Bobbi Brown Miami Shimmer Cheek Glow Swatch & Review

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Cheek Glow in 2 Miami is a pale, warm, pink with silvery shimmer and lilac sparkles. It's part of the Miami Collection and is a gel-powder hybrid, although I find this much wetter to the touch than say the Estee Lauder Powder Gelee or Mac Extra Dimension versions. It is also not hugely pigmented so you really have to build to get some color or shine- you definitely get nothing like what the pan suggests. The major problem I have with this one is that it does have glitter particles - which are by no means huge but you can see them on the skin so this isn't a classic illuminator.

I think wear time will vary quite a lot with this one depending on your skin type- I got about 7 hours before it faded at the edges. I just applied on the very top of the cheek bones to avoid drawing attention to any blemishes or enlarged pores which is a possibility with this one. I think this can be a fun or novelty product, say for a party or so on, but if you're after a natural highlighter this might not be for you.

I've tried this with both finger application or with brushes, personally I prefer a synthetic brush as it is more hygienic and also the product clings to the fingers so to get it to transfer onto the face is a bit of a pain. Packaging is in a (slightly slimmer) Shimmer Brick style black plastic compact with a mirror under the lid.

Swatches...

Bobbi Brown Miami Heavily Swatched (daylight)

Bobbi Brown Miami Heavily Swatched (flash)

Mac Crew High-Light Powder Swatch & Review (Hey Sailor)

Mac Crew High-Light Powder is a mix of pale pink, lilac and apricot with a cream overlay. It's a satin matte finish which is quite unusual for a highlighter so if you're looking for something shimmery like a Bobbi Brown Shimmerbrick this is not for you. I also find that on my pale-medium skin this is far too pink to act as a highlight- it's much more of a pink blush on me. If you mix all the shades together (it's hard to pick up all the shades individually) you get a pale pink- a bit like Pink Swoon.

I used this as a blush and it lasted a good 8 hours before the edges started to fade. It's quite a dusty sort of powder so if you have dark skin it's best to try it out before you buy as it could potentially look a little chalky. Overall it's a nice product, not the most unique but I do like the new packaging. Temptalia kindly scraped off the top layer of beige and revealed that it doesn't go all the way through so with time it will come out as a darker pink.

Swatches...

Mac Crew (daylight)

Mac Crew (flash)

Pixi Succulent Lip Twin 4 Poppy Red Swatch & Review

 Pixi Succulent Lip Twin in Poppy Red contains both a bright cherry red lip balm/gloss and cheek stain. I find this a great travel product, not only as it's a good multi tasker but because the blush is so dense and waxy that in hot climates it's one of the only things that will not sweat off or melt with the heat.

 You get a pretty decent amount of balm and it's lovely and hydrating too. The color is a warm red but on my lips it turns much pinker. It's translucent but still contains a lot of colour and has a very glossy finish. As it has plenty of slip the wear time isn't particularly long- about 2 hours. The blush is also a warm red tone but once blended out it turns more pink/coral depending on your skin tone. You can use it by itself or set with powder on top but it's pretty pigmented on its own.

Pixi Poppy Red (flash)

Pixi Poppy Red (daylight)

Guerlain Terra Azzurra Swatch & Review From Pucci Collection

Probably the most anticipated item of the Guerlain Pucci Summer Collection is this- the Terra Azzurra. It's a beautiful bronzer and blush duo house in a circular (wooden?) pot which closes magnetically, very much like Terra Inca from last year. The bronzer side is a soft orange toned brown, Guerlain is particularly renowned for their bronzers and this one is just as lovely as their permanent collection. The other side is a mixture of orange/peach, pink and cream stripes, once blended they produce a peachy pink with a slight shimmer. Alternatively you can combine the entire palette to get a darkish peachy color.

Terra Azzurra also comes packaged with this very cute Pucci print pouch. It is highly scented of Jasmine ( I think) which I love but if you have sensitive skin you might want to try before buying. Overall you get a pretty decent amount of product (16g) which is how I justify the high price tag. As I said in my Perles D'Azur review here this isn't supposed to be out in the UK until around June but I found mine in London already so you should keep your eyes peeled!

Swatch...

Guerlain Terra Azzurra (daylight)

Guerlain Meteorites Pucci Perles D'Azur Swatch & Review

This year's Guerlain Summer collection comes courtesy of Pucci. Some of the products come housed in  a beautiful aqua print which really makes me think of the Italian Riviera. The meteorites in particular come in this dinky little blue metal tin (thank goodness no more horrible cardboard) with a Pucci print lid. The balls are a mixture of cream, peach, turquoise, pink and beige.

I would very much classify this as a luxury product, not only because of the high price point but more for the fact that they don't do a whole lot. On the skin they give a very light dusting of powder and a few small sparkles. Now I'm more of a shimmer/sheen type girl as I think it's a bit more flattering and natural so maybe it's a bit wasted on me, I do however still love this product and think there is a time and a place for sparkle. These mini baubles have the classic Guerlain violet scent which is quite strong but doesn't really last.

I'm sure this will sell out like hotcakes so I would snap one up if you think you'll want it ASAP. I think these are out in the US already. In the UK I've asked at Selfridges and John Lewis and they've both advised me that they expect these from the end of May or the end of June, nobody seems to have a definite answer! I happened to find mine already on sale at the airport so keep your eyes peeled!

Swatch... (yes I promise I did swatch this- you have to look very closely for the teeny sparkles :-) )

Guerlain Meteorites Perles D'Azur (daylight)

Mac Superb Extra Dimension Skinfinish Swatch & Review

This Mac skinfinish came out with it's Extra Dimension earlier this month (although we didn't get it in Spain for some reason- but Hey Sailor is already out here so expect reviews next week!). Superb is a rosy beige with high shimmer, I've heard it's virtually identical to Estee Lauder's Gelee powders but unfortunately I don't have any to compare to. This is a very soft and highly pigmented powder and almost cream hybrid, it's best to use it on the high planes of the face and avoid any large pores.

I get a good full days wear out of this before it wears off. This sort of shade I think would suit both warm and cool skintones as it doesn't pull too pink. I know it's been one of the more popular shades in the collection but I've still seen a few of these around in London so if you think you might be interested it would be worth checking it out sooner rather than later!

Swatches...

Mac Superb (daylight)

Mac Superb (flash)

Bobbi Brown Nectar Shimmerbrick Swatch & Review

 Bobbi Brown Shimmerbrick in Nectar is a mix of pink, beige and lots of pinky corals. Overall it's a pretty peach tone depending how heavy you are with the brush at the top or bottom. This is probably my favourite out of all the Shimmerbricks and gives a pretty glow to all skintones. You have to be aware that these are some of the frostiest highlighters out there so it's essential you apply with a light hand to avoid really artificial looking glimmer. I think these work best at the top of the cheekbones (before you put on any blusher/bronzer) but not on any large pores or marks as it can emphasize imperfections.

The packaging is standard Bobbi, it comes in a largish square black plastic box with a mirror under the lid, nice but functional.

Swatches...

Bobbi Brown Nectar (daylight)

Bobbi Brown Nectar (flash)

Benefit Cha Cha Tint Review & Swatch

This is Benefit's Cha Cha Tint, I know it isn't a particularly new product on the market but I wanted to feature it as it's a great multi tasker especially as we're coming into summer and need more hard wearing products. It's a bright orange coral gel which blends into a soft peach coral stain. My favourite way to wear this is on the apples of your cheeks under foundation or tinted moisturiser to give a glow from within, but it can be used on top if you prefer. You can also use it on your lips to tie the look together- but you will need a good balm over it as it can be a bit drying. What's great about it is that you can build the colour in layers to ensure it stays put in the heat but you need to blend quickly to avoid getting patches or clown cheeks.

Swatches...

Benefit Cha Cha Tint (daylight)

Benefit Cha Cha Tint (flash)

I bought mine from boots.com

Benefit Coralista Blush Review & Swatches

I've been a long term devotee to Benefit's Coralista, it's my go-to peachy blush. It's a perfect blend of coral peach-pink with enough golden shimmer to illuminate but not so much as to enhance pores. I find that this blush lasts all day on me (if you have really oily skin you might want to try setting blush with a powder or layer cream and powder blushes). I actually prefer this to many of the other coralish blushers on the market (Nars, Mac etc..) both in terms of texture and colour.

The added bonus with this is that you get a lot of product for your money (.42 OZ) which is double the size of most blushes. This one is in the old style packaging so doens't have a flip lid or mirror but you get more product. I should also mention that this has a sweet peachy scent so if you're allergic to frangrance you might want to give this one a miss!

 Swatches..

Benefit Coralista (daylight)

Benefit Coralista (flash)

I bought mine at houseoffraser.co.uk

Mac Modern Mandarin Blush Swatches & Review from Tres Cheek

Mac has just released it's Tres Cheek Collection of blushers. The one that first caught my eye was this, 'Modern Mandarin'. It's a very bright orange with a slight red undertone (which would be more pulled out if you had naturally rosy cheeks). It's a satin finish so has a slight shimmer (but is not frosty). It has good payoff so a light hand is needed here, luckily it's not powdery but is nice and soft so blending is a piece of cake.

For comparisons I found that Benefit Coralista is more pink and lighter and Mac's Warmth of Coral is more brown toned and paler.

Swatch...

I bought mine in store at elcorteingles.es

Mac Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish Swatch & Review

Mac are re-releasing their iconic Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish in their Reel Sexy Collection. It's a shimmery pale beige with blue and peach veining. On the skin it's a soft iridescent beige. Very pretty when used with a light hand to highlight. On dark skintones this may turn a little ashy so would be best to try before you buy. 

As with most Mac launches this will sell out quickly (it has done twice before) and prices go crazy on eBay once the counters are out of stock- so be quick if you think it's something you'd like.

Swatch...

I bought mine at maccosmetics.co.uk

Tom Ford Blush in Flush: Review and Swatches

On my last trip back to the UK I picked up Tom Ford's Blusher in "Flush". It's a very vibrant coral pink, shot through with gold shimmer. Soft but not powdery and highly pigmented, so you need a light hand to avoid clown cheeks. At first glance this reminded me of my beloved Mac's discontinued Foolish me, although this is slightly more orange but on the cheeks they are extremely similar.

Nars Orgasm is lighter and more peachy, Mac Style is lighter and Mac Hipness is a lot less bright and not as pink.

Left: Mac Foolish me Right: Tom Ford Flush

Swatches!

Top: Tom Ford Flush, Bottom: Mac Foolish Me

It's nicely packaged (at this price point you wouldn't expect anything less) in a heavy, slim brown and gold metal case with a mirror under the lid. It currently retails at £45 so if you're looking to splurge on a blush this is a good place to start!

I got mine from selfridges.com

Dior Rosy Glow Awakening Blusher Review and Swatches

Dior have launched a new blusher into their range, as far as I'm aware it's a permanent addition. It's a bright cotton candy pink embellished with the classic Dior logo. Very pretty mirrored compact which comes in a velvet pouch. All in all this is a lovely blusher and can be used with a light hand for a more natural effect. There are a few similar blushers out there - it's closest competitor would be Nars Gaiety which was also launched this Spring.

Swatches!

From left: Nars Gaiety, Dior Rosy Glow

And Comparions....

From Top Middle, anticlockwise: Dior Rosy Glow, Chanel Pink Explosion,Chanel Turbulent, Nars Gaiety (Centre), Mac Pink Swoon, Mac Alpha Girl