July Favourites

July was a wonderful month for rediscovering old beauty favourites! I've been doing a lot of digging around in my beauty collection lately and I've realised how many products have been sitting around in my draws, completely unloved. In an attempt to save money and use up some of my makeup I've decided to switch up my everyday makeup routine by adding a new product from my existing beauty stash every singly day and I have to admit it's almost as fun as shopping itself!

The Cream Blush Crush

Cream Blush and I are having a bit of a moment. 

I've always been a powder finish kind of girl but my new found love for dewy natural looking skin has completely changed my relationship with the product. When bareMinerals kindly sent over one of their limited edition Blush Balms from the new Pop of Passion collection (which is fantastic by the way, expect another blog post very, very soon) I thought I might as well give cream blush another chance and I'm so thrilled that I did! My Blush Balm has sparked a cream blush obsession and when I pair it with my favourite lightweight base and liquid highlighter (which, if you were wondering, is Complexion Rescue and Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlight Kit) I can finally achieve that perfect lightweight, healthy glowing base I've been striving for this summer! 

 bareMinerals Pop of Passion Blush Balm in Posy Passion*

My bareMinerals Blush Balm is, by far, my absolute favourite of the three cream blushes I'm featuring today and in all honesty it's probably my favourite cream blush that I've ever used... yup, ever. That's a pretty bold claim! Unsurprisingly, it's hardly left my cheeks since I was sent this and I instantly knew that it was going to be part of my graduation makeup from the second I tried it. I have Posy Passion*, a beautiful English Rose shade which is slightly lighter and more pink than the colour in my photograph. The reason I adore this blush so much is due its texture as it's much more silky than your average cream blush. It literally glides onto your fingers and across your cheeks and, as the name suggests, it is much more similar to a balm than a thicker cream product. Due to its consistency it adds a gorgeous glow to the cheeks and it even feels moisturising on my skin (something the next blush definitely doesn't do). The product is semi-sheer: one layer provides a lovely natural flush of colour which I find is perfect for everyday wear yet it is so easy to build up the colour. For evenings or special occasions I amp up the intensity and apply 3 thin layers. Despite the extra layers you'll be pleased to know that the glowing, luminous effect doesn't increase to an unnatural finish. It still looks beautiful on the skin and after a few hours wear it still remains intact, with the dewy glow only fading slightly.

I'm beyond devastated that these blushes are limited edition and I know I'm going to have to pick up at least one more shade before they disappear from the shelves. The Pop of Passion Blush Balms retail for £20.00 each and they're available online and in stores in 3 shades (Posy, Papaya and Natural). QVC also sell an additional two shades (Guava and Mauve) that are even more exclusive so if you're a regular QVC shopper you should definitely check them out!

Spring Blushes from bareMinerals!

Spring is definitely my favourite time of the year to experiment with blush. During the winter months I usually opt for a fairly basic base and amp up my makeup with a dark lip and in the summer I'm much more focused on transforming into a bronzed goddess. As the weather finally begins to reach double figures here in England I've started to change up my makeup routine and I've been reaching for two blushes in particular lately, both of which I was lucky enough to receive as gifts. The first, Vintage Peach by bareMinerals*, was kindly sent for me to review and the second, Love Radiance, was a Christmas present from my boyfriend's Gran which seems to suggest my love for bareMinerals is becoming pretty darn obvious (and perhaps borderline obsessive? Haha!) 

Before I delve into reviewing the products, I thought it would be useful to feature which makeup brushes I use to apply the blush as I've found it's so easy to overdo it with a loose powder blush! When I first started using loose powder blushes I made the mistake of grabbing my regular Sigma SS168 angled brush which applied way too much blush onto my cheeks! Instead I like to tap a little bit of blush out into the lid, take my bareMinerals Tapered Blush brush* and focus on the apples of my cheeks, applying it in small circular motions. Afterwards, I apply a little bit more blush onto my very old and well loved bareMinerals Light Stroke Fan brush (which sadly you can't buy anymore - yes, it's that old! It's from back in the i.d. days!) and I lightly sweep it across my cheeks which helps to blend whilst adding a little extra colour.

 
Vintage Peach* is possibly the prettiest and most flattering blush I own. It reminds me of a toned down and more peachy NARS Orgasm. Vintage Peach also has golden, shimmery particles in it which I love and I can imagine this will look even more incredible with a tan! The blush is fairly pigmented but it's not too intense so it's definitely a buildable shade if you'd like to amp up the colour for the evening. Unlike a lot of powder blushes that I own, this isn't chalky and after application it doesn't make the face appear powdery at all. In fact, I've found it blends into the skin really nicely and leaves an almost creamy texture. The finish looks very natural and the shimmer is so pretty that I often find myself skipping highlighter when I use this! As with all the loose powder I've tried from bareMinerals, the product is really pigmented so a little really does go a long way! Vintage Peach contains 0.85g of product and retails for £20.

Love Radiance is a limited edition all-over face colour which came with the Glow All The Way set this Christmas. You can actually use the bareMinerals All-Over Face colours in a variety of ways but for this particular shade I love using it as a subtle blush. Despite it appearing rather dark on the lid, my swatch below shows how it leaves a beautiful, peachy orange tint to the skin. I usually opt for the shade when I want a more natural look or if I'm contouring my face and, even though it hasn't translated that well in my swatch, it leaves a beautiful glow to the skin. It has the same, creamy texture as Vintage Peach and blends easily across the cheeks. 

Swatches (left to right): Love Radiance (swatched quite heavily) and Vintage Peach.

What blushes are you reaching for this Spring?
Let me know in the comments below!