Naturally Flushed: Cream Blush

Cream blushes are an increasingly common step in my makeup routine; I think they can take the "clown" fear out of wearing blush for a lot of people out there. Cream blushes are definitely more user-friendly than their powder counterparts, mostly because the creamy nature of the product allows it to seamlessly blend into skin. The flush appears more natural and from within as opposed to a powder, which can sit heavily on top of skin if it isn't blended well. My preferred way of using a cream blush is to apply it with this brush from Sephora as an anchor for a powder cheek colour, leading to a dimensional and long-lasting look. Here are some formulas that are in my current rotation. 

Clarins Multi-Blush Cream Compact

This formula is a new offering from Clarins this season and it's a goodie. I am a sucker for this "Rosewood" shade, but colours aside, there's a bunch of waxes in this formula (rose, mimosa, sunflower, jojoba) to ensure easy blending and proper hydration, as well as vitamin E, which is always great for skin. Super blendable and hard to overdo thanks to the satin finish with no shimmer whatsoever, which makes this rather user-friendly for all ages.

Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush

A fantastic drugstore cream blush if I ever saw one! I have only been playing with this one for a couple weeks, but it gives a great satin finish with a very faint hint of shimmer, making it a fun option to play with if you're just getting into the cream blush scene. "Pinched" is a gorgeous peachy shade to transition into spring with (if this winter ever dies).

MaxFactor Miracle Touch Creamy Blusher

I'm a bit of a jerk to include this, but anyone who is in the UK can possibly benefit from my appreciation and recommendation of this creamy little pot of awesomeness. Dear friend Danielle (of SRSLY fame) was in London in fall 2012, and I asked her to be a dolly and grab me a couple of these, and she DID and they're GREAT! I hate that P&G totally has used the same packaging for CoverGirl items, but that the contents are SOOOOO different. Here's to hoping and praying that this cream blush makes its way to the Canadian market under the CoverGirl banner since MaxFactor is no longer a thing here, because these are phenomenal. Subtle shimmer to bounce enough light off the face, but nothing gaudy or overwhelming. A treat to use, and probably my most reached-for product of the post ("Soft Copper" is one of my favourite things).

Kevyn Aucoin Beauty Creamy Glow

Probably the creamiest of the bunch and most pigmented, this formula by Kevyn Aucoin offers up flexibility, since it can be sheered out or built up for a bigger splash of colour. The colour range is all quite wearable with one really bright pop of colour (pictured above, "Liquifuschia"). If you've ever messed around with Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancers, then you'll know emollient is an understatement for potted products from the brand, and this stuff is no exception. A dab'll do ya.


Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent from the company or their PR team for editorial consideration. For more information, please click here.

Best Neutral Lip Colours for Pigmented Lips

Hi, y'all. As you may or may not realize, I'm East Indian! As a result of being East Indian, I have pigmented lips. And not evenly pigmented, might I add, but almost like a fleshy ombre situation. The edges of my bottom lip are a few shades darker than the rest of my mouth. If I wear lip colour that is semi-sheer, people often ask me if I've ombre'd two different shades of the same colour family together. Nope, I'm just that annoyingly on-trend by nature !

I thought I'd throw a list together of my go-to "nudes". I use the term "nudes" rather loosely, because I will basically never be the girl who is all about a true nude concealer lip look, mostly because that would a) make me look absolutely dead and b) isn't what my naked lips look like, so it's actually more "nude" than I care to go for. The colours called out here are mostly neutral in nature, and will suit my fellow people (women, I suppose, but I really hate saying anything that specific) of colour quite nicely. A lot of rosy browns, a lot of mauvey shades because that's essentially the two shades at play in my lips.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in "Boy #54"

To be fair, this colour slays on everyone. In a brief stint at the Chanel counter to help out this past holiday season, any time anyone approached the counter to find a new lipstick, this was the first thing I suggested (unless they were in the market for a specific shade). I suggested it because it's a slightly slicker formula than others available from the brand (so it's shiny, but not glossy and you can forget about sticky [I don't have time for that mess -- my hair is shoulder-length and I don't like pin-thin strands of gloss across my cheeks after my hair gets stuck in it]), and the colour is so neutral and flattering on everyone. A universal colour that can honestly be applied without a mirror is what I usually said, and dag nabbit, I meant it! I love this colour dearly and was so enthused when it first launched 3 years ago, ahead of the rest of the colours in this range. I hope it never goes away (...and it probably will now because such is the nature of cosmetics)!!!

Dior Rouge Dior Nude Lip Blush in "Twill #618"

I barely made it past how redundant this product title is, but once I did, I fell pretty hard for this lipstick. This range came out in fall 2012, and luckily seem to have made it to the permanent range, even though I originally was under the impression they were to be limited edition (my worst nightmare/my trigger words). The formula is comfortable and relatively hydrating. The entire shade range of "lip blushes" that launched in this collection were all pretty great as far as nudes go...nothing too over the top or extreme. I nabbed a backup of this shade because hi, I'm crazy, but also because that's how much I love it. I also have Trench and Indiscrete (the latter of which is definitely too light for me for daily wear and I wear mostly with heavy eye makeup for balance), and they're both aces, so if you pass a Dior counter, check the neutrals out!

Rodial Glamstick in "Lust"

A recent addition to my swipe-on-with-no-mirror lifestyle is this stick of greatness right here. Vitamin E, hyaluronic spheres and cocoa butter make this one of the creamiest tinted balms I've ever encountered and it's been pretty helpful in this polar vortex garbage weather we've been enduring here in Toronto. I think it'd probably be a melty mess in the summer (as most hydrating creamy things are), so buyer beware, but grab it to tide you over til spring, whenever the hell that might be. *glares at snow*

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in "Brown Sugar" & "Pink Truffle"

A more wallet-friendly option and one that I continuously come back to because the formula is packed with many a butter (mango, shea, coconut!) to hydrate lips, these lip butters, worn together, are effectively MLBB. This is where I get all ~bloggy~ on you and explain that that stands for "my lips but better". *sighs deeply* The internet. What a place. ANYWAY, back to these pretty awesome lip colours... if you're not looking to break the bank or are the type to use a product up (...something I do so rarely myself, I'm not sure I even know how that works), this is a great option that doesn't compromise colour or leave you cursing me for getting you hooked on a $40+ product. Swipe on, dear friends (and don't you dare feel the need to bust out a mirror)!


Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent from the company or their PR team for editorial consideration. For more information, please click here.