My Beauty Addiction: Blush

I never had and probably will never have a lipstick addiction.
I never had and probably will never have a lip gloss addiction.
I never had and probably will never have a mascara addiction.
But I love my blushes and I will never give up my love for them LOL.

As the title of this post says, I am addicted to blushes. There, I said it!

Blushes are the only type makeup I will buy with less hesitation because of price. As long as the product is great, I probably won't mind the price tag.
I love blushes because they can give you that pop of color on your face when foundation and/or concealer washes out some of the color on your face.  It also adds more dimension to your face! What is there not to love?

Of course it's rather easy to "over do" blush, looking like a clown in the end. But with some practice and lots of blending, you can add a very nice touch to your overall makeup using blush!

Without further ado, my blush collection!

-NYX Rouge Cream Blush (cb02 Natural)
-NYX Rouge Cream Blush (cb05 Glow)
-Stila Custom Color Blush (Sheer Pink)
-Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush (Amused)
-Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush (10 Pink Frosting)

-Benefit (Coralista)
-Too Faced Leopard Love Complexion Perfection Kit (Candy Leopard)
-Illamasqua Cream Blush (Promise)
-Benefit (Bella Bamba)
-Benefit (Dandelion)
-ELF (Candid Coral)
-theBalm (Hot Mama)
-HK Memoirs of a Kitty (Shade 1 / Shade 2)
-L'Oreal Magic Smooth Souffle (824 Cherubic Candide)

I use one of these brushes to apply my blush.  From top to bottom: MAC 116, random brush I purchased from the IMATS, random angle blusher brush I got from TJMaxx.  This also happens to be in price order.  The MAC was probably around 20+ dollars, the brush I got from the IMATS this spring cost me $7 and the bottom brush from TJMaxx cost me $3 (originally $20 so it was a bargain!).  I absolutely LOVE the angle blusher and I use it more than I use the MAC brush. I wish I had purchased this first, I would not have bought the MAC brush. BUT the MAC brush is excellent for powder highlighters.  Both are very soft but I mean, $3 vs $20 is a big deal for me. Love them both.

Now for the middle brush I got from the IMATS, it's a small stipple brush I only use for applying my cream blushes.  I actually like that it's not too dense as this avoids picking up too much product.  I gently swirl the blush around my cheeks and I love how soft the brush is! I have no idea which brand it was from other than the fact that I got it from IMATS here in NYC. 

Without Flash

With flash

My three Benefit blushes! My favorite, or most used I should say, would be Dandelion and Coralista.  Bella Bamba is more of a brighter pink with many glitter particles. Usually, it's too overwhelming to wear on a normal day. Dandelion is very subtle and can be used as a highlighter.  Coralista falls in the middle of these two! I would love to purchase Hervana in the future! These are $28 each if I remember correctly.

 Without Flash

 With Flash

These are my other powder blushes.  In pan, ELF Candid Coral and theBalm Hot Mama look somewhat alike.  It isn't so when swatched and the quality of theBalm is better.  I think Candid Coral was one of my first blush purchases and I liked it very much in the beginning.  I wonder how Hot Mama compares to NARS Orgasm? I think it's a couple of shades lighter but still pretty comparable. I'm not sure at all though, as I do not own NARS blushes yet. 

The HK Memoirs of a Kitty was my first Hello Kitty for Sephora purchase. I own one more palette and I think these are pretty good for the price ($36).  You get 4 eye shadows and 2 generously sized blushes in a REALLY cute package. I already did a review on this so if you want, check it out here.

I purchased the Too Faced palette a while back and I think the packaging is really cute! I do like the highlighter (right) but I'm on the fence about the bronzer (left) because it's a bit too sparkly.  I really think bronzers should be matte! The blush is in the middle and it's a nice baby pink with some darker pink and peach mixed in as well.  The only problem I have with this is that it's very powdery. And it's not as pigmented as I'd like it to be.

I suppose the most interesting from these would be the Stila Custom Color Blush, which is pH based.  Basically the idea is to adjust to your skin tone this way it's like a "one color for all skin colors" kind of thing.  I can tell you that you have to use a light hand if you do not want to look like a toy but with a lighter hand, it does seem to show up a little different on my skin vs my friend's skin, who is darker than myself.  This is $20.

The Tarte Amazonian Clay is probably a cult favorite, EVERYONE loves these. My friend got this for me for Christmas and it's amazing. It's matte so it looks even more natural.  But the color I have it in is a bit bright, depending on how I use it, it calls for a lotttt of blending.  Still a wonderful blush nonetheless.  I recommend this to people who are first trying out, I guess, "higher end" blushes.

Without Flash

With Flash

These are my cream/not powder blushes.  I generally like cream blushes more, even though lasting powder for these babies may not be as long as powder blushes.  The reason I like it is because my skin is rather dry and I feel that cream blushes add some "dew" to my face.  I don't like looking overly matte because that does not look natural at all so these are my go-to blushes.

The Illamasqua one is in the shade "Promise" which may be limited edition, I'm not sure.  But it's such a gorgeous color. THIS IS MY FAVORITE BLUSH EVER. Out of all my blushes, this must be my favorite.  I love the consistency, the packaging, and the color! It does not feel sticky or wet and dries very nicely on my cheeks. The only downside is the $24 price tag for something I feel I would use up quicker than a typical powder blush. Even then, I would repurchase. Over and over.

The L'Oreal magic smooth souffle is also great, a little goes a long way for these. It's definitely under $10 at drugstores. I feared it might be too dark but by using a little and blending out, it looks very, very, very, nice.  Maybe if I bought this first, I might have not bought the Illamasqua.. but I really love my Illamasqua blush so I don't know. Another good thing about this blush is that it lasts a really long time. I love that about this blush. 

I like the NYX cream blushes as well but not nearly as much as I like the Illamasqua blush.  It is significantly cheaper, I bought it for around $6 at the IMATS.  The packaging is okay too! It's definitely a pass.  But I have a problem with the consistency of these blushes. They're very.. sticky and almost gooey feeling to me. I like "natural" more than "glow" as glow is too dark for me but to me, these almost feel like lip glosses... on my cheek. And they take a while to dry down on my cheeks.  Still, very pigmented and I absolutely love the look after it finishes drying lol. 

I'm sure by now everyone has read/seen/bought the Dream Bouncy blushes by Maybelline and despite most people not enjoying this, I pop this into my makeup bag during school days and apply this when I feel it's necessary (even if I did apply this specific blush in the morning).  It's not that bad, rather subtle in color but looks natural without many glitter particles. I love the consistency too! But I don't think I'll repurchase as isn't really great on it's own. 

Time for you guys to confess: What is your beauty addiction? Do any of these blushes interest you? Let me know!

Haul!

Hey hey hey! I'm sorry I've sort of been MIA. My classes are definitely more difficult than last semester and I am still trying to enjoy all of this. I still have to go to the doctors, the PO to mail stuff out, and the tailors! - 24 hours a day is never enough for me during the semester :(

But today I decided to set some time aside to blog. Today's post will be a relatively small haul with some first look thoughts. I guess it's a mix of what I received for Christmas from some of my friends/what I bought. Enjoy!



^So I ran out of conditioner and I was at Duane Reade to buy a new conditioner. Before I used Herbal Essences but I didn't really like it. It smelled really good but I didn't feel it did anything for my hair. I was debating between this and an Aveeno conditioner but I decided to go for this one. I think it's better than Herbal Essences but I'm still on the hunt for a really good conditioner. I was sort of disappointed in this but that's because I had high expectations. I mean, THIS is what they claim in front of the bottle:



^Yes, it is moisturizing but I don't know about the "ultra" part and the "luxurious" part. My hair was pretty soft after using it but my hair was always on the softer side lol. Would I rebuy? Maybe. If I can't find something else. For the price (I think it was $8.99) I think it does a pretty good job.



^My friend V got me this super generous Lancome skincare set! It comes with a mousse radiance foaming cleanser (full sized), tonique radiance toner (full sized), and a bonus bi-facial eye-makeup remover (sample sized). It also came with a big makeup bag. It's my first time using Lancome products (I still feel like it's meant for old people lol) but I was very excited when I got this. I haven't used the cleanser yet so I can't really say anything about it but the toner is pretty nice! It has a slight scent to it but nothing that bothers me too much. I find it rather pleasing, actually. But what I didn't really like was the bi-facial makeup remover. It smells like artificial roses. I hate that smell! It was unexpected because I use Clinique's eye-makeup remover which basically has no scent to it. But I will use it nonetheless because it is a great eye-makeup remover.



^The makeup bag is HUGE! it fits all the items with lots of room left over. I'm very pleased with it in general. I really am enjoying this and I can't wait to use the cleanser! If it's anything like the toner, I'm sure I'll like it. But I'm even more touched that my friend V went out to get this for me as she knows I'm interested in these kind of things. She also got the same set for herself and she said it works for her so I'm double happy, haha.



