TheBalm Frat Boy Blush - Review

TheBalm is a quirky brand that for some reason, I almost always skip over. When I do purchase something, it's usually good, but it's never really remarkable in anyway. In fact, they usually end up getting swapped for something else, because there's something about them that bugs me. Some small facet prevents me from just loving them. Maybe it's the name of the branch, their kitschy packaging, their strange marketing, I don't know.

I do know that I have a peachy-pink blush problem. I love them. I collect them all, like Pokemon. It's a disease, but I don't want to be cured. I'd been lusting after Frat Boy (I hate the name) for a while, and finally broke down and picked it up during Hautelook's recent TheBalm sale. Normally, this blush retails for $21. For your money, you get 0.3 ounces of blush.

The package is, as indicated before, kitschy, just like the rest of the line. It has a football theme, which is kinda cute, but since it's cardboard, I'm not super impressed. I will say it's very sturdy, and the "compact" stays closed on it's own, without the cardboard sleeve. It does include a mirror on the inside of the lid. The sleeve (which is exactly the same as the outer packaging) is a tight fit, making it somewhat difficult to remove the compact.

The color, of course, its a peachy pink. Sephora calls it "peachy apricot," but, to my eye, it's a peachy-pink. Less pink than peach, though. It's not glittery, like NARS Orgasm or TheBalms' Hot Mama. It's more satin/matte. It's not too soft, not to hard. The pigmentation is nice, not too much, and not too light (it must be a Goldilocks kind of day).

The blush wears well enough on my cheeks, and lasts all day (which is more than I can say for some powder blushes). It blends well enough to suit my needs, and doesn't seem to morph or change over time.

My only issue with this blush is, I'm not overjoyed with it. It's nice, easy to wear, and right up my alley, colorwise. But, my overall feeling about it is meh. I could easily swap or sell it, and wouldn't know it was gone. I also think for $21, the packaging could be nicer. Cardboard has it's place, but I'd prefer something a little more substantial.

Blusher by Barry M - Review

Why does the UK get all sorts of drugstore awesomeness? It's not fair! Although, they pay a higher price for high end cosmetics, so maybe things balance out. It's not fair either way, though. I did a CP/swap with a lovely girl who lives in London, and one of the things I wanted was this blush from Barry M.

It's called Peaches & Cream, and it's a beautiful golden apricot/peach shade. The packaging is super cute and ornate for drugstore offerings. A typical, synthetic, cheap brush is included, however, Barry M does not provide a mirror in the compact. I apologize, but I'm not sure of the price for this, but I believe it was under £5.

 This is a shimmery blush, but oh so pretty!

The back as the information you would expect to find, except you'll note the name of the color does not appear. In fact, the only way you'd know what color the blush is, is on the barcode, where "BL 7" appears. It seems more companies in the U.S. are adopting this strategy of not printing color names on products.

Peaches & Cream has a decent amount of orange to it. It's still soft, wearable, and blendable. It's a great spring/summer blush for those of use who like peachy blushes. While I tend to like a little pink with my peach, the color is still beautiful, and unique in my stash. The shimmer buffs down a bit to a low glow, which is also very nice. I usually use my MAC 109 to apply.

Overall, I love the color a lot. And, for a drugstore blush, this is probably the best I've used. I'd like to swatch it next to NARS Luster, to see how it compares color wise, too.

Milani Illuminating Face Powder in Amber Nectar - Review

I'll admit, I need a good bronze. Well, need is a strong word - I have a few (read: several), but another one can't hurt, right? Especially a shimmery one? That's super cute? Milani's new Illuminating Face Powder caught my eye at my local Fred Meyers a few weeks ago, and since cosmetics were buy one get one half priced, and I had found one thing.... I needed a second.

See how pretty? Several rosettes pressed into this multicolored powder. The different tones are not overspray, either. Shades of pink-champagne, pink, light peachy tan and a less-light tan, with a tiny bit of shimmer, and pressed into one pan, with a clear lid and gold-toned plastic base.

For about $10-$12, you get 0.35 oz of powder. Due to the nature of drugstore products, the price you pay will vary depending on where you go and whether they're running a sale.

The back has a couple of suggestions for application, but this is a bronzer/blush, so I think most of us have a pretty good idea of how to use this.

