Filed In: Blush

CHANEL | Joues Contraste 260 Alezane Powder Blush, Fall 2015

September 14, 2015

Cheek colour can make or break a look, but Joues Contraste 260 Alezane Powder Blush from the CHANEL Les Automnales Collection for Fall 2015, is one of those supremely well-balanced shades, turning it into one of those oh-so-totally wearable hues you’ll be reaching for again and again. And again….

INSPIRATION: willow catkin, eucalyptus leaf

Previously reviewed from this collection:

CHANEL Collection Les Automnales Fall 2015 (credit)

CHANEL | Joues Contraste Alezane Powder Blush

Joues Contraste Alezane Powder Blush (CAN $51.00)| Described as “brownish pink with golden shimmer”, Alezane is definitely all that, but I also detect peach, tan & rose tints as well. Fragranced with CHANEL’s signature rose scent, the shimmer is clearly visible in the pan but the powder is so ultra-finely milled that it melds seamlessly upon the skin with application. Warm leaning in tone, this blush is actually quite pigmented, so I suggest beginning with a light hand and building from there. A light sweep using a fan-shaped brush, provides a gentle hint of colour to help balance out a stronger eye (as seen in the photo above), but that excellent mix of dusky rose & neutral hues also means you can easily intensify the colour — without the fear of looking overdone. Initial appearances might lead you to think that this is a soft shade, but there are hidden depths here as well, with an impressive staying power to sweeten the deal (especially when worn over foundation).

CHANEL | Joues Contraste Alezane Powder Blush

CHANEL | Joues Contraste Alezane Powder Blush swatches

Looking through my collection of CHANEL blushes, I pulled out the two I thought would be quite close to 260 Alezane, but as the photos and swatches below show, they are nothing alike. How they compared:

80 Jersey – similar colour family but a few degrees lighter, powdery yet silky application, no visible shimmer but does bear a gorgeous satiny sheen
84 Accent – cooler leaning, harder surface making it paler on application, same finely ground shimmer
260 Alezane – the powder is a cross between the textures of the other two, but significantly more saturated in colour

CHANEL | Joues Contraste 80 Jersey, 260 Alezane, 84 Accent swatches (heavy swatches)

CHANEL | Joues Contraste 80 Jersey, 260 Alezane, 84 Accent swatches (blended out)

Other than mascara, blush is my kryptonite – in particular neutral toned blushes such as 260 Alezane, a colour that can be worn by a broad range of skin tones and will look amazing on every single person. There’s almost an impartiality to this shade, and while it looks deceptively soft (and even a little bland) in the pan, the resulting application is nothing short of amazing. Filled with that inner magic that CHANEL does so well, this is a colour that is off the charts in versatility and one I intend to never be without in my collection. Thank you, CHANEL, for making 260 Alezane a permanent shade.

The CHANEL Collection Les Automnales is available now at The Bay & thebay.com, as well as other fine retailers across Canada. Find more information via chanel.com

Press sample kindly provided for my unbiased consideration

NARS | Tribulation Blush Fall 2015

August 5, 2015

Upon first setting eyes on this lovely, I naturally assumed it was a highlighter; imagine my surprise to learn it’s actually a blush. François Nars, Founder and Creative Director of his eponymous range of products, is usually skewed somewhere left of centre and no one can deny his vision isn’t original … but, this? A blush? Released as part of the Fall 2015 Color Collection and one of two limited edition items of the group, meet Tribulation Blush. And for reasons I’ll get into further on, I’m really digging it.

Let’s break this down, shall we?

NARS | Tribulation Blush Fall 2015

Tribulation Blush, limited edition (CAN $37.00) | A champagne/oyster hued blush shade that can lean both warm and cool so that it should suit a broad range of skin tones. The powder is buttery soft, even suede-like to the touch, while the shimmery bits are ground so ultra-fine as to fuse into a gorgeous glow upon the skin, as opposed to standing out in glittery chunks. With the surface texture being so dense you’d think it would be hard to pick up enough product per use, but in this case it works in Tribulation‘s favour as my brush raises hardly any powdery residue when swirled through.

