Blush Stains

Out of the whole blush category I think that blush stains are the hardest to master. Application can be disastrous with stained strips of color on your cheeks that look like look like an infection as oppose to a cute glow.  So when Lupe from http://ahintofbeauty.blogspot.ca left me a comment asking for my suggestions on cheek stains I thought this is a blog worthy topic.

Essence Cheek Tint in Hello Summer

I have heard nothing but raves about this product. So when I saw it on sale for $1.00 I thought it would give it try. This plumy shade actually swatches more red then it appears in the tube. I must say this product is pretty darn pigmented, sets instantly and lasts forever. I know this because I was stuck with crazy red cheeks and fingers for a whole day and couldn’t get it off.

So here are some things to avoid:

-       Products that are way too pigmented!

I find it easier to build up the right color intensity as oppose to taking it off because taking of a stain is not an easy task. I great product for this is the Tarte Cheek Stains, because they allow you to build up just the right amount of color. My personal favorite is Blushing Bride!

-       Take your skin into consideration

If you have dry skin like me you will notice stains set instantly making impossible to blend. So if you have dryer skin type like myself I always opt for a cream like stain like Becca’s Crème Blush’s.

On the other hand if you have more oily skin I would recommend a more liquid based product like Benefits Benetint. The oils in your skin will help these products blend in as where cream products might not set.

Finally my last but most important tip is…

-       Try the product out before purchasing.

To avoid catastrophes try out the product in the store! I like to try stains by working them into the back of my hand so that I can feel the texture and see how long before this product sets. Not only should you try it on but you should take it off too! If it doesn’t budge with hardcore scrubbing it’s too unforgiving and you should steer clear of.

Well that’s all for today.

I hope that helps some of you!

Hope you all have an excellent weekend and a glamorous Friday night.

Thanks for reading.

Tanya

Favourite Department Store Blush’s

I love blush, as you may know by now.

Although I could never pick a favorite there are definitely brands in my collections that stick out more then others. So keep reading if you want to know what my favourite high end blushes are.

Guerlain Rose Aux Joues

Guerlain blush just oozes luxury and Parisian elegance. The darker shade in Chic Pink is a beautiful hot coral blush with golden shimmer. The lighter shade is more of a natural pink which is perfect for those no makeup, makeup days. Each color in this compact wears beautifully alone but also is breathtaking mixed together. I would say the quality of this blush is probably one of the best in my collection.

  They smell really nice too!

NARS Blushes

I actually did not like Orgasm blush when I first tried it. It wasn’t until I accidently packed it on a trip with me, that I fell in love with it. Since then I’ve used up an entire Orgasm Blush and I’m working on my second. Sin is another favorite blush and it’s my go too when I’m wearing darker lipsticks. I think any beauty addict will tell you NARS blushes are some of the best on the market and I would have to agree. From the amazing quality to the vast shade range NARS has a blush for everyone.

**NARS releases great gift sets throughout the year I highly suggest you check them out because you can try some great shades for amazing value.

Chanel Joues de Contraste

Chanel blushes have a magical formula. Yes this sounds crazy but no matter which color they release it some how looks natural on to the skin. Chanel blushes are mineral blushes but offer a variety of finishes range from shimmery pink to natural mattes.

Dior Rosy Glow Blush

Last but definitely not least is Dior Rosy Glow Blush. I have a whole review on this blush but basically it’s a color adjusting formula, which looks excellent on a variety of skin types. The packaging, the formula is amazing and I can’t recommend this enough. Dior blushes (in my opinion) can be hit or miss but Rosy Glow does not disappoint.

I love blush! I would love to try out some of the new MARC JACOBS blushes and have wanted Chanel In Love for a long time too! Let me know if you have any recommendations in the comment section.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are all having a wonderful week.

Tanya

Favourite Drug Store Blushes

 I have to be honest with you I’m not one to pick up any product I can’t test first. On the other hand I’m not one to rip open packaging and help myself to a swatch either. The combination of these two usually leave me purchasing more department store brands as opposite to drug store.  With that being said there are some amazing blushes at the drug store. So before I begin I want to tell you all research drug store products and look for swatches online. Because trust me nothing is worse then realizing the product you just bought was a dud!

Hard Candy Blush Crush’s

Blush Crush’s do not disappoint! I have two colors of these one in Living Doll (pink) and Pin Up (neutral shade). Both shades are pigmented, bendable and have an amazing sheen. To be quite honest these remind me of MAC’s mineralzed blushes and for a fraction of the price they are well worth the money. If you’re looking for a blush with a fun sheen to it try the Hard Candy blushes out!

ELF Blush

Finding ELF in Canada is not an easy task so when I saw this duo for 5.99 I had to pick it up. The bronzer is nice blah blah blah… but lets get down to the blush. The pinky blush with golden shimmers is stunning. It’s highly pigmented, bendable and wears long as long as some of my higher end blushes.  I can’t wait to try out more ELF blushes (expect a haul coming soon). This blush is outstanding and looks fantastic worn with a slight tan in the summer.

Bourjois Blush

Last but not least Bourjois blush! I’m sure everyone knows this but Bourjois owns Chanel so there a lot of similarities in their offerings. Bourjois blushes are very similar or almost identical to the Chanel’s.  On the whole, Bourjois blushes are bendable, pigmented, last forever, smell amazing, have that magical ability to look natural on the cheeks (like Chanel’s) AND even come with an in store tester to swatch. Bourjois blushes are a little more money then regular drugstore blushes but the quality alone makes them some of my favorites ever.

Well those are some of my drugstore favorite blushes.

