Category Archives: Swatches

Urban Decay Afterglow Blush in Bittersweet (Review, Swatches & Look)

May 9, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesUrban DecayChelle

Urban Decay Afterglow Blush in Bittersweet

I’m having one hell of a moment with blush lately! First there was the Laura Geller Vivid Swirl blush in Guava, then there was the Blush Tag, quickly followed by me professing my undying lover for the Smashbox Culver City Coral trio and now… this Urban Decay Afterglow blush in Bittersweet.

In my April haul post, I pointed out that I didn’t really have a purple blush in my collection (not that many people do) and I had been eyeballing the one Natalie had reviewed several months back over on Ivory Avenue. I waited until the recent 15% off sale at Sephora and then snatched it right up.

I’ve heard a few back and forth comments on the packaging for these blushes, but personally I’m a fan. I think it’s quite sleek and I like the gunmetal colour of it. The lid could really do with a mirror in it, but hey, you can’t win ’em all! I think the colour of the blush is supposed to show through the meshing in the lid, but it doesn’t really work in practice since you can’t really see much of the colour coming through. What DOES work though is how each sticker on the bottom is colour coded to match the blush. It may not be easy for large blush collections, but it does help makes the colours stand out a bit more when you’re trying to rifle through your collection.

Bear with me here – I’ve got a few thoughts tumbling around in my brain that I want to get out and it’s kind of amusing that it’s the result of this blush.

I’ve got a lot of products in my collection (makeup collection video here!) – from items I’ve bought myself and from items I’ve been sent as a result of having a blog and having some kind of an influential voice on the internet. As my collection has grown as a result of all of this, I’ve started to become more and more selective of the items I purchase. There’s always something new and exciting out there (and my god do I ever fall prey to the hype as much as anyone else), but often the products that are being put out there are a reformulation of the same shades of pink we’ve been seeing for years. Or shades of coral. Or rosy taupe. And those are all wonderful shades, but like any devout beauty addict, I’ve ended up with an awful lot of near identical colours in my blush collection.

So THAT’s why I wanted this blush because, for once, I own nothing like it and I can actually say that without it being a tongue in cheek comment. (I still want every shade of coral ever created though… just saying.)

Urban Decay Afterglow Blush in Bittersweet - swatch — Urban Decay Afterglow Blush in Bittersweet – swatch

The other thought I had after buying this blush was “Am I even a person that WEARS purple blush?”, quickly followed by a fearful one: “Is this the one product that I finally decide that *I* can’t wear???”

But hell no it’s not! I LOVE THIS FREAKING BLUSH! When I first applied it my eyeballs kind of popped out of their sockets because it was just SO MUCH PURPLE on my cheeks. I blended it out with my foundation sponge to decrease the intensity, but I quickly found myself applying more and more. In these shots, it actually ended up looking quite pink on my cheeks in comparison to my eyeshadow, but rest assured – it is PURPLE.

Bittersweet shocked me because there’s some sort of weirdass ethereal quality going on with it. It looks totally otherworldly/corpse-like (I’m sure that’ll turn a LOT of people on… haha) to me in person but maybe that’s just because I’m not used to seeing myself wear purple blush?

Final Thoughts

I suppose there are some of you out there that want a real review out of this post! So here’s the run down: Urban Decay‘s Bittersweet blush is only billed as an 8 hour blush (weird time frame – that barely even covers a day at the office!), but it lasts far closer to 10-12 hours on me. It may last even longer, but I haven’t put it to the test. It is relatively easy to blend although not the easiest. That may possibly be due to the colour being rather incongruous to my skin colour when compared with pink or coral. On me, I find Bittersweet oddly flattering. It doesn’t look natural at all because obviously no one flushes purple, but I think that’s what makes it unique. It’s *oddly* flattering on my skin tone and honestly? It makes me smile. And any makeup product that makes you smile when you’re wearing it is well worth the money.

I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this particular shade of blush. Is this a shade you would wear or want to try? Do you like the idea of it being slightly odd looking? Or is that too much of a turnoff for you? Let me know!

Urban Decay‘s Bittersweet blush (along with other shades!) can be purchased on sephora.ca for $32 CAD or on sephora.com for $26 USD.

Swatch Sunday: Mehron Fire

May 8, 2016Makeup, SwatchesMehronChelle

Mehron Fire

This palette by Mehron was practically screaming my name at IMATS New York!

The Mehron Fire palette comes encased in a sleek black plastic package and has an ENORMOUS mirror in the lid.

They are marked as “pressed pigments” however, so I’m not entirely positive if they’re considered eye safe. (I’d use them on my eyes regardless though.) One thing I thought was odd was that even though this is the Mehron FIRE palette, there isn’t a red shadow in there! And even more bizarrely, when Jen and I saw this palette at IMATS, we were both convinced the pink was a red. Something weird was going on with the lightning at the Mehron booth!

Mehron Fire Swatches

Mehron - Purple Heat — Mehron – Purple Heat

Mehron - Fire Island — Mehron – Fire Island

Mehron - Electric Green — Mehron – Electric Green

Mehron - Pure Lightning — Mehron – Pure Lightning

Mehron - Yellow Spark — Mehron – Yellow Spark

Smashbox L.A. Lights in Culver City Coral (Review, Swatches & Look)

May 4, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesSmashboxChelle

Smashbox L.A. Lights in Culver City Coral

If there’s one colour in blush that makes me swoon harder than anything else… it would have to be coral. So when Smashbox threw together a blush and highlight compact centered around coral… well…

Available as of April 2016, Smashbox has released the L.A. Lights Blush & Highlight palette in three different shades: Pacific Coast Pink and Culver City Coral (available at Sephora and Beauty Boutique) and Malibu Berry (available at Beauty Boutique). These palettes feature two blushes alongsidea perfectly matched highlighter centered around the palette’s colour theme (pink, coral and berry).