^Starting from the far left: Tarte Amazonian Clay Long-Wear Blush (in the shade 'amused'), Stila Custom Color Blush (self-adjusting shade!), Harajuku Lovers Fragrance (Jingle G), and Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation (in the shade Translucent Medium).

The two blushes are from my friend R. We're both makeup freaks so we got each other makeup this year. I thought it was sweet of her to get me blushes because I'm sort of blush-crazy! Haha. Both blushes are AWESOME and so pigmented, I have to be careful. Expect a review on both blushes soon!

The Harajuku Lovers perfume I got for myself because it was on sale when I popped into Sephora a few weeks back. It was $11 so I thought why not. It doesn't smell as fruity as I'd like it to smell but that's cool because the scent is long wearing. Plus the ridiculously cute packaging!

The Physicians Formula Powder Foundation I also got for myself because it was on sale at Duane Reade last time. I think I got it for a little less than $5 and expect a review for this too because I just think it's so AWESOME! Ahhh! I was worried I got a shade too dark (I originally planned on getting translucent light) but I think it sort of adjusts to your skin as it is a translucent powder. So very glad I got this!

Did you haul anything lately??

NOTD & MUA Swap Swatch!

I never keep promises!
:( sorry today isn't Tuesday and I don't have those MTA pictures I promised...
I thought my phone's camera would suffice but the lighting isn't that great so I decided I'd try again next week with my real camera. And there was no entry Tuesday because I took a nap Monday night at 9PM, woke up at 12AM and fell back asleep 5AM. So basically I got NO work done Monday and ended up doing everything Tuesday so I didn't have time to blog :( Long story short, my sleeping pattern was ruined but I fixed it last night :) I went to class today with 9 hours of sleep!

Today's post will be a NOTD & MUA Swap Swatch!



Kind of a strange color. It reminds me a bit of purple aluminum foil and purple cellophane put together. Polishes used:
_Essie's first base base coat (why do they use two bases??)
_Love and Beauty: Purple
_Confetti: Purple Pizzaz
_some random top coat..

I only wanted to use the Purple Pizzaz but I realized it was wayyyy to sheer so I topped it on top of regular purple polish and this is the color I got. I'm on the fence about it but I didn't feel like erasing it.

MUA Swap Swatch!
I loveee makeupalley because you can swap goodies there! :) This was my first swap and it was for my rollerball Jessica Simpson fancy perfume for this gorgeous Stila eyeshadow Trio in Gold Glow.


^generous freebies :)






^swatches - the colors are quite pigmented although I'm not really feeling the middle brown color. Still useable but I've seen better. The other two however, are really pretty in person! I was worried it'd be way too sparkly but I love the frosty-looking finish :)

Ah I'm so hungry ;_; its almost 1AM though! I'm gonna wake up early so I can eat earlier muahaha.

Good night!

Collective haul post/Review, *yawn*

Long time no update! I actually have SIX draft posts that have yet to be submitted. Don't know when I'll get to finishing those posts... But I'm getting there! Today's post is kind of for my own good, I just wanted to uh keep myself updated on the things I purchased lately. No clothes today though, that's for another day.



Mac - Pro Longwear Concealer (NC20) : ~$17 I was afraid it'd be too dark but it's actually a pretty good match. I usually go most days with just this concealer now.



Konad booth at the mall - Stamper/Scrapper and plate! : $16 together (RIPPPP OFFFFF) so I was about to leave because I know they sell the stamper/scrapper for like $5-6 on amazon + $3-4 for plates so I was like neverminddd. But the sales lady stopped me and told me $12 so I said fine :p I need to buy the konad polishes though. But my ELF polishes have been doing a terrific (and surprising loll) job. Pictures soon!



Claire's - Jolly Rancher & Mountain Dew Lip Balms (Both Cherry flavored). ~$3 but it was buy one get one! So $1.50 each.
Aren't these adorable!? Especially the Mountain Dew one! I've seen these around since forever but I've never tried them before! I haven't used the Jolly Rancher one yet but the Mountain Dew one smells SOOO good and tastes really good too. I was VERY surprised by the moisture. I applied it around 11PM and it lasted till about 8AM which most lip balms sadly don't do for me. Even the more expensive ones! So I was VERY pleased with these. Well, only the Mountain Dew one for now. I've decided I'd collect them from now on =)



I suppose a downside to these is that they're quite bulky, especially the Jolly Rancher one. But nothing like the EOS kinds, I don't think I'm ever repurchasing those because the closer you get to the bottom, the harder it is to use!