The overall tone, when swirling your brush over the entire powder, is a slightly peachy-tan color. It's fairly neutral (not pink, not yellow), and it glows. At first I thought it might be shimmery, but it's really lovely. It appears to last most of the day on my cheeks (not oily, not necessarily dry), and does not oxidize in any way. I suppose you could use it as an eyeshadow palette, but the shades are not that different from one another. Blended, however, I think it'd be a very pretty lid color.

As a bronzer, the glow is a bit much for me - my oily t-zone can glow on it's own, thanks. I think drier skinned people will enjoy it when used as one, though. Deeper skintones could use this has a highlighter.

Overall, it's a very pretty powder, at a very good price. The quality is excellent, especially when noting the mosaic is not overspray, but individual shades.

Sleek Suede Blush - Review

I've been waiting to try Sleek Cosmetics for a long time. Makeupalley has repeatedly discussed this brand, and their releases, for what seems like an eternity. When I had the chance to swap for the highly anticipated "Nude" collection, I jumped on it.

Sleek is a UK-exclusive brand, however, the rest of us can order from their website with quasi-reasonable shipping prices, currently $10 to the US at this time. Blushes retail for $6.50, and there are currently 13 shades available. I have two, but today I'll discuss the newest color, Suede.

Sleek uses a combination of MAC and NARS packaging styles, with a little flair of their own - it's typically black, with minimal decoration. Some colors or palettes do have special designs on them, though, if they're part of a collection. The Nude  is a collection with a nude-toned decoration/flower thingie on all three pieces of the collection.  

The back has a list of ingredients, the name of the color, and the usual fair. These blushes come with a clear plastic wrap around them, which is why they have this information printed on them, unlike brands that utilize boxes or other types of outer packaging. To look at the packaging, you may assume it's very similar to NARS, but it's not so rounded, and it's not made from that obnoxiously weird rubberized stuff. It's smooth black plastic, like MAC. 

Each compact comes with mirror, and, of course, a pressed blush. Suede is a neutral nude-pink. It's pigmented, not exactly soft, and a great, true, neutral with a matte finish. Pink blushes often look a little off on me, because I'm a warm toned gal, and pink seems to always lean cool, but I find this wearable. I've heard a few people say this blush is similar to NARS' Douceur. Any thoughts? I need to get to Sephora to see what I think... Douceur is on my wishlist.

I'm sort of glad this blush isn't particularly soft. Virtually no powder is kicked up by my brush, which is great. My only issue is it can take some pressure on the brush to pick up the blush. Maybe this blush was over pressed or something. I'll need to see if my other Sleek blush is the same (no, I haven't used it yet... I wanted to try this one so bad, I've been using it for the last 2 or so weeks, since my swap partner received her part of our deal!).

So far, I've been pleased with this blush. It's wearable, it lasts 12 plus hours on my face, and looks natural. What's not to love? If possible, I'd strongly recommend this blush, or others from the range.

Sonia Kashuk Beautifying Blush in Melon - Review

I can admit when I have a problem - I love peachy-pink blushes. Love. As in, I must own them all. Must. Somewhere during my travels, I believe I had read that a dupe for MAC's very popular Ripe Peach blush ombre was available at Target, as part of Sonia Kashuk's line. Naturally, I couldn't remember the name of the Sonia Kashuk product, but this blush caught my eye while I was searching. After mulling it over for a grand total of 30 seconds, this blush found it's way into my basket.

One thing that's always deterred me from buying Sonia Kashuk's products is their price. They're not cheap, for example, this blush retails for $8.99. Now, I can live with elevated drug store prices, because they go on sale regularly, right? Well, not Sonia Kashuk. The best deal you're going to find is 10%, sporadically. Because Target is the exclusive retailer of this product, they have no reason to put it on sale the same way they need to occasionally have Revlon on sale, or Cover Girl products. Even those are usually on "sale" for 10% off. ..::end rant::..

