However recently I've been more pale face than usual. Since I wasn't ready to venture into powder blush at the time, I decided to go with a gel blush...and later on I ended up with powders that didn't react with me face. Hurray!
(The blushes I will be reviewing from left to right: MAC's powderblush in Mocha and Melba, and Tarte's 12 hr Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface. Not pictured is Tarte's gel blush in Tipsy)
Swatches of the powder blushes - from top to bottom: Melba, Mocha and Dollface
Tarte natural cheek stain in Tickled
I opted for this gel blush after reading up about Tarte and wanting to give the brand a try. I wanted to pick a non-shimmery shade and this one spoke to me the most.
Tickled to me is a sheer plum shade in the tube - per the Tarte website, it's considered a "sheer peach-red". I'm not sure why I can't find it on the Sephora website, but since I haven't checked, another good one that is close to this colour would be True Love, which is more red than plum. The packaging is alright - the only qualm I have is that it is a push-up gel...kinda like those push-pop candies. Once you push it out, well you have to push it back down or else it gets on the cap (potentially) or you may nick it. I would have preferred if it was like lipstick, where you turn it up.
The colour looks pretty crazy in the tube but trust me, when it goes on, it's pretty sheer. Just look at my swatches below:
(The one on the left was done under my lamp in my room, whereas the right swatch was in the bathroom with a bit better lighting)
The blush is a nice sheer gel, which is good so you can build up the colour. It's nice a sheer (the shimmery look is more because the gel leaves a sheen on your skin). Some people might find it sticky, but the feeling goes away relatively quickly.
Tarte's gel blushes have an ingredient called the T5 super fruit complex that's supposed to make this blush antioxidant rich. It also gives a nice natural citrusy-berry fragrance. The best way to apply the Tarte gel blushes is by using your fingers - go in circular motions and then pat it onto your cheeks and blend. It doesn't dry out very fast so it blends easily. I'll be honest, I actually like using this blush in the summer because I find that the powders sometimes make my face feel cakey despite not looking cakey, and a cheek stain just has better staying power (and is a little more sweatproof since I sweat a lot in the summer). My face isn't that oily so it gives a nice dewy finish too, which is suitable for the summer. Of course my only qualm is that it's a push top, and it's not something I can just slap onto my face if I'm in the rush, because you need to some times build it up (depending on my days) and blend it out. But overall I think it's a great gel blush and a good one especially for those with slightly dry skin who find that powder blush leaves them looking a little cakey. I've used this in the summer many times and the stain has lasted most of the day. I also used it on my mom for a wedding - she used her powder blush over her foundation and it looked so powdery and cakey, I ended up telling her to wash off her makeup and I redid it for her using the gel blush. She naturally has very sensitive skin that turns red when you rub it just slightly, and also dry cheeks (combo skin). The gel blush helped to make her skin look more dewy, less dry, and didn't make her cheeks go crazy red. She really liked it so I ended up gifting one to her :)
Tarte Amazonian clay 12 hr blush in Dollface
This came in the little pack with the bronzer - I wanted to get a matte(er) bronzer than my MAC mineralized powder, which was very frosty. Anyways, the blush came with it so I figured to give powder a try after so many years (or a decade even).
The packaging - note that this is a smaller version that the full sized ones
Swatched under my bathroom light
The colour is a very bright pink in the pan, however when applied it looks like a very natural flush of pink. The Amazonian clay is supposed to help keep it on longer by absorbing excess oil while not drying out your skin. This is the brighter colour of the bunch, and I like to wear it more in the summer because it's just more of a bright colour. I would describe the colour as a warm toned light pink - per Sephora, it is considered a "light pink".
Does it stand up to it's 12 hour claim? I do like to think it does, but I have a bad tendency to lean my cheek against my hands at work when I start getting tired (haha...who doesn't get tired at work?) and who knows, probably it gets rubbed off. I remember when I first put this blush on, my mom really liked it on me because she said it gave me a natural flush like what I usually get when I come back home from a cold winter day (well, not a nasty cold winter day where my whole face feels frost bitten...just like pinched by the cold). For the days where I'm feeling more "pink", I lean towards this blush. I think it's a great pink blush since it's sheer enough to give you a natural "bright" flushed look, but also pigmented enough that you don't need to slap on a billion swipes of it.
MAC powder blushes
I got my first MAC blush at the same time as I was helping my mom pick up a new under eye concealer. At the time I felt my Tarte blush was too pink for fall, and I was also too lazy to use my gel blush in the mornings (powder is faster to apply). The sales girl recommended Mocha, which is a muted rose colour, and completely matte. I love matte colors because the payoff is better and is more all year friendly. Shimmer doesn't always sit well with me too.
In the packaging and with the lid opened
On the MAC website, Mocha is described as a "soft plum-pink". I'd like to think it's a little more dusty/muted rose than plum-pink, but maybe those two colours are synonymous for each other. It is highly pigmented since it's a matte colour, and the payoff and staying power is very good.
Swatched in the bathroom light
Going heavy handed on this blush is still okay since I don't look crazy even if I accidentally brush on too much. It's definitely a good Fall/Winter colour because it is less bright and more of a netrual-er not-in-your-face blush.
On my latest trip to the US (see here for the full details of my shopping haul), I was hoping to get Ripe for Love, their new blush from the Temperature Rising collection. Problem was that they ran out, so they showed me a few other options. I ended up picking Melba, which is a peachy matte colour. In the end, I think this was a better pick because it's part of the permanent collection, so no need to worry about ever not being able to buy it! The other option I was given was Peachykeen, which is a sheertone blush. It had a bit of a sheen but my skin is a bit darker now since it's summer and so the sheerness of the blush didn't show up well (even on the inside of my arm were the MUA tested it).
For comparison - Left: Melba, Right: Mocha
I wanted to get a peachy/apricot blush for the summer - I didn't feel like going pink and I felt that this would go well with a tan in the summer, as well as the peachy-coral-apricot trend of the season.
In the packaging
Lid opened - it's kind of a muted peach colour (this is without flash and with natural light)
I like MAC's packaging for all of their products because it's so sleek! I'm a sucker for nice packaging...also considering I have a few MAC items, having uniform-looking cosmetics kind of makes everything look neater in my drawer.
Swatched on my arm (a little heavy handed) - no flash
Swatched with flash
Melba gives me a more "just got out of the sun" flushed look. If applied with too heavy a hand, I potentially look sun burned haha! I know that from experience because when I first got the blush, I swirled my brush a bit too much to the point it got too much product and BAM...sun burned looking cheeks. Whenever you find yourself with that situation, the best thing to do is to blot away with a tissue, and if your cheeks are not too dry and prone to looking cakey, swipe on some powder (I use my MAC Skinfinish because it's really light in texture).
So that's it for all my blush reviews!
Readers: What is your favourite blush? Do you wear different blushes depending on the season?
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