Sunday, June 22, 2014

Fall Flush

Seasonal makeup can be a little clichéd (summer's all about bronzed, glowy skin and brights, winter is matte textures and darker, moodier colours), but part of me always looks forward to the weather cooling down and the days getting shorter just to bring out my autumnal blushes, lipsticks and nail polishes. Last year, I loved the trend of wine/dark berry lips, but lately I've been itching to bring out the more plummy and rosy blushes in my stash that mimic the flush of briskly walking in the chill.



l-r:Benefit Dallas, Rimmel Genuine Plum, NARS Sin, Bourjois Rose Éclat


Benefit Dallas
I've always associated Dallas with cooler weather as I find it a bit too dark and brown-toned for summer. This is one of those blushes I always wonder why I don't wear more often each time I reach for it. It looks a bit blah in the pan, but I think the colour really suits Asian skin tones and the rosy tan shade gives a subtle sculpting effect while adding a touch of luminosity to the complexion. It almost doubles up as a wintry bronzer while the colour remains relatively neutral (think NARS Douceur), but still earthy and enlivening.


Rimmel Lasting Finish Soft Colour Mono Powder Blush in Genuine Plum (170)
This was a blush I purchased without having access to a tester because I loved how it looked in the pan. It was the most pure, medium-toned, slightly purplish but bright berry colour that just screamed autumn. On my cheeks, I find it fairly similar to NARS Angelika, except that it's matte, slightly darker and more fuchsia. I'm usually not partial to these kinds of darker, berry pinks, but Genuine Plum is such a quintessential autumnal colour that there's definitely room for it in my blush drawer.


NARS Sin
One of the most famed blushes from NARS, I wanted to love Sin but I really struggle to make it work for me. It is the single most pigmented blush I own, and not in a good way. I need only the lightest touch and furious blending to avoid the appearance of muddy, bruised cheeks. I was hoping that the distinctly purple tone and gold shimmer would elevate Sin to something special, but to the degree I have to blend it, the shimmer's mostly lost and it just looks like an ordinary berry red. Lasting power however is excellent, consistent with my experience of NARS blushes in general.


Bourjois Little Round Pot Blush in Rose Éclat (15)
Less reddy pink/fuchsia than Rimmel Genuine Plum, Rose Éclat is like a combination of Genuine Plum and Benefit Dallas. It still has a bit of that burnished, warm, earthy quality that autumnal blushes are known for, but it's a bit more rosy-neutral and brown than something more berry or mauve/purplish. The texture with this baked blush is slightly patchy and on the dry side, not as smooth or pigmented as the previous three. There is a barely detectable shimmer running through but it's predominately matte.

30 comments:

  1. Lovely picks! I'm still not fully immersed in the Autumn/Winter deeper shades yet though, but I'll for sure be gravitating towards the nude-y roses and berries. Genuine Plum looks so lovely! Definitely the perfect plum :)

    Tasha // shiwashiful.

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  2. I'm a big fan of Benefit's selection of blushes & bronzers (they're actually pretty much the only Benefit products I'll splurge on, any more), but I've yet to try out Dallas, though I might have a look at it for my own autumnal beauty update in the next few months.
    It's such a shame you couldn't get along with 'Sin', it's awful when hyped products don't live up to your expectations! xx

    Francesca | On-TheBias | Beauty, Lifestyle, Fashion, Travel

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  3. Based on the swatches, I would love to own Genuine Rose! Based on your comments on Sin, I'd suggest wearing a champagne highlighter on top of it, or mixing it with your bronzer to warm it up somewhat? The predicament of it being a bit too purple is intriguing, but disappointing. I have faith you'll find a way to wear it though (:

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  4. I have always been curious about Dallas! I always wonder between Hoola & Dallas which to get! I recently tried Hoola and loved! Sin has to be the most mystical blush ever.. haven't seen anything quite like it elsewhere!

    TheConscienceFund

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  6. My skin is fairly tan during the summer, so I find blushes like Sin work best for me. Love the swatches!

