SATURDAY SHOPPING ♥ BLUSH REVIEW part 1

I had a revelation yesterday and thought I should really just do this post now. I could wait until next MAKEUP MONDAY to do this post, but I have so much beauty stuff to cover it doesn't make any sense to wait. So I'm breaking it up into two parts. Here is part one of the Blush Review. Blush is one of my favorite things and I always wear it. And I've been experimenting with a lot of them lately.

PIXI WATER BLUSH. I WILL PROBABLY RE-PURCHASE THIS AS IT LASTS FOR EV ER AND IT LOOKS REALLY NATURAL AND LASTS ALL DAY. (I JUST CHECKED AND I'M NOT SURE THEY ARE MAKING THIS PRODUCT ANYMORE. SAD.)

ORIGINS PINCH YOUR CHEEKS. NOT MY FAVORITE ANYMORE. BUT I ALWAYS HAVE A TUBE IN MY MAKEUP COLLECTION...JUST IN CASE.

I have always (always meaning I've been using forever...so long that I can't remember when I started to use it) been a diehard cheek stain liquid blush lady. I think I started with the famous Origins Pinch Your Cheeks and then moved onto other things I loved that got discontinued and ended up using Pixi Water Blush which I have used for a couple of years...until recently. I noticed my skin was getting a little more dry. I've always had really combination-normal and maybe even very sensitive skin. But not really dry. But I'm not 23 anymore. Of course my skin is going to change. And, frankly, I was just ready to update my look a little. Sometimes when you're ready to take your ambitions to the next level, you also want to take your look to another level. In addition, in all these years that I've been using a cheek stain, technology in the beauty realm has really excelled...even when it comes to drugstore/high street brands. But blush is my thing. I don't like to wear too much of anything, but I am known for my "rosy cheeks".  And I was curious about blushes like NARS' "Orgasm" and Laura Mercier apricot shades. I tried both and returned both. It was way too powder-y for me and I felt like an old lady wearing powder blush. I'm sure it wasn't the products' fault, BTW. That's not what I'm saying...but the journey did commence to find something that made me think "OOOO!" when I looked in the mirror. 

Which leads to all the blushes I now own and have experimented with. You'll be very surprised at what I ended up loving. 

THE BLUSH TEST...L TO R...ELF BLUSH/BRONZER DUO, PAULA DORF CREME BLUSH IN CHA CHA, JEMMA KIDD STAIN/FLUSH/BLUSH CONCENTRATE IN MASQUERADE, JEMMA KIDD BLUSH ID, SONIA KASHUK SUPER SHEER LIQUID TINT IN PEONY AND BECCA CREME BLUSH IN AMARYLLIS...THERE'S ALSO A ROSIE JANE CHEEK GLOSS IN ROSE THAT I FORGOT TO INCLUDE IN THE SHOT.

I have way more than mentioned above, but these are the main contenders. So...here we go.....

ROSIE  JANE CHEEK GLOSS IN ROSE

Rosie Jane Cheek Gloss in Rose

Someone from their PR sent this product to me ages ago, and I loved them. Though, I prefer to wear them on my lips than my cheeks as they don't stay on very long. At least not on my cheeks. But it's def convenient to have this Rosie Jane tiny compact in your pocket if you don't want to carry a full-on makeup bag. Because in a second, you have lip gloss and blush and a teeny tiny mirror to boot. This is one of my HG blushes. I just love love the hue. I own all the colors, but this is definitely my favorite. It leaves a dewy sheen on your cheeks which is lovely. The only problem is that it doesn't last on my cheeks, which is why I tend to use it as a back-up blush and more as a lip gloss. But it is great. Love it. Oh and I think it used to cost around $48 a compact which is really steep. But I saw it recently for about $24.

BECCA CREME BLUSH IN AMARYLLIS

Becca Creme Blush in Amaryllis

I was really really excited to get this blush. The other colors I was interested in were sold out. But this is a really pretty pink that looks really natural on my olive skin tone. Again, this is an expensive cream blush coming in at around 30-something dollars. So I figured it would be awesome. And again, I do love it and I do wear it and it tends to work best when I apply it with a brush rather than my fingers which gets it to melt too much maybe. But it doesn't stay on my cheeks all day like some of the other blushers I love. This is the reason I have always loved stains. They last all day. You never have to worry and thus they look really natural because they are on your face all the live-long day! But maybe the cheek staying power thing is my own issue and this might work better on others. Everyone raves about Becca and I do love their products. The packaging I don't really get as it looks really military to me. But we'll see. 

