shipping cost more than 2 of these blushes! Each blush only cost me $2.99 but I managed to get an extra 20% so they were a steal!

You get a lot of product and the color range is pretty good, a total of 8 colors. It's an amazingly smooth matte blush which isn't too common in the drugstore. It's a bit powdery when you first dip your brush into them but they apply evenly on the cheeks. But heads up, they are very pigmented! So make sure to use a light hand. Here are the swatches!

From left to right:

*Blood Orange- A red with orange tones just like the name states! Leaves a beautiful flushed look on the cheeks when used lightly.

*Fresh Melon- A pinky coral color, one of my favorites! Perfect for spring.

*Pink Grapefruit- A baby pink that is more on the cool side. It's a nice, natural shade.

*Blackberry- A mauve-pink, also one of the more natural colors. I received this one initially in my Ipsy bag and its just as amazing as the rest.

Bottom line:  These blushes are gorgeous + the price makes you want to get them all! I really like them. They're pigmented and smooth...everything you want in a blush! They can be easily blended too. For only $2.99 I would give you guys the green light to give them a try. I'm excited to try out more products from City Cosmetics since I ended up winning with these blushes! Normally if a product is affordable it lacks in quality but these don't at all! :-)



Review: Milani Baked Matte Blushes!

Perfect Spring Blushes!



I love the Milani Baked Blushes so when I read that they were launching two new matte shades I was more than excited! I own two of the original baked blushes which I use all the time and I have a feeling these matte ones will soon become my favorites too. Milani only released two shades with the matte finish priced at $7.99 each. These are just as smooth as the previous baked blushes. The pigmentation is amazing plus you get awesome color payoff when barely tapping your brush!  My initial thought was that the colors were a bit scary since they were so intense and bright. I didn't want to look like a clown haha. But don't be alarmed though, with a light hand they both look really natural!

The packaging is exactly the same as the previous blushes. They fit right in the palm of your hand so they really don't take up a lot space. Here's a picture of the matte blush next to one of the baked blushes in Fantastisco Mauve:

Here's a picture displaying the difference. The matte blush isn't marbleized, its just a sold color. Some brands market their products to be matte but when you put them to the test the have microshimmers or some type of sparkle. These live up to the matte expectations and aren't patchy. Here are the swatches:

From left to right:

*Delizioso Pink- Matte Hot Pink

*Bella Rosa- Matte Raspberry

Bottom line: Place your order on milanicosmetics.com or purchase them at your local drugstore! How often do you find a matte blush that's also baked in the drugstore? These are affordable gems and I would recommend that you add them to your collection if you're a blush lover like myself! I wore Delizioso Pink to work and it lasted all day and just made me look so awake! I love the colors, they are vivid and perfect for spring. I'll be using these a lot these next few months! :-)