The pans are encased in an incredibly slim and sleek compact with a mirror that encompasses the entire lid (thank you! So appreciated!). Each individual pan nets you 2.9 grams of product.

The pans are appropriately sized so that I can get even my largest blush brush in there, so you needn’t worry about these being small! There is no dust kick up even when I rub my brush into the pan which is a really nice since I hate when blush powder goes flying everywhere. That being said, these aren’t hardpacked blushes either (you know, when you have to practically scrape at the product to get colour payoff?). The consistency is what I want in ALL of my blushes – no dust kick up, excellent pigmentation and not hardpacked.

Smashbox L.A. Lights in Culver City Coral - swatches — Smashbox L.A. Lights in Culver City Coral – swatches

Each palette features a “Rich”, “True” and “Highlight” shade. Pigmentation was incredible across the board on all shades, although I will point out that the Highlight shade works more on me as a blush since it does have a decent amount of pigmentation and isn’t just a sheer wash highlighter.

Here’s how the shades look on my face:

Wearing True Coral

Rich Coral is definitely the darkest shade in the palette, but it’s the one I had the most fun with. You can go for a super pigmented look like I’ve gone for, or tone it down my applying a little bit less. (I’m not wearing any highlighter in these shots.)

From the side, of Rich Coral looks a bit less pigmented in my eyes, but still as stunning as ever. You can see it in action as I’m wearing it in my April Favourites video (and pssst, there’s a giveaway in that video!).

Wearing True Coral & Highlight Coral

In these shots I’m wearing True Coral on my cheeks and Highlight Coral on my cheekbones.

Highlight Coral is very low in sheen compared to some of the other highlighters I have, but still beautiful.

Final Thoughts

I can’t say enough good things about this Smashbox Culver City Coral trio! Seriously. This compact is incredible! The blush shades are *exactly* what I’m looking for: pigmentation and colour are second to none! The highlight isn’t exactly what I personally go for since I look for a bit more reflective qualities but that’s my personal take on it. In general, it’s an excellent soft focus highlighter that complements the blush shades very well. I know tons of people are going to appreciate the fact that the guesswork is taken out matching your blush and highlighter because this palette does it for you. The pigment on all of the shades were holding strong after a full workday for me and never looked patchy or faded. If you couldn’t already tell… I *LOVE* this product!

The Smashbox L.A. Lights Blush & Highlight palettes can be purchased on sephora.ca for $40 CAD and on sephora.com for $35 USD.

The product featured in this post was sent to me for review.

Swatch Sunday: Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Gleam

May 1, 2016Makeup, SwatchesAnastasiaChelle

Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Gleam

Ohhh boy. Because I need another FOUR highlighters in my life, right?

When the Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kits got released a very short time ago I was like “meh, I don’t need a new highlighter, I have TONS!”. But then the hype set in. And people kept talking about just how much they wanted to wear all four shades at once and look like a disco ball going down the street. SO AM I TO RESIST?

Without a doubt, the names suckered me in. It’s so very easy to fall in love with a product when you love all of the names of the products isn’t it? I went for the Gleam quad because it just appealed to me more than the other one did. (But yeah… I kind of want both anyway…)

Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Gleam Swatches

Things to note: these are very, very heavy swatches in an attempt to show their true pan colour. Unless you’re wearing it as a blush or an eyeshadow, I doubt you’d wear it this strong on your cheekbones. Also, there’s no mirror in the lid of the palette. 😐

Anastasia Beverly Hills - Hard Candy — Anastasia Beverly Hills – Hard Candy

^ This one has a crazy duochrome that was really hard to photograph!

Anastasia Beverly Hills - Mimosa — Anastasia Beverly Hills – Mimosa

Anastasia Beverly Hills - Starburst — Anastasia Beverly Hills – Starburst

Anastasia Beverly Hills - Crushed Pearl — Anastasia Beverly Hills – Crushed Pearl

Laura Geller Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blush in Guava (Review + Swatches)

April 25, 2016Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesChelle

Laura Geller Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blush in Guava

Once you’ve been in the beauty world for a while, you start to get a little bit jaded. The variety of colours start to blur together, so then companies try to impress you with new packaging. When that doesn’t work, they try to emboss their products (and so far that packaging technique is working extremely well!). So when a product makes me gasp in excitement, you know it’s got something going for it.

I mean… do I even really need to say much about this blush? The Laura Geller Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blush in Guava (there’s a name and a half) is just so damn beautiful to look at. The colour. The pattern. The shape. Gah. (Although Ulta’s web site did a dang good job of making this shade look seriously unimpressive. Seriously, go here and click on Guava. Like wtf is that shade??)

Laura Geller Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blush in Guava - swatch — Laura Geller Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blush in Guava – swatch

And then you swatch it and it’s everything I hoped and dreamed for, and really, what more could you ask for in the most beautiful blush ever created? /swoon

No word of a lie, I get even more excited every time I put this on my cheeks. I used it in my Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons tutorial and I mentioned it again in my March Favourites. And now I’ve got this post on it. Is it overkill for a single blush? I sure as hell don’t think so!

For those of you wanting more than just an ode to a stunning blush, here are the basics: this wears all work day on me (7:30 am to 5 pm), the colour is luminescent and pigmented. It’s also easy to blend, which makes me love it all the more. My next time at Ulta, I am definitely picking up Plumberry (and again, don’t let Ulta’s web site fool you, the shade is nothing like that one either!) because I am so not over this formula any time soon!

The Laura Geller Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blushes can be purchased on Ulta.com for $26 USD each (and you should really, REALLY go get one!).