Anyway, this blush delivers what I wanted. Peachy-pink goodness. It's matte, which is great since I don't need to be shimmery all the time, and lasts a reasonable amount of time. It's decently pigmented, so I don't need to pack on a ton of product. Melon blends well, too, which is always a plus. It seems a bit small, though. Especially for $9. There's 0.15 oz (or 4.2 grams) of Melon in a pan, compared to 0.21 oz (or 6 grams) in a MAC frost finish blush (just one that I grabbed, not a particular shade). For another comparison, however, Smashbox's blushes are 0.07 oz (or 2.04 grams) - gah. What a rip off. They're nice, though. Back to Sonia Kashuk's blushes though. Of these 3 options (Sonia Kashuk, MAC, and Smashbox), SK is a better deal. Maybe they're just physically small?

Blushes are packaged in a slim, white compact with a silver band. This blush states it's made in the US, which is kind of neat (seriously, when was the last time you bought something made in the states?). The compact doesn't feel cheap, but is light, which makes sense. It's completely plastic. The top of the compact is clear, so you can see the color of the product. No mirror is included.

Would I repurchase? I dunno. I'm leaning towards no, only because of the price (never mind the fact I have yet to use a blush). It's a solid product, and performs well, but I would rather not support a company that doesn't put things on sale. (Totally kidding). I am truly conflicted, though. Melon isn't really a unique color, you know? And the formula is as nice as any other blush I own.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Blush Pink Coral - Review

I admit it - I love blush. Mostly corally pink, shimmery blushes. At one point, a MAC makeup artist told me that would be the best color for my skin tone and coloring, and I apparently took that to heart. I'd estimate 70% of my blushes are in the coral/pink/peach vein, and every time a new one comes out, I feel the urge to bring my wallet from my purse.

About a year ago, I hit a Bobbi Brown phase, and dumped a lot of money in a short period of time on Bobbi's products. While everything I tried was nice, I never felt like I just had to use it. I'd get something new, and wouldn't feel that urge to take off the makeup I was wearing to apply the new whatever. I've swapped away quite a bit of it, and kept only a few things that I really like. This blush is one of those pieces.

Bobbi's blushes are $24 each. You get 0.13 oz of blush in a black, square pan that fits into any of Bobbi's  customizable palettes.To compare, MAC blushes are $19.50 for 0.21 ounces for the potted variety, and $16.50 for the propan.

Pink Coral is described as a "a bright warm pink." While I see the pink, I think the description is missing the yellow tone that brings this color into the coral family, which is reflected in the name. The pan would indicate loads of glitter, but I don't really see that when it's applied. While pink isn't a color I can wear easily, I like this color on me, despite the strong pink tone. It definitely is a warm toned color, and lasts all day on me, unlike other higher end blushes (*cough* NARS*cough*).

I also really appreciate Bobbi's palette system. Everything can be removed from it's original case and put into her palettes. She even sells palette-ready foundation, concealers, lipglosses and lipsticks, perfect for putting together your own face-case (remember that Urban Decay product from back in the day? I wanted all of them!) for a trip, and then rearranging once you return home.

Overall, I like this blush. I'm not convinced it's terribly unique (I have a Sonia Kashuk blush that looks suspiciously similar, which I need to swatch and review and stuff). The last power makes it a winner in my book, though.

Stila Convertible Lip and Cheek Color in Gerbera - Review

Stila is a line that confuses me. Most of their products seem overpriced for the amount of product you get, and don't seem to perform well enough to make that price worth it. Out of all of the Stila I've had, I've only kept a few things - including the Smudgestick in Lionfish, and this blush. I love it so much, I wear it daily and have hit significant pan.

Convertible Lip and Cheek Colors are designed to be worn on the lips or cheeks, however, they are extremely drying on the lips, at least to me. So, I wear this exclusively on my cheeks. Stila says:

Stila's ingenious lipstick and blush-in-one proves to be irresistible.
This versatile favorite brightens cheeks and lips with creamy, translucent color. Tap onto cheeks and press onto lips. The sheer tint adds an inherent glow to the cheeks while lips bloom with fresh, radiant color. Our two-in-one compact holds the key to easy, monochromatic makeup. A must-have in every stila girl's kit. 

These are housed in color-coded compacts. $25 gets you 0.15 oz of cream blush. Bobbi Brown's version of this product, Pot Rouge, cost $24, and you get 0.38 fl. oz. I'll review Bobbi's version in a bit, but you can see how little product the Stila Convertible Colors have.

