The Blush Edit

Let's be real - who doesn't love a good blusher? Even if you don't wear blush on the daily, I'm sure you can appreciate the beauty of a good blush, and if you do wear it on the daily like myself, well, you'll probably like this post!

I'll start by pointing out that I have quite a small blush collection - though it's also my largest collection of face products! While there's a heck of a lot more that I'd like to try out, for now, I'm truly happy with my little collection - I love and use all of them - and thought it was a good time to put together this 'blush edit' to share my blush collection and why I love them with you.

If that sounds like something you're interested in, read on!

NARS x Sarah Moon 'Isadora'

NARS blushes hold cult status in the beauty community as some of the most gorgeous, highly pigmented, buttery and cheekily-named blushes on the market. While I've never tried the fan favourite Orgasm (yet, anyway), I definitely wanted to see what all the hype was about, so when this gorgeous shimmery mauve-toned blush was released as part of the NARS x Sarah Moon 2016 holiday collection, I snapped it up. Isadora is totally different to all of the other pinky-nude blushes in my collection, which I love. The product itself definitely lives up to the hype, being as buttery and highly-pigmented as reported - seriously, I looked like a clown the first time I used it (even after tapping off excess)! It only needs the lightest tap and you're good to go! This colour really compliments cool skin tones and as the weather cools down I've found myself using it more and more often! A good NARS alternative from the permanent collection could be Sin - more of a berry colour but just as deep and cool-tone oriented.

Tarte 'Exposed'

I adore this blush. As usual for an everyday blush with me, it's a pinky-nude. I have a type, what can I say? What I really love about this blush is that it's practically fool-proof. Because of the texture of the product (Amazonian Clay) it's quite hard, which means unlike a more buttery powder, you're not going to have to worry about going 'too hard' and picking up too much product. It's easy to build up to the intensity you like, and the product lasts forever!

Rimmel '004 Pink Rose'

I'm 99% certain this was actually my very first blush, and it brings back a whole lotta memories thinking about it. I wore this throughout most, if not all of my high school days! It's the perfect pinky-nude blush, which was great for wearing to school as it helped me achieve that 'no makeup' makeup look. This blush is also super affordable at about $12 full price (however I always wait for sales when buying drugstore products), making it easily accessible for beginners, people on a budget, or anyone who simply likes to have nice and affordable products in their collection.

Nude By Nature 'Virgin Blush'

Another one of my earlier discoveries, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this blush. The shade is gorgeous - a perfect nude for fair skin like mine, and it's highly pigmented and long lasting. However, it's a loose powder, and because of that I rarely use it. I find it's just way too messy and it's hard not to apply too much product. If you're a fan of loose powders you'll love this one, but even if you're not, it's still a lovely perfect nude to have handy in your collection.

Sleek 'Rose Gold'

This blush is said to be the perfect drugstore dupe for the cult favourite NARS Orgasm blush, and at least in the pan they do look pretty much identical. However, I've yet to try Orgasm myself so I can't say anything with certainty. What I do know for sure is that this is such a lovely, shimmery, peachy-pink blush and gives a lovely, healthy flush of colour to my otherwise lifeless complexion. At only $12 (on sale, that is), it's totally worth it!

Tarte 'Exposed', NARS 'Isadora', Nude by Nature 'Virgin', Sleek 'Rose Gold', Rimmel '004 Pink Rose'.

So there we have it - my Blush Edit! I hope you found this post interesting and useful - let me know if you have any of these blushes and what you think of them, or if you have any recommendations of blushes I should check out then I'd love to hear those too!

x Chontelle

NARS x Sarah Moon 'Isadora' Blush Review

If you haven't witnessed the insane hype around NARS products - in particular, their blushers along with the famous 'Laguna Bronzer' - then hello, welcome to the world of beauty blogging, it's nice to meet you!

NARS blushers are frequently referred to as some of the best blushers on the market, but at the hefty price of $44 per a single blush (and they're not huge or anything, either!), it's taken me quite some time to actually splurge on one of these cult classics. What finally convinced me was a combination of having leftover spending money from my trip to Europe at hand, and this particular blush shade being limited edition as part of the NARS x Sarah Moon Holiday Collection.

Isadora is a medium, warm and rosy plum shade with a frosted finish. This is honestly such a gorgeous shade, and perfect for mid-autumn right through winter. It's extremely pigmented - I honestly think this is going to last me for years because you really only need the smallest amount to cover both cheeks. Unfortunately, I learnt that the hard way the first time I tested it out - I'm sure you can imagine some hilarious images of me with a strong, dark pink splotch on my left cheek. *cringe*

I'd definitely suggest being very light-handed with this one, and tapping off the excess. While it's taken some getting used to, I do appreciate the insane pigmentation of this blush.

Once it's on your cheeks, it stays there. This blush lasts all day with little-to-no fading, which I'm certainly pleased about. The colour is super gorgeous, and the interesting mixture of plum colouring (which usually leans cool) with a warm undertone to it is lovely for those of you who, like me, seem to bounce between skin tones.

What do you think of NARS blushers - love them, or hate them? Did you pick up anything from the NARS x Sarah Moon Collection?

Have a lovely day!

x Chontelle