I posted about my NARS Spring lemmings a few weeks ago, and I ended up buying two things from the “Final Cut Collection,” or which we have come to know as the pink collection. NARS came out with 4 pink-toned blushes with matching 4 satin lip pencils, as well as a pinky highlighter.
No joke. Every time I see a new purchase I receive in the mail, The National plays in my head: “Oh you’ve done it again, Virginia…” Except my name is Carina but I think I get the point. Anyway. This is a second order I placed for Oslo Cosmetics mid-December. It got shipped out on the 31st and I only got it today. Welcome to International Shipping! This time, my order is much smaller. I got 5 eyeshadows, a lip slick, an eye primer thing, and a blush sampler. I got a sample of a blush for free. Here us everything, swatched, but of course, I’ll talk a bit about each thing I bought. As you can see, I am the world champion at sucking at swatches. Swatched, L-R: Voltanis, Winter is Coming, Lux, Andromeda, Asterism eyeshadows, Hibiscus Lip Slick, Sextens, Equillus, Caille, Indi, Gemini, and Pictor blushes. Voltanis is a kind of a patina’d gold that’s pretty frosty as a finish. It’s described as a “Smoldering, metallic, deep primal gold.” It’s quite pretty and …
It’s no secret that I get suckered into buying things because of what they are named. In this case, an eyeshadow named Carinae caught my eye first. Then I found this blush by Oslo Cosmetics named Carina, for reasons that are pretty obvious. I’m not normally a bright neon makeup kind of girl, but I couldn’t pass it up. Oslo Cosmetics is a vegan and cruelty-free indie makeup company based in Columbus, Ohio. As I mentioned in my first haul/swatch post for the brand, a woman named Joyce K. started Oslo and mixes and makes all the colors. I wanted to try the eyeshadows from Oslo, especially, since they are pretty unique. Most mineral makeup is made up of loose pigments and minerals that are mostly fine. The ones by Oslo are kind of lumpy, due to added binders that actually make them really creamy to apply. The blushes, however, are similar to the traditional texture of mineral makeup. Carina is a “bright, cosmic matte red-orange blush,” which looks really scary in the pot. Though …
Another forgotten item in my stash, a gorgeous peachy pink blush: MAC Springsheen. Let’s face it—I bought this, highly influenced by its name. I was looking for a few blushes to try out since I’ve never gotten around to trying blushes from MAC. I know it looks familiar—Springsheen looks quite close to the ubiquitous NARS blush, Orgasm. While they are very similar, Orgasm is a little pinker and a touch more golden. I like this blush because it is light enough to use as a highlighter, but also adds some color when/if you need it to be a blush. This is also pretty perfect as a companion to other blushes, if you’re into mixing shades and textures. It’s a “Sheertone Shimmer,” which I’m assuming means that it has a bit of shimmer to it. You never really actually see the gold flecks on your face, though, which I find pretty awesome. If you enjoy the color, I’ll be honest… it shows up better on fairer skin. On my medium (here, even recently-tanned) skin, it just …
The Canmake Powder Cheeks* is a powder blush that is probably always in the shadow of Canmake favorite, the Cream Cheek. As a fan of the cream formula, I had high hopes for this product. Recipients of the November BDJ Box got a chance to try this, since it was included in that month’s box. PW05 is a super pale peach shade with a smattering of very fine golden shimmer. You can see here that it is quite pale and borders on dangerously ashy territory on my recently tanned skin. Swiped on the cheeks, though, it’s quite nice. Because of the shimmer, it lends a pretty, subtly warm sheen to the skin. It certainly isn’t the most pigmented blush on the market right now, but it’s something that’s easy to wear and pull off. The texture is silky and quite buttery, but it’s not a soft blush. Compared to the Cream Cheek, it is definitely not as pigmented. Here I am wearing the Canmake Cream Cheek in CL01, which is one of their shimmer-free jelly-ish …
I don’t usually discriminate makeup as seasonal only, but from time to time, I get swept up by the vibe of various holidays that my makeup just follows suit. Here are some blushes that I’ve been tending to reach for lately. L-R: Addiction Cheek Stick (Tea Rose), Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush (Exposed), MAC Extra Dimension Blush (Fiery Impact), NARS Blush (Sin), Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush (Blushing Bride), BECCA Beach Tint (Raspberry), Addiction Cheek Stick (Suspicious) I tend to go neutral (to pair with a vampy lip) or with plums and berries if I want to wear a nude or neutral lip. I’ve been laying off the corals and pinks right now, but I can’t say for sure if that’s due to the seasonal changes. What blushes have you reaching for lately? Is it seasonally inspired? Do share!
I got this Maybelline Cheeky Glow (a powder blush) in the October BDJ Box. 🙂 I haven’t tried any of Maybelline’s blushes before (at least as far as I remember), so I was pretty curious as to how well it would perform. Peachy Sweetie is a light peachy coral, chock-full of very fine silver shimmer. The shimmer remains visible even when you blend out the blush. I suggest tapping off the brush before application to get rid of the excess glitter. A heavy swatch (top swatch) makes it appear more pink, whereas blended out, the peachiness becomes visible. On the face, it’s quite subdued, but the shimmers are visible up close. I think it would be a pretty everyday color, which is perfect since it’s so cheap. The blush itself is not velvety-smooth or buttery at all, but even the hard powder yields decent color when you swipe it. Packaging is not-s-flimsy, but it is quite “drugstore-looking,” with the white, light plastic as well as the clear plastic top. It’s smaller than higher end blushses …
Softly Sometimes 