Stila Custom Color Blush in Coral

In the last few days I've been going through some of my makeup and I've come to the conclusion that A) a blog sale/makeup alley swapapalooza is in order and B) that I own some makeup that I love that just doesn't work for me. You know how it is. It could be too bright, too dark, too anything.

My conclusion came to me when working with a few blushes/beauty powders from MAC. They are so gorgeous that I just want to keep them but hello! they absolutely don't work for my skintone. I guess being cool toned is a little more rare (although most of my favorite bloggers are in this camp) and therefore MAC makes a lot of products that are too orange for my skin. What is a girl to do? Besides sell or swap the aforementioned items that is.

Well, my solution is easy. Pick a product that adjusts to your skintone. It's that simple. I know it sounds like a lot of baloney but really, they work! I'd like to introduce you to Stila's Custom Color Blush in Coral. It's orange in tone but with enough pink mixed in to work on both cool and warm skin. Genius! The key to making it work for you is adding color in layers. Apply just a pinch because the color is pretty pigmented and then add more if needed. As you probably know I'm extremely pale and it worked for me. Look how bright it is in the compact.

If you're more into pink you can pick up that shade too. Even though it's very bright in the pan you can wear it if you apply it properly. I swear! I love the way bright pink makes the face look alive and radiant, especially with a highlighter dabbed on the tops of the cheekbone. Way to make it through the winter looking alive.

Stila Empowered in Pink Palette Ulta Exclusive

You know those little beauty things you see all the time and think "I really need one of those" but you never end up buying any? That's how I am with Stila's cute travel palettes. First of all I'm not a palette girl for the most part. I like eyeshadow palettes but I never seem to use the cheek or lipcolors in other products. There's something about a palette lippie that just doesn't work for me, maybe it's having to apply it with a brush. The blushes are always great but I never leave the house without a little sparkle on my cheek and these usually are fairly matte. Such is life for a beauty girl like me.

What pushed these products back into my mind was when I saw the Empowered in Pink Palette in the newest Ulta flyer. It's exclusive to the store, retails for $14 (a $62 value) and benefits Breast Cancer Awareness. This cute little palette is so portable, not to mention the conversation starter factor of the sweet cartoon on the front. If I were truly into palettes I'd collect this one and all of its cousins, they're so cute.

This one contains four eye shadows, a light pink, mid-tone pink, plum and what appears to be a darkened plum-brown for liner as well as two convertible colors for lips and cheeks. The Convertible colors are easy to wear and very pigmented so a little goes a long way. They're along the same line as my beloved Tarte Cheekstains but in a more creamy compact formula and much smaller container.

If you're in a charitable mood and hit up Ulta, scoop this up while supplies last and do your part to help raise funds to find a cure for breast cancer.

Givenchy Blush Gelee

I'm a sucker for gizmos, I really am. There's always a new an innovative way to apply makeup, a new formula that can't be missed, or a limited edition doo-dad that will inevitably rock my world. That's how I stumbled upon Givenchy's Blush Gelees.

These little black tubes are the most fun you're going to have applying makeup, guaranteed. Squeeze a little and your gel-like cheekstain is dispensed on a puff that you apply directly to your cheeks, saving your fingers from that telltale, "I'm wearing cheekstain" discoloration. Who wouldn't want that? Plus, if you're doing your cheeks before your eyes and you're a finger applier like me, you don't have to worry about transferring unwanted color to your eyelids.

I adore my Tarte cheekstains and have pretty much every color either in a full size or a deluxe sample sized mini. The only problem I have with those is portability, these bad boys melt and I'm a toter, I carry all my makeup for the day around in my purse. The Givenchy version seems to be a much better bet to do that with as you have to squeeze to release any of the color. At relatively the same price ($33 for Givenchy vs. $30 for Tarte) I would seriously consider picking up one of these at least for the summer months, plus in a more stain-like finish you wouldn't have to worry about reapplication on a beach day. I can't think about it too long because the limited edition Candide Pink is going fast.

The price is right for these, as apposed to a lot of Givenchy products I might actually shell out for such an innovative and creative approach to cheekstain. Eyeshadow ala Le Prismissime Palette, not so much. It is pretty though!

Beauty Girl's Secrets: Week 3: Blush Layers

Now that we are officially into spring I've really gotten into sporting my bright blush that I shared my love for with you a while back. But, you can't just put it on and go. Come summer any color I apply to my face slides right off but I read a great trick to stop that from happening that I just have to pass on.

You've probably realized before now that powder sets your foundation, right? If you want your base to stay add powder on top and you get much longer wear. Well, did you know it works in the reverse, too? I can't remember where I read it but I was shocked when I heard that adding gel/cream/liquid blush ON TOP OF powder blush creates a better flush than doing the reverse. I thought they were crazy but I experimented anyway. A few days later I was going to an outdoor concert and tried it out. Whatdaya know? It worked. My blush was much more vibrant and lasted hours longer than it normally would.

Here's what to do. Apply your foundation and concealer topping with powder. The powder is very important here because as you may or may not know it's always best to apply product types together; if you're wearing gel blush apply it on freshly foundation-ed skin and if you're wearing powder blush, first apply transluscent powder to give it staying power. Next, load up on powder blush and feel free to use a shimmery formula, it didn't appear to hinder the performance. Then, lastly, slick on some gel/liquid/cream blush. As the top layer fades you're left with the powder that was applied first. Crazy but true!

So pass on those crazy beauty tips to me and I'll be sure to give them a good old fashioned Beauty Girl try.

Bright Blush for Spring

I'm a huge blush girl, I get it from my mama. Sometimes even I can tell I'm wearing too much, luckily spring is the perfect time to brighten blush and explore the trend. I've never been much of a bronzer girl (I'm Casper pale, remember?) but I've never met a bright sparkly blush that I didn't love. Here are a few of my spring picks.

Urban Decay Afterglow Cheek Tint in Crush and that's exactly what I have on this product, a crush. I'm a sucker for purple packaging and cream blush is definitely a favorite of mine. Pat a little of this tint on with your fingers for a sheer look or build it up until you look like you just ran a marathon. While Crush is my favorite shade I love and want to collect them all.

Another great Sephora option is the new Amazonian Clay 12 hour blush from Tarte. I'm a huge fan of Tarte's cheekstains but when I'm in the mood for a powder blush (or better yet when I want to add a pop of extra color below or on top of gel blush) you can't go wrong with these beauties. I'm partial to Blissful, Tipsy and Amused, all great options for any complexion. These blushes are infused with Amazonian Clay which they claim does amazing things for any complexion, hydration for dry types like me and minimizes oil for those with combination/oily skin.

For those of you on more of a budget (like me!) I've heard great things about Sonia Kashuk's cheek tints at Target. All the shades are beautiful and this liquid-gel formula is easily blendable for a more subtle finish or built up for a brighter look.

Of course, you can't go wrong with a Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick or, if you're pale like me, pretty much any MAC Mineralize Skin Finish.

What about you? Blush or bronzer? Bright or Subtle? Shimmer or Matte? As always I'm curious!