nude blush ramble

for the past few months i have been on a nude blush kick. i admit this is strange for me since during this time of the year i usually reach for brighter colors such as nars desire or cargo laguna. i must warn you all that not only do all of these blushes look extremely boring in the pan, but they look pretty similar on the face. really, if you arent a blush fanatic like myself then there really is no need to own more than one, MAYBE two, of these shades. BUT...there is just something about the nude/blah color that adds such a nice lift to the face while still being very natural so im not too ashamed of myself for having a handful of nude shades in my stash.

NARS MADLY

i believe i have talked about madly before. it is a very flattering shade, described as a soft seashell pink. i see it as a beige tinged with baby pink. very flattering on. pictures do not do this shade justice.

SIDE VIEW of MADLY

CHANEL TEMPTING BEIGE

i love this shade. this definitely is more of a peach nude. this is very similar to mac's warm soul but with better texture. it also does not have the mineralized golden sheen that mac's warm soul has but the base colors are very similar. tempting beige isnt completely matte but it isnt full of shimmers either.

SIDE VIEW of TEMPTING BEIGE

ROCK & REPUBLIC FOREPLAY

unfortunately this product is extremely hard to find or get so if you were one of the lucky ones that snagged this when it was available consider yourself lucky. this is a wonderful shade. my sister loves this shade so much she frequently steals it from me. it looks very peach in the pan and in swatches but on the face it changes into a nude with a touch of coral? im not sure how the product does it but every time i use this it surprises me how different it looks on the face than in the pan. im not sure what can even be considered a dupe for this shade...

SIDE VIEW of FOREPLAY

MAC TENDERLING

this shade surprised me. i always heard great things about tenderling and i watched tutorials of it being used. when i went to see it in person at mac i couldnt help but think, that's it?! it appears to be a very dull chalky pink in the pan, especially under mac's counter lighting. i took a chance and bought it later online anyway and i am glad i did. tenderling adds such a nice healthiness to my face and it photographs very well.

SIDE VIEW of TENDERLING

as for mac's warm soul, i wrote a separate post raving about it as it is one of my favorite blushes in my collection. my opinion has not changed with it. it is a wonderful peachy nude shade that has a flattering golden sheen. you can see my post HERE.

SWATCHES

from left to right: nars madly, chanel tempting beige, mac warm soul, rock&republic foreplay, mac tenderling

i would recommend all these shades, it just depends on what type of nude you are looking for. if you find peachier shades flatter you most, go for mac's warm soul or chanel's tempting beige. if you want pinker nudes, mac's tenderling and nars madly are your best bet. if you want something that is matte, mac's tenderling and chanel's tempting beige would be best as both madly and warm soul have considerably more shimmers to them. i would recommend foreplay if you can get your hands on it as i think it is a pretty unique and gorgeous product.

what nude blushes do you have or have your eye on? i have my eye on nars douceur and tarte exposed...

004 items used up

my used up products has piled up so it is time for another post on items ive used up.

KOH GEN DO CLEANSING SPA WATER
this was gentle and felt just like water however it was a bit too gentle for my liking and didnt remove all traces of makeup thoroughly enough for me. i would not recommend this if you wear heavy eye makeup or love piling on the mascara like myself. i would recommend it if you wear light eye makeup and like gentle removers that arent greasy.

MAC CLEANSE OFF OIL
i really enjoy this for removing face makeup but not for removing eye makeup. i personally love cleansing oils, this is a decent one that is fairly priced.

SONIA KASHUK EYE MAKEUP REMOVER
this is a good eye makeup remover. less greasy than neutrogena and works very well when soaked on a cotton round. the only thing i dont like about this product is the price. over $10 and you get less product than the neutrogena. for this reason i dont plan to repurchase. though if the price doesnt bother you i do recommend it as it does a fine and easy job of removing all eye makeup.

NEUTROGENA EYE MAKEUP REMOVER
fairly priced, removes makeup easily and thoroughly. the only con is it leaves a VERY slightly oily feeling after. this does not bother me as i wash my face after i remove my eye makeup and the oiliness doesnt get into my eyes like some other removers do. so far my favorite eye makeup remover.

