Showing posts with label cream blush. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cream blush. Show all posts
Friday, 7 February 2014

ELF HD Blush in Diva | Review and Swatch




 ELF HD Blush in Diva, £3.75, Link

The ELF HD Blush in Diva is 1 of 5 shades offered by ELF currently in the UK. At £3.75 you get a lot of bang for your buck with a huge 10ml. It seems even better value when you realise you only need a dot of product for both cheeks. 

Diva is a bright fuchsia pink shade free of shimmer and sparkles. It blends over the skin to a matte finish. It dries/sets really quickly so you need to be quick when blending and precise too. Once it has set this isn't going anywhere for at least a good few hours. If you make a mistake there isn't a quick fix, you are going to have to take off all of your face makeup in order to start a fresh. 

It it incredibly pigmented meaning it is easy to make mistakes and is a blush for people who prefer a colour to really pop. I personally prefer blushes a lot more subtle than this so I don't reach for this. I also tend to have a heavy hand and like something that I can fix quickly if I make a mistake.  

The packaging is really nice, very similar to that of the Makeup Forever Cream/Liquid blushes but I find that the pump dispenser pumps out to much product even if you want a really intense look. I end up with a messy, stained hand after using this and i just can't be asked to deal with that. 

I would like to try some of the lighter shades because I found it lasted well on the skin for a cream product. Perhaps the lighter shade will be easier to work with and leave a little more room for error.
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PS: Excuse the crappy pictures. I have long since thrown away the box so couldn't retake the picture, but at least you get to see how it comes. 

Sunday, 4 August 2013

Bourjois Cream Blush in 01 Nude Velvet

Bourjois Cream Blush in 01 Nude Velvet

The Bourjois Cream Blush is the newest offering in the blush department from the french brand Bourjois. It's a cream to powder formula, that comes in a choice of four shades and I was given the chance to try out the 1st shade (Nude Velvet). 

Bourjois Cream Blush in 01 Nude Velvet

Nude Velvet is a nude peachy colour that blends over the skin to leave a natural flush to the skin. It's nice to get away from the pinks, at least for me, and still have something look natural on the skin. The cream to powder formula is great as well. It doesn't leave slide of the skin like some cream blushers and would work better on oily skin. The powder finish doesn't leave the skin looking cakey or anything like that and it works well for my dry skin (not cliniging to dry patches or anything like that) . 


Bourjois Cream Blush in 01 Nude Velvet

When I first tried this, I compared it to my beloved Topshop cream blushers and I stand by that but I think this is better. The colours, this included, is something more wearable than the Topshop colours. The Topshop colours are bright colours that are great for the younger person, but if you want to feel slightly more mature with your makeup then check out these ones.   

Not only do I find the colour a bit more mature and wearable in comparison to the Topshop blushers, but the way that these sit over foundation is the better too.  They don't pull off my foundation, or powder and they last really well over foundation too.  Bourjois Cream Blush in 01 Nude Velvet Swatch


They blend really easily, not matter what you use. I've tried this with my finger, and a few stippling brushes and they work well with them all.  The colours (at least this one) is buildable. 

The packaging is really simple, but I love it. It has a nice mirror inside, meaning you can easily touch up on to go, and the small size means it's great if your lacking space. It has a strong magnetic closure meaning you can get in pretty easily, but it keeps all the dust and nasty bacteria out. 

These retail for just £7.99 in places that stock Bourjois and I know that Superdrug have Bourjois on 3 for 2 at the moment! You can buy this here if you fancy picking it up! 

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*handpicked media sample
Wednesday, 8 May 2013

Up and Coming *Exciting* Products...

I'm always exciting when new things hit the shelf! I have no self control so I start buying, and therefore blogging  about them and I get lots of new things to play with. 

With that in mind, I'm going to start doing a monthly post about new products that are hitting our UK shelves so maybe you can keep and eye out and squeal over them like I do.


Bourjois Cream Blushes & Bronzing Primer

With summer just around the corner (hopefully) cream blushes are in and powder blushes are out. Bourjois, famous for their baked blushes, are bringing out some fabulous cream blushes. They come in 4 shades - a matte peach, a pearly apricot pink, a pearly soft pink and a matte brown pink. They are a creamy to powder formula that claim to blend easily over the skin and carry the signature rose fragrance that comes with their signature rose fragrance. They hit Boots on May 15th if you want to get your mitts on them. 


