The blush on your cheeks is lovely

MAC launched a very large and extensive collection called Colour Forecast. There are 4 color stories within this series. The color themes are pink, coral, violet and metals. There really is something for everybody in this pre-spring launch.
My pick for the must have product are the blush ombres. I will be surprised if there are any still at the counters. The shades are outrageously wearable and flattering. The texture is silky and coverage is buildable. It avoids being chalky and a sparkle fest. The darker shading is perfect for contouring. After many uses, the product still looks pristine and neat.

The cool toned gal will lose her mind over the pinks. I know I was smitten before I saw them in real life. I have been wearing the pink Azalea Blossom since my package arrived. It is the perfect touch of doll cheeks with a dollop of a tint of lilac.

Vintage Grape is a cornucopia of berries. It is harder to wear than Azalea Blossom. It requires a very light hand and the least dense brush in your collection. I have been using a Lancome skunk brush. This might work better with a fan brush.

MAC describes SpringShine blush as a neutral suntan shade. I call this the "bronzer I have been waiting for" all my life. It is the perfect gradiation of honey to mocha. There is a slight shimmer but it translates on the skin as a glow.

The hidden gem of the blushes is a little diddy called Ripe Peach. It is like looking at the setting sun. Ripe Peach is warm yet it looks flattering on my cool toned skin. I will use it religiously this summer.

These products are selling out like hotcakes. If you have spotted any of these in your local stores let us know. They retail for $25.

Photo Credit: Blogdorf Goodman
Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by MAC Cosmetics
Quote: Edward Cullen from Twilight

Oh watcha gonna do, Katie?

You're a sweet sweet girl.
But it's a cruel, cruel world a cruel, cruel world.
(lyrics to What Katie Did by Libertines)

MUA's Cavewoman gifted me with my first Illamasqua product. I was thrilled and delighted. I have been curious about the line since Ben raved about it on We Love Beauty. Ben said "If Nars and Tim Burton were to have a baby...that baby would be Illamasqua".

That simple statement catapulted my lemmings into overdrive. I begged my friend Tbone to visit the London counter and sneak pictures. Tbone successfully distracted the counter and was able to get blur free shots. I poured over those stolen glimpses every night.
I could not wait for the Sephora launch date.
The launch came and went. The reviews on other beauty blogs were not exactly gushing.
I took it as a sign and kept my wallet closed. I would not order sight unseen. I did not have regrets with that decision until I was gifted with Katie. Now I want to gobble up everything!

My first Illamasqua product is a powder blush called Katie. It is a whispery cherry blossom pink. It is outrageously feminine and pretty.


The finish and texture is matte. It is not powdery or ash-like. The ingredients range from Talc to Silica. I also spotted Rice Starch, Mica, Mineral Oil, Beeswax and Titanium Dioxide. I am not on friendly terms with Titanium Dioxide. You might say we are enemies. However, it did not affect the performance of this blush. It did not make the blush settle into my pores. It did not make my skin parched.

It has great lasting power. The color stayed true. The pigment is quite exceptional. It takes just a light tap with your skunk brush to get the right amount of flush.
Katie did not fade or morph through the 8 hour day. My face was in my hands during all the frustrating moments of a typical work day.
My blush never moved.
This was an impressive feat.

The packaging is adorable yet the latch is slightly difficult to open. I have to use my nail to shimmy the clasp. This is annoying and potentially breakable. The foreshadowing is not good for this clumsy girl. Katie retails for $23 at Sephora.
http://www.illamasqua.com/
http://www.sephora.com/browse/brand_hierarchy.jhtml?brandId=Illamasqua

Let us know what you think of Illamasqua in the comments.
What should I try next?

Disclaimer: This product was purchased and then gifted to me. I have great friends!

Skipping beats, blushing cheeks....

Sephora's Blush Me! Rose No.10

The deep Persian pink shade in the middle grabbed my attention. It appeared to be in the same doll-like pink family as MAC's Pleasantry and Nars Angelika.

The pigment power is fixed on mute and there is just a kiss of shimmer. The side bars of color are a silvery misty rose with an opal heavy on the pink fire. This is more of a highlighter than a standard blush.
It retails for $15 and is available at Sephora.com

Title from Imogen Heap's Goodnight and Go


Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me at my local Sephora.

It's Uzo!
Sometimes I follow makeup artists like they are rock stars.
If Pat McGrath is Mick Jagger, then Uzo is David Bowie.
She is simply magnificent.
This is a Nars video on creating the perfectly flushed cheek.
It is gorgeous.
Products used were: Super Orgasm,Gruele de Nuit(cream blush),Copacabana(The Multiple) and Albatross(Highlighter).



Credit: Nars

Nars Dolce Vita Blush Review by Storybookheroine

When the first pictures of Dolce Vita popped up on the internet I have to admit I was disappointed. It was dark, muddy, matte and did nothing to make me want it. Now I love Dolce Vita lipstick. It's an easy staple to love with it's flattering muted dusty rose color and go with everything appeal, but I saw little resemblance to my beloved lipstick in the picture (nor did it look like the DV Velvet Matte or Lipgloss). When the collection hit the internet I decided to give in and order it and I have to say I am very pleased I did. The initial pictures did not show the true color and for those of you looking at the pictures I shot this is a more accurate depiction of Dolce Vita blush and it is not as dark once applied.

