Wednesday, March 28, 2012

another blush i didn't need: laura mercier lush nectarine blush

laura mercier is a brand i am new to. so far i have only tried a nail polish (which is phenomenal) and today's topic: lush nectarine second skin blush. i must say after only trying a couple of her products miss mercier has me asking for more...

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COLOR
the second skin blush line has pretty non-unique colors. not to say that is a bad thing as most shades seem "safe" and universally flattering but it is noteworthy. i would say it is very likely the colors are dupeable. did that stop me from trying a color out? obviously not as i am a blush fiend and seem to not have any self control.

the color of this is the ever-so-popular hybrid of peach and pink with a soft gold sheen. i would say it leans more peach than pink in the pan but on me (see below) it shows up more pink. i predict this will change as my skin color darkens. is it not matte but the sheen is not sparkly making it very flattering.

TEXTURE
very nice. the nicest out of my peachy pink family of blushes. i am guessing this is where the "second skin" part of the name comes in. it has just the right amount of softness making it blend into my skin like nothing.

PIGMENTATION
i dont have to work to make this show up. i am glad for this fact because the pan is very small and compact (travel friendly!)

my peachy pink family
DSC_6491here i have (clockwise) mac stereo rose MSF, mac hipness (LE), nars orgasm, and LM lush nectarine. when i first opened the product it immediately reminded me of mac hipness which i got from the to the beach collection.

swatches/comparison (i added some drugstore blushes for kicks)
DSC_6582from left to right: milani rose d'oro, nars orgasm, LM lush nectarine, mac hipness, mac stereo rose, milani luminoso

nothing quite matches perfectly. milani rose d'oro is dirtier and has much more shimmer (didnt realize this shade packed so much shimmer until i compared!) orgasm is sheerer, much more pink, and the gold sheen is more apparent. hipness is close but no cigar as it also leans a bit pink and has no gold sheen. stereo rose is the furthest from being similar as it is paler, frostier, and more peach. luminoso leans more orange and has no gold sheen.

it should be noted i have heard this color is extremely similar to mac's style, which i do not own and dont plan to. keep this in mind if you plan on purchasing this.

as i said above, currently on my skintone (nars fiji, chanel B20, koh gen do OC-1...aka light-medium skintone that leans warm) lush nectarine turns up pink. i think the gold sheen in the color absolutely contributes to why this blush is flattering. on me:

side shot
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front
DSC_6499excuse the tired/bloodshot eyes.

moody profile
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VERDICT
i am glad i bought this because the color is beautiful and the pigmentation as well as the texture are great but i think i could have done without it (i "could have done without" almost everything when it comes to beauty purchases, moot point.) i cant wait to try this in the summer when i am more tan as i think it will look more spectacular then. i also love how compact it is so it makes traveling with it easy.

I DO recommend this if...

+ you are new to blushes and want one flattering natural shade.
+ you have no color like this blush in your collection
+ you find nars orgasm does not work on you.
+ you have a soft spot for peachy pinks with a gold sheen

I DO NOT recommend this if:

+ you own any colors similar to my collection.
+ you like matte blushes

have you tried any of the laura mercier second skin blushes? or how about LM products in general? i am eying the secret camouflage concealer and her radiance primer...

oh and in case you were wondering...

face: koh gen do aqua foundation in OC-1, maybelline dream matte powder, cargo med matte bronzer (cant wait to finish this), LM lush nectarine, dior amber diamond

eyes: UDPP, LMdB le cirque kaleidoscope 2nd tier, mac cork, mac feline, MUF smokey lash

lips: nars dolce vita lipstick (<3<3<3<3<3)

Friday, March 23, 2012

presents to myself, dont mind if i do...

i recently got accept to graduate school *cheshire grin. as a way to congratulate myself i indulged in buying (what else) some beauty products ive had my eye on.

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KOH GEN DO AQUA FOUNDATION
i bought this because it has quiet murmurings of being an amazing foundation. from what ive gathered, it is supposed to look like your skin but with coverage. models love it. reviews for this foundation are EXTREMELY scarce due to it being not a well known brand and because of the price. i thought i would try it out and give my thoughts. review to come...

BUTTER LONDON POLISH
ive been longing to try this brand out. something about the bottle design and the shades offered appeals to me just so. i picked up 'marrow' and 'slapper'. marrow is an older shade ive been lusting after; i have nothing like this aubergine color. slapper caught my eye the moment i saw it in promos for butter's latest collection. slightly obsessed with slapper at the moment...

DSC_6487about day 3 of wear time.

slapper has got to be the most frustrating polish to capture in pictures to date for me. i thought laura mericer twilightwas hard, i stand corrected as this was harder. the color is much brighter and leans more green in real life. so in love with the bright, fun teal color.

the formula is very nice to work with. not too thin or too thick. application was a breeze. wear time is not the best ive seen but also not the worst. im not thrilled by the tip wear with this brand and if you pick at things it WILL chip (see my pointer?). regardless i dont regret my purchase. there are worse formulas out there.

LAURA MERCIER LUSH NECTARINE
totally bought this because of Vivianna, nbd. it looks much better on her than me. regardless i have been reaching for this almost every day since ive bought it. i will go more in depth with it in another post...

well my sweets, im surprised you have still stuck around with me this long as i have not blogged at all this whole month of march (i'm just the best) but i have some posts i have in mind to do, just need a nice sunny day + more free time as to give you the best pictures i can. it is either all or nothing when it comes to quality with me.

posts coming up:

+ LM lush nectarine review/comparison
+ koh gen do foundation review
+ mac feline vs urban decay liners
+ any vain things would you like to read/see. i am all ears...