Summer Blush

e.l.f., Milani, Sephora + Pantone

Hey There!

I'm a simple girl really. I don't need much especially when it comes to blush. I have several (does that just negate what I said?) but other that testing new ones out, this summer, I've only been reaching for three -- e.l.f. Pressed Mineral Blush in Wanderlust, Milani Baked Blush in Delizioso Pink and Sephora + Pantone Universe Rush Luster Cheek Sweep in Radiant Orchid.

The e.l.f. Wanderlust is a deeper rosy blush than you'd think of for summer but when I use just a little, it give my cheeks life! I use it at night when I'm meeting friends for dinner or going clubbing (ok, I don't go clubbing, but if I did, I'd wear this).

My Milani Delizioso Pink is a fresh pop of pink goodness. The smallest sweep over my cheeks gives me that fresh faced cutie look that I like. This is good for weekends when I'm not wearing a lot of makeup and just want some color on my cheeks.

Now I use my Sephora + Pantone Universe Rush Luster Cheek Sweep in Radiant Orchid almost every day that I'm not trying something new. I didn't think I'd be able to pull of that orchid but if you just use a little, you get a beautiful, warm plum glow. It brightens your face and works well with the harsh office light that I'm in all day. I use the heck outta this bad boy!

 

Swatched super heavy for the camera. I do NOT
wear my blush like this!!

I've learned that with blush (with most makeup really) a little works better than a lot. I just touch the apples of my cheeks and then spread the b;ush brush. I mean, there's more to it than that, but you know what I'm saying. I don't pile it on and I don't put it everywhere. Some days I use some highlighter underneath it, other days I just go free!

It doesn't matter what day I wear them, these colors are guaranteed to make me look alive, healthy and very pretty. You don't wear blush? I'm telling you, just a touch will change your whole face. Try it!!

Quickie Review - Sephora's Pantone Universe Radiant Orchid Lip Balm

Hey there!

Radiant Orchid isn't necessarily my favorite lip color. It's purple. I'm not big on purple on lips. I like purple eyes and a soft purple cheek (if done correctly) can be gorgeous and yes, purple nails are great. But I'm a nude brown girl as far as lips are concerned. Very rarely do I stray too far from that range.

That's why I purchased the Pantone Universe Radiant Orchid Lip Balm instead of a lipstick or gloss.

That and the fact that it was 50% off at Sephora. Even so, $7.99 is still a bit steep for a lip balm that there wasn't a tester for (my ladies at Sephora couldn't find the tester, so I had to purchase on faith).

Let's start with the bad. I don't know if mine was just defective but it was suuuuuper soft. I mean in the bad way. I tried to use it as a lipstick and it broke. I tried to chill it and it still broke. So, I have to use it with a lipstick brush or depot it. That means taking it with me might be kinda cumbersome. I haven't seen any other reviews with this problem, so it's probably just the one I purchased.

Now that that's out of the way, let's say it together. A - MAZE - ING!! I love this balm! It gives off just enough color that makes the purple just right. It's not super, duper pigmented but that is ok! It's moisturizing and lasts for several hours. I wore it alone and with my Jordana Silver Lilac lip liner. It was beautiful. It's the perfect amount of color. Did I say that already? Sorry.

I didn't see any left on Spehora.com but seriously, if you see this in your local Sephora, you should really get it. $16 might make you balk but $8 is kinda ok.

Yes, I used a gift card. You know I didn't spend cash!!

Nanacoco Caught Out Loud Lip Glosses

I feel like some products don't get quite as much love as they deserve. I'm not sure if it's because they are too expensive/cheap or too elusive/easy to find. I think that my Nanacoco Caught Out Loud lip glosses are in that category. They are cheap glosses that you find at the beauty supply store but they are so nice.  They are rich, fully pigmented, smell nice and they're cheap. They aren't sticky and all and last for several hours.

I love the fact that you can try a nice bright color or a soft nude color and not spend more than $1.99 each! You can wear them alone or over other lip products or the thing I like to do, add a lip liner as a base. There appears to be about 30 colors in total and I own about...well it doesn't matter how many I own. Just know that I spend a lot of time at my local beauty supply store.

For this post, I pulled out my favorite 5.

I picked out Text Me Purple and Friday Night because they looked like they might be close to the Pantone Color of The Year, Radiant Orchid. I wear Text Me Purple alone and love it (I know. The girl that likes nudes and browns wears purple and likes it). I wear Friday Night over nudes or lighter berries that I feel need a little pick me up. I wear Lust over nudes or browns that need a little pick me up. I wear Ballerina over nudes for a little bit of pinky nude gloss. And I wear Desert Trip by itself when I just want some nudie gloss on my lips.

At $1.99 you could own the entire line and not feel guilty. I think these are just as good as some of my more expensive glosses and I think you'll feel that way too.

What's your cheapie lip gloss secret -- you know, the one that you love that cost you next to nothing?!