blush crush: benefit hervana

benefit hervana blush

Saw this blush a few weeks again and was lamenting that fact that I really shouldn’t splurge. So imagine my excitement when my sister came home with it! Anyway, Hervana (her + Nirvana, eeee) is, an ‘orchid-blossom blush for a heavenly flush of enlightenment’ Sounds cute huh? I think I agree, it’s natural, beautiful and I feel very pretty wearing it!

The product, which was launched in Australia just this month, follows on from Sugar bomb with the swirl of different colours. This one has four shades; lucky shell, divine peach, heavenly rise and berry delight. I love the effect of all four swirled together and there is something about actually swirling the blush around that I love.


The shades in Nervana are quite different from my staple blushes which is a good thing. I mainly go for your more peachy tones or brighter pinks but this one almost has a cool pick, mauve undertone which is really flattering (especially for those pale skinned ladies!). With winter coming up I think it will add a great pop of colour but still with a muted, angelic look.  It has the slightest amount of shimmer but nothing over the top so it’s definitely day time approved.

Onto the packaging. For those benefit blush buffs you will have noticed the lid is not completely removable like most other benefit blushes. This is my first benefit blush with the new box and I am a fan. Hoping they eventually change all the packaging over. Even better is the new brush which although is still not ahhhmazing, it a hell of a lot better than the old one and you might actually want to use it, especially on the go. 

in action 

I am a fan of this little box. It's not like any other in my collection and makes my cheeks feel oh so pretty, hehe. 

So what are your thoughts? Will you be rocking Nirvana or are you going to give it a miss. Personally I am a complete sucker for Benefit blushes!

Blush Crush: Benefit's Coralista

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Hey beauties,

I'm back with another blush crush. This time I'm loving Coralista by Benefit.

Coralista is a gorgeous corally pink. It gives me a bright sunny look (which I need as the weather is unpleasant at the moment!).  There is some shimmer but not too much, just enough to give the cheeks a gorgeous glow. You can build definitely up the intensity but as I'm pale I use a light hand. I really think this is a blush that would be flattering on sooo many skin tones too. Really that about sums it up; it's just a fabulous blush..

Applied heavily on the left & lightly on the right.

Here is this baby in action!

Do you have a current blush crush? I would love to know, I always love blush recommendations!



xxx

Mac Virgin Isle Dupe

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Hi Girlies,

So I was going through my makeup stash the other day and realised I have a really similar product to Mac's Virgin Isle cream colour base. I love Virgin Isle so have to share this discovery! It's Max Factor's Miracle Touch cream blush in Soft Candy (07) and although it's not a perfect dupe it's definitely in the running. 

Here's the comparison...

and swatched...

L-R: Max Factor's Soft Candy applied heavily and blended and Mac's Virgin Isle applied heavily and blended 

Soft Candy does look darker in the pan but once applied they are alike. Soft Candy has more of a red tone whilst Virgin Isle is a bit more coral toned.  Virgin Isle is more pigmented which isn't necessarily a bad thing as you do have to be careful not to use too much product or hello clown cheeks! One of the differences between these two is the finishes. Soft Candy has a glossier, dewier finish when applied to the skin, both products provide that great glowy look to the skin. Although their finishes are different the colours are really similar especially once they are blended into the skin. I would give Soft Candy a B in duping, what do you think?

So if you can't get your hands on Virgin Isle or want a cheap alternative I would recommend Soft Candy for that great corally pop of colour!

Much love, 

Imogen 

Blush Crush: NYX Mauve

Hello lovely readers, 

I'm back with another blush crush. This time it's NYX's Mauve. The weather has taken a turn for the worst lately and I haven't really been feeling like peaches of pinks so I thought I would whip out this one to mix it up a bit.

Mauve is a muted rosy pink blush. I do find the name a little deceiving as the blush is more of a muted pink with almost a hint of orange (on my skin anyway) regardless I am liking this blush. I am still on the hunt for a great mauvey toned blush so let me know if you have any suggestions. 

 The texture is smooth, silky and really blendable. It's easy to apply and very pigmented, as you can see in the pic below where I have packed it on! However this blush does lack staying power but for the price I really can't complain too much.

  (Excuse the messy hair, this is it in all its natural glory haha)

It is a nice, rosy, natural looking blush.  This blush is definitely great for fair to medium skinned gals but be careful to use a light hand!