I'm also eagerly awaiting the release of their bronzing primer. I love the flower primer from the brand, and the bronzing one is said to have a similar formula. So a great primer alongside a possible dupe for the Chanel Bronze Universal. This comes out in Boots at the beginning of June, and hits Superdrug in July.

HD Brows | Blush & Bronzer 



I think everyone knows what HD brows do, but the brand is now introducing a blush and bronzer range for Summer 2013. The pressed powder blush is a soft burnt rose shade that is meant to suit all skin tones while the bronzer is great for both adding a sun-kissed looks and for contouring. 





They are on the pricey side of things at £17.95 for the blush and £19.95 for the bronzer, but the products that have come previously to this have been amazing quality so I think we can expect the same from these.


 Maybelline Mega Plush & New Colour Tattoo Eyeshadows 


I've been waiting for the pomegranate shade of the Color Tattoos to hit the UK since I saw them in the US. I cannot wait to get my hands on this, and it releases in Superdrug today.  A navy shade is also hitting the shelves.

The Mega Plush mascara has had rave and pretty bad reviews so I can't wait to give it a go to pass on my opinions too. Maybelline are hit and miss with mascaras for me, so hopefully this will be a hit.


Rimmel Lycra Flex Scandel Eyes 

 

The bright green tube will catch your eye, and the fact that it's great for contact lens wearers will keep you interested. It's meant to keep lashes from getting hard and brittle while giving ultra great volume. 

I can't say whether it lives up to expectations when it's released. You can get it for £6.99 in Superdrug from today onwards. 

Barry M Confetti Top Coats

Every one and their mum went a bit crazy over the confetti top coat from L'Oreal, and Barry M see to be following suit and releasing a range of their own. I personally prefer the Barry M ones because they are more my colours. You can check out reviews and swatched over on the Sunday Girl here, but I have to say that Sour Apple is one I'm going to keep and eye out for. You can get your mitts on these from June 5th in Superdrug, and 12th June in good ol' Boots. 


So, what are you awaiting the release of? I would love to know!
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PS: All lashes and cosmetics are now on mix and match 3 for 2 in Superdrug for the next month or so.

Sunday, 14 April 2013

Dainty Doll Cream Blusher in 001 Paper Roses

Dainty Doll Cream Blusher in 001 Paper Roses
Dainty Doll, as a brand, intrigues me to no end. Being pale, I've always found it hard to find products that suit my skin tone.  Dainty Doll is a brand created by fellow pale patty, Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud. The range was created to enhance the beauty of the fairer skin tone. It also is a cruelty free brand, and doesn't test on animals which makes it appeal to me just that little bit more. 

Dainty Doll Cream Blusher in 001 Paper Roses

So, when I saw the range at a ridiculously discounted price on Fragrance Direct,  I knew that I had to pick some bits up. One of those items was the Cream Blusher in Paper Roses.

 Dainty Doll Cream Blusher in 001 Paper Roses

Dainty Doll Cream Blusher in 001 Paper Roses

With the British Summer supposedly just around the corner, I thought a cream blush would be a great addition to my collection. The product claims to be a soft natural cream blush that can be used lightly or in excess to create looks from  something super subtle to something of the more dramatic kind. 

Dainty Doll Cream Blusher in 001 Paper Roses

The cream is lovely, and leaves a beautiful glowy look to the skin. It feels lightweight on the skin, but still offers a sheer wash of colour that enhance a natural flush. I found the cream to be extremely blendable, and didn't have any issues with it becoming cakey or patchy like some cream blushers have gone in the past on my skin. 



Dainty Doll Cream Blusher in 001 Paper Roses Swatched

The colour,  001 Paper Roses, is a gorgeous light pink with a very subtle hint of silver shimmer running through it. The shimmer is undetectable on the skin though  so it's nothing to worry about if you aren't a fan of shimmery blushes. Now, because the range is created for fair skin tones, I don't think this would suit skintone over NC/NW 25 at a push. I'm NC15 though and I adore it on my skin. 



