Chihuahua Cosmetics Blush Swatches — Apple Crisp, Sunset, and Salmon

Hello dearies!

It's been five months since I learned about Chihuahua Cosmetics and I was fortunate enough that I was able to try most of their products when I attended the BDJ x Project Vanity event. What I liked about the brand is that their products are smaller. Some may find this as a disadvantage, but I've noticed that many of us can't really finish some makeup before it expires. That's the case especially with people who are makeup enthusiasts that love to try new, popular products like me.

Another awesome thing about Chihuahua Cosmetics is that since it is small, it's travel-friendly. It doesn't consume so much space inside your bag. That's why I prefer carrying their blushes with me when I go out. I currently have three of them...

The shades are Apple Crisp, Salmon, and Sunset.

Wet n Wild ColorIcon Blush in Pearlescent Pink

Hello loves!

Been raining heavily in Manila this weekend. I hope you're all safe and dry at home. I stayed home and relaxed since I've been busy the past two weeks exploring Sydney.

Anyway, since I've written so little in the blog for the past month, here's a short swatch post of a blush that I think a lot of you might like...

Wet n Wild ColorIcon Blush in Pearlescent Pink

Urban Decay Naked Flushed in Going Native

Hello dears!

I really appreciate products that are multipurpose. They make the makeup application process faster and can make packing during travel lighter. That is why I like bringing this compact when I visit other place...

Urban Decay Naked Flushed

Canmake Mat Fleur Cheek in 01 Matte Apricot

Hello loves!

I know that spring is over (and we don't even have spring in the Philippines) and pastels and bright colors aren't as "in" anymore, but I just gotta have a marshmallow-like blush shade. Right now I am using the...

Canmake Mat Fleur Cheek in 01 Matte Apricot

This costs PhP 680.00.

I wasn't really planning on buying a blush when I got this, but while browsing Canmake's kiosk at Trinoma, they had a promo (I think it was a gifts with purchase kind and I got a concealer) and just fell for that trap! I have low self control when it comes to makeup, especially when I do have some money saved up. Haha!

Since the details are in Japanese, here's the info from the website:

Is it really a powder? Startling staying power!

Let the flowers of a smile bloom in your cheeks

Blush with a soft, light finish

The secret of super-soft cheeks 

 Matte powder with a natural finish

Matte powder creates a soft shading effect! The matte texture ensures a translucent finish that never looks heavy

Enhances your complexion, giving you the softest, cutest cheeks

Soft-focus powder  

Contains fixing powder!!!

Matte powder with a soft-focus effect gives you a poreless look

With a highly light-diffusing effect, Focus Powder softly obscures textural irregularities caused by pores, concealing both fine lines and pores!

Contains sebum-absorbing powder (silica) to prevent make-up run.

Highly absorbent, it sucks up excess sebum  

Keeps your make-up in place for hours on end.

Contains beautifying & moisturizing agents and plant & fruit extracts that your skin will love

Ectoin, collagen, hyaluronic acid, arbutin, rosemary leaf extract, pomegranate peel extract, damask rose flower oil, rosehip oil, Rosa multiflora fruit extract

Formulation designed with your skin in mind

Free from mineral oils, petroleum-based surfactants, ultraviolet absorbers, and fragrance

SHADES:

[01] Matte Apricot

A versatile coral that suits everyone 

For a bright, cute impression

[02] Matte Girly Rose

A rose pink that fans of pink will adore

[03] Matte Marmalade

Ideal for energetic girls

A Coral orange

The packaging is something pretty common in Japanese brands. It looks so simple with the clear plastic compact. It doesn't have a mirror and it is equipped with a small brush.

The bristles are very soft but it's just so small that I can't use it on my cheeks because it's difficult to apply and make the color on both cheeks even.

I do love the embossed floral design! I like the part where the colors are separated (you can use it as an eyeshadow) but will create a beautiful shade when swirled together!

See the swatches below:

From left to right:

Swirled together, the one at the bottom left (white), the ones at the upper left/bottom right (light pink), the shade at the center (apricot), and the one at the upper right (rose pink)

Here's how it looks like on my cheek.

Okay... so as much as it looks pigmented on the swatches, it gave me a hard time layering the product to finally make it noticeable on my cheek. The colors are so soft that I had to apply at least three layers so that I get that result. I guess it's more noticeable on whiter skin (I'm NC20-25 for your reference).

I also had an idea to make the white somewhat like a highlighter, but... no. Haha! It looks like chalk was applied to my face so it's better to just swirl the white shade with the rest. However, leaving it out is also an option for a stronger shade of pink. It doesn't look chalky but layering them too much can make it look like a marshmallow exploded on your face. :P

What I do like is that it really is indeed matte. None of those shimmers or chunky glitters. If you're looking for a sharp, clean look, then a matte blush is a go-to. And since I love strong, bold, matte lippies, then a soft blush is something I would pair them with, which makes this product perfect!  