GIOVANNI SMOOTH AS SILK SHAMPOO
i finished and talked about the conditioner of this set in my last items used up. very nice drugstore non sulfate hair care. i enjoy the smell, the state of my hair, and how it did not dry out my already frazzled hair. thumbs up.

KERASTASE MASQUEINTENSE
i picked this up years ago at target. i had heard vanessa hudgens uses this on her hair. not sure if it is true but this stuff is expensive! regularly priced around 70 dollars, target had it on sale for half off. i did not see any miracle results with this. plus the scent was horrible, a very fake salon chemical smell. over priced and i saw no apparent results that i can report to you guys. pass!

PHILOSOPHY HAPPY BIRTHDAY BODY WASH
finally, i had two of these in my bathroom closet to use up as one was mine and the other my sisters. as i said before with this product, im not a fan and i dont see why philosophy is known for their soaps since it is nothing to write home about. im just happy to have finished both, good riddance!

THE BODY SHOP SATSUMA BODY BUTTER
i never understood body butters. all the ones i had tried were from bath and body works which were all greasy and uncomfortable since they sat on my skin and didnt absorb fully. the body shop changed my views. satsuma is my favorite scent. but i only like to use it during the summer months. the bright citrusy scent is more appropriate for the summertime in my mind. i will always repurchase and have backups.

CLEAN & CLEAR DAILY PORE CLEANSER
i used this throughout my entire high school career. i like to get it every now and then, perhaps due to nostalgia. no fuss cleanser. doesnt offer any future benefits but it is great at cleansing without over drying. it also has microscrubbers so it semi exfoliates without being too harsh. i like this but im bored of it since i have used it so much in the past. plus i am at an age where i want benefits for my skin, not just a good cleansing.

LANCOME NUTRIX ROYAL BODY
i received this as a gift from a friend. i used it up as a hand cream. not anything special and i would not purchase the full size. i dont like the scent and i dont like the feeling of it. it is greasy and takes too long to soak into the skin.

KORRES FACE PRIMER
i got this FOREVER ago as a deluxe sephora sample. this is horrible. it took all i could to finish this up. i should have just tossed it but i was stubborn and wanted to finish it. this offered zero help in prolonging my makeup and it also broke me out. definitely would not recommend, stay far away!

PRESTIGE MY BLACKEST LASHES MASCARA
i wont blab about this anymore than i have to. my favorite drugstore mascara, hands down. very black, doesnt transfer, perfect volume and lengthening, cheap! you must try this if you havent.

MAKEUP FOREVER SMOKEY LASH MASCARA SAMPLE
so far my favorite mascara i have ever tried. just so sad that it dries out so fast! come on makeup forever, come up with a formula that performs well but doesnt dry out so quickly and i will repurchase over and over again.

that is all for this post! hopefully next time i will have bigger makeup products to include. happy monday!

giorgio armani eyes to kill #28 & FOTD

my first eyes to kill shadow. i am sure you all have heard about these little pots. i have resisted in getting any shades as i just dont need any more eyeshadow. seriously. but nordstrom currently has their anniversary sale going on until aug 6th. the sale has many beauty exclusives including a set from giorgio armani. the set had many things i have been wanting to try out from GA anyway, including this ETK shade in #28, so i decided to finally bite the bullet and put the order in. the set i purchased can be found here.

i cant say too much about the product as i havent used it enough times to give a fair review, but wow does the color pack a punch. very metallic and very pretty. I prefer using my fingers for application as i feel i have more control on how intense i want the pigmentation to be with this method.

the shade is gorgeous, a blend of purple and gold that blends into a rosy bronze. i love how it is metallic but not too metallic that it looks too shiny. i would love to pick up a gunmetal shade in this range, it would look fantastic with smudged liner (my favorite look lately).

as for the rest of my face:

face: ysl teint resist #6 (unfortunately getting discontinued. sad face as this is proving to be my favorite foundation to use during the summer. oil control is excellent) maybelline dream powder, cargo medium matte bronzer, R&R blush in lust

eyes: GA ETK #28, feline linder smudged in lash line and in waterline, loreal collagen mascara

lips: fresh rose balm

do you own any eyes to kill shadows? which do you have your eye on?