Rebel Rose Pure Color Blush by Estee Lauder

Estee Lauder's Pure Color blush formula is my absolute favorite, and I've got a lot of blushes.  A lot. I've acquired 8 of the Pure Color blushes now and today I've got Rebel Rose to show you.

Rebel Rose was part of a GWP blush duo compact that also contained Lover's Blush (see full review here).  A medium warm toned rose with a satin finish, Rebel Rose gives me a healthy looking flush that stops just short of looking too ruddy.

One of the reasons I'm such a fan of the Pure Color formula, particularly those with the satin finish, is that these blushes are skin enhancing and they never look flat or chalky.

The other items I'm wearing in this FOTD include Cargo's Santa Fe Essential Lip Color (full review here), which is an uber comfortable and flattering terra cotta.

The eyeshadows are from Le Metier de Beaute's VIP Sexy Eye palette (you can see it here), which I've really been enjoying this summer.  Another favorite was Maybelline's The Falsies Volume Express mascara, perhaps the best drugstore mascara that I've tried in a while

What's your favorite blush formula?

Spring Softness with Pure Color Lover's Blush by Estee Lauder

Lover's Blush is one of those soft tans that could possibly work as a bronzer for the very fair, yet it has enough peach in it to also work as a blush, which is how I'm wearing it here.  I'm a huge fan of Estee Lauder Pure Color Blushes, as they have that je ne sais quoi quality that makes my skin look better than it actually is. 

Lover's Blush has a very fine gold shimmer that is evident when I peer closely at my skin, yet from afar it imparts a luminosity that brings life to the skin.  That's especially important when I start wearing my more matte finish foundations, such as BECCA's Ever-Matte Shine Proof in Buff.  My skin has officially gone into oil producing hyperdrive, something it does every spring once the weather starts to warm up, and we've been hitting the low-80's this week.

Lover's Blush reminds me of Rouge Bunny Rouge's Starina, another beige/tan blush that can also double as a soft bronzer for the fair complected.  On my lips I'm wearing Estee Lauder's Pure Color Lipstick in Coral Sun, and while it can pack quite the nice color punch, I've blotted it down to a softer matte finish. 

Coral Sun, blotted matte

Mobile does this weird thing in the spring, going from cold to hot before it reigns it back in to warm days with cool nights, my favorite part of spring weather.  Next week we'll be seeing milder temps again, and the azaleas will be coming out in full force, making it oh so beautiful here.  Happy Spring equinox, everyone :-)

Wild Sunset Pure Color Powder Blush by Estee Lauder

Estee Lauder's Pure Color blushes remain my favorite powder blush formula to date.  I love how finely milled and smooth they are, and they wear as long as any blush I've tried.  With 18 colors to chose from, I've managed to acquire 3 full sized ones as well as 2 smaller ones that were part of sets.  Today I've got Wild Sunset to show you, and it's a beauty!

Wild Sunset is a coral peach with gold shimmer.  When I say shimmer, I'm not talking obvious specks of gold, just a fine golden sheen that illuminates the skin to give it that soft glowing quality.  The Pure Color blushes manage to make my skin look better than it is, which is probably one of the major reasons why I like them so much. 

I'd say the level of pigmentation is medium, as they apply somewhat sheer but can be built up in color without any resulting caking or "clown cheeks".  These are generously sized at .25 oz., which for comparison is twice the size of a NARS blush.  So while they are $30, the size more than makes up for it.

The compacts are a pain in the butt to open, as it seems they have a sweet spot you have to find in order for them to open. More than once I've worried about ruining a manicure trying to get those compacts open, but now that I know the technique, all is well :-)

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Estee Lauder Lilly Pulitzer Shadow Floral Pure Color Palette

This lovely little palette was part of the Estee Lauder Shadow Floral GWP that was offered at Bloomingdales earlier this month.  I've never tried any Estee Lauder eyeshadows, but am a huge fan of their Pure Color blushes.  This eyeshadow colors included in this palette is the duo Waves, the shimmer finish Tempting Mocha, and the satin Sugar Cube.  The Pure Color Blush is called Lover's Blush and is in the shimmer finish.

 Waves is actually a Pure Color shadow duo retails for $32 on it's own.  The lighter color is a sheer gold and the darker a peacock blue.  Both of these apply sheer, but can be built up in color.  Tempting Mocha is a lovely taupe that was nicely pigmented and applied nicely.  It was the best performing of the four in terms of color, as the others were more sheer.  Sugar Cube is a nice highlight shade for the inner eye or brow bone, depending on your coloring.  Both Tempting Mocha and Sugar Cube are available as single eyeshadows and retail for $21 each.  Pricey, I know.  I wasn't impressed with any of these enough to pay to want to pay those prices, although I think they are decent shadows. 

Lover's Blush almost looks like a light colored bronzer in the palette, but the gold shimmer in it did leave a bit of peach cast which moved it more into blush category, IMO.  It also applied sheer but can be built up in color.  A few swipes yields some gold flecks, whereas buffing on repeatedly built up color.  A highlight of the Pure Color blushes is that they look so natural on, and it is difficult to overdo them.  At first your think "these are poorly pigmented", but I actually don't think that's the case.  Their sheerness allows the color to build without looking cakey and I always end up thinking "wow, my skin looks better" when I use them. 

I saw this palette on ebay for $10, which would be totally worth it to me for the blush alone.  The shadows are a nice bonus and I like how they looked on, but are not something I would spring for on their own.

Disclaimer:  I received this as a gift with purchase.

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Peach Passion Pure Color Blush by Estee Lauder

I've fallen in love with the Pure Color blushes by Estee Lauder.  In fact, I'm going to go on record and say they've become my favorite blushes and the ones I reach for the most often.  I've tried about five of them now, and they are finely milled, apply smoothly, and somehow give such a natural looking finish that lasts all day on my oily skin.

The blushes come in two finishes, satin and shimmer.  Peach Passion is a shimmer finish, with a delicate light peach color and soft gold sheen.  It will show up the best on the fair complected, as it applies sheerly and I find that on my fair but warm skintone, it gives a hint of color with a subtle sheen.  Pure Color blushes are billed as "sheer color, natural glow that builds for definition", and I'd say that's accurate.

The blushes are housed in a substantial gold palette and are generously sized at .24 oz.  As comparison, NARS blushes are .16 oz and cost a dollar more.  There is plenty of room to swirl your brush around and build up color as desired.  On the negative side, these compacts are not easy to open.  They seem to have a sweet spot that you need to find in order to open, as force doesn't really work.

No matter how much I apply, these never look cakey and I simply get more intensity of color with that lovely sheen.  There is no obvious glitter nor is the shimmer overdone, which is perfect for my less than perfect skin.  Simply put, my skin is enhanced and I feel like I just look better:-)

Pure Color blushes are $28 each, and I usually pick up mine whenever there is a good GWP offer going on to get more bang for my buck.

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

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Estee Lauder Pure Color Blush in Sensuous Rose

After reading some really good reviews regarding Estee Lauder blushes, I decided to pick up two to try out.  Today I've got Sensuous Rose to show you.

The Pure Color blushes come in two finishes - satin and shimmer - and Sensuous Rose is a satin.  It leans warm and has a tan/orange undertone, yet I think of it as a neutral blush.  By that, I mean that this is a great blush for when you want a natural looking cheek to complement more vibrant eyes or lips.  It is a great everyday blush for those with warm undertones in their complexion, and I've found myself using it quite a bit. