Chantecaille Aqaublush- Charming

Few things rival the effect of a good blush on gloomy day. Chantecaille Aqaublush in Charming is a perfect perky pick-me-up. It starts with the Aquablush texture: a water-based gel that is still very creamy and feels cool when you first put it on. It's a weird sensation but quite pleasant. The blush looks scary at first, because it incredibly pigmented and applies a bit thick and opaque. But this Chantecaille color stick is incredibly easy to blend- I've used it with every blush brush I own- both natural and synthetic fibers in every possible shape and density. A couple of seconds sheering the color and buffing it onto my cheeks result in perfectly flushed cheeks.

Charming is a warm rose color. At first I worried it was too warm and even a bit salmon-like (see the bottom part of the swatch. It's almost scary). But this blush is actually a very natural color that picks on the appropriate skin undertones and ends up looking healthy and flattering. Blended into my foundation and skin, Charming is a great choice for a neutral makeup look. My cheeks stay happily blushed and flushed throughout the day- I always use finishing powder that keeps everything in place and find Chantecaille Aquablush to be a great performer- right up there with Le Metier de Beaute and Edward Bess cream blushes.

Bottom Line: love.

Chantecaille Aqaublush ($42) is available from top department stores as well as online.

All photos are mine.

Le Metier de Beaute Poppy Creme Fresh Tint

I was saving the photos and review of Le Metier de Beaute Creme Fresh Tint in Poppy for a future date, but it appears we need to talk about this now, as Charleston Girl from Best Things In Beauty brought us some news about Le Metier de Beaute's fabulous line of cream blushes. There are three new shades (I already know I'll need the two deeper ones) that you can see in her swatches, but the two older ones, Tenne and Poppy will be phased out soon.

I bought Tenne almost the second it was released and I wear it enough to almost consider a backup, though I don't believe in stocking up on makeup- there's so much of it out there and new gorgeous items keep coming out almost daily, so why get stuck with yesteryear's colors? Poppy scared me at first- look how bright it is in the pan, but since both Nikki and Dustin from Le Metier de Beaute's Bergdorf counter used it on me repeatedly and showed me how pretty and natural it can look with the right application I ended up succumbing and buying it. They were right, of course (seriously, never doubt Dustin).

Poppy is a warm pink with something of a peach undertone and can be sheered to your heart desire or worn more heavily if you have the skin tone to support it. The Creme Fresh Tints are not sticky or tacky, feel feather-light and stay put the whole day over a prepped, primed and foundationed skin. As far as application goes, I've tried everything and it works no matter what- fingers, flat top brush, skunks, small round natural bristles, synthetic ones- you name it. This blush is one of the very best you can find.

Bottom Line: Get it while you still can.

Le Metier de Beaute Poppy Creme Fresh Tint ($28) is available from Bergdorf Goodman and select Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom locations as well as online.

Photos and veiny wrists are all mine.

Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush No. 6 Light Rose

The only problem with Giorgio Armani blushes is the limited range of colors. Right now there are six available shades and that's more or less how Armani Beauty keeps it (several others were discontinued in the past or were only released as a limited edition). The general werability of the existing colors sort of makes up for it, but not completely, especially if you tend to be particular when choosing a blush. I always play at the counter but usually leave empty handed, until one day a couple of months ago when I decided that No. 6 actually works well for me.

Armani Sheer Blush No. 6 is called Light Rose, but I wouldn't say the name is accurate (and neither is the swatch on the Giorgio Armani website, for that matter). It's not very light and the complex color isn't exactly rosy- it's warmer than what I think about as a rose and has an almost brick undertone. In any case, don't let it scare you, as we're talking about a very finely milled and delicate formula that can be applied very sheer and blended to perfection.

I use a Yachio brush (no need to dilute the pigment with a duo fiber, at least for my skin tone) and it produces the right amount of healthy neutral color. I tend to under-do my blush application, but I find that No. 6 is a perfect shade for times I actually want a little more color (I've been playing with very nude and delicate eye looks lately). There are no visible shimmer particles, just an overall luminosity which I think you can see in the swatch. I really dislike swatching blushes because they look like I have a skin condition, but in this case you can see how well the No. 6 shade works with my skin tone- it still looks like I have wrist issues, but it's a natural skin condition.

Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush ($43) can be found at Barneys, Saks, Nordstrom and giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com.

All photos are mine.

Estee Lauder Sea Star Bronzing Blush Bronze Goddess Collection Summer 2011

As promised here's the star (sorry, cheesy pun) of Estee Lauder Goddess Collection for Summer 2011, Sea Star Bronzing Blush Bronze. So, is it a blush? a bronzer? It's both, I guess, depending on your natural color, taste and the look you're trying to achieve. As far as I'm concerned, the finish is too shimmery to be a daytime all-over bronzer, but talk to me on a sultry summer night and I might be wearing this Estee Lauder star with abandon.

The Sea Star Bronzing Blush is made of two parts- the bright salmon pink star (the fuchsia decoration is just an overspray, it's gone the first time you use it) and the lovely golden bronzer of the background. The star itself is raised and I'm not sure how deep it's embedded into the bronzer (i.e. how much of this color you actually get). You can use either one separately if you're into compact/brush engineering, but most of us would swirl our brush lightly over the design to collect both colors in a single application for a peachy bronzed shimmery look.

This Estee Lauder products is quite pigmented and I'm not sure how flattering it would look on the very fair. Karen of M&BB recommended using a fan brush if you're pale. I've played with a Yachio, a standard blush brush by Hakuhodo and a Guerlain duo-fiber, and so far the regular brush worked just fine, though I had to tone down the shimmer with a good finishing powder and a flat top brush. I'm just not a super shimmery person, at least not on a 30 F degree day in March. Still, I really like the finish of the Sea Star blush/bronzer. It's summery and the shimmer is very fine and looks luxurious.

The thing that doesn't look so high end is the plastic compact itself. I think Estee Lauder could have done a better job at choosing a packaging. It's not the plastic itself that I find objectionable- after all Guerlain Terracotta powder comes in a similar format. It's something about the color and opaqueness that reminds me some drugstore compacts of yore.

Bottom Line: June cannot be here soon enough.

Estee Lauder Sea Star Bronzing Blush ($34) Bronze Goddess Collection Summer 2011is available from your Lauder counters and esteelauder.com.

All photos are mine.

Lancome Blush Subtil Mauve Coquette

One of the thing the people of Lancome really know how to do is blush. The colors of their permanent line have always been pretty and wearable, with the bonus of rarely getting discontinued. The textures have improved throughout the years, making them somewhat more delicate (I still remember the 80s version and can't believe we actually used that. Then again, most other brands were far worse).

Mauve Coquette is a medium shade, neutral-to-warm on the warm-cool continuum (see how it changes with the light in the photos), and tends to go with the wearer's coloring. On me it pulls warmer, but I saw it on a pale, pink cheeked face and it worked just as well. I didn't watch it very heavily here, so there's enough pigment to either go with a bold sculpted look or apply sheer and natural.

The texture is not quite matte but there are no obvious shimmer particles. Like all Lancome blushes it blends very well, despite not being the softest or silkiest. There are better and more refined formulas on the market that give the face something extra: a glow that's beyond face paint. But as far as traditional blushes go, this is quite nice.

Bottom Line: one of the best in the mid-department store level.

Lancome Blush Subtil ($29.50) is available from your local counters and lancome.com. Some shades can also be found at Sephora (Mauve Coquette is not online). Mine was a GWP (hence the packaging)  from one of the department stores (possibly Bloomingdale's, but I can't remember for sure).

All photos were taken by me.

Edward Bess Island Rose Compact rouge

Island Rose is the third color in Edward Bess Compact Rouge line for cheeks and lips.  I have all three shades and find them pretty, wearable and versatile. Island Rose is the darkest and most intense of the three, so I use it with the lightest hand possible and make sure it's well-blended. If you have a deeper skin tone, this is probably the most flattering color for you. I use it as a pop of color on the apple of my cheeks and get that "just back from the cold" effect.

You can see Island Rose compared here to Love Affair, the middle shade, and you can see Island Rose has more of a red red base. In one of my testing I  also mixed the two together and loved the results. The color of Edward Bess Compact Rouge is easy to apply and blend with just about any face brush you can find. Ever since I saw Edward use cream products with his own natural fiber face brush I've been hooked. Yes, you need to wash the brushes more often, but nothing gives a better and more natural result.

Edward Bess Compact Rouge ($38) is available from Bergdorf Goodman, select Neiman Marcus locations (also online) and edwardbess.com.

All photos are mine.

Bobbi Brown Tawny Blush

With all the palettes, limited edition colors and effort to attract the glitter-wearing customers who usually skip the Bobbi Brown counter it's easy to forget what Bobbi does best: wearable, natural looking shades of no gimmick makeup. Like her regular blush- a matte and silky pressed blush that comes in 15 pretty colors.

I chose Tawny, a very warm brown-based pink, to fill a gap in my blush wardrobe. It's among the most pigmented cheek colors I own and requires a light hand - my skin is olive but quite pale and doesn't look good with too intense blushing. I use a duo-fiber brush  to make sure the result is sheer and light enough- regular blush brushes pick up too much color in this case.

Bobbi Brown's blushes are very soft and silky, making blending as easy as can be. I love the matte finish- it's perfect for casual and daytime looks and allows me to add shimmer and highlighters separately, when and where I want them. I swatched Tawny pretty heavily here, but a sheer application seems to have the potential to look flattering on various skin tones (note to self: get my very pale sister to try this).

Bobbi Brown blush ($22) is available from most department stores, Sephora (only select colors, Tawny included) and bobbibrowncosmetics.com.

All photos are mine.

Edward Bess Love Affair Compact Rouge

The first Edward Bess Compact Rouge, After Sunset, has been a favorite since the moment I got it. It gives me a very natural glow, neutral enough to wear with bold eye or lip look. Which is why I was eager to add the two newer shades of this cream cheek and lip stain to my collection. The one you see here is Love Affair, a cool rose, that still has enough natural skin warmth so it doesn't look weird. That's one of the secrets to the incredible wearability of Edward Bess products- he's focused on the way the colors look on actual people rather than on making the most unusual and eye catching pigments.

The second I opened this compact at home to take photos and swatch, my little Sophie pounced and wanted her share of the fun. Hence the claw prints. What can I say? This cat knows makeup.

Love Affair is quite intense in the pan, but you can see in the swatches that it's easily sheered- I didn't do any real blending here, but of course you should do it when applying to your face. You can also see Love Affair compared to the other rosy Compact Rouge, Island Rose, which is darker and has a little more red. I'll post a full review next week, so this is just so you see the difference.

Compact Rouge can be applied with fingers or with most face brushes. I was surprised and delighted to see Edward use this cream blush with his own Face Brush- it's made of natural fibers which are normally reserved for powder products, but this wonderful brush appears to be perfect for the task and the result on my face looked amazing (not to mention professional). Note to self: get a second Edward Bess Face Brush for cream products. It's worth it.

Bottom Line: As good as it gets.

ard Bess Love Affair Compact Rouge ($38) is available at Bergdorf Goodman, select Neiman Marcus locations (also online) and edwardbess.com. If you're in the UK your destination is zuneta.com.

All photos are mine.

Edward Bess Desert Blossom Blush Imperiale

Desert Blossom was the second Edward Bess Blush Imperiale I picked. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw the tester, weeks before the blush was out for sale (it was released after Moroccan Rose), and couldn't wait to have it in my hands. While Edward's Moroccan Rose is the perfect"pop of color" blush that wakes up my face, Desert Blossom is the easy go-to shade for a healthy natural glow. It's a light rose that's easy to wear, a breeze to put on (blush brush, face brush, Edward Bess Luxury Brush- anything goes unless you're very fair and need a more careful application) and can be built for a more intense look or kept to a minimum. My swatch was done with just a single swipe of the mini brush from the compact, so you can see it has enough pigment. I've also played with mixing Desert Blossom with a little Moroccan Rose- it worked beautifully.

As always, Edward Bess blushes soft and smooth. The silky texture melts into skin and any base products you have under it. The quality is top notch from the easy application and blending to the staying power- it's there the entire day and doesn't lose its finish or changes the shade. Blush Imperiale isn't shimmery and there are no shiny particles, yet it seems to have an inner radiance. I adore it.

Bottom Line: If you're only going to get one blush this year...

Edward Bess Blush Imperiale ($48) is available from Bergdorf Goodman, select Neiman Marcus locations (also online) and edwardbess.com. In the UK the brand is sold by Zuneta.

All photos are mine.

NARS Blush-Sin

When it comes to NARS blushes I was a bit of a late adapter. The hype surrounding some of them and the level of shimmer in many has kept me away for too long, but I'm slowly getting there. Sin is right up my alley and I would have bought it ages ago if not for said shimmer and the dingy testers at Sephora. But a creative NARS SA at Bloomie's, who as usual felt I was far too pale for my own good, convinced me to try and loved the result.

Sin is a mauve-plum blush. It has no red, orange or heavy pink tones, making it very neutral on my skin. It's dark and pigmented enough that I prefer to use a light application brush (Yachio, a duo-fiber or a fan), but that might be why every SA and makeup artist I've met go after me with a blush brush. The shimmer is very mild  and I like its golden glow- I don't end up looking like a glitter princess. I can wear it with most makeup looks and find Sin especially nice on gloomy gray days.

Bottom Line: a good addition to most blush collections.

NARS blush ($26) can be found at most decent department stores, Sephora and online.

All photos are mine.