Showing posts with label blush. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blush. Show all posts

Catrice Lumination LE Powder Blush C01 Flushed-Fiction


Normally I don't pay much attention to limited editions, I'm just put off by the whole concept, but when I saw this blush, it landed in my shopping basket in a blink of an eye. It's been a bumpy road with this blush and I only had it for a week or so. The reason why I'm posting a review so quickly (well at least for what I'm used to) is that's it's a limited edition item. It was love at first sight, then a disappointment and then I started liking it again - I told you it was bumpy.


So I have this one colour of blushes that I love and buy dupes of them with that defiant "They're not the same, they're similar" stance that secretly even I don't believe. Oh, the lies we tell ourselves to make us feel better *she glances at her ever growing mint green nail polish collection*. Some of you might have noticed it yourself if you saw this blush in person that it is similar to I'm Nuts About You from the Illuminating Blush range and it's also in the same colour family as my beloved Rose Royce from the Defining Blush range. Flushed-Fixion is a warm natural shade or kind of a muted pink and is only a hint cooler than Nuts About You, while it's less intense as well as less warm than Rose Royce. This translates into a lovely fresh, but subtle flush on the cheeks. Unlike the other two before mentioned blushes, this one has, as the name of the collection implies, a glowy/luminous finish on the cheeks Just think of it as Catrice's version of Max Factor's Creme Puffs. Basically this shade is what I wanted and expected MF's Lavish Mauve to be. Of course, Catrice likes to think that Nuts About You is illuminating, well not on my cheeks it isn't. But no matter, they got there eventually, even if it is a limited edition. 


So now to why things have been so bumpy. I obviously loved the colour straight away and shoved it into my shopping basket in 0.0002 seconds after seeing it, so I didn't check the pigmentation well. At home I discovered that the pigmentation is very poor and I needed several layers for the colour to show up. Naturally I was quite disappointed and even that illuminating effect was weaker than I expected. Thankfully, now that broke through the top layer, the pigmentation is much better. The interesting pattern is subsequently quickly disappearing, but I'm much happier with the blush than I was a week ago. The illuminating effect is nice as well, though you won't see it on my pictures because my poor Galaxy couldn't pick it up. It's more of a subtle to medium strength sheen, so some might be disappointed if they like super glowy cheeks, but for me it enough. As far as staying power goes, I don't think it's as good as Defining Blushes, but it's still nice, especially for drugstore blushes. 


In the end it did end up to be all I wanted Lavish Mauve to be, so just a simple natural-pinky blush with an illuminating effect. I'm glad this landed in my shopping basket. I got mine in Müller for 4.29 € and I've seen this collection in many places. There is also a very interesting highlighter in this collection that I'm still pondering whether to get or not, while Taya reviewed a bright pink lipstick from called Pink MATTrix.


Did you get or do you plan to get anything from this collection?
Have a great day!

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush 20 Lavish Mauve and 05 Lovely Pink


The moment these hit the market, they were dubbed as the Hourglass Ambient blushes dupes. The latter are highly praised by the beauty community, so hearing that a cheaper similar product exist definitely piqued my interest, though I was never sold on the whole dupe thing (if I applied the term dupe so openly as some do, then any baked blush would be a dupe for Hourglass'). I got two shades - I first bought Lavish Mauve that was on my wishlist for a while and then I was surprised by Max Factor when they sent me another shade called Lovely Pink. I must say I love the latter one a lot more. Only four shades are available in Slovenia, while there are plenty more in this range. The other two shades are Seductive Pink, which is similar to Lovely Pink, but darker and more pigmented (swatch by Nadja), while Alluring Rose is a bronze shade that is most shimmery and pigmented out of the four, and it just didn't look like it would work on me (review and swatches by Sara here)


The texture of these is kind of creamy when you swatch them with fingers, but it's still a powder. I don't find these terribly pigmented, though I have the lightest two shades, but this isn't a bad thing. The catch is that because these are sheer, you can apply a lot more and therefore you get more of that glowy effect, but it's not like a bag of glitter was dropped on you because the shimmer in it is fine. 