Now, calling this a blush is quite the stretch; even with the light peachy/pink hint seen at certain angles; only Snow White with her alabaster skin could probably get away with using Tribulation in that capacity — certainly my light-medium skin tone with its yellowish undertones so totally does not apply.

But used as a highlighter? JACKPOT. With so many highlighting products in my arsenal, I still don’t have any powdered versions that can compare to the effect Tribulation has upon my skin, and that’s an ‘honest-to-God-beachy-kind-of-glow’ (and not of the oil-slick variety, either). Easily blended into the skin, I was initially worried that the shimmer would emphasize my pores, but somehow, magically, it doesn’t. As to staying power, over bare skin I can get a good 6 hours before fading (less, if I touch my face overly much) while applied over foundation, that number easily stretches to 9+ hours.

NARS | Tribulation Blush Fall 2015

NARS | Tribulation Blush Fall 2015 (detail)

NARS | Tribulation Blush Fall 2015

NARS | Tribulation Blush swatches (in sunlight)

NARS | Tribulation Blush swatches (alternate light)

You’ve got to give props to Monsieur Nars; once more, his vision has proven “on fleek” with the release of Tribulation Blush, especially in light of the whole strobing trend happening at the moment. And while I never in a million years expected to fall for this product (my thinking: “I need another highlighter, like I need a hole in the head … never mind that it’s supposed to be a blush”), I am seriously loving its combination fairy/candlelit effect upon my skin. The bad part? Yes, it’s the dreaded limited edition thing. Here’s hoping more people chime in to make this a part of the permanent range. Nars Cosmetics, listen up – you’ve got a winner here.

Available now at all NARS retailers (Sephora, sephora.com, The Bay, thebay.com, Holt Renfrew, Nordstrom and Murale) as well as www.narscosmetics.com

Press sample kindly provided for my unbiased consideration

CHANEL Les Beiges | Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick Blush N°21

July 16, 2015

Building upon the huge success of the CHANEL Les Beiges range of products, the brand recently introduced Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick Blush (CAN $51.00 available in 3 shades), a portable crème blush format to help you achieve that healthy, sporty, nature-induced glow. No perspiring required in getting it, either.

Crème blushes may be all the rage of late, but I’ve always been somewhat ambivalent about using them, as my skin tends to run combination/oily and applying any kind of cream product – especially during the Québec Summers we get here with their ridiculously high humidity factor – is asking for a hot makeup mess. Adding a powder blush on top to set said blush, basically defeats the purpose (not to mention being rather redundant), so it was with some hesitation that I began testing this new CHANEL stick version in N°21 that I was kindly sent to try.

The short answer? I have been using this blush DAILY. That about says it all, wouldn’t you agree?

CHANEL | Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick Blush N°21

Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick Blush N°21 | A warm-leaning rosy pink hue with visible ultra finely-milled shimmer, that translates more as a ‘lit-from-within’ type of radiance upon application. Created with cotton and rose extracts, along with beeswax for that creamy second-skin finish, this blush definitely appears pigmented at first swipe, but sheers out beautifully & effortlessly, melding seamlessly into the skin. Bearing the same fragrance as CHANEL’s Hydra Beauty line of skincare (or at least, that’s how it smells to me), the scent is a pleasant fresh-floral, but worth noting for those with sensitivities.

