E.L.F HD Blush Review!

So this is an update from a few days ago when I got my E.L.F Studio HD blushes. And all the things I suspected from the swatches turned out to be true. Sorry for the poor picture quality on these, I could not get good lighting to save my life! =(

Superstar

Superstar is a bright peachy pink, that decided not to show up very well in photographs, but trust me its much more pronounced in person. I started out with just a tiny drop of the product and blended it in: however this one is a lot less scary, and considerable more buildable.

Showstopper

Showstopper was terrifying to use! But I actually kind of like it. Its a dark plum in the bottle, and I got it blended down to a plummy rouge. It is a tad purpler then it looks in this light, its not a very natural color on me but I'm weirdly dedicated to making it work! You might get an update later on that... But anyway I used about half of the tiniest drop you can think of for this, and then blended like a mad woman. I would never tell anyone that they can't work a certain color, that being said I think this will be more easily wearable for darker women.

Encore

Finally we get to Encore, which is the random one in the bunch. Encore is exactly the same on me as it is in the bottle, a really bright raspberry. If you like really bright pinks, like Mac's Her Blooming Cheek, this is similar if a bit redder.

All in all these are pretty fun and I like them. They take a little bit of practice, but with the amount you need to use, you'll never run out! I used a couple different methods to apply these, E.L.F recommends using their stippling brush- so I tried that, but it deposited waaaaay too much color. Using your fingers works well, but the darker colors are quite staining, so thats a little messy. I'd recommend trying cosmetic sponges, or maybe applying a tiny dot to your face and then buffing it out with a brush, although that still might stain your fingertips. I hope you enjoyed this, what color would you like to see E.L.F make in this line?

E.L.F HD Studio Blush First Impressions

I'm super excited to share these with you, because I've been anxious to ty them since they started showing teasers for these blushes in mid summer. I ordered these the day they came out, and I thought I'd do a quick first impressions before I test all of them out.

(Superstar, Showstopper, Encore.)

I got three shades: Superstar a peachy pink, Showstopper a reddish plum, and Encore a BRIGHT raspberry color. While I'm excited to try them out, Showstopper and Encore are terrifying swatched and in the bottle! Also one thing that I dislike but I should have know is the size of these. I guess I just pictured them bigger. I think I had MUFE HD blushes in my head, but given the price difference I'm not complaining. 

They are super pigmented and have a sort of oily texture. This concerns me a little bit, because my face is naturally pretty oily and acne prone. But they are so strongly pigmented and stain like so I'm guessing they'll last a long time. I'll give a full review soon!

E.L.F HD Studio Blush is $3.00 here

Review: Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Plum Wine

So who's ready for a natural looking flush for fall? Even though it doesn't feel like fall yet here, I certainly am! Today I'm review Maybelline's Dream Bouncy Blush in the color Plum Wine. I'm in love with this shade I think its perfect for fall.

Left: Very blended out     Right: Full color

This is was a surprise favorite for me! At first I was worried it wouldn't be a good color for me. It looks too dark in the pan and too blue based when it swatched. But low and behold when its applied its the prettiest reddish flush. It looks very natural and its surprisingly neutral toned; you can see in the swatch it looks almost fuchsia. Its pretty pigmented and like any dark blusher you have to use a light hand and blend throughly.

This blush has a really unique almost play dough like texture, Maybelline calls this "Powder-Gel" technology. Now I don't know about all that, but I really like these blushes. I have this one as well as two others. They're all long-wearing and go on really nicely. A lot of people complain about the pigmentation of these blushes, and though I can't attest for all of the colors in this range I recommend getting the darker colors (Hot Tamale, Plum Wine, Pink Frosting, Coffee Cake) if you aren't pretty pale. I'm about a NC20 and I need to work a little bit to get my lighter color (Candy Coral) noticeable.

That being said I love the finish! It seems advertised as made to be used with your fingers but I've found that you can get beautiful results if you use a sponge or stippling brush. They last about six to eight hours on me which is pretty good for me. Most blushes wear off really fast on me. The only flaw with this one in my opinion is its sort of small, which lowers the value of drugstore pricing for me. But as I mentioned in my back to school cheap vs. steep post this is a good cheep alternative to more expensive cheek stains.

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Plum Wine is $7.99 at Ulta* for .19 oz
(*Prices may vary regionally and by location.)

Review: Elf Baked Blush In Rich Rose

 

I'm a big fan of e.l.f cosmetics, they're super cheap and cruelty free. So when I saw their new baked blushes I was intrigued. I was only able to get this one, because the others were already sold out. The other colors I've described below:

Peachy- Cheeky: A light peachy pink color, with bronze veining.

Pinktastic: A very light shimmering pink with bright pink veining. (Reminds me a lot of Hard Candy's Honeymoon Blush.)

Pink Passion: A midtone pink with hot pink veining.

And finally the one I scooped up, Rich Rose a bronzy red color with coral veining. Swirled together it makes a really pretty wearable terracotta color. On me it doubles as blush and a bronzer, great for a little natural contour. Its a little on the sheer side but builds up nicely.

$3.00 here or in target stores