That being said, however, I've been using Gerbera almost daily for about 2 years. At first, I used my fingers to apply and blend, but found I was using a ton of product and was having some difficulty getting an application that looked good. I've found the best brush for this blush is the Sonia Kashuk cream blush brush, with the black ergonomically styled handle. The bristles are nice and dense; tapping this brush in the compact twice gives me the perfect amount of blush, which I can blend out slightly with my foundation brush.

Gerbera is a peachy-pink color with a nude tone to it, so it looks natural. I love it. I really, really do. As noted before, I literally wear this everyday for 2 reasons - 1) it's a no-brainer for me to apply now, and 2) I sort of want to use it up. I say sort of, because I'll be sad to finish it, but still, I have 3 (!!) Pot Rouges to get to.


I like the fact that this hasn't dried up at all. It's still the same consistency it was when I started using it, which is awesome considering the compact isn't air-tight. I thought it'd dry out, or start to change texture on me, and it hasn't. It does seem to collect hairs and dust from my brush or the environment, though, so it looks kind of gross, but that's to be expected, I think, for a cream-type product.


Overall, I obviously like this blush. I would recommend it, and certainly plan on replacing it, once I have a need to. I feel it's a bit overpriced, however, considering you can get more for your money from Bobbi Brown.

NYC Blushable Creme Sticks - Review

I used to believe that a good blush was very, very hard to find. Especially at the drugstore. While I still have some troubles finding a formula that works for me, I'm very pleased to say I've found a blush that will last all day on me, and is fairly inexpensive. The only problem I have is how hard it is to find.

Last year, NYC released a new product, their Blushable Creme Sticks. As you can imagine, they are cream blushes in stick form (fancy that!). They sent out samples to the most popular YouTube beauty people, created tons of hype, and had people searching everywhere for them. After looking at swatches, I decided I'd try a couple. I ended up with three of their permanent colors: Pink Plaza, Big Apple Blush, and South St. Seashell. Earlier this week, I picked up the two new, limited edition colors: Gold Radiance and Bronze Radiance.

NYC states:

Sheer crème blush creates a silky powder finish
Soft and creamy formula blends easily with fingertips to desired intensity and coverage
Convenient twist-up stick for quick application
Dermatologist tested
KEY INGREDIENTS
Vitamin A, C and E

These are simply fantastic. It's very rare for me to search out a drugstore product like this, since I have so many blushes, bronzers, and highlighters already. I've been so good recently at not buying things "Just because," but I had to get these. The consumed my thoughts since I heard of them. And for $4.99, I can't complain about the price.

Pink Plaza is a coral pink. Big Apple Blush is a slightly berry-pink. South St. Seashell is a warm nude-brown. Gold Radiance is essentially gold glimmery-glitter. Bronze Radiance is a metallic bronze. South St. Seashell is my favorite, surprisingly. It's very wearable, and is neutral enough that I can wear it everyday. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to use Bronze Radiance, because it's so metallic.

The formula on these is great. They are firm, yet pigmented.The swatches above are a single pass of the stick. It's not like you are taking a dried out stick and rubbing it on your face, they glide on and blend well. On my cheeks, they'll last up to 12 hours. Seriously. 12 hours. I usually "dab" the blush-tones on my cheeks, then take my 187 or 188 and blend these a bit. I'll set with my normal powder, and I'm done. I don't really find they set to a powder-type finish. They don't have that weird, chalky feeling that some cream-to-powder products have, which is great. 


Overall, I can't help but to recommend these. I think they're great. I wish they were easier to find (only one store in my area carries these, despite the fact that multiple stores carry other pieces from the brand). I also wish they'd introduce more colors. I checked the display several times to see if they had any other colors that would work on my NC15 self, and couldn't find one. 

Rock & Republic Blush in "Immoral" - Review

I love Rock and Republic cosmetics. I really do. Their powder products are an extremely awesome value, even at full price. They're smooth, pigmented, and lovely to work with, not to mention the color selection is very, very good.

I have several of their blushes, but I wanted to focus on my newest acquisition, Immoral. In the pan, this is a screaming orange/coral color (or, it would if my camera could handle it. It looks very, very subdued here - but if you were to see it, you'd be "OMGWTF is that?"). With anything but the lightest of hands, it appears on the cheeks the same way. With a light hand, however, it's beautiful glow of coral with a bit of orange (not the most flattering undertone on my NC15 face, but hey, I wear what I want, dammit!). I usually use a MAC 188, 184, or a NARS Yachiyo (after carefully tapping off excess powder) to apply blushes, and they all work well for Immoral. This blush wears fairly well on me; over liquid foundation and under loose powder,it's still visible on my cheeks after about 11 hours.

