Category Archives: Cheeks

NARS Orgasm Illuminator

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From what I hear, everyone is going crazy over Orgasm Illuminator, the latest spin-off of NARS Cosmetics best selling Orgasm blush. Molly Sims wore it recently to the ‘Unforgettable Evening’ event to benefit EIF’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund.

I like showing the photo as an example of what it looks like on the skin because an illuminator it isn’t a product that you want to see directly on the face like a liner or shadow, it just enhances the skin making it look better. Where her skin looks more sunny and luminous is where it was applied. You can pat a little on the tops of cheekbones, on the brow bones, over the cupid’s bow of the lip, and the middle of the chin. If you aren’t oily, a little down the bridge of the nose and forehead like Sims is wearing, also helps to light up the face.

Highlighters are a makeup artist’s best friend. Once you understand how to use one, you’ll see a lift and glow to your skin so healthy and youthful you’ll be addicted too. It’s a look you can not create using foundation alone and a worthwhile accessory product to have on hand.

$29, Sold exclusively at Sephora and Sephora.com

NARS Orgasm Illuminator

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Stila Yumberry Crush Lip & Cheek Stain

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Yumberry Crush Lip & Cheek Stain is a new addition to Stila’s girly and innovative lineup. It’s not a ‘stain’ in the traditional sense, or I wouldn’t be reviewing it. Most stains out there are packaged in nail polish bottles and tinted bright red. They do stain the skin and the color lasts for hours but the problem is the bright reddish color looks stark on the face and flatters almost nobody. It’s always the same formula too, a watery liquid that sets before you have a chance to blend it in leaving you with red streaky lines on your cheeks that’s hard to conceal and impossible to blend in. Sounds great right?

Yumberry’s less harsh approach to a stain allows for better blending and wearability. Stila added in a slight creme shimmer so it blends easier than its counterparts and it doesn’t look so stark on the skin. It’s also the first lip & cheek stain that I can reasonably use on both. It gave my cheeks a pinky glow that didn’t dull or wear off, and a hint of color to my lips that felt comfortable and moisturizing. I just added lip balm when I needed it, but the color was spot on with what I usually wear- a shade slightly deeper than the color of my lips.

Yumberry is the only color available in the formula, but it was created to be a one-size-fits-most like their ubiquitous Kitten shadow. It would best flatter fair to medium olive skin tones, but deeper skin tones could use it as a long lasting base shande and add more intense color over top.

Stila Yumberry Crush Lip & Cheek Stain

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CARGO Cosmetics blu_ray Blush and High Definition Lip Gloss

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CARGO’s slick blu_ray line is makeup meant for hi-def photography and it doesn’t just blend into the skin, it almost becomes skin morphing so completely as though there’s no barrier between the color and the skin. Tiny particles of photochromatic pigment scatter and adjust all lighting to look completely natural. Their blu_ray Blush/Highlighter comes in two universally flattering Pink and Peach shades that add a hint of color when used as a blush, or highlight cheekbones when used with a deeper shade.

The same technology is used in their High Definition Lip Gloss. There’s no stickiness to the formula, just a smooth glide that coats your lips with shimmer-free tinted shine. Put the enclosed Timestrip in the slotted cap so it can begin to track how long the gloss has been opened. At the end of 9 months the strip will turn red letting you know that the gloss has reached its point of expiration.

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Three Custom Color Specialists Créme to Powder Blush

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If you’ve used créme blush and haven’t loved it, it’s only because you haven’t used the right one. I’m obsessed with créme blushes; the ease of application and long wearability make them the easiest part of my routine.

Three Custom’s créme to powder version is a good fit for novices since the texture isn’t a gel or super creamy, so it stays exactly where you want it and dries perfectly into the skin without streaking. You’ll find the right color to suit your skin in their complete line-up of 12 shades from pinks to apricots to plums, they have all possibilities covered.

12 Shades, $23, ThreeCustom.com

Three Custom Color Specialists Créme to Powder Blush

During the month of October, support Bright Pink, a non-profit that helps women who are high risk for breast and ovarian cancer by purchasing their gorgeous Bright Pink gloss (23.50). 20% of the purchase will go directly to the charity.

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Kanebo Sensai Cheek Blush and Eye Shadow Palettes

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Sensai by Kanebo is a luxurious line of treatment makeup, meaning they’ve used technology from their advanced skincare line in the makeup as well for a professional-grade, skin-loving result. Beyond the list of impossible to pronounce high-end ingredients are colors with textures that hug and melt into the skin.

Two of the most important (and often overlooked) attributes to blushes and shadows are texture and finish. Once uneven skin and a few lines become concerns, how the makeup settles into the skin becomes more important than the actual colors themselves. This will determine how you see the makeup on the skin and if it helps skin to look youthful, or if you’re aging yourself by using makeup too shimmery and best suited for younger girls.

What I like about their blush is the velvety feel in the absence of shimmer which can tend to settle into lines making them more obvious. Same goes for their eye shadows which are concisely limited to 3 palettes with the exact colors you need and will actually wear. Nothing more, nothing less. The silky formulations of both ensure a velvety overlay of color with a natural, lasting finish. No shimmer, no glitter. Just makeup for women who want to highlight their skin without looking like they’ve rummaged through the makeup bag of a 15 year old.

Cheek Blush, 5 Shades, $45, Exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman

Eye Shadow Palette, 3 Shades, $50, Exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman

Sensai Cheek Blush and Eye Shadow Palettes

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Erno Laszlo Multi-pHase Bronzer and Blusher

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Using natural light

With a flash

Bronzers and blushes are magical. With just a sweep of a brush, you can add a richness and dimension to your skin that wasn’t there minutes ago. When you find the ones that suit your skin and know how to apply them, you hold the key to skin that looks rested and youthful.

Let’s start with how to use a bronzer. I see a lot of women use bronzers as blush. Don’t use a bronzer on your cheeks the way you would a blush, instead use it on your neck if your face tends to have a little more color than your neck does (like mine), then run a flash of it along the bridge of your nose, around the edge of your face, and a little on your forehead. The idea is to make it look like the sun has hit your face naturally.

You don’t want to use the bronzer alone though, to give your face contrast and to avoid looking muddy, pop some pink toned (to contrast the warmth of the bronzer) blush on the apples of your cheeks and sweep up. It might seem like you’re adding a lot of color to your face at first, but using products low in (or free of) shimmer will look the most natural, and applying them in this way is key.

Typically, I’m not a fan of the different colors coming together in a mosaic to make one blush or bronzer. The sorted colors seem random and they often times appear different each time you use them- not to mention they usually contain a lot of shimmer.

Multi-pHase Blusher and Bronzer from Erno Laszlo really changed my mind about using multi-colored compacts since these strategically selected colors all work together to create exactly the right shade. The bronzer has a virtually undetectable amount of shimmer, just enough to keep from looking flat, so it looks natural in the sun. Their Blusher is suitable for all skin tones- something unheard of for a pink blush, but its cheerful flush is offset by a little mauve keeping the Barbie pink away, but keeping cheekbones front and center.

$38, ErnoLaszlo.com, Nordstrom, Select Department Stores Nationwide

Erno Laszlo Multi-pHase Bronzer and Blusher

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