Dainty Doll Cream Blusher in 001 Paper Roses Swatched
 

Finally, the packaging is lovely. The round compact is completely black, with just the name label on the back, and the gold branding on the front. It feels very secure, and the closure is nice and tight so you don't have to worry about it popping open in your makeup bag. The compact has a nice big mirror on the inside that is great for touch ups throughout the day should you need too. 

Dainty Doll Cream Blusher in 001 Paper Roses

 

































I only have one issue, and it's something that is actually quite irrelevant but the compact doesn't have the name on it. It carries the number of the back, but the name "Paper Roses" is only on the box. I don't really want to keep the box, but I don't want to forget the name in case I want to blog about it in the future. 

I would highly recommend this blush to anyone who loves a good cream blush and who is of the pale variety.

 You can pick this up online at Fragrance Direct for just £1.99, instead of the £13.50 RRP. It's a total bargain. 

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P.S: Have you entered my Nars giveaway? It ends April 29th, so head on over to it here for your chance to win! 

Thursday, 10 January 2013

Topshop Cream Blush | Head Over Heels

Topshop Cream Blush | Head Over Heels, £6. link


I'm in love with this beautiful product. I'm a huge fan of cream blushes, and these are by far my favorite of my favorites. Head over Heels is a lovely coral colour that can be used super subtly or it can be built up for a more dramatic look.  

It is a cream to powder blush, but don't let that put you off. I have really dry skin and it works amazingly well and because of the powder finish it works for oily skin to. It is really blendable as well which is a total bonus. 

The packaging is gorgeous too. I think it's quite original and feels more expensive than it actually is. I only have one issue, and it is very minor because the packaging is white the product tends to get everywhere and makes it look a little grubby. 

Overall I like the blush and I love the price.I have all the colour they have in store now because I loved it so much and I would recommend them to anyone and everyone.
Wednesday, 9 January 2013

Brand Review | Topshop Makeup

Topshop Makeup, link.

I adore Topshop makeup, and if you have read my blog for any length of time I'm sure you know that the cream blushes they offer are my favorite! I discovered the brand about a year ago, and fell in love at first sight. The products feel expensive, are a good quality and are really affordable. 

They offer a wide range of products from Nail Varnish to Highlighters to Lipsticks. I haven't tried everything from the range, but from what I have tried I can quite happily say it's a great brand.

The shade ranges for individual products isn't the best, but there are still a semi-nice variety of colours. They offer some great staple colours like classic pinks and reds, and they offer some great season shades too. 

Cream Blush in Head Over Heels, £6. link.
The prices of all the products I saw were very reasonable considering the quality of the products. The cream blushes retail for £6 which I think is amazing. They are really nicely pigmented, blend amazingly well and last all day on my cheeks. My favorite shade is Head Over Heels, and you can work it in really well for a nice subtle look of pile it on for a more dramatic blush look. 

Lipsticks in Nevada (link) and Innocent (link) , £8 each.
The lipsticks are amazing quality, and I think they are very comparable to MAC. I prefer the packaging of these to MAC because it's not your average packaging, but I still think it feels good quality and look really cute. They are about £8 each, which is pretty much the same price as the good quality lipsticks form the drugstore so I think it's fair. They have a really nice texture to them. They aren't full of glitter or anything like that which I adore, and I would compare the texture and finish to that of the MAC Cremesheen Lipsticks. They aren't matte, but they do have a "velvet" finish which stop them drying out your lips on an insane level but also make them last a very good amount of time on the lips.   

I have tried a number of other products and they are just as amazing and the lipsticks and the blushes but they are the stand out products for me. The nail polish that I have tried seems amazing. It didn't chip too quickly, and the colours I tried only needed two coats to make them look great. The lip markers are great, but I would like to see some more colours. 

 I really want to try the tinted moisturiser and the highlighters they offer because I've heard great stuff about them, so they are next on my list. 
Tuesday, 4 December 2012

Awesome Blushes on a Budget

I am on a spending ban. I am literally so close to running out of cash that I’m down to buying food to live on and that’s it. So, there won’t be any new reviews for a while but I was looking through my collection deciding what I could post about and the blushes I have stood out to me. I don’t have the best or biggest collection of blushes because they aren’t my favourite part of makeup, but the ones I have I do really like and I thought I would share my opinions on my favourites with you.

 ELF Blush and Bronzing duo link, ELF Blush link, Topshop Cream Blush link, NYX Rouge Cream Blush link and Natural Collection blush link.

 ELF Contouring Blush and Bronzing Duo 
This is a pretty popular duo I believe, and I can see why. It’s a great way to get a bronzer and blush that complement each other really well and for such a cheap price. I’ve also heard that this is a dupe for NarsOrgasm and Laguna, which is great considering it’s £26.25 cheaper than the Nars compact. It’s got shimmer in it, which can be noticed if you are to heavy handed but overall it’s a nice natural looking duo that can work for even pale girls.
I know that ELF can be a bit hit and miss, so this might not be the greatest thing for everyone but I adore this blush. It’s a nice bright pink colour that isn’t to pigmented. That would normally be a bad thing but because of the brightness of the colour the lower than average pigmentation makes it easy to use. It gives a nice flush to the cheeks and it’s a nice matte colour so you don’t get chunks of glitter on your face.
These blushes are only £1.99, and they are amazing. They are better quality than most more expensive blushes that I’ve tried. They are nicely pigmented, super blendable and they last a decent amount of time. The shade pink cloud is one of my favourites, and one of the brightest in the range and the other colours are more natural. It’s one of the only brands in the drugstore that I’ve found that do really neutral/nude coloured. 

I’ve raved about this until I’m blue in the face so I won’t say too much. These are fantastic, and I think I own every colour that they had in the Oxford Street store. They blend nicely, they have amazing pigmentation and they packaging is lovely. The finish on these is nice to because it goes on like a cream but sets and lasts like a powder.  Just all around fabulous, in my opinion. 

This blush is gorgeous, and a really nice neutral colour with golden shimmer. It’s a little too creamy, but the colour is lovely so I work with it. It works nicely when you use a brush or your fingers. It’s a little hard to get a hold of in the UK but I’ll link it above. I know these are easier to get in the US. If you’re from the UK, and putting a NYX order in online would highly recommend this.
Friday, 30 November 2012

I Heart Drugstore Makeup TAG


What is your favorite drugstore makeup brand?
This is a tough one for me because I really only use drugstore products, and every brand excels in one things like Revlon and their lip products or Maybelline and their mascaras. Overall, I think it would be either Maybelline because I love their mascara’s, some of their foundations and some lip products to or it would be MUA because even though some products aren’t amazing the value for money and quality of most products is amazing!

What are your favorite face, cheek and lip products?
 
Is Soap and Glory a drugstore brand? I’m going to say they are and say my favourite face product is Hocus Focus. It’s a highlighting lotion that I mix in with either my moisutriser or foundation to give a nice glow to any foundation I put on.

Again, I have to ask, is Topshop considered drugstore? I mean they are reasonably cheap but you can’t get them in places like Boots or Superdurg. If it is considered drugstore my favourite cheek product would be their cream blushes. I rave and rave about them all the time because I think they are amazing. If not, then I would have to go with the Sleek blushes because they are reasonably priced and they are amazing quality. 

My favourite lip products are just too hard to choose. I love something in almost every brand but I do adore the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains at the moment. I think everyone in the blogger world has heard about these. They are essentially dupes for the Clinique chubby sticks, and the Chubby Stick Intense. They are jumbo pencil like products that have the staying power of a lipstick with the application quality of a balm. They only thing I’m not a fan of is the taste and smell. To me it’s like old tasting old chewing gum, like stale mint. I’m not sure why they have that mint taste because it’s not needed.