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  7. Whooaa NARS Sin looks intense!! it is def a fall/winter blush!
    I also usually gravitate towards plum-rosy blushes for the colder months and coral-pink blushes for the warmer months :)
    Bourjois Rose Eclat is my favorite out of the 4 swatches :)

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  8. Such a lovely selection of blushes. I haven't tried any of these, though I would really like to try Nars Sin. That color its so beautiful.
    Carolyn | BLOG

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  9. I've been so intrigued about Sin for the longest time since it looks so unique in the pan. I wonder what it'll look like on my cheeks... I don't think I have anything like it. Also, I've always passed by Dallas, labelling it as 'nothing special' but your description makes me want to try it too. x

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  10. Fall collection is my favorite as well! Luckily this year, I see many of brown/blue color combination from the summer station, which means I can probably wear those colors in fall as well. Whether I'd fall for the new ones or not is not an issue here (ahem). ;p
    Maybe we should swap our blushes! LOL I have Oasis, which is a softer and slightly warmer version of Sin. I keep thinking I should have gotten Sin instead because it is cooler and has more blue.
    Another NARS blush color I'm looking forward to wearing more in fall is BLKR 413. :)

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  11. Such gorgeous and perfect choices! I LOVE Sin and Eclat! I own 5 blushes from bourjois but really should consider getting a few more, because the finish is just beautiful and so glowy!

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  12. I love Bourjois pot blushes- they're handy and really pigmented.

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  13. Yeah I'm not sure I'd be able to get NARS' Sin to work for me either… it really is lovely though so if worse comes to worst at least you can just stare at it haha. Great roundup of products, as per usual; always fun to remember that not everyone is experiencing the summer heat that the U.S. is feeling right now!

    ♥Cassie
    thriftthick.blogspot.com

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  14. I'm really tempted by rose eclat now :) I love shades like this, I really am looking forward to wearing autumn makeup again I love matte and deeper shades a lot more xx

    EmmiHearts

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  15. That NARS blush looks lovely!
    emiliashea.blogspot.com

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  16. Dalas is so pretty! After getting coralista and Dandelion (on their amazing kits <3 ) I really want to get it (along with rockateur and Hervana) and I really see this as a Fall shade.
    Sin also looks really pretty - a more neutral version than deep troat (which is something I've been hunting for a while). And that bourjois blush is gorgeous! Here they are cutting bourjois blush selection for some reason :/ tones of lipsticks and lip products but blushes? only a few at the drugstore.

    Overall, I really like your shade selection :3
    Take care, have a nice day!*

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  17. Wow I never knew how purple leaning the NARS Sin was! I could definitely imagine how it would be difficult to pull off without looking bruised. Dallas and Rose Eclat are my favourites out of the 4, they look like the most wearable shades. I'm itching to own a NARS blush but I'm afraid that I might overdo it because of their intense pigmentation!

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  18. While I love deep berry blush shades, I don't tend to gravitate towards them all that much because I feel like I look older when I wear them. xD But those are all gorgeous shades. I especially like the look of the Bourjois one.

    Sheri | Behind The Frames

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  19. I've been looking into getting a deeper blush so thank you for sharing such a good selection! The Bourjois and the Rimmel one.

    nueyork.blogspot.com

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  20. Haha, I am definitely guilty of perpetrating the 'seasonal makeup' cliche - I'm just a sucker for berry/vampy shades in Autumn/Winter! The swatch of Sin looks gorgeous, though it's a shame that it's not as wearable as it looks. Great picks! x

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  21. Oh, I love darker makeup in the fall! I'm on thine other side of the world and it's so hot that I wish we had a bit of cooler weather! I miss wearing my mauves and dark pinks...

    Em ♥ www.mascarawarrior.com

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  22. I've always been curious about the Bourjois blushes so I'm glad I got a little mini review here. My skin doesn't work well with drier textures so I may end up skipping these one.
    Great post!
    Meghan
    www.todaysbeautyobsession.com

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  23. Sin also gave me the bruised look unless I used the lightest of light touches and blended like crazy! Summer colour palettes are always super bold, but the truth is it's just way too hot to wear much makeup. I always look forward to slapping on a thick pile of makeup as the weather cools down, LOL. Dallas is an excellent transition weather shade!

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  24. I LOVE these kinda colours. Funnily enough I'm always drawn to Bourjois for the price point, pretty shades and cute packaging but in all honesty the blushes don't deliver for me- much prefer their eyeshadows! Tori x

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  25. I need a stella memory to enco-operate your tips into my makeup routine - damn seasons out of sync!
    Glad to see a positive Rimmel blush review, seriously tempting swatch

    x
    AmBlog | Life, Beauty & Anything In Between.

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  26. I love Benefit Dallas so much. It's one of my favourites blushes ever and I use it all year, it's so different... between a blush and a bronzer. Just gorgeous :)

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  27. Ugh NARS Sin is so unique. I really wanna pick it up now - been wanting to for the looongest. Your swatch makes it so covetable.

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