Posts with tag blush

So we've heard about the Lipstick Effect, thanks to the underwhelming economy, but what about the Cheeker Cause? So what if we just made it up – no girl should forgo rosy cheeks this winter just because of a little money crisis!

Here's a problem we have:

The brushes that come in blush compacts are about as useful as Tila Tequila Shot at Love rejects. It's like trying to apply eyeliner with a pair of tweezers. It is the wrong tool.

This is compounded by the fact that if you keep a regular blush brush in your makeup bag (or, heaven forbid, loose in your purse), you get stray blush everywhere like you have no mama, and it can even be damaging to the brush! It's a lose-lose situation, and makes it hard to keep blush with you--and you need it this season!

The Adesign Kabuki Brush? Solves our problem.

We saw this display of Estee Lauder's new Signature Blush at Lord & Taylor and got all excited! In particular, we were interested in the two-tone blends in the front row.

I'm always up for something cool, so I asked Estee Lauder to put that bright white and pink shade, second from the left, on me. Read on to see!

We love all of the amazing independent designers out there. In order to find out more about just what makes all of these creative types tick, we present to you an ongoing segment called Indie Designer Interviews.

Today we'd like you to meet Jessica Lynne Miller, the creator and owner of J.Lynne Cosmetics, a line of handcrafted mineral makeup. Sick of regular makeup irritating her sensitive skin, Jessica decided to take matters into her own hands and she came up with this line of all natural cosmetics.

Which makeup tools do you need and which can you toss, now that is the question.

Let's take it down to the nitty gritty and see what tools are necessities and what are just excess for the everyday gal.

Uh, oh. America's favorite sapphic starlet is setting off those substance abuse rumors again. Fox News is spreading reports that Linds, "isn't taking care of herself." For the repeat rehabber, that means drugs, or at least partying too much.

Lindsay and her gal-pal Sam Ronson are definitely skinny. And Sam, already not the prettiest girl at the party, works that dark-circle/heroin-pallor-look hard. Either she's spending some hard nights on the town, or she's adamantly trying to prove that superficial stuff, like concealer and blush, is beneath her notice.

We'll be able to judge Lindsay's weight loss for ourselves soon, when she appears in a red bathing suit on an episode of Living Lohan, her sister Ali's horrifying reality show. Let's hope that, if anything, she's taking the Master Cleanse a little too far, and not following the Rachel Zoe horse tranquilizer diet again.

Funny thing: Lindsay's all natural boobs are always the same size, no matter how big or small she gets...now that's a reason to gossip.

Most of us love the summertime – the sun, the beach, the warmth, the runny makeup... okay, so maybe we don't love all of it. When the weather is hot and you're sweating your face off literally, it is time to readjust your makeup routine so you don't look like a hot mess for the next three months.

Many of us gals have been the victim of expired cosmetics. Here's the scenario. After seeing pics of that smokin' gloss we used to wear in high school, we rush to our beauty closet only to open the tube to a rank stank that we don't understand. Most beauty products do not have any smell, or if they do, it is very faint. If you start noticing some product BO, it's because that favorite gloss is dying a slow, bacteria-invested death in that dark, tightly sealed tube. Once the product has peaked, it can cause some pretty gross irritations or infections if used. To avoid all of the above, follow these general toss time guidelines.

We always forget to reapply lipstick. It's just one of those character flaws that we are resigned to living with. Which would be fine if we had a lighter hand with the eyeliner. A naked mouth on a faceful of makeup can look really unbalanced.

Fortunately we found stains, which give a bit of color, a lot of staying power, and are easy to use. Just apply stain before you lipstick or gloss, and even if you talk/eat off all of your lipstick, at the end of the night you'll still have some color on your mouth.

We also love stains because they can be multi-purposed as blusher, without that grandma-ish powdery feel. One quick swipe and you have a fetching glow.

So versatile, so pretty. And so many to choose from. The best of the best in the gallery.

Stylelist has a how to guide for wearing colored eyeliner, which is totally fun, and balances really well with all the brights we're seeing for clothes this season.

Clicking through the looks gave us sweet 80s nostalgia. Purple eyeliner! Sparkly green! Ah, ninth grade! Then we came across a pictures of lip liner and vivid pink blush and had to laugh.

The makeup palette by Hourglass cosmetics is gorgeous! It makes me feel like a Hollywood star when I whip out this ultra fancy case to define my non-Hollywood cheekbones.

You see, I am not usually into blush because it's so darn hard to put on. Due to my fear of powder blush I usually go with a cream blush or a blush stick from Tarte. However, when I got this nice blush palette by Hourglass as a Christmas present I was forced to change my ways.

The kit comes with a darker shade blush and a lighter shade, which helps define your cheekbones. Sweep the darker shade along your cheekbones and then dab the lighter shade on the apples of your cheeks. The power goes on pretty dark so some blending is required. The greatest part of all is that the make up doesn't feel heavy on the face at all; you can hardly tell you have it on.

You can choose between two different color combinations: Brazilian for darker skin (which is what I use) and Burlesque, which has peachier and pink shades for more fair complexions. The palette is large with a nice quality mirror on it so you can actually see what you are doing.

A+ for Hourglass Blush Duo.

With sexy Sephoras and posh Blue Mercuries cropping up all over the place, it's easy to forget about The Body Shop.

But a girl really ought to keep The Body Shop in mind. Take the Body Shop's new Solar Duo Blush, which combines the spring/summer look du jour of dewy shimmer with sheer, eye-popping colors. Radiant Pink -- the superior of the two shades -- works like a highlighter and a blush combined with gradually bolder pigments in the center of the compact that can be adjusted for more or less drama. As always, the $17 blush is animal testing free.

It's been a little while since I highlighted a pretty palette but in this time when we are all waiting for spring to make its glorious appearance we could all use a little floral pick me up. Clinique's Fresh Bloom is a pinky blush available in floral shades of posy, almond blossom, peony and plum poppy. Best of all, it's shaped like a beautiful flower. It looks to have three different colors, the darkest in the center of the flower and the lightest in the background. It looks like it would be difficult to use each color individually (especially when using a standard blush brush) but the overall effect of the compact is adorable. It sells for $29.50.

In a month of make-up applications, I feel lucky if I get my blush right even half of the days. My artificial flush always ends up being too light, too dark, too uneven, oddly placed or just plain forgotten.

Something tells me that the creative team at Lorac had me in mind when they created the new Cheek Stamp blush. Using the sponge applicator inside the lid, you can stamp your way to a perfect flush without having to pull out that tricky old brush. All you have to do is press the stamp to the apple of your cheek and blend. Because the Cheek Stamp doesn't require any tools, this blush is perfect for on-the-go beauty or a ladies room touch-up. The Cheek Stamp comes in 5 shades from a warm coral to vibrant pink.

Even if your plans for tonight include a pair of flannel pajamas, a cashmere throw, your trusty eyeglasses and that book that's been gathering dust on your nightstand for months, that doesn't mean that you still can't get that gorgeous glow that a girl normally gets when the presence of another sets her heart racing. Smashbox Studios' O-Glow is the "first-ever intuitive blush" that "reacts with your personal skin chemistry to turn cheeks the exact color you blush, naturally."

The "natural" part comes from goji berries. Goji berries are currently the "it" ingredient in everything from smoothies to now, blush.Apparently, moisture from the skin activates the goji berry complex in the blush that creates a flush in your cheeks, or wherever else you happen to apply the stuff.

Available from Smashbox Studios for $26.