I would love to know what people's favourite winter blushes are, I think I feel a shopping spree coming on!

Imogen x

Blush Crush

k.
I am a blush addict so I thought I would share my latest blush crush: Mac's Well Dressed.

I think Well dressed in an amazing colour. For some reason I often overlook it but have been loving it the last few weeks. On my light skinned complexion it's perfect. It's a light baby pink with a slight hint of shimmer. After one application it's really light which is nice and subtle for the daytime but it can be built up to add a nice pop of pink.

Well dressed is amazing for those fair skinned ladies so if you’re pale go ahead and try it!

:)

Battle of the Corals

While reorganising my makeup the other day I discovered I have a growing collection of coral blushes. Coral toned blushes are definitely my favourite (obviously!) I just love the flushed natural glow they give.  

So without further ado here are my favs; 

Here are descriptions they give on their websites; 

Mac Stereo Rose - Coral with golden/bronze shimmering nuances

Benefit Coralista - A warm coral cheek powder for a 'tropical flush'

Mac Dainty - Light yellow pink with gold pearl 

Nars Orgasm - Peachy pink with shimmer

 Without Flash: Left to right - Mac Stereo Rose, Benefit Coralista, Mac Dainty, Nars Orgasm

 With flash left to right - Mac Stereo Rose, Mac Dainty, Benefit Coralista, Nars Orgasm  

Ok onto my thoughts;  

♥ Stereo Rose is the bronziest of the 4, I only did a post recently raving about it. It has a bit of  rosey tone to it (hence the name!) and is probably the least corally out of the four. It makes me look really fresh and like lots of the good Mac mineralize skinfinishes gives a beautiful sheen to the skin. 

♥ Coralista is a beautiful peachy coral. It's quite sheer but can be built up to add a bright pop to the cheek. It's great for my NW20ish skin and it smells really good too! I think this will be my summer stable blush.

 ♥ Dainty is the pinkest of the 4 and has a noticeable shimmer in it which you can sort of see in the photo with the flash, but it's not an over the top shimmer. It is quite a pigmented blush too so I have to be careful not to overdo it on my NW20ish skin.

♥ And lucky last is the famous Nars orgasm. You all know about it. It's a great shimmery coral peach blush which looks great on most skin tones. It has a gold shimmer in it which some days I love and other days I'm no so keen on - depends on the day. I'm sure you've heard it all before but I have to agree that it is a great coral pinky blush.

Left to right - Mac Stereo Rose, Benefit Coralista, Mac Dainty, Nars Orgasm 

And the winner is... 

Ugh please don't make me choose between may choose, it's too hard!

They are all gorgeous good quality blushes and as you can see from the swatch above they are all super similar. If I could only have one of these I think I would go with Coralista. It's a tough choice though.

You might think I would have satisfied my coral blush love but I still do have my eye on a few other corally colours. You can never have enough right!?

What is your fav coral blush?

 

Love love love - Mac Stereo Rose

This bad boy arrived in the mail last week woo hoo!

I was the very lucky winner Pretty as Peaches 125 subscribers giveaway. I know there has been crazy amounts of hype around Stereo Rose and I have to say (reluctantly) I totally get it now. I say reluctantly because of the fact that it is limited edition.

I saw heaps of pictures of it in the past and thought it was pretty but I was not overly keen on running out and buying it mainly because I thought it would be a bit dark for my NW20ish complexion. However after seeing it in person this is really a stand out MSF.

It is absolutely gorgeous. It gives me a beautiful corally warm flush. I use it as a blush and it brightens up my face giving me a great glow. It's unlike any other blush I own with its unique shimmery, peachy, corally, bronzey, rose gold colour.

It has a great consistency - well pigmented, not too shimmery, no chunky glitter and is really finely milled.

As I said I was a tad scared as first seeing it and after seeing how pigmented it was when I swatched it on my hand. I was worried that there was no way I could get it to work for me but luckily I was completely wrong.

You can sort of see in the swatches just how pigmented it is but if i apply it lightly, like the bottom swatch, it looks great. As stupid as it sounds when I first put it on I kept glancing at my reflection to admire my cheeks!

I want to say a huge thank you to Lindsay for having such a great giveaway and making me very happy by giving me this little gem!

