Blush & Flush

If you've been on this blog with me for a while, you probably know that these NYX powder blushes are part of my all time favourites. I use them on a regular basis and they're often featured in my tutorial posts. Although I'd always mentioned about them, I realized I haven't actually done a review or stated my thoughts on them so when I recently added three new members to my (NYX) blush collection, I decided to share! The three new blushes (Cocoa, Cinnamon and Desert Rose) came in a trio pack when HauteLook had a NYX sale a while back (they have them quite often though). Along with these blushes I also picked up their Slide On eyeliners...but I'll save that for the next post. :)

The original three blushes that I have purchased (Angel, Pinched and Taupe) were bought a year ago when I went to IMATS and I absolutely love all of them.

Taupe: I recommended this in my bronzer and contouring post before. You'd probably be surprised why I haven't gone through it completely by now since I had already hit pan since then....well it's cause I've been trying to savour it before I get my hands on a new one lol. Yeap, that's how much I love this for contouring purposes. Why do I love this so much? In the swatch below, you can see that the colour of this definitely lies under the "taupe" category...a gray brown colour that is perfect for creating the illusion of natural shadows. Most bronzers and contouring powders have too much of an orange tinge to it which I'm not too satisfied with because I don't want to risk looking like oompa loompa.

Angel: A matte light pink with a cool undertone. At first, I was worried that this blush would be too light for my skin tone, but surprisingly it shows up beautifully. I like how it can suit many skin tones, the colour is really natural and flattering. Perfect for everyday use.

Pinched: A peachy pink blush with gold shimmer. This took me a while to appreciate it's beauty because I am not a shimmery blush fan due to the natural nature of my skin becoming oily throughout the day. The last thing I want is looking even more shiny with a shimmery blush. But as I used this more and more, I fell in love. The shimmer in this blush is subtle and not over the top and it does not make me look like a disco ball. In fact, I like how the shimmer in this blush gives me a nice natural glow on the cheeks.

Top: Cocoa, Cinnamon, Desert Rose || Bottom: Taupe, Pinched, Angel

Cocoa: A matte brown with red-orange undertones.  Almost a little too orangey-brown for my liking (as mentioned previously) but still acceptable for contouring in my books. If you don't mind the red-orange undertone for contouring then you would probably like this more than I do.

Cinnamon: A bright matte orange. If you like corals in general, you would probably like this colour. Can't say if I am in love with this but it's a good colour for the summer days. It is extremely pigmented so you definitely need to apply this with a light hand or make sure you blend it out afterwards. You will definitely look like oompa loompa if you put this on your cheeks, along with bronzer and perhaps tanned skin during the summer days. Oh dear, please double check yourself in the mirror if you do so.

Desert Rose: Matte raspberry. Also another very pigmented blush that needs to be used with slightly more care. I personally don't find this type of pink too flattering against my skin because it's too....bright? I find that this shade of pink makes me look like I'm actually blushing due to embarrassment or if the environment is too hot and I'm over heated. Or worst, I feel like it makes me appear as though I have the "asian glow" after having one too many drinks LOL...uhm yeah...just...not very attractive. For this reason, I only tap my brush in this once and tap it once on my cheeks. I can imagine this looking more pretty on other skintones. I, on the other hand need more time to let this colour grow on me.

 L-R: Pinched, Angel, Taupe, Cocoa, Desert Rose, Cinnamon

Overall Thoughts: I love NYX blushes and I would definitely continue to purchase more colours given the opportunity. These blushes are pigmented in a way that they are no brainers and easy to use on the cheeks (with the exception of Cinnamon and Desert Rose - these two are more pigmented than the others). They are also soft in texture and generally last throughout the day (however understandably, they do not last on a hot sweaty summer day but you can always increase the longevity with a creme blush underneath). There is a slight bit of powdery-ness with these blushes (Angel and Pinched specifically) but dont worry, it's nothing crazy.