SONIA KASHUK SUPER SHEER LIQUID TINT IN PEONY...THIS IS A TERRIBLE IMAGE AS IT DOESN'T REALLY SHOW HOW GORGEOUS THE COLOR IS.

YOU CAN SEE THE COLOR A LITTLE BETTER HERE.

Sonia Kashuk Super Sheer Liquid Tint in Peony

I really love love this product but I haven't used it enough to know how to use it properly yet. When I see images of other girls who have used this, I LOVE it. But I don't know how much to put on or really how long it stays. Sometimes it stays on for a long time. And other times I can't see it after an hour. But the shade Peony is perfect. And it's usually sold out.  It's not too expensive, coming in at under $10 at Tar-get. So maybe you might want to try this one. Again, I use a brush with this. It tends to go on better that way. 

Okay...here's part two of this Blush Review. x♡

more saturday shopping ♥ dolls and roses

images from target.com and a lot of other sites i'll list on the makeup monday post. except for the group blush shot which is my own.

GIRL FRIDAY ♥ PERSONAL BEST BY MEISEL

Here is the final story I have been going over from the April issue of Italian Vogue. I've mentioned it a few times in the other posts, and since I don't have the story ready that I intended for the GIRL FRIDAY post, I'll show you these. It's a gorgeous story...with excellent casting and styling and gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous GLAMROCK. And we all know what I sucker I am for Glam Rock (spell it how you wanna spell it). It's been a crazy (good) week...I have good news and then almost good news because I was up for a huge huge fashion gig as a Senior Art Director overseeing all brands under one of the really successful fashion groups in the US. But it didn't happen....yet. :) Keep going, kids. Pursing a creative career can be challenging and there are a ton of highs and lows. But if your heart is in it, you will get there. And I'll support you. :) Some of my dreams are starting to unfold and I can't wait to have news to share about them with you. But until they fully manifest into concrete tangible reality, I'll keep them under wraps and just let you know that times can be rough and frustrating...but you have to keep going. And then one day you might end up working on a shoot like this one called PERSONAL BEST and shoot with someone like Steven Meisel. ;)

VOGUE ITALIA APRIL 2011 COVER

REALLY FUNNY AND ODD PROFILE SHOT OF LINDSEY WIXSON. I LOVE IT.

STUNNING STUNNING STUNNING. MAKEUP BY PAT MCGRATH...of course. :)♡

more girl friday ♥ brooke shields ck jeans

images from vogue.it

THURSDAY SHOE ♥ THE CASADEI TWIST

These gold twist heels by Casadei sort of remind me of the Jimmy Choos I just wrote about. Maybe that's why I like them? I think it's more about the luscious gold hue of these sandals. These are the types of shoes you can wear with virtually anything and it will elevate the look easily! Really gorgeous and nice to hear about Casadei...hadn't heard about them in a long long while. I think it's one of those posh brands I used to hear about when I was little when my mom and her sister were shopping. In any case, you can get these for...just under $1400 at Farfetch. I know...1400 for a shoe. I know I know. :)♡

more thursday shoe ♥ white patent

images from farfetch.com

TUESDAY TAILOR ♥ 3.1 PHILLIP LIM MENS

For some odd reason, this TUESDAY TAILOR post on the new film for the menswear collection has disappeared without a trace and I have no idea why! It's done by my old homie and photographer I've wokred with a lot in the past named Andrew Paynter. I can't remember exactly what I wrote other than this is a film he directed for the 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall Winter 2011 Mens Collection, and that it's so very very him (Andrew). Andrew has a very distinct voice in his work and it shows up over and over in the video. He's also a very stylish boy himself. I'll see if I can find the original post. I can't believe it's disappeared! Oh...I found the original post text here:

I had a different post for today, but then I received an email from an old homie and excellent photographer I've worked with in the past named ANDREW PAYNTER. He was letting us know about a new fashion film he directed for the 3.1 PHILLIP LIM MENS FALL/WINTER 2011 COLLECTION. The film is entitled WEAVERS, and it's presented on Nowness.com. Andrew has a keen eye and his photographs have a distinct voice. He is always in my Rolodex of photographers because he's really excellent at everything he does. And his own style is amazing, too. I'm not a really huge fan of Phillip Lim's womenswear...but I do like the boys collection and of course I love everything Andrew does. Check it out.♡

Phillip Lim: Weavers on Nowness.com.

more tuesday tailor ♥ eley kishimoto winter show