I know someone out there is dieing to say "LADY! THIS BLUSH IS $40! OMG!" but, calm down and listen: you get 9 grams of product. Chanel, for a little more money, gives you 6 grams, for a slightly less pigmented product. Additionally, R&R seems to be on Haute Look and Gilt Groupe every couple of weeks, so you can usually pick up their products on the cheap, but be warned: their blushes are very popular, because they are excellent, and in my opinion, worth the full admission price.

My Accomplishments!

It's the end of another year, and I have to wonder - what have I done this year? Well, I got a slightly better job (less stress, the same amount of pay, though). Adopted 2 cats (one moved out of our house as soon as he could - he's around the corner. He left his poor brother behind, though). And... um... that's about it.

Well, that's not fair to me. I've gotten close to finishing a couple of things. And, I've done a great job at sticking to my mascara no-buy. Using up all of the freebies I've accumulated feels great! Let's see what else I've finished, or almost finished, or.. at least hit pan on! These are my daily eyeshadows. I couldn't live or breathe without them. From the top left, there's Sumptuous Olive (I had to repress it, so *now* there's no pan, but I swear it's 50% or less). Then there's Shroom (top right), which I've had for a bit over a year and it's almost gone!
Finally, Wedge (bottom) - it's the perfect, soft, neutral crease color for me. Loves it.

So I haven't finished either of these, but seriously. Look at the size of them compaired to the stand MAC eye kohl cap. On the top is Clinique's Chocolate Luster Cream Shaper pencil, on the bottom is MAC's Teddy eye kohl. The Cream Shaper is okay, but Teddy is sooo much better. The perfect bronzey-brown for green eyes!

So this still has a ton of life left in it, but... hey, there's a significant amount of pan showing! It's Stila's Convertible Lip and Cheek color in Gerbera. This has been my go-to blush (obviously).

There are other products, too, like several Dazzleglasses, a bottle of MAC's brush cleaner, and a bottle of Chanel's Mat Lumiere Foundation.

What've you finished?

Clinique's Strawberry Fudge Holiday Palette

I love it when my husband actually bothers to use my Christmas list when shopping for Christmas presents. It's a great feeling to know the time I put in to writing it down actually paid off. This year, I had been admiring Clinique's holiday palette - and I'm glad I asked for it, and even more glad I was able to open it early.

This palette includes a full sized eyedshadow trio in "Strawberry Fudge," and a fully sized Soft-Pressed powder blush in "New Clover." It also includes a brush and double ended applicator, as well as a card to help you create the signature look for this collection. This is available for $36 many places Clinique is sold (currently available at Nordstrom, as it appears to be sold out on Macy's website. I believe Sephora doesn't get Clinique collections).

I'm a bit of a trailblazer (okay, not really), so I ignore the tip card, and just care about the goods. The three shadows are fairly neutral (not warm or cool), and the blush (on me) leans ever-so-slightly to the cool side, but it's wearable for me. Clinique doesn't seem to be touted as an extremely pigmented brand, however I found these shadows (like most of the brand's shadows I've used) to be of decent quality. The largest eyeshadow pan, the recommended highlighter, is a very pretty pink with gold sparkle in the pan. On the skin, however, it imparts a soft, glowly highlight. The middle shade is probably my favorite part of the palette - an almost metallic (no where near over the top, though) pink-brown shade, with a kiss of grey. The final eyeshadow is a slightly-chalky matte dark brown. This color leans a bit cool. All of the shadows blend well.

The blush, "New Clover," is described as a "soft blue violet" by Clinique. I don't believe this description matches the color. It looks more like a mauvey-nude type tone. This blush, while soft, isn't incredibly pigmented. It's nice, and using a MAC 169 blush brush gives a light, easy application.

This is a great all-in-one palette. I think most skin tones could easily wear this. With the exception of the matte eyeshadow, this palette is definately worth the price of admission. If you want a quick-and-easy travel palette, I'd recommend taking a look at this!