There are several factors to recommend Blush N°21:

portability – a slim tube that will fit in basically all makeup bags
use – no specific beauty tools other than your fingers needed for application
colour – the payoff is excellent with options to build up the intensity as desired

As stated above, fingers are usually the best tools for applying a crème product such as this, although using a soft buffing brush (such as the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush) yields good results as well. With its buildable formula, you have excellent control with how much colour gets deposited on the skin, while the slim tubular shape offers precision placement not found with powder blushes. Coming to a luminous satin finish, wear time will depend on your skin type – enduring longer with drier complexions, less so with more ’emollient’ (read: oilier) types such as myself. Overall, I get better longevity when I wear this blush over foundation, with minimal fading by the 8-hour mark — not too shabby for a crème blush, at all. Of the 3 shades available, I suspect that Blush N°21 is the most universally wearable hue and will suit basically all skin tones across the spectrum.

CHANEL | Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick Blush N°21

CHANEL | Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick Blush N°21 swatches (in sunlight)

CHANEL | Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick Blush N°21 (alternate light)

CHANEL | Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick Blush N°21 (ingredients list)

CHANEL has elevated crème cheek colour to new heights with the introduction of this Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick Blush, a product that looks as stunning as it is easy to use. Application is a no-brainer as well, with the formula merging so seamlessly on the skin, that it would be basically impossible to screw it up. Bottom line: I can’t recommend this enough. If you’re a blush fiend like me but have never jumped onto the crème blush wagon, here’s your chance to see what the fuss is all about. Moral of the story: I have to run out to my nearest CHANEL counter now and pick up the rest …

Available now through The Bay and thebay.com, Holt Renfrew, and Murale stores across Canada. Find more information via www.chanel.com

Press sample kindly provided for my unbiased consideration/post may contain affiliate links

Urban Decay | Afterglow Blush in Crush, Bittersweet & Quickie

July 13, 2015

Recently launched from Urban Decay, Afterglow Blush (CAN $31.00 available in 10 shades, 12 in the US) claims to provide 8 hours of continuous wear, in an innovative lightweight formula that comes in a variety of both matte and lightly shimmered hues. Urban Decay is a brand that continues to push the envelope, both in terms of formulation as well as the provocative product names, yet one thing remains a constant: quality, and from the 3 blushes I was kindly send to test, that last factor certainly holds true here as well.

Housed in gunmetal-coloured cases with a nice heft to them and a magnetic closure, each Afterglow Blush has a mesh window of the Urban Decay initials on the cover, so you can easily see the shade within. Bearing a new and exceptionally finely-milled powder formula that feels creamy to the touch, Afterglow Blushes are said to be sheer yet highly blendable; my experience with these three is that they are all certainly quite blendable and can be easily buffed into the skin for a seamless finish, but I definitely found them also quite pigmented – a fact to consider in order to avoid loading up your brush too much from the start. I also suggest not diving in too aggressively with your blush brush, in order to minimize any powdery kickback – but that’s nothing a quick tap of the brush couldn’t solve. Overall, the flawless application of colour these blushes provide more than offsets any drawbacks, and as to that 8-hour lasting claim? All true … and then some.

Urban Decay | Afterglow Blush compacts

Urban Decay | Afterglow Blush in (left to right) Crush, Bittersweet, Quickie

Urban Decay | Afterglow Blush

Urban Decay | Afterglow Blush swatches

Crush | A medium pink shade that leans warm and will be particularly suitable on light-medium to darker complexions. Highly pigmented, you’ll need a light hand to start with as Crush can pack quite a punch otherwise, but the colour blends so seamlessly into the skin that it’s almost difficult to overdo. The finish is matte but not of the light-absorbing variety; instead, all three shades shown here display an ultra soft shimmer that adds a beautiful radiance to the skin — without ever coming off as too glowy. Personally, I’m absolutely loving how Crush brightens my face and adds that lit-from-within kind of luminosity; think of it as the whoopee-flushed look, but without the exertion involved in getting it.