Feel free to leave a comment I would love to hear some of your favorites or non- favorites!

Hope all of you are having an amazing week.

Tanya

It’s Blush Week

I love blush so I thought it would be fun to do a whole blush week.

So with my first post I wanted to share with you my blush story.

So I use to absolutely hate blush. I think is was intimidated to be honest. While blush can look flattering it can also look terrifying if over applied. I remember one instance my mom begging me to wear blush because I looked way to pale. So I settled on a Too Faced pallet, which had 4 stunning eye shadows, some lip glosses and a blush. This blush changed my whole perspective. It was a soft dusty rose with a slight sheen and it was absolutely stunning. Eventually this blush hit pan and the pallet was discounted. Since then I feel like I have been a wild goose chase to 1. Track this pallet down and 2. Find a dupe. So I guess you can say I am a blush addict at this point. I love trying new formulas and different brands. I love it all!

 
Expect some more blush posts this week.

Thanks for reading.

Feel free to leave a comment I would love to know what your favorite blushes are!

Tanya

Getting Ready For a Special Event

First let me tell you I am not a makeup artist but I would say I’ve dabbled enough to have my fare share of tips. So keep reading if you want to know my three tips on getting ready.

Keep it neutral.

So a few years ago while first getting into makeup I wore a rainbow themed eye makeup to a wedding. While looking back on pictures I can honestly say I look like a hot rainbow mess. So my tip to you is keep it natural. I love using my naked pallet because it has every possible neutral shade I could want.

SPF

I left my Chanel Le Beige powder at home because it has SPF in it. I’m sure many of you know but SPF flash’s back when using flash photography. Which basically means your face is going to look abnormally ghostly white while the rest of your body will look normal. So for special event makeup I like my Becca Blotting Powder Perfector. This is a great translucent setting powder that doesn’t cake up and don’t make you look too matte either.

Blush Base

I’m sure many of you can agree but blush is the first thing that fades on me. So for any special events or for long days I always like to wear a blush base. I find NARS Penny Lane is a perfect neutral color to wear underneath any blush. It’s also stunning alone!

What ever you choose remember to have fun with your makeup, because after all it’s makeup!
Feel free to share your tips with me on getting ready, I would love to hear!

Thanks for stopping by,

Tanya

The Night Before a Special Event

It’s the night before a special event, what do you do?

The night before any special event can be just as important as my makeup application the day of.  So I wanted to share some of my favorite products and tips that I like to use before any special occasion.

Hair Masks

I love hair masks because waking up with smooth shiny hair makes it incredibly easy to style. It also gives me an option of just letting it down if I want. There are a ton of hair masks out there and at every price point. I happened to use a Phyto hair mask this time, but coconut oil or any hair mask will do the trick too.

Facemasks

I love me a good facemask! Currently I am using the Ren Radiance Renewal Mask, which smells like fresh apricots! I like using chemical exfoliating products because they make makeup application a real breeze. Not to mention that they make you skin glow and I mean come on ladies who doesn’t like that?

Body Care

Usually during more formal events I show more skin. Trust me I’m not the tramp at the ball, at least I hope not! But evening dresses usually do show more skin that my consistent outfits of knitted sweaters and black pants. So body care is critical for me, I really like to take the time to exfoliate and use products that leave my skin looking the best. New, to my collection is the Aveda Beautifying range. With the calming scents of lavender and bergamot this line up is the perfect unwinding kit.

Some important tips I want to leave you with are:

•        If you’re anything like me you hoard around beauty products you love for “special days”. And when those very few “special days” come you don’t use the product you’ve been saving. So my tip is go ahead use those products!
•        Use products that you know that work for your skin. Trying any experimental masks may leave into breakouts, hives, and reactions so steer away from experiments!
• -      Do what works for you! If you have 3 hours and seaweed around and know how to do to a seaweed wrap… go for it sister! On the other hand if you have have time for a quick show use a luxurious shower gel.
•        I can’t stress this enough, but a good nights sleep may be the best prep advice I can give. There’s nothing worse then looking then looking and feeling sluggish!

Well that concludes my post today hope you are all having an amazing weekend!

Please feel free to leave me a comment I would love to know what are some of your favorite pampering products are or if you have any tips!

Thanks for reading,

Tanya

Chanel Les Beiges

I was hesitant to do this review, because my first few experiences wearing this powder were literally an oily mess. I concluded that this was due to humidity and in the back of my makeup collection this beauty sat.

Recently the weather dramatically cooled off so I thought I would give this good go before ruling it out.

Yup, Chanel you did it again!

For me I dislike powders that completely mattify by skin because I find that they both irritate and emphasize my dry areas. With that being said I like the idea that powders can prolong the wear of your foundation. So finding a setting powder can be difficult to say the least!

I would consider Chanel Le Beige a mix between a translucent powder and a light coverage powder foundation. The very fine texture makes it impossible to over apply. Which is great if have a heavy hand or if you prefer more of a softer coverage. The fine texture in combination with sheer color makes this a no brainier finishing powder (at least for me). Don’t get me wrong, this a very nice product worn alone and perfect for those lazy Sunday looks.

I found this color range off putting to be honest, which was why I was not interested in this powder at all at first. After swatching I pleasantly surprised that the orange tint to the product does not transfer onto the skin.

If you fall in the dry skin category I think you would really like this powder. However if you have oily skin you might want to try this out before purchasing. Overall, I really like this powder. I like that is prolongs the wear time of my foundation while still giving a healthy glow to the skin. The sun protection is a nice benefit of this powder too!

Thanks for reading!

Hope you all have an excellent Friday!

Tanya