So what do you think of this product? Do you like marshmallow-like blushes?

Cheers,
DAWN

Ever Bilena Cheek Blush in Shy

Hello dearies!

Almost two months ago, I went to an event that featured Ever Bilena's makeup products and introduced some of their newest products. I also get to create a look that I selected and it came with makeup from the brand that are the key items needed to capture that look.

One of the items I got and was able to take home was the...

Ever Bilena Cheek Blush in Shy

Their blushes are affordable at less than PhP 200.00.

See the packaging for more information:

You can also check out the website to see the other shades and other products from the brand.

The shade I have is Shy. To be honest, this is not a shade that I would actually check out on the counter. I find it too pink. I tend to go to the soft pastels, especially peach ones. I just don't like strong blush colors on me.

I have used blushes from Ever Bilena before. When it comes to blushes, I am not particular with any brand. As long as it has the color I want and does not appear chalky, I buy them. And that's what's good about EB blushes, they give good color payoff and they aren't chalky. It's not as smooth as the more expensive ones but once I've applied it on my face, it works just as good.

What I like about this is that it's not completely matte. It has this very subtle shimmer that doesn't make your blush look powdery and flat. The hot pink shade goes well with my warm skin tone too.

Check out the photo below.

I have the blush on my cheek and even used it as an eyeshadow!

I personally think that it looks great. I never would have imagined that I would wear a blush color as strong as this one. What I like about it is that it lasts really long. Maybe because of the strong pigments present in this bold color. If you like hot pink shades, you might like to check this one out!

What do you think of the Ever Bilena Cheek Blush in Shy?

Cheers,
DAWN

StudioMakeup Soft Blend Blush in Apricot

Hello loves!

Peach is LOVE! I don't think I'll never get tired of it. When it comes to makeup, I like my blushes in the shade of peach or anywhere near that color. One of my favorite to use lately is the... 

StudioMakeup Soft Blend Blush in Apricot

I bought this at Beauty Bar on sale for PhP 347.50 from its original price of PhP 695.00.

Info from the website:

Soft Blend Blush is a silky-smooth highly pigmented blush that glides on smoothly to add long-wearing natural looking color and contour.

APPLICATION TIP

Using the Pro Powder Brush, apply blush color to the apple of the cheeks and blend toward the hairline.

Contains Carmine as a Color Additive. Ingredients: Talc, Mica, Zinc Stearate, Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Magnesium Carbonate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Ascorbyl Palmitate. May Contain [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide CI 77891, Manganese Violet CI 77742, Iron Oxides CI 77491 / CI 77492 / CI 77499, Red 6 CI 15850, Red 7 Lake CI 15850:1, Carmine CI 75470, Red 30 Lake CI 73360.

I've actually blogged about another blush from the same brand—Petal. It's available in eight shades.

And as I've mentioned in that post, I like the packaging. It's simple and classy. I like that you see the shade because of the clear plastic container.

I love the warm peach shade and that it's so light. When I wear it, it gives a warm, sweet glow to my cheeks.

It's not very powdery and it's smooth. A little pigment goes a long way so better be careful when applying. The good thing about this is that it's a soft shade so even with a lot of pigment, it wouldn't look too harsh. I guess this would be an issue on darker shades.

Love the color and the finish on my cheeks. I like wearing it on pinkish nude lipsticks and winged eyeliners!

What do you think?

Cheers,

DAWN

Becca Afterglow Palette

Hey loves!

Last year, when I visited my sister to attend her graduation, she got me gifts (and of course I got her some gifts for her special day also)! One of the items I received from her is this...

Becca Afterglow Palette

She knew that the brand doesn't have a physical store yet in the Philippines and that I would love to try out a product from Becca. I've been reading a lot of positive reviews on their highlighters even back then so I was really happy to see that I got a whole palette.

It's not all highlighters though. It's a palette consisting of five different shades. I would describe it as a group of highlighters and blushes, although one of them I use as a contour and one as a bronzer.

See below the photos of the box for some info about the product:

More info from beautylish.com

About Afterglow Palette

Choose from five fan-favorite highlighters and blushes to customize your own natural-looking glow. Designed to add light, lift, and a touch of color, this limited-edition palette includes these BECCA bestsellers:

• Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Moonstone
• Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Rose Gold
• Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Topaz
• Mineral Blush in Wild Honey
• Mineral Blush in Flowerchild

Why It's Special

Accentuate your favorite features and add a luminous, natural-looking glow with the three highlighter shades Impart a soft flush of color and subtly reflect light onto the apples of the cheeks with the two mineral blushes

How to Use

Sweep the Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed shades over high points of the face, including cheekbones, brow bone, and the bridge of the nose. Blend the Mineral Blush shades from the apples of your cheeks out to your temples.

Other Details

• Paraben-free
• Size: 0.057 oz per shade

The highlighters are described from the Becca website as:

The blushes are described from the Becca website as:

The packaging is great! I love the metallic pink compact equipped with a mirror. Both the length and the with are slim, which makes it perfect for travel! The size of each pan is smaller than I'm used to, but I rarely finish a blush before it expires so I guess this is good. Do try not to use a big brush for your blush or highlight so the pigments won't get mixed.

These are the shades and below are the swatches.

They are all pigmented! None of them are chalky and they glide smoothly on skin. What I love about this palette is that I could use all of them! The first two shades, Moonstone and Rose Gold, looks great as highlighters. Topaz on the other hand, is darker than my complexion so I use it as a bronzer (a very warm one because it has a beautiful golden glow). Honey is also too dark for a blush, but it can double as a contour for me. Finally, Flowerchild looks awesome as a blush! It gives a sweet, romantic flush to my cheeks. 

This is my go-to palette when I'm in a rush because it carries all I need to put color on my face (except the lips, of course). It's also a palette that I bring when I travel. 

Honestly, I couldn't see any bad things from this palette... maybe I could hope that they could put more blush colors next? Haha! I just like this palette very much. :P

Any thoughts on the Becca Afterglow Palette?

Cheers,
DAWN

StudioMakeup Soft Blend Blush in Petal

Hey dears!

It's summer and the beach bronze glow is back in style. I'm not much of a fan though, so I just try to keep my makeup clean and simple to still look fresh (and no one wants to wear heavy makeup in this heat!). One of the products that help me look as such is...

StudioMakeup Soft Blend Blush in Petal

I bought this at Beauty Bar on sale for PhP 300.00 from its original price of PhP 925.00.

This is my first product from this brand. This is why I wanted to purchase it along with the good deal.

Info from the website:

Soft Blend Blush is a silky-smooth highly pigmented blush that glides on smoothly to add long-wearing natural looking color and contour.

APPLICATION TIP

Using the Pro Powder Brush, apply blush color to the apple of the cheeks and blend toward the hairline.

Contains Carmine as a Color Additive. Ingredients: Talc, Mica, Zinc Stearate, Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Magnesium Carbonate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Ascorbyl Palmitate. May Contain [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide CI 77891, Manganese Violet CI 77742, Iron Oxides CI 77491 / CI 77492 / CI 77499, Red 6 CI 15850, Red 7 Lake CI 15850:1, Carmine CI 75470, Red 30 Lake CI 73360.

The brand carries eight shades (as shown on the website) and the one I have, petal, is the lightest shade of pink available.

As for the packaging, I really like that it's in a light, clear, plastic compact. It's easy to carry, clean and classy to look at, and you can see the shade without having to open it up.

I just love how soft it looks. The shade reminds me of pink marshmallows!

Here's a swatch on my arm.

And on my cheeks

It's so soft and pretty! I just love the finish. 

The product is just a tiny bit powdery, but it's so silky smooth!

Since the shade is light, I need to reapply again, usually around 4-5 hours, just to touch up. I do have oily skin so makeup tends to not stay on longer than other skin types.

So I guess that's all I can say for this product. :)

Cheers,

DAWN

Ellana Cosmetics Matte Powder Blush in Patience

Hello loves!

I've already converted all the girls in our office to use Ellana Cosmetics foundations. They were looking for products that are easy to use but would still easily even out their skin with a natural finish. The first brand that I thought of was Ellana Cosmetics. They loved their foundies from the moment they tried them and has since been loyal customers (I think more than two years now). 

Now, we usually buy our refills together to avail their free shipping, and sometimes, we also get the free product when our purchases amount to a certain price. One of the freebies that we were able to get was the...

Ellana Cosmetics Matte Powder Blush in Patience

My officemates agreed to give the blush to me since I handle the transactions... so yay! 

I'm not sure if it's still available for purchase though. It's not listed in their website anymore. If you're really curious to know, the Ellana Mineral Cosmetics team answers questions quickly so don't hesitate to contact them. :P

I love using matte blushes so I was so eager to try this one out. I already have an oily skin so adding more shimmers to my face is not something that I would want. So yay for mattes!

So the product is a mineral makeup and it's in loose form. The packaging is pretty simple with its clear container wherein you can see the shade of the blush inside. The labels are pretty basic though and they are printed very simply, unlike the sticker type labels that I usually see from the other products from the brand. I'm not sure what the design looks like if it were not a freebie though.

Here's how the powder looks like up close.
I like that I can dispense a small amount of the powder blush from those three tiny holes of the container. It makes me control the amount dispensed easily to avoid wasting the product.

When blended, it creates this warm, bronze-peach color. It just gives a warm glow on the cheeks. The consistency is soft and smooth and it's very pigmented!

Although I find the color a little too dark for my taste, I think I could still use it this summer when my skin gets a little darker. 

What are your thoughts on the Ellana Cosmetics Matte Powder Blush in Patience?

Cheers,
DAWN