Blush Swatches

I am not a big blush collector. I have a lot of natural pigmentation in my cheeks, so I've always passed on blush for fear of emphasizing it. Lately though I have started to experiment with blush a bit more and have added a few to my collection.

NARS seems to be the standard for blushes in the mid range cosmetics. I only have two: Douceur and a mini Orgasm (part of an old Sephora 500 point perk). Douceur is a dusty pink/mauve. It looks really dark and brown in the swatches, but looks less dirty in real life. I'm fairly sure everyone knows why Orgasm looks like...but it's a shimmery peachy pink.

From Tarte, I have two of the Amazonian clay blushes. Both were part of various kits and I'm not sure they are available individually. Charisma is a peachy pink with shimmer. Adventurous is a muted berry with shimmer.

As far as MAC blushes go, I currently own one (although I do have 3 MSFs). It is Launch Away and was released last summer. It's a nice, light pink with a bit of peach and no shimmer/sheen.

Lastly, I have a bareMinerals blush from the Ready line in The Natural High. I reviewed this recently, but it's (again) a peachy pink with shimmer.

(Do we see a trend with my choices?!?)

I definitely need to branch out some with my color choices and also get more matte/satin finishes, but I'm still a blush newbie. Do you have a favorite blush or one you can't wait to buy?

Kay Von D Starstruck palette swatches

I picked this palette up for under $13. I can't seem to find it on Sephora's website anymore, but I have seen it in stores still.

This little palette has 4 warm toned shadows; 2 coppery browns, a gold, and a red. Swatches are shown top to bottom, left to right.

The 2 brown shades feel quite soft and smooth. The gold and red feel a bit drier, but still swatch incredibly well.

MAC Eyeshadow: Matte

Continuing on my MAC swatching mission; here are the eyeshadows I own with a matte formula. All swatches are on NW15 skin.

Matte formulas can be hit or miss. They can be buttery and blendable or stuff and difficult to work with. I've had decent luck with MAC's matte shadows, but I do a lot of 'research' before I buy.

First up is Sand &Sun. This is a limited edition from Summer 2010. It's a pinky peach with a semi stiff texture.

Next is Embark. This is a deep brown with good color payoff and is nice to work with.

Then we have Corduroy. This is lighter than Embark with more of a red undertone. Again, this one is nice to work with. I swatched Embark next to Corduroy (l-r) to show the difference in color.

Next is Wedge. This is my newest matte and I really like it. It's a light brown and is nice as a subtle crease color.

Finally is Plumage. This is a deep, dark teal. It has excellent payoff and is nice to work with. I did two swatches here, one heavy and the other sheered out.

Swatches below are in the same order as above.

Thanks for reading!

MAC Lipstick Swatches: Lustre

This is the last post for this series! I will be moving on too my MAC eyeshadows next. Again, swatches are on NW15 skin.

Lustre finish lipsticks are some of my favorites. They are usually semi opaque and glossy; some give more color than others. I find them comfortable to wear and not drying. They do need to be reapplied more frequently, but it's lipstick...you'll have to do that eventually!

This post is long, sorry!

First are the limited edition shades I have; Cusp of Dawn, Pink Popcorn, and Cut a Caper.

Cusp of Dawn is a slightly peach nude. It's more wearable than a lot of nudes due to its sheer application and shine.

Pink Popcorn is a pink with purple duochrome. This is an interesting color and still surprisingly wearable.

Cut a Caper is a gorgeous bright pinky coral.

The next three are; Plink!, Viva Glam V, Viva Glam VI.

Plink! is a baby pink and applies very sheer. This ends up being mostly shine.

Viva Glam V is a great 'my lips but better' pink mauve and seems to be pretty universally wearable.

Viva Glam VI is slightly more red/berry than V is. They look very similar swatched.

Next up are; Lady Bug, Lovelorn, and Hug Me.

Lady Bug is a gorgeous red and since its slightly sheer and glossy its a great starter red.

Lovelorn is a pretty, slightly cool pink.

Hug Me is another wearable nude. It has enough pink to avoid washing me out.

Last we have my favorite three...and to be honest, they are all nearly the same color. These are Sophisto, Capricious, and Plumful.

Sophisto is a burgundy that almost looks frosty in the tube, but isn't at all once applied. It's the most sheer of these thee.

Capricious is a plummy burgundy. It's sort of a cross between the other two in this set.

Plumful is a pinky plum and is fairly opaque.

All pics are in the same order, swatches go l-r.

MAC Lipstick Swatches: Satin

Next up are the MAC lipsticks I own with a satin finish. A satin finish isn't glossy or matte, but more natural. Again, for reference swatches are on NW15 skin.

Rebel is a pinky plum. On my lips it does pull more pink. This is one of my favorite lipsticks as it packs a punch, but is still quite wearable.

Viva Glam Nicki is a bright yellow based pink. Lovely color for Spring and Summer!

Amorous is a plum burgundy. This is a bit drier in texture than the other two. It's more red based than Rebel.

MAC Lipstick Swatches: Prolongwear, Matte, Glaze

I am in the process of posting swatches of all my MAC lipsticks, broken down by finish. This post includes the Prolongwear, Matte, and Glaze finishes since I currently only have one of each. For reference, I am a NW15 in MAC foundation.

First is the Prolongwear lipstick in You're Perfect Already. This was a limited edition from the MAC for Beth Ditto collection. This has a semi matte finish and, as the name implies, long wearing. It does emphasize dry spots on the lips and, honestly, is not the most flattering color on me. It is a peachy nude.

Next is the Matte lipstick in Viva Glam I. This is an awesome slightly cool red. It's comfortable to wear and lasts a decent amount of time.

Last is the Glaze lipstick in Pleasureseeker. This is a peachy pink with semi sheer coverage and a bit of frost to it. This was a limited edition from one of the mineralize releases earlier this year.