Wednesday 25 June 2014

Swatches of My Blush Collection - Updated with Pictures!


When I showed this picture I took of all my blushes to my boyfriend, he was like "THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME" lolol. Mini reviews below! Some are new purchases while others have been lying around in my stash. I think my collection is definitely humble, but these will satisfy me for now.

Clinique Cheek Pop in 02 Peach Pop



Peach Pop is a shimmery peach blush that gives your cheeks a gorgeous sheen in a natural shade. I use this to match coral/orange/peach lip colours. As for eye looks, this blush matches everything. It must be noted that the formulation is insanely good; somehow, it looks creamy rather than powdery on the cheeks, despite it being a powder blush. The staying power is superb as well, lasting for as long as 14 hours!


Clinique Cheek Pop in 04 Plum Pop



Plum Pop is a shimmery doll pink blush that matches well with pink lip shades. In particular, I enjoy rounding up the look with purple eyeshadow (Sketch & Satin Taupe) /eyeliner (Clio Gelpresso in Bloody Devil). Also, Plum Pop has the same formulation and lasting power as Peach Pop.

NYX Cream Blush in Hot Pink



The swatch above may seem a little scary, but only because it has not been blended out yet. When spread over the cheeks, the blush is a more muted/subdued hot pink. Am I making sense? lol. On me, it makes me look like I just ran 10km. Unfortunately, the formulation of the blush seems to clog pores and cause pimples? On days that I use it, I always notice 1 or 2 bumps on my cheeks that go away soon enough. But still...

NYX Cream Blush in Rose Petal




My FAVOURITE out of the bunch for a natural no-makeup makeup look. It is a light reddish-pink shade that looks exactly like a natural flush. The texture is amazing as well: not too oily/greasy like the Josie Maran Cheek Gelee, nor too dry and powdery like the Revlon Cream Blushes. It is, pure and simple, a cream formulation that sits comfortably on my skin. However, it has the same problem as Cream Blush in Hot Pink mentioned above: it seems to cause a minor breakout whenever I use it.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12- hour Blush in Exposed

I've talked about Tipsy before in a separate post, so I shall not repeat myself. Exposed gives the same effect as the NYX Cream Blush in Rose Petal in that it looks uber natural. Both blushes have earned me praise from total strangers who thought that I wasn't wearing any makeup. They even told me that they thought I just had a healthy and natural flushed look! Exposed is slightly darker than Rose Petal; it is more of a dusty rose shade.

Sunday 1 June 2014

Purple Haze


Firstly, I filled my brows with MAC Concrete on a MAC 208 brush. The brush is 10x better than what I was using before - The Body Shop Eyeliner brush. It's made of natural hair, which has a stronger grip on powder thus leading to a faster and easier application. I also love that it has a shorter brush width, allowing for more precise strokes.

Using a MAC 217, I swept MAC Satin Taupe all over my mobile lid (the part directly covering the eyeballs) before layering MAC Sketch over it.

The shape formed using MAC Sketch should resemble a rhombus. I find that this complements Asian eyes more so than the technique of piling darker shades on the 'crease', which is not that obvious on us.

Then, I blended the two shadows with the same brush to eliminate harsh lines, and to meld them together more cohesively.

Next, I placed MAC Blanc Type under my brows for a subtle highlight, as well as to blend the outline of MAC Sketch and MAC Satin Taupe. I find that doing so really gives the look a more polished feel.

Lastly, I finished up with eyeliner and mascara. I am currently using Maybelline Volum' Express The Rocket, and have been really impressed with its curling abilities and staying power. The waterproof version of the same mascara is not as volumising. The L'oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim Eyeliner is just okay; it is super black and easy to maneuver, but it smudges. That's a big no-no for me.