I see it is going on ebay for crazy amounts, one was US$119. So with that in mind is there any blush that you splurge on if it became hard to get?

Dollymix loving

I had an exam today and was feeling a little glum so i figured what better way to brighten my day my before the exam than with MAC Dollymix.  

 

Dollymix is the first MAC blush i bought i'm not really sure why as i'm usually more of a peachy girl but Dollymix looked fun. This is a vibrant blush which has a bit of shimmer in it. If you're scared don't be it can be a gorgeous sheer pink or definitely built up for bright pop of colour.

It is super pigmented and as i am quite pale i have to use a light hand otherwise i end up looking like a barbie but then again its name is Dollymix!

Here i am looking looking very bedraggled (it was the end of a long day!) trying to show you the colour. Sorry for the dodgey webcam pic i couldn't find my camera but you get the idea (i hope).

For some reason i don't find myself reaching for it that often, i kind of forget about it, but when i do use it i'm reminded how great it it so i really need to remember it!

Anyway if you have been thinking about Dollymix or are in need a new bright blush i would recommend giving it a shot.

:)

Current Five Favourite Blushes

These are my current five favourite blushes. They are likely to change soon as I have my eye on a few, but at the moment these are the ones I am loving!

Here they are; 

• MAC Pink Swoon: A favourite of many, the trusty Pink Swoon. A gorgeous light pink with no shimmer. It goes on smoothly, blends well & looks good with any makeup look. Pale or sunkissed (which is rare occurance for me!) this blush will suit my skin whichever.

• MAC Peaches: It took me so long to get my hands on this blush, it was sold out online in at four different MAC counters. I’m glad I finally tracked it down. I loved the idea of true peach, but wasn't sure if it would work on my complexion... I'm so glad it does! One coat gives my cheeks a soft glow, it is buildable so if I want it to show up more I can layer it. 

• MAC Tenderling: I originally bought this online for contouring but when it arrived I found it to be lighter than I thought. Luckily it has turned into one of my favourite blushes. In the pan it looks quite plain & boring (& the photo doesn’t help) but once applied it adds a nice colour to my face. It’s a great everyday blush & I find myself reaching for it when I’m in a hurry or can’t be bothered to find anything else. Being a sheertone formula it has no shimmer or glitter which I like for uni.

• NARS Orgasm: This is probably my most worn blush (along with ALOT of other people!) But it really is great. I’m sure you have all heard it before but it’s a beautiful pinky coral with shimmer that brightens my face. Often I don’t feel like wearing pinks & when that is the case corals are perfect. 

• Revlon Matte Powder Blush Perfectly Peach: This is a fairly new purchase. Being back at uni I am watching my pennies again & I managed to get this on special. The colour of the blush is really pretty. I love the peachy pink colour. It is quite a natural everyday blush that doesn’t have any shimmer (that probably went without saying considering the name!) which i like for uni. It is quite light so i don’t think it would be great for those who don't have lighter skin tones. 

Here is a swatch of all of them (in the same order) except Revlon perfectly peach, I ran out of fingers! If anyone would like a swatch of it just let me know.

What blushes are you currently loving?

x

What’s In My Makeup Bag:

I always really enjoy these posts, so here we go.

This is my makeup bag. It’s from K-mart and I really like it. It was cheap, is compact and holds heaps. Despite what it may look like I can actually zip it up!



Firstly lips. Like every girl I always have more then enough lip products with me. I suffer from chronic dry lips and do normally have more lip balms but today looks like a tame day. On a day to day basis I use Lucas’s Pawpaw ointment but recently my lips have been really dry bad so I have been using The Body Shop’s Hemp Lip Protector which is good so far. I also have a Mac tinted lip conditioner in fuchsia fix, MAC lipglass in Underage, MAC cremesheen in Crème Cup and my latest purchase Barry M lipgloss in Toffee, which living in Australia I am so happy to have finally got my hands on!



Next is MAC blot powder. I always have this with me to fight the dreaded shine, as well as have MAC Select Cover-up in NW20, Benefit posietint which is good for on the go and Rimmel sexy curves (my one has seen better days.)



And then there are just some random things. Blot tissues, tweezers, nail files, perfume, a mirror, super cute lip shaped band-aids which my mum got for me and dental floss. I used to work at a cinema and would always get popcorn stuck in my teeth so dental hence the dental floss!



And that’s everything :)