My Blushers

I am somewhat of a minimalist when it comes to blushes: I only have three (not counting the one in my NARS bridal palette). For the longest time, I only had two, a peachy blush and a pink blush from the L'Oreal True Match line, because I thought all I needed was one warm-tone and one cool-tone blush. I added the third blush by Shiseido Maquillage due to a happy mishap (for a lack of a better description). Basically, I was originally got the Maquillage blush on Sasa as a gift for someone, but because it didn't come with a nice case like I thought it would, I ended up keeping it for myself after my un-fruitful search for online vendors, none of whom were willing to sell the case separately. Thankfully, it turned out that the Maquillage blush made a nice addition to my collection because it was a shimmery pinky peach (as opposed to peachy pink) similar to NARS Orgasm, which I absolutely love.


So first, the pink-toned L'Oreal True Match Blush in C3-4 Tender Rose. I had originally gotten the C1-2 shade because it looked like a true pink. But because it was too light for my skin tone, I exchanged it for this C3-4 shade. The color is a brownish-looking mauve with some silver shimmer in the pan, but looks like a glowy mauvey pink on my skin (see swatch near end of post). The color image is very grown-up and is a good compromise between a girly pink blush and a mature plummy blush. Although the color can be on the sheer side with one swipe, it is definitely buildable (though I would suggest against trying anything too drastic since it'll make your face look very powdery). The powder in the blush is pretty finely milled, but the blush doesn't seem to last long on my face. I don't know if it rubs off or if the oil secreted on my face just eats it up, but the color is usually gone within 5 hours.


The L'Oreal True Match Blush in N3-4 Innocent Flush is a much more girly color than the C3-4 shade. N3-4 is a matte peach in the pan and looks like pretty much the same thing on my skin (see swatch near end of post). The effect is a very girly peachy flush that is not as versatile as C3-4 IMO because it's not as subdued. The texture, sheerness, and lasting power of the blush is like that of C3-4. Personally, I prefer C3-4 over N3-4 because it feels more grown-up and because I like shimmery blushes better for giving me that "glow".


Like I've mentioned before, the Shiseido Maquillage Cheek Color in RD312 is a pinky peach color with lots of very fine gold shimmer. I personally don't think the shimmer is over the top, but there is definitely more shimmer in RD312 than in my C3-4 L'Oreal blush. I can't really tell the amount of shimmer from looking at the pan with a naked eye, though it is noticeable if you click to see the full-size image of the pan. RD312 also looks much more peach than pink in the pan, but is pinker on my skin (see swatch near end of post). As with my L'Oreal blushes, RD312 contains very finely milled powder and applies sheer but buildable, though it definitely applies sheerer than the L'Oreal blushes initially. The lasting power of RD312 is better than that of the L'Oreal blushes, and I think the flush resulting from RD312 is the most natural on my skin out of all three blushes.


You might want to click on the photo of the swatch to see the full-size image, which will give you a better idea of the amount of shimmer in the blushes. I applied the blushes with my finger for the swatch so that the color will show up better, but as I've mentioned before, these blushes apply sheer normally when I use a blush brush on my face.


All of the photos in this entry were taken under natural light.

In short: The L'Oreal True Match Blushes are pretty good, while the Shiseido Maquillage Cheek Color is great. The L'Oreal blushes have a decent range of colors with sheer but buildable color. The powder is fine, but the downside is that the blushes have little lasting power. The Maquillage blush have fewer choice in colors, but RD312 gives a great glowy flush on light, warm-toned skin. The powder of this blush is also fine, and the lasting power is great.