Urban Decay | Afterglow Blush in Crush

Urban Decay | Afterglow Blush in Crush swatches

Ingredients: Isoeicosane, Silica, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Zinc Stearate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Polypropylsilsesquioxane, Polyisobutene, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Hexylene Glycol, Methicone, Tin Oxide.
May Contain:
Mica, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77492 (Iron Oxides), CI 19140 (Yellow 5 Lake), CI 15850 (Red 6), CI 45410 (Red 28 Lake), CI 15850 (Red 7 Lake)]

Bittersweet | Not for the faint of heart, this is a strongly vibrant purple hue that is more suitable as an eyeshadow on my skin tone, than a blush shade. That being said, by using a light hand it becomes more wearable and can actually provide a nice contrast when paired with a brighter-coloured blush (sort of like ‘blush contouring’, if you will) but Bittersweet needs to be properly buffed into the skin to avoid any “bruised” appearance. I suspect this is one of those shades that will look amazing on darker skin tones but that should probably be avoided by those with the palest complexions (to eliminate above-stated bruised look), unless you’re going for a more editorial feel. Still, I can’t help but want to really make this shade work, mainly because it’s just so unique – both in my blush collection and experience.

Urban Decay | Afterglow Blush in Bittersweet

Urban Decay | Afterglow Blush in Bittersweet swatches

Ingredients: soeicosane, Silica, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Zinc Stearate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Polypropylsilsesquioxane, Polyisobutene, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Hexylene Glycol, Methicone, Tin Oxide.
May Contain:
Mica, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 15850 (Red 6), CI 45410 (Red 28 Lake), CI 77742 (Manganese Violet), CI 42090 (Blue 1 Lake)]

Quickie | A vivid blue based pink that definitely leans cool, but can also be made to work on medium skin tones – provided one’s undertone isn’t too yellow leaning (then you’ll be looking at a serious colour clash). Darker complexions can benefit from this shade as well, as Quickie will provide an impactful spot of colour without coming off as ashy. I am continuously drawn to electric pinks such as this, and while the majority fall short against my skin tone, Quickie (gotta love the name) seems to work like a charm, adding a youthful-looking flush and works best when I pair it with a smokey eye, a perfectly “sweet” counterpoint to a dark and/or edgy makeup look.

Urban Decay | Afterglow Blush in Quickie

Urban Decay | Afterglow Blush in Quickie swatches

Ingredients: soeicosane, Silica, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Zinc Stearate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Polypropylsilsesquioxane, Polyisobutene, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Hexylene Glycol, Methicone, Tin Oxide.
May Contain:
Mica, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 45410 (Red 28 Lake), CI 15850 (Red 7 Lake), CI 77007 (Ultramarines)]

Other than mascara, few beauty products can give your face that instant boost quite like blush can – although one should never rush the process of application (hello, clown cheeks?). The new Urban Decay Afterglow Blushes are well worth looking into and investing in – especially if you’re a blush fiend like I am, as the quality (from what I’ve seen thus far) delivers on all its promises and there’s no doubting the sensual radiance your skin receives. Yes, sensual. Or even raunchy … depending on your which way your colour selections swing.

Available now through Sephora and sephora.com, and select Shopper’s Drug Mart locations (Canada). Find more information at urbandecay.com

Press samples kindly provided for my unbiased consideration/Post may contain affiliate links

Clinique | Cheek Pop

June 29, 2015

With their feel-good mood-enhancing gerbera daisy motif and vibrant hues, the new Cheek Pop blushes from Clinique (CAN $24.00) will not only brighten your face, but your vanity tabletop as well. Available in 12 shades (although the Canadian website lists only 10), they are created using a patented new breakthrough technology that involves transforming pure liquid pigments into a super smooth silky powder through a process of slow baking – the result of which is an ultra-light, sheer yet buildable colour that gives your cheeks a luminous flush without any powdery trace whatsoever. To say that the formula is STELLAR, would not be a lie; pigmentation is excellent – regardless of whether they are applied sheerly or layered, blendability is ridiculous easy and these blushes seem to melt into the skin, leaving no absolutely NO demarcation lines, their complex shimmer is ground so fine as to impart a lit-from-within luminosity to the skin (and not the variety that just sits at surface level), and staying power is true until removed. Blush Perfection, I tell you.

