Spring Blushers with Clinique, Hourglass and Tarte

By Get Lippie
 

Spring really has sprung now, the days are lighter and longer, and, whilst I've not actually turned off the central heating yet (we have foot-thick walls, and 8ft ceilings, it takes Lippie Mansions a while to warm up), it's definitely getting warmer.  As a result, I've swapped out my darker winter blushes for some lighter, brighter shades for the longer days ahead.

Clockwise from top left we have Clinique's Cheek Pop in Berry Pop, Hourglass Ambient Blush in Luminous Flush, Hourglass Ambient Blush in Radiant Heat and Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Fearless.  The top two are on the cooler side, and the bottom two have warmer tones.  

Swatched heavily in sunlight, in the same order as above.

The Clinique Berry Pop is hella pigmented - you need the tiniest, tiniest bit of this to get brightly coloured cheeks.  It lasts astonishingly well, too, as do all the colours in the cheek pop range.  Just use a light hand, and an extremely flexible blusher brush when applying.  This is gorgeously pretty packaging too, the gerbera daisy imprint is a delight, and it seems to be lasting well, too.

The Hourglass Ambient Blush in Radiant Flush is a cool pink with beige veining in the pan, and on the skin is much paler than the Berry Pop.  I find it works well if you build up the colour in layers, rather than relying on one thick sweep to last you through the day.  The shades are on the sheer side, but you can build them up.  Ambient Blush in Diffused Heat is a warm coral veined with the yellow Ambient powder in Diffused (which was one of my products of the year in 2013), and is a paler peachy tone when swirled on the skin.  As with Radiant flush, you can build this up to a quite significant shade on the skin.  I've read quite mixed reviews of the Ambient blushes, but I like them a great deal - their rather sheer formula, and built-in highlighter effect make them ideal for the less dextrous amongst us.  Like myself.

 Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Fearless is a more or less straightforward matte coral, with some pinkish undertones.  It's wonderfully flattering on, and lasts quite well.  I'm really happy to see Tarte finally arriving in the UK (even if it is via QVC), and, from what I've seen of the range, I don't think fans will be disappointed.  Having read the ingredients list, however, I'm a little underwhelmed by the formula for this, as it's not that different to practically every other blush on the planet in all honesty, but this is a darn fine blusher, particularly if you want a matte shade.  Currently the shades on offer on QVC are rather limited, but I'm assured that more colours will be available later on in the year.  Personally, I like the foundations more than the blush - which I'm slightly surprised to discover, to be honest - but more about that later.

What changes are you making to your routine for the changes in the weather? 

 The Fine Print: Mixture of PR Samples and purchases.  Hourglass are going to bankrupt me at this rate.

This post: Spring Blushers originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper

MAC Stereo Rose vs New CiD Coral Crush Comparison

 I once read a tweet - or possibly a blog post - about a girl who had hysterics when she discovered that MAC had sold out of their Stereo Rose Mineralize Skinfinish almost at the exact instant it was first released a couple of years ago.  I've been boggling about both the product, and the state of mind of that poor girl ever since.

On hearing that MAC had recently re-released this cult item, a blusher capable of making grown women weep, I naturally picked one up.  I think the hype has died down a bit on this one now, as I bought this from the Covent Garden store well after the release hit the shops, and they still had them in-store.  I have seen people tweeting about stocking up on it though, so ... who knows?

Well, it's a very nice blusher, a pink-coral, highly pigmented, and the gold veining is very nice indeed.  It's a highly shimmery (not glittery) finish, so you won't need a highlighter with it as well.  Can I figure out why it's a heartbreaker?  Well, not really.  It's lovely - genuinely - not hard and prone to glazing as a lot of MAC powders can be, it's soft and easy to blend, but if I didn't have it, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

I'll show you why:

I appear to already have it!  On the right there is Coral Crush by New CiD,  don't let the picture fool you, my camera is making it look pinker than it actually is, for some reason, but these two products are actually very similar in shade, so much so that if you're not a makeup obsessive like myself (and even I'm distancing myself from the crying girl I opened this post with, let's face it),  then you won't need both.

MAC Stereo Rose is actually a little more pigmented than New CiD as you can tell in the unblended swatch above, which, if you don't own the right brush could be a little problem, you need a very light hand in application, whereas the lighter pigmentation in the New CiD enables it to be a bit more buildable, which, for a cack-handed muppet like myself, is a blessing.

 
On blending the differences are even less obvious. Both give a gorgeous glow to the skin, and, it has to be said that New CiD is one of my most used cosmetic products of all time because of this.  So, do I need both?  No!  Am I glad to have both? Yes.  Have either of them made me cry? No!  

MAC Stereo Rose is a limited edition product, so stock up on tissues just in case you can't fnd it.  If you're of a more sensible bent, New CiD Coral Crush is a permanent part of their lineup.  No tissues required. 

The Fine Print: Mixture of PR samples and purchases. Q: Why did the rubber chicken cross the road? A: She wanted to stretch her legs.

This post: MAC Stereo Rose vs New CiD Coral Crush Comparison originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper

My Favourite ... Neutral Blushers

After a few days showing you my favourite bright lip shades, I thought I'd show you what I wear with them. To be honest, my blusher collection is pretty small, as it's only something I discovered properly a few years ago.  When I was younger, I didn't, really, see the point, but now I know it's actually a vital product for ensuring you look healthy and glowing.  Now, I'm not addicted (much ...) but it's something I'm slowly adding to my collection of.

Blush-wise I find pinks and reds tricksy to wear, so I tend to veer towards peachy/coral and bronze shades (rightly or wrongly) these shades though, are neutral enough to wear with whatever other makeup I'm wearing, and they're hard to overapply.

Clockwise from top left, we have, Avon Earthern Rose, NARS Doucer, Daniel Sandler Natural Beauty, MAC Prism (yes, I do occasionally use MAC) and Le Metier de Beaute in Tenne.

Swatches:

(click to enlarge)

These are all swatched very heavily to show up in the photo, part of the joy of these shades is that they tend to blend in with the skin very well, but that kind of makes them difficult to photograph.

Avon Earthen Rose is the shade with the most orange, and is better when I'm wearing warmer makeup, I like to use this as a very pale bronzer shade, and it's good for using as a contour powder too.  Sometimes, a girl NEEDS cheekbones!

NARS Doucer, my current favourite there's a fair bit of pink in this one, which means that it brightens a wee bit more than the Avon shade, and I find it goes perfectly well with most every kind of look.  I bought a backup recently.  It's exceedingly difficult to overapply, so a perfect blush for these dark mornings!

Daniel Sandler Natural Beauty, the lightest, and peachiest of these shades, this is good for just adding a hint of colour to more dramatic makeup, I find.

MAC Prism is very similar in tone to NARS Doucer, but it's base shade is peach rather than pink.  This is actually a recent rediscovery for me (I found it when I was moving house in October), and I've had it for years, I've no idea if it's part of the permanent line or not.  If my makeup is leaning towards gold I'll pick this up over the Doucer, but I find the NARS is slightly more pigmented, making it easier to apply.

Le Metier de Beaute creme blush in Tenne was one of those shades that I thought was deadly dull and "muddy" when I received it in a goody bag earlier this year, but the muddiness was just the top layer, once swatched, this is actually a glorious neutral creme blush, that is great when I'm just wearing tinted moisturiser.  It's not to be used near powder, under any circumstances!

What do you tend to pair with your brights?