The Makeup Monologues

Today I'm listing the top ten blushes I wish for. Blush is my ultimate weakness when it comes to makeup- I love all forms of it and all colours. However, I'm more likely to spend lots of money on an eyeshadow palette or lipstick on a blush, so I had no problem putting together my dream list of blushes. Away we go! 1. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush I'm surprised this made it to the top of my list, but really, the Hourglass blushes are supposedly magical and a rite of passage for a blush fiend like myself. This colour looks like one I don't already own and I sooooo want to try this formula. 2. Clinique Cheek Pop in Pansy Pop I've heard nothing but raves about the Cheek Pop formula, they're cute as hell with their flower design. They're very small but not that expensive overall, and this lavender is beyond gorgeous. I need it on my cheeks asap and this might just be my next splurge. 3. MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Blush in Tangerine ...

Today's product review is a product I wish would come back. A while back, drugstore brands jumped on the mousse/cream blush wagon and I wish I'd been into beauty when that happened, as mousse blushes are my favourite. I picked up this L'Oreal mousse blush at Beautiful Brands in Guelph. I think it's been discontinued in Canada at least, but it's still available for purchase on the L'oreal US website. It comes in a heavy acrylic jar with a plastic cap that corresponds to the shade of the blush. The consistency is gorgeous, just like a dessert mousse. The shade, Cherubic, is a true peach. You only need a dab of product to get a full-cheeked flush.  It's incredibly flattering, but still not as wearable as I expected! Ooh, pretty... It's certainly brighter than I anticipated! Overall, great texture, nice colour, lovely loveLY packaging. I'm very satisfied!  What is or was your favourite drugstore mousse/liquid/crea...

I grabbed a few things as Target was backing out of Canada, mainly NYX things that I haven't seen at Rexall. One thing that caught my eye among the piles of liquidated products was this Stick Blush in the shade Tulip. It's a short stick of cream blush. The packaging is identical to an essence Bloom Me Up! stick I have. It's more rounded than my e.l.f. all over color stick. The packaging also matches the colour of the product. The blush's texture is creamy and emollient. It's very blendable and smooth. I know I already said 'creamy' but it's just so creamy.  That's the ultimate word to use here. Tulip is a medium neutral pink. It's opaque in a few strokes but very blendable. It looks like a healthy flush on the cheeks. Here it is unblended ... And blended on the sides of the cheeks. It takes quite a bit of product to build up to this amount of pigmentation, though, so don't be scared! All in all, I'm...

I'd been eyeing this for a while, and when Target announced it was ending its Canadian operations, I knew it was now or never! I grabbed the NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Red Cheeks. The packaging is the same size as a MAC blush but obviously feels cheaper. The consistency of the blush is thin and a bit hard, and on the skin, very dewy, like a stain. However, all you need is a swipe of the finger and BAM, intense pigmentation.  Red Cheeks is a magenta that colours your cheeks red, somehow. It looks exactly like you've come in from a violent snowstorm. This is the most natural I could get it to look- and it's a lot brighter than this in person. I lightly dabbed my finger onto the product then tapped it onto my cheeks, and blended it out with the rest of my fingers. It remained workable for about a minute, which is generous for a blush of this texture. Still, my mom was asking what was wrong when she saw me with this on. It's super pigmented. Whi...

And what do we have for today's review? Milani's Baked Blush in Bella Rosa, that's what! Walmart started selling these in Canada, along with the Superstore, around September-ish of last year. The first impression I get of this product is that the packaging is kind of cheap. I've worn it all of twice, and the front is wearing off. But look, it has a compartment with a little mirror and tiny brush in it! The mirror is useful, I guess, but honestly, it just makes the package that much more bulky. Also, tip: please do not use the brush to apply this blush. It is scratchy and picks up way too much pigment. You will have two hot pink stripes on your cheeks. The pan of blush, however, is gorgeous. It's got the signature rounded top of a baked cosmetic, and looks bouncy and vibrant. Bella Rosa is a I-just-got-slapped bright dark pink. It's pigmented... too pigmented. The top swatch is what happened when I swiped my fingertip across the blush and dragged ...

I'll give you a spoiler alert: this is my favourite blush. You should still read the whole review though, because this is a tricky product. The story goes: One day, a 15 year old Megan was in a strange, small town, visiting relatives. She was going rather stir crazy, itching to shop, and the only thing she had in her wallet was a Body Shop giftcard.  She was a makeup novice, but interested in learning, so she picked up the brightest pink blush she could find. That blush... was The Body Shop All In One Cheek Colour in Bubblegum. The first blush I ever bought, and still my favourite. It's not perfect ... but it represents me, I think. You can see how loved it's been... and how many times it's been dropped. Bubblegum is a blue-toned light pink. It's lighter on the face than on the arm. Its texture is chalky, but even, and I can put it all over my cheeks without it looking like too much. I apply it all over my cheeks to give me a light pink, cotton candy col...

Ah, this is a fond product for me. I bought this on my first ever trip to a Sephora store, in Toronto's Eaton Centre, where there is a special studio set-up for the MAKE UP FOR EVER brand. I was looking for both a purple lipstick and blush, and the sales associate recommended their Flash singles, cream pigments that can be used for eyes, cheeks, lips and body. I chose Violin, a heavily blue-toned lavender. It comes in a small plastic pot. I think the packaging could have been a bit better for how much I paid for it. This is just a small pat of my finger into the cream, swatched onto my arm. It's densely-packed but very emollient- more the consistency of a potted lipstick than a cream eyeshadow. It's a very versatile product- blended out, it can be used as blush. I use it to contour pretty much exclusively. Because of its cream nature, it tends to crease on my eyes. It lasts a few hours on the lips but tends to transfer quite a bit unless you set it with powder a...

TheBalm's Mary Lou Manizer is my HG highlighter, but that doesn't mean I didn't experiment back in the day. My previous favourite highlighter was Flower Cosmetics Glisten Up! Highlighter Chubby in Pearl Shimmer. Isn't it stunning? This is the first product I ever tried from Flower. I was intrigued by the concept of a highlighter at the drugstore, especially a cream one! I've heavily swatched it on my wrist here. It's a champagne shimmer that looks warm toned, but is surprisingly cool-neutral.  On the face, it's very sheer. You can't really see where you've applied it until your face hits the light the right way, then, whoa, shimma. You have to make sure to blend this sucker out even if it looks natural enough to you.  With a bit of trial and error, it adds a nice flattering glow to the face without sinking into pores or clinging to hairs. I feel like this is a good highlighter for people who have heard about the craze and want to try it out...