  Least favorite product?
This is a question I could go on and on about because while the drugstore has some amazing products there are many, many terrible products out there to. I think I would have to go with the Maybelline Dream Foam foundation though. This is something I own, or will ever own. I’ve tried it out once on my face and hated it. It didn’t offer any coverage and it felt horrid on my skin. I don’t like the packaging because you have very little control over how much comes out of the bottle. And lastly the fact that it doesn’t come off any surface worries me a lot. I work in a place that sells Maybelline products, and as soon as the testers were put out I knew it was a recipe for disaster. People testing them didn’t expect the explosion of mousse that comes out of the tube. They rub it off on the stand and when you go to clean that stand, nothing gets it off. I mean me and my colleagues have tried everything. Baby wipes, makeup remover, oil based products, nail varnish remover and even industrial strength cleaner and nothing works. If that’s what it does to the stand, can you imagine what it does to your face?  

What is the best makeup bargain?
 I would have to say it’s the £1 range that MUA offer. The lipsticks and eyeshadows are the stand out products for me and they are worth so much more than £1. I rate them over some of the more expensive brands like L’Oreal and the shadows can even beat out some of my MAC shadows.


What is your favorite underdog product? (Something you love that often gets overlooked?)
 This is a tough one because I’m very influenced by bloggers and most of the products I own are popular (and for a good reason). If I had to choose just one thing, it would probably be Miss Sporty mascaras. People see the brand Miss Sporty as something very cheap and it’s often over looked but they offer a wonderful range of mascaras that are super cheap and are great quality. My current favourite is the volume Studio Lash, but they have something for everyone.

A drugstore product that is overpriced?


L’Oreal products are very expensive in my opinion but I think anything from MeMeMe is overpriced. While I love their products, I often don’t head to that stand because it’s so expensive and I can get similar products for a cheaper price. The most overpriced thing for me would either be their foundations or their dew pots.

Show your best drugstore dupe(s)!!
I could go on and on about this! I have a fair ol’ few. For lipsticks I would say the best ones are:
  • 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive. It’s a good dupe for MAC hue.
  • L’Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick in Boreal. It’s almost an exact match for MAC Blankety.
  • The Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Moss lipstick on 02 is a close match for Girl About Town by MAC.
  • Iced Fudged Mono Eyeshadow from Maybelline is a close copy for Satin Taupe by MAC. It’s a little more chunky, with a bit more glitter but it’s still that gorgeous taupe colour with silver shimmer.
  • The MUA Undressed Palette is a good dupe for the Urban Decay Naked Palette.
  • A number of MeMeMe products are good dupes for Benefit products like the Fat Cat mascara and Bad Gal.
  • The MUA Every Lash mascara is an amazing dupe for Benefit They’re Real

Drugstore product that isn't worth the hype? 
This is the hardest question for me because I really cannot think of something over hyped! It might have to be the Revlon Lip Butters. That’s not to say that I don’t adore them, because I do but they aren’t as amazing as they are made out to be. They don’t last all that long and when you apply them again over the top of the first coat they can get a weird texture. Also the darker colours like Macaroon and Lollipop can bleed and you to be careful when applying them because they can get very messy. Also, they don’t fade that evenly, so you can end up with just colour on the outside of your lips.

Friday, 7 September 2012

Friday Favourites | Topshop Cream Blushes

Hey guys, 

So, I finally have a blog schedule down so my life feels a little more organized. Fridays will hereby be known as Friday Favorites here, and strangely enough it will feature some of my most favorite products. 

To kick it off, I'm sharing my favourite Topshop blushes! 

I have three that I absolutely adore, and they are Flush, Head Over Heels and Prime Time.  

Topshop Cream Blushes in Prime Time, Head over Heels and Flush
From left to right we have Flush, Head Over Heels and Prime Time.


Topshop Cream Blushes in Prime Time, Head over Heels and Flush 

I love them for two reasons! 
1) The formula
I love cream blushes but sometimes they can be hard to work with. The cream to powder formula of these makes them really simply to use and they almost always look perfect without any work. 
2) The colours
I'm not one for nude blushes or anything like that. I wear a blush to add a nice flush of colour, and I would just go bare if I wanted a nude colour. These colours are amazing! They are brilliantly pigmented, not nude but not to crazy and so so so worth the £6 you pay for them!

Here are the swatches of these beauties! First we have Flush, second is Head over Heels and lastly it's Prime Time.






what are your favourite topshop blushes? 

thanks for reading guys
Sarah xo