After having played with these shades for a few weeks now, this blush fiend is beyond impressed and this gorgeous little bouquet has now earned itself a permanent spot in my beauty arsenal. Then there’s the added bonus of that floral pattern; is it possible to look at these Cheek Pops and NOT want to clutch them all protectively home?

NOTE: My rather tired laptop decided to spontaneously delete the original product photos I took of these Cheek Pop blushes (the HORROR), which explains my less than usually pristine pictures in this post. Believe me, there was much swearing involved when I found out what had occurred — and none of it suitable for printing here. Needless to say, I’m in the process of upgrading my system, as I’d probably explode if I had to go through this again.

Clinique | Cheek Pop

Clinique | Cheek Pop swatches (in sunlight)

Clinique | Cheek Pop swatches (in shaded light)

15 Pansy Pop | A vivid lavender hue that has a bit of a dual personality; seen in sunlight, the colour displays warmer undertones yet shaded light brings out a cooler vibe. Either way, I was surprised to find that Pansy Pop suited my complexion (which is light-medium with warm/yellowish undertones) and I have no doubt that this will be absolutely spectacular on those with fair skin tones.

Clinique | 15 Pansy Pop

Clinique | 15 Pansy Pop swatches

14 Heather Pop | The most ‘neutral’ of the four shades shown, Heather Pop is a good mix of both warm (red) and cool (mauve) undertones, that makes it perfect for a wide variety of complexions. An amazing shade to give that “I just came back from a jog by the beach” flush of colour (without any of the effort and/or accompanying sweat), this also makes a good layering colour over bronzer for the most believable sun-kissed glow.

Clinique | 14 Heather Pop

Clinique | 14 heather Pop swatches

13 Rosy Pop | With its vivid deep rose tint, Rosy Pop is nevertheless easy to wear – mainly due to its buildable formula. A sheer wash (using a loose blush brush or better yet, a fan brush) will give that perfect youthful flush, especially for very fair skin tones – but you do need to use a light hand to avoid over-intensifying the colour (and thus avoid the slapped cheeks effect), and a wonderful non-ashy-looking shade for those with darker complexions as well.

Clinique | 13 Rosy Pop

Clinique | 13 Rosy Pop swatches

02 Peach Pop | I have this insane obsession with peach and/or coral blushes, so I naturally gravitated to Peach Pop and its Popsicle-like yumminess. Think of NARS’ Orgasm (the blush shade, not the man!) without the accompanying shimmer, and you get an idea of this shade’s tone; pink-peachy undertones, warm, sunny, fresh-looking, and THE perfect hue to wear with sun-kissed skin (although it will be equally gorgeous during the cooler months as well, not to mention extending that Summery vibe).

Clinique | 02 Peach Pop

Clinique | 02 Peach Pop swatches

Jamie Lee Reardin | When I was sent these Cheek Pop blushes to test out, I was thrilled by the inclusion of a framed original Jamie Lee Reardin print, a Fashion Illustrator originally from Toronto, Canada and who now calls LA, California her home. Inspired by Disney and Tim Burton, Jamie Lee’s fashion figures started to take on ‘impossibly long silhouettes with uncomfortably long necks’ and have become her signature style seen today. You can see a snippet of the print in the photo below – which will definitely have a place of honour of the walls of my soon-to-be studio space!

Clinique | Cheek Pop with a framed original Jamie Lee Reardin illustration

I’m going to keep this short: if you love blush and want to invest in quality shades (all without breaking the budget) that are also 100% fragrance-free, along with allergy & ophthalmology tested, then you owe it to yourself to check out Clinique’s Cheek Pop range. All I know, is that I might just want to get them all now – whether they suit me, or not (but I know they will!).

Available through The Bay & thebay.com. Sephora & sephora.com as well as Holt Renfrew across Canada. You can find more information via clinique.ca