So, what does Dolce Vita blush look like on? On me (NARS Mont Blanc, BECCA Sand, PPP/FFF) it's a nice, muted, fresh from the cold flush that is not too pink or too bright. Dolce Vita has a touch of red to it but the "dustiness" of the color mutes enough to save me from looking like a clown. As for it being a matte, I love the look. It's a perfect choice for rosy cheeks (even for us neutral to warm tones) and if you have not been able to pull off rosy cheeks before without looking like you have rosacea, Dolce Vita may be just the blush you are looking for.
The soft pomegranate color is perfect for the fall, it just about screams it but I can not help but wish it was more the same shade as the lipstick.
Let me explain.
I think, though the bit of red makes for a gorgeous blush it is not true to the original Dolce Vita shade. So really my only compliant is the name since I don't find it is true to the spirit of the color NARS has managed to duplicate in three lip products (and I'm sure a future nail polish and who knows what else). I wish it was that color because I feel it would be a great shade for my coloring. What has been released is a beautiful shade but not what fans the lipstick would think it would be based on the Dolce Vita name.

Dolce Vita is a very pigmented and I recommend just touching your brush to the pan and building to the intensity you like. I use the standard NARS blush brush, tap the color on one side, apply to the apple, then flip the brush over to the clean side and drag the color from the apples back and up. It is not as challenging as say Exhibit A which I gave up on years ago but I don't think anyone will be hitting pan on this in a very long time. It has the same quality of other NARS blushes, long lasting, silky texture and high pigmentation. If you have a skunk brush or the MAC 187 this would be a good choice for application to fair skin and I think this would look great from the lightest to the darkest of skin tones and maybe that is the point for intensifying the color for a more universal appeal.

Overall I think this is a great blush for Fall and Winter, just remember it's very pigmented, it is not going to be the same shade as the lipstick and apply sparingly and I think you will be very happy with the results and product.

Photo Credits: Storybookheroine

Disclosure: All products mentioned in this review were purchased by the reviewer.

Soul Train

MAC'S Warm Soul
Girls blush, sometimes, because they are alive, half wishing they were dead to save the shame. The sudden blush devours them, neck and brow; They have drawn too near the fire of life, like gnats, and flare up bodily, wings and all. What then? Who's sorry for a gnat or girl?
Elizabeth Barrett Browning


This is another mineralize blush from the Sonic Chic collection. Warm Soul was a surprise purchase for me. In the pan it looks like an unassuming rose nude. On the face it transforms into a incandescent glow. Not exactly a nude nor is it peach-like. It actually defies a color description.

Warm Soul is a "must try" for the pale girl.

It is still currently at your local MAC counter.

Credit: The first shot is without flash.

Blogdorf Goodman

Disclaimer: A press sample of this product was provided by MAC.

MAC Pleasantry Mineralize Blush from the Sonic Chic collection(a late gush and review...)

When a girl ceases to blush, she has lost the most powerful charm of her beauty.

MAC describes Pleasantry as an "intense mid toned pink with gold pearl". The intensity is controllable(unlike Nars Angelika) and the gold pearl is barely detectable. It is a Persian Pink that leaves just a tinge of cherry blossom pink on the cheeks. The intensity can be built to achieve a doll-like cheek.

This blush has everything going for it from charm to high quality pigment.

Pleasantry can still be found at your local MAC counter.

Share your love for this blush in the comments.

Credit: Blogdorf Goodman

Disclaimer: A press sample of this product was provided by MAC and I also purchased a backup.

Jouse Contraste Powder Blush in Rose Dust from Chanel

Meggie's dress was rose. "Ashes of Roses", it was called. And in it, she was the most beautiful thing any of us had ever seen. (Quote from The Thorn Birds)

It arrived in shambles but it is heartbreakingly lovely. The first thought that crossed my mind was the dress Meggie Cleary wore in the The Thorn Birds. It was a dusty rose shade that bordered on silver. It was cold, beautiful and foreshadowed the heartbreak in Meggie's future.
So it was fitting that Rose Dust arrived in pieces and crumbs.

Joues Contraste blushes are silky in texture, high in pigment and controllable.
They retail for $42 and Rose Dust is currently at your local Chanel counter.

Credit: Blogdorf Goodman
Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Chanel

Pretty in Pink:
Chanel's Narcisse Blush


This is the prettiest pink blush I have ever seen.
Narcisse gives a slight feminine flush to the cheek.
It is not a "sun kissed" look but more of "you saw the cute boy and he made you blush" look.
Griffie rocked hers with the Jungle shadow and coral lips.
I can not wait to see what it looks like with my Behnaz lipstick from Lancome.
This is from the Chanel Fall Collection that is currently at your local Saks and Nordstorm stores.

Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Chanel.