So cute right?!



I think it's KINDDDD of very lightly tinted. Not as tinted as my Nivea lip balm but that one is supposed to be tinted so... this one still wins. This cherry smells so much better than the Nivea cherry I own.



My small collection of lip balms. I don't use lip stick yet because I don't really like them and I only own two lip glosses, both from Clinique and I rarely use those.




Stila for J.Crew - Convertible Color Dual Lip and Cheek Cream (Camellia) : $17.99 but I got it for $4.99 cause it was on sale. Long story short, I bought a whole bunch of clothes at J.Crew because the one in the city had a huge discount and I saw these at the register so I grabbed one and jokingly asked if these were on sale too and to my surprise, it was on sale! Really cheap huh? That wasn't a short story at all, sorry LOL.




Surprisingly good pictures lol, yay! Color is extremely true to picture. I absolutely LOVE this color. On my lips, it's the perfect shade! lol. It's not too nude or too pink or too brown. I can't explain it, so here's a swatch:



Excuse the mark my bracelet made hehe. The texture is very creamy and light. Therefore it blends very easily and I don't even think you need to use a lot of product. A teeny bit on my pinky covers my lips perfectly. Clean hands, don't worry. I don't think I'll use this on my cheeks though, I don't use blush or bronzer as it is and it's far too creamy for my cheeks. I'm afraid I'll break out or something, that's not a chance I'm willing to take. But it's supposed to function as a dual kind of thing so I'm sure it works fine as that too. Kind of like the Benetint, no?

I saw Essie nail polishes at J.Crew as well but those weren't on sale so I didn't get them. I really wanted this shade of green though, maybe next time!




Wet n' Wild - Color Icon (Walking on Eggshells, Sweet as Candy) : ~$3.50 each
I think I read on loveFEMME's blog about these and that she liked them. So I researched a little more and found out it's almost everyone's favorite! Glad I hopped on the bandwagon, I really love these colors. They look similar but they're actually pretty different when applied. I actually did take a swatch picture but the lighting was so bad today my camera didn't pick them up accurately at all :( I wish they had matte colors though! I mean it's not REALLY shimmery but it's not matte either, it's hard finding a good set of mattes!



Olay PRO x - Replacement Brush Heads : $10 each.
Okay, seriously WHAT the heck. 1) I got so excited because I thought I could use the $2 off on the spot but it was for the cleanser (buy the replacement brush, $2 off the Olay cleanser) and 2) I own the Olay PRO x cleanser thingy (similar to Clarisonic) and I used my brush for about 6 months (3 months over the recommended usage per brush but mine lasted a good 6 months!). I only needed one new brush but I didn't want them to be out of stock like last time and search the entire neighborhood for these replacements so I bought two boxes. I open it and I see this:


.. two in each box x_x no wonder, it made no sense to me that a single replacement brush was $10. I wish they indicated that TWO brushes are inside the box, as far as I read, there is NO indication of that. So if you're going to buy these, don't spend an extra $10 to "stock up" when it isn't necessary -_- By the way, I tried last night and these brushes are totally workable without the cleansing system. Just wrap your hands around the bottom and scrub gently! Just incase you don't want to fork out the money for the cleansing system.

Close ups of the brush:



It's pretty neat. I didn't notice before but the bristles aren't as clean cut (?) as the Clarisonic brushes (mine are sticking out in general) while the Clarisonic brushes look more tamed? But I mean it's 1/8 of the price practically. And here's a secret! DO NOT BUY THE CLEANSER SYSTEM AT RETAIL PRICE! (~$30) I bought mine <$20 I think because Olay products were on sale at CVS (even if it says that it's excluding the PRO x line, ask the cashier. Sometimes they just do it for you anyway) and if you have other coupons (extra bucks or whatever) use them!! Don't let them go to waste. There is no reason for you to buy these at retail, unless you can't wait for sales which I understand, I'm like that too sometimes!



Confetti - Nail Polish (Party Palace Blue, Moon Struck) : $2 each.
Doesn't the Party Palace Blue one remind you a teeny bit of OPI Last Friday Night? Maybe it's because they're both blue and sparkly, I was reminded a little bit of it. But I checked closely and the OPI Last Friday Night is so much prettier than this! But I like sparkly nail polish so I'm probably using these too. I don't really like Confetti nail polishes but I can't resist pretty colors. I think Moon Struck is quite lovely! Kind of casual and not in your face, lol.

That's it for today, a post tomorrow is promised.
<3<3