I like the staying power of these. A lot of blushes don't last terribly long on me, but these definitely manage to cling on for at least seven hours.

LAVISH MAUVE


Lavish Mauve caught my eye, when I first saw swatches of these and I expected a natural shade, something along the lines of Catrice's Rose Royce or maybe I'm Nut's About You, but I realized at home it is very different. It's a light cool toned pink on my cheeks, which is completely unexpected from what it looks in the packaging. Swatched on the back of my hand, it's a light pink-violet-mauve shade with subtle violet shimmer that gives it that cool toned reflection on my cheeks. Lavish Mauve is the least shimmery out of the four available here and there is a bit of that sheen on the cheeks, but it's definitely nothing special when it comes to the famous "glow" . This one looks more "natural" on the skin, while Lovely Pink is a shade that "pops" more.

 
LOVELY PINK


Lovely Pink is a light pink that is a lot more shimmery than Lavish Mauve. It's also a warm shade, so I prefer it on my cheeks. Actually Lovely Pink and Lavish Mauve aren't that different: they are both light pinks, just one is more cool toned and less shimmery, while Lovely Pink is warmer, brighter and more shimmery. In terms of glow, it's faring better than Lavish Mauve, but it's not exactly like a highlighter plus blush. Though I think there must be something wrong with my skin because I just cannot get the famous glow on me. I saw how this exact shade looks on Lippie Hippie and I am so jealous because it does not look as awesome on me by at all. So I started pairing it with a creamy highlighter and it's better.


These cost 12.79 € in Müller and are probably similarly priced elsewhere. I find the price very high for a drugstore blush, especially since Catrice's are so good for a third of the price. As far as the famous glow is concerned, Lavish Mauve is a bit of a disappointment to me, even though the shade itself is pretty, but I can get a similar colour for less money. Lovely Pink is already better and I've been wearing it loads this and lasts month, however, I don't get the same glow on my cheeks than apparently everyone else. I can see the shimmer in it when I swatch it, but there is much less of it visible on my cheeks. Still I love pairing it with a creamy highlighter and then it works well. If you're planning on getting these, I'd rather go with Lovely Pink than Lavish Mauve.


Have a great day!

*Shade Lovely Pink was sent to me, while I bought Lavish Mauve.

Kiko Velvet Touch Blush 07 Natural Rose


Though I'm a fan of cream blushes, I've only owned one in a stick form before this one, which I rarely used. This Kiko one caught my attention because of the shade as I wanted something more natural looking and not bright peachy or pink like a lot of cream blushes are. I'm a huge fan of shades like Catrice's Rose Royce and I'm Nuts About you, so a natural dusty rose colour and Natural Rose reminded me most of both these blushes, though there weren't many swatches of it online.


Contrary to what I expected, Natural Rose is in fact quite pink on me. It's a natural pink shade on my cheeks and I like it despite not being what I wanted. It's a nicely pigmented colour and one swipe leaves me with enough colour for a nice flush, while if I apply it with a brush, it ends up looking brighter and pinker. The finish is natural, so not dewy nor matte.


I also tried this on the lips and I think it's one of the most beautiful nude shades for my complexion. It's a nude shade, but not corpsy nude and it has a touch of warmth to it. It feels a bit dry on the lips, but it's not too uncomfortable and you can always wear a lip balm under it. I forgot to do a full face picture with this on the lips. 


The texture is buttery and transfers well on the cheeks in an even swipe, however, I find it's not as easy to blend it evenly on the cheeks with fingers. It's nothing major, but since you're swiping it directly on the skin and blending later, it moves the foundation around, so it can give a bit of a patchy effect, especially when it's fading. I find that it works a lot better if I use a stippling brush to blend. 

Staying power is quite a strange thing at this blush. If I use fingers it fades a bit patchy and fast, while if I use a brush it stays put a lot better and fades evenly. 


Packaging look nice and expensive, but the mechanism broke fast and the blush won't go back in unless I push it.

This is one of those blushes that is neither spectacular nor horrible and I do like, just not love it. I actually prefer this as a lip colour despite the dryness, but as far as cream blushes go these don't beat my favourite ones from Bourjois. I got this type of blush so I would have an easy-and-quick to apply product, but since I have to use a brush for a nicer finish, it turned to be not so quick. If you really like any shade of these, they are a nice buy. These cost 7.90€. 

