blush

Swap with A Girl With Pink Cheeks!

~ stashy ~ 75 Comments

I received this parcel just before Christmas.  It was my second ever makeup swap, this time with the lovely Isabelle from A Girl With Pink Cheeks blog!  We started chatting about doing this swap after my last one – and so, back in July, we formulated the swap guidelines: We buy each other one thing under 10€ / $15 CAD each month for 4 months (August to November), and mail out in time for Christmas. We wanted to focus on brands / products not available in our native countries – Isabelle lives in Belgium and I’m in Canada.  I’d indicated that I was most interested in eye shadows, blush, and concealers.  This is what she sent me:
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Here’s everything unwrapped:
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I’ve been completely spoiled! 😀

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theBalm Instain blushes

~ stashy ~ 74 Comments

This post is dedicated to Rachael of Helpless Whilst Drying – she recently posted a review of the theBalm’s Nude’Tude palette and asked for recommendations on other theBalm products to try.  I recommended their Instain blushes, and she asked if I had a blog entry on them – I didn’t, so here it is!

theBalm Instain Long-wearing Staining Powder Blushes are offered in 6 shades and I own 4 of them:
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L – R: Lace, Houndstooth, Toile, Swiss Dot

They cost CAD $31 / USD $22 for 5.5g so they’re not cheap, but I love them so much that I’ll likely get the other 2 remaining colours.

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MAC Mineralize Skinfinish

~ stashy ~ 44 Comments

This post was prompted by the prospect of letting go one of my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish (MSF) in my makeup purge.  By now, you will already know which one got the boot.  I only owned 3 of them in total, so the 33% reduction was a significant event.  I owned:
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish
Left to right:
Stereo Rose – Coral with golden bronze shimmering nuances
Petticoat – Pale rose with gold and amber veining
Rio – Bronze with bright pink pearl

Mineralize Skinfinishes are baked products with a marbled effect which makes them very eye-catching in the pans (they look like little planets to me!)  MAC describes them as “A luxurious powder with 77-Mineral Complex that adds highlights to the face and body”. MSFs can vary so much in their finish, level of shimmer and pigmentation from shade to shade.  There are some that are more of a highlight but some act more like a blush.  The 3 that I own I use as blush.

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Milani Luminous vs Luminoso

~ stashy ~ 28 Comments

To conclude “Comparison Week”, I have a quick post to compare 2 Milani blushes side by side: Milani Powder Blush in #08 Luminous and Milani Baked Blush in #5 Luminoso.
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MAC Prim & Proper and dupes

~ stashy ~ 29 Comments

Ahh, this blush. THIS BLUSH. I love it, and I hate it.  Well, I mainly hate the fact that I didn’t buy a back-up of it.  It’s not the blush’s fault. But the love I have for it… yes, I want to marry it.
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It was part of MAC Give Me Liberty of London collection from 2010.  MAC’s official shade description is “neutral nude” which really downplays how nuanced the colour is.
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It’s a shimmering bronze nudey shade, yet it’s got a plummy-ness to it as well.  It registers as both warm and cool tone on the skin, depending on the rest of my makeup look.

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The Blush Addict Tag

~ stashy ~ 32 Comments

I saw this Tag ages ago on Katie’s blog (Plus+Beauty) and I knew I had to do it.  Have you SEEN my blush stash post? 😛

What color blush suits your most?
Peachy nude shades – a good representation of this would be the Clinique Cheek Pop in Ginger Pop.
Clinique_CheekPop_ginger

Pressed, cream or loose blush?
Pressed.  It’s just the easiest for me to work with.  I have some cream and some loose (mineral) blushes and I hardly ever reach for them.

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My MAC Extra Dimension collection

~ stashy ~ 55 Comments

I mentioned a while back that I love the then still limited edition MAC Extra Dimension finish, and I was super excited when it was announced that they were making it permanent.  Today, I’ll swatch my collection of Extra Dimension items, which include eye shadows, and blushers and a bronzer:
MACextradimension2
Extra Dimension formula is described as a “liquid-powder hybrid” with most eye shadows having a shimmery finish – some do have more obvious glitter or frost.  They can be used dry or wet for higher intensity but I’ve never used them wet – I will have to try that eventually. Worn dry, I find them to be exceptionally pigmented and smooth (all my swatches are done dry).

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Best of bright blushes

~ stashy ~ 32 Comments

Bright blushes are perfect for summertime – they look especially gorgeous against tanned skin.  But fair skinned gals, don’t let bright blushes scare you – they add a flush of colour when dusted on lightly at the apple of the cheeks.  Put your sunglasses on – here are some of my favourite bright blushes from my stash:
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I do have to say though, no photograph can truly capture the BRIGHTNESS of these blushes – you have to see them in person to appreciate them!

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UK / Canada swap!

~ stashy ~ 64 Comments

Let me get back into beauty blogging with a bang – I got new makeup!  Huh?  But aren’t I on a No-Buy? Allow me explain.  Nicola of Beauty As I Know It contacted me to ask if I’d be interested in doing a swap – she’s in the UK, and I’m in Canada.  I contemplated this: was this a violation of my No-Buy?

Let’s weigh the facts:
• I’m not buying makeup for myself, but rather, buying makeup for someone else, like a gift
• I’m receiving makeup in return – but I didn’t pay for them!

My friends are 80/20 split in their opinion that I’m an horrible dirty cheater vs I might have found a loophole in my No-Buy. 😛

Regardless, I went ahead with the swap because, hell, what’s the fun of having a blog if I can’t connect with amazing people from all over the world?  Nicola and I set out some parameters for the swap:
• focus on makeup / skincare from drugstore
• target total of £30 / $55 CAD

I also sent out a little questionnaire to help each other narrow down our preference, here are my answers to the questions:

1) Are there any brands that may not be available in your country that you’re interested in?
Natural Collection (Boots), Sleek, Makeup Revolution, Soap & Glory (we have the skincare but not the makeup), MUA, Barry M

2) Skin type / skin tone / eye colour / hair colour / allergies?
Combination / NC25 I’m usually in the shade range light/medium or “Buff” shade / brown / brown / no allergies

3) What are your top 3 favourite makeup / skincare categories?
eye shadows, blush, concealer (I’m particularly interested in the Collection’s Lasting Perfection Concealer [I would be in Warm Medium] hint hint!)

4) Do you like sweet or savoury snacks? Any candies / chocolate that’s not available in your country that you would like to try?
I love sweets! I know there are loads of UK sweets – most of them are available in Canada as well in specialty British shops.

Here’s the parcel I received!
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She included a lovely handwritten card and put little star stickers on the items to indicate her personal favourites!

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Back-up Worthy Items

~ stashy ~ 46 Comments

After being burned one too many times with discontinued or limited edition items that I LOVE, I decided to take matters into my own hands and purchased back-ups of certain products for insurance purposes.  Here are some items I have unopened in my stash:
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Anna Sui Dolly Girl Lipstick in Natasha 003 – $25
I’ve already used up an entire tube of this – this is my second tube, plus I have another unopened one in my stash. It’s a gorgeous sheer coral shade with tiny shimmers that’s very hydrating. I use this as a tinted lip balm and it goes with any makeup I’m wearing.  The pretty packaging and bullet design are just added bonus!  This was a limited edition item from 2011.

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