Messy Messy Fail - so I was supposed to start following this calendar of anti-clutter for the month of January. The calendar offers a small tidying activity to perform every day with the grand finale being a tidier house at the end of the month. I completed a few of the chores out of order but ultimately, I forgot to check my daily task and ended up with WHA WHA WHAAAAA! Oh well, I'll see which room I'm supposed to tidy for February.....
Tidy Victory - One of the tidying activities was dedicating a donation box - so I declared a box in the hallway to be christened so - clothing items go directly into it to be prepared for donation. Some probably think I'm crazy, but I log ALL donations on a spreadsheet and submit it on our taxes every year. It's amazing how much you pay for items and how much their value decreases. However, it's still wonderful to donate to a good cause.
I have a problem, an obsession actually, with a makeup item that is probably found in a large percentage of American women's makeup bags. I was never into crazy lipstick, eye shadow is okay, but what really makes me excited is BLUSH. I have cheap blush and not-so-cheap blush (do not judge). It's my thing, I cannot help it. The first step to recovery is admitting your faults, right?
I am one of the palest Polish girls you'll ever meet, so my solution to looking not-dead - rouge! My mother, Nana Patti, would always say, "You're pasty, get over it!" - well, I couldn't, and so my colletion started.
For this post I would like to share my obsession and beautiful blush collection.
****Disclaimer - to my friend (you know who you are!) who I tried to convince that my not-so-cheap blush was the most life-changing thing ever, just smile and read on. :)
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| 1. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Dim Infusion 2. Maybelline Face Studio Master Glaze Blush Stick in Just-Pinched Pink 3. SimplyVera Vera Wang Cosmetics Illuminating Powder Blush in 314 4. NARS Blush in Amour 5. Maybelline Mineral Power Naturally Luminous Blush in Gentle Pink 6. Tarte Cheek Stain in Exposed |
<One> Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Dim Infusion - by far my most prized and favorite. Comes in a sturdy high-end case (the mirror doesn't fall back when you prop it open on your counter!) that holds such beautiful color. This particular color is a soft coral with a SUBTLE lighting (not shimmer!) that needs no other highlighting. I did not think I could wear corals well until I tried this on at Sephora. Well worth the price at $35.00 - definitely a special treat! Goes on so beautifully and easily, you cannot mess this one up. Gives you an effortless look that will stay for most of the day. Does not come with a brush but who cares!
<Two> Maybelline Face Studio Master Glaze Blush Stick in Just-Pinched Pink - a nice drugstore blush stick that you apply then blend with your fingers or a sponge (I'm a fan of the digits). Gives a really nice color that's easily build-able and lasts a good portion of the day. Does not give you a dewey look like a cheek stain would, almost looks like a powder blush but still has a nice, faint glow. A pretty decent product at a drugstore price - $7.94 ($1.00 off if you bring a Maybelline coupon woo-haa!). Thanks Maybelline!
<Three> SimplyVera Vera Wang Illuminating Powder Blush in 314 - a powder soft peachy-pink color with an ever-so-faint glow. Goes on very easily, does not last that long but still goes on with beautiful color. As you can see I do not use the brush it came with, and the casing is a bit cheap. Seems a bit pricey at $19.50 but I still like the color and it will stay longer then my cheapy drugstore blush (that's coming up soon).
<Four> Nars Blush in Amour - a bright pink (can you see the pink trend I follow?) that will stay on ALL DAY LONG. This was the reason I made this purchase - I was looking for a better quality product that I could wear to work and still have it present when I arrived home to start dinner. Extremely pigmented (in my opinion) so a little goes a long way. My go to for long-wear most definitely. I was EXTREMELY tempted to purchase the cult-favorite color Orgasm but the lovely lady at Sephora convinced me otherwise. You too can purchase this long-wear beauty for $30.00 at Sephora. Does not come with a brush.
<Five> Maybelline Mineral Power Naturally Luminous Blush in Gentle Pink - so I purchased this blush in 2007 at a local deep discount store called Mr. Salvage (I can't believe I just admitted I bought makeup at a place called Mr. Salvage) for $0.99 when the mineral makeup craze started with bareMinerals. This purchase was also made during my I-don't-need-to-spend-more-than-$2.00-on-makeup phase. It certainly does NOT last all day, perhaps a few hours, however, the makeup has literally lasted YEARS in the container, as in I'm still using it and there is a decent amount left. I'm not sure I would use the word LUMINOUS to describe the finish as it's name suggests, but I wear this product a lot to school (work) as my every day blush. Just did a quick search and found this product is still available on Amazon for $6.69. I also have the colors Original Rose (which I'd call more peach than rose) and Fresh Plum for a bit of a darker look. Does not come with a brush.
<Six> Tarte Cheek Stain in Exposed - I found this product when I had 4.6 free minutes to run through Sephora and I was drawn to the idea of a cheek stain. The packaging is SUPER cute
(as you can see) but for me, one of my favorite aspects of this product is it has a LOVELY smell! It's a slight citrus/lemony smell, which is what initially sold me (I'm a big smell person). This color is described as a neutral/brown shade which I would normally NEVER wear but it goes on in such a light contrasting way. Definitely gives you a dewey look if that is what you are looking for. Apparently this blush has been around for quite awhile and I see why. I love getting samples from Sephora as you can see from the last picture, so I took advantage of my opportunity and got a few other colors of the cheek stain including Blushing Bride and Flush. The colors looked super pigmented in the containers but definitely go on much lighter. If you want to smell this magical blush check it out at Sephora for $30.00.
So there you have it folks, my collection. My obsession is out there for all to see, judge me if you want, but we ALL have our vices, mine just happens to be blush :)
Do you have a favorite blush, or a particular makeup obsession? Please tell me about it and start with your first step to recovery!