Have a great day!

New in: Kiko Purchases


Long Lasting Stick
38 Golden Taupe
There is quite a hype surrounding these stick eyeshadows, especially since they have been dubbed as the dupe for By Terry Ombre Blackstars. I completely get the hype and these definitely deserve it. The texture is amazingly creamy, in fact, it reminds me of Maybelline's Color Tattoos, but in stick form. The stick just glides on the eyes without any tugging, the shade is very pigmented and it blends out so well. The shade I got is a neutral-warm taupe shade, which is in the same colour family as Satin Taupe, but what surprised me is the amount of shimmer in it. The shimmer is quite big and gold-green, so to me it looks a bit out of place, especially when the eyeshadows is blended, but I still love the shade (swatches are towards the end of the post). Staying power is amazing and once it sets it doesn't budge. On my normal lids it goes strong for over a half a day and it doesn't crease. I've been wearing this loads and I'd love to have a few more shades.
6.90 €


Velvet Touch Creamy Stick Blush 
07 Natural Rose
I expected this shade to look a bit different, in particular something like Catrice's Nuts About you, so a natural brownish-rose shade, but Natural Rose is in fact quite pink on me, which is still fine. It's buttery and transfers well on the cheeks in an even swipe, however, I find it's not as easy to blend it evenly on the cheeks with fingers. It's nothing major, but since you're swiping it directly on the skin and blending later, it moves the foundation around, so it can give a bit of a patchy effect, especially when it's fading. I find that it works a lot better if I use a stippling brush to blend. Staying power is quite a strange thing at this blush. If I use fingers it fades a bit patchy and fast, while if I use a brush it stays put a lot better and fades evenly. The finish is natural, so not dewy nor matte.
7.90 €


Velvet Mat Lipstick
612 Strawberry Pink
Kiko has so many lipstick shades and I swear I checked the entire internet for as many swatches as I could possibly find to choose the one for me (I really need to see them in person once). I wanted something completely different from what I already own and Strawberry Pink was literally the last minute choice before I ordered. I definitely don't have anything like it in my collection, but in essence it's just a very classic and almost vintage rose-nude-brown-ish shade. I presume this would be a my-lips-but-better shade on a lot of people, but on me it already gives a bit more colour while still being a natural shade. I wish it were a bit pinker, but you'll see in a full review how it looks on me and judge for yourself. The formula is very creamy upon application, so it's the type of lipstick that glides nicely on the lips leaving behind a classic creamy finish. It does get more matte with wear, but by that time a lot of the colour has worn off, so as far as I'm concerned this doesn't differ from a regular creamy finish lipstick. Just as Sara (Passing Fancy) I noticed  that sometimes it does get a bit uncomfortable on the lips after a few hours. My lips are almost never dry, but this leaves me with a tight feeling on my lips, even though the lips don't look dry. The packaging of this is seriously cool though. 
6.90 €

Smart Lip Pencil
709 Magenta
This is so my colour. It's a deep, bright magenta colour or a deep hot pink with a bit of red. You'd think it's similar to Relentlessly Red, but it is in fact darker and a lot less coral. It's one of those shades that just works with my colouring. The formula of the pencil is very soft and it doesn't tug on the lips, so it's actually similar to Bourjois' pencils, but less waxy. If you love Essence pencils, you'll love these as well. The staying power is a bit disappointing as due to softness it's smudges easily and doesn't survive eating or drinking, which a lot pencil do, but the colour is seriously gorgeous.  
2.50 €


Nail Lacquer
345 Jade Green
I had to get the mint green nail polish, I can't go against my nature. Jade Green is a greener version of Mint Candy Apple, but with a much better performing formula. My Mint Candy Apple is very old and the formula of it is pretty much a nightmare, so Jade Green applies like a dream compared to that one, but it still has those classic faults of the pastel formula, however, all is rectified with two coats.
3.90 €


You may already know that I ordered with two other Slovene bloggers, Petra from Adjusting Beauty and Sandra from Keep Calm and Wear Lipstick, so here is our entire order. Both Sandra and Petra ordered shade 06 of the Long Lasting Stick eyeshadows, so they'll have reviews of that shade as well. 


Sandra got the shade 614 Dark Berry from the Velvet Matte lipstick range, so check out her post if you want to see swatches and first impressions. She writes in Slovene, so if you're an international reader I can sum up for you by saying it's a darker shade on the lips than it appears in the tube and as far as texture is concerned she has the same findings as me (by the way, yes the pictures in that post were taken by me if the same background confuses you. Apart from the swatches, those are hers).


I know I'll get questions about the order, so I might just write about it now. I ordered on Kiko's international site, which ships to certain countries (check here which). They offer Paypal as a payment option. The shipping is expensive if you order under 50 €. It's 8.90 € to Slovenia and it varies from country to country, so it definitely pays to order in bulk because in that case the shipping to Slovenia is only 2€. It took a week for the order to arrive, which is average for shipping inside EU. It was all well packed, nothing got broken and all items I ordered arrived in one box. Overall a good shopping experience, but the shipping costs under 50 € need to be addressed. 

Oh and another thing. Since I posted the order on Instagram I've had a flood of messages asking me if they can join my next order - will I sound too mean if I ask you kindly to stop asking me that? I have no plans of ordering in the near future and I ordered with the other two bloggers because I know them for quite a while, so I know I can truly trust them. It's a huge responsibility for me to organize everything, please be aware of that. I used to do this regularly, but things got messed up once, so I stopped. 
Same goes for potential Boots orders. I hope I don't sound too rude, the last thing I want to do is offend anyone.

Have a great day!

Essence Silky Touch Blushes in Adorable, Kissable and Autumn Peach


In all my years of blogging, I only reviewed one Essence blush, oh so long ago, but I have three in my collection at the moment, two are quite new(-ish). As far as drugstore blushes go, Catrice already took the top spot on my best-of list, while Essence ones were never really on my radar. Based on my experience with the shade Adorable, which I got a million years ago, I just presumed that all the rest are very sheer and I don't have the patience to build-up the colour. Essence added two autumn/winter shades to their collection last autumn and I got my hands on both. I must say that the pigmentation is much better at both these shades.


The quality of the blushes varies from shade to shade, but in general, they don't perform as well as Catrice ones. For one I find they don't apply as smoothly and they don't last as long. The pigmentation is again something that varies, from super sheer to very pigmented. Staying power is nothing to write home about, though due to pigmentation Kissable manages to stick around longer than the other two. 


10 Adorable

Adorable is a very light warm pink shade that isn't particularly pigmented, though obviously the lightness of the shade is the reason by itself. It can be built-up, which takes quite a few layers even on my super pale complexion, but the final result is a gentle pink flush on the cheeks. Due to sheerness, it's a nice option for those who don't like strong blushes and are very pale. It also pairs up nicely with a smoky eye or red lips. 


70 Kissable

Kissable is such a hard shade to capture with my smartphone, but I think I got close enough. It's a plum shade with gold shimmer and it's very pigmented, so it should work for medium skin tones a bit better than on super pale skins. I have to be quite careful with it to avoid clown cheeks and I only need to touch the surface of the blush with a brush and apply it gently on the cheeks. Due to strong pigmentation, I find that it's not as easy to blend, but it's not terrible. It is the softest one out of the three, but in this case this isn't the best thing because I find it quite loose and this also affects how it blends on the skin.
 

80 Autumn Peach


This is my favourite shade of the three and such a pleasant surprise. It's something like Bourjois Nude Velvet blush, but in powder form, so it gives an adorable peach flush and it just brightness up the face. Pigmentation is somewhere between sheer and medium, so I definitely need to build it up. 


I find these very average and even if I take the price into account, I would still rather pay a bit more and get the Catrice ones. These are fun for those who either want to try blushes for the first time or just want to try a new shade to check if it suits them. I admit I rarely use mine simply because I have so many better ones in my collection.

Essence Silky Touch Blushes cost 2.79 € in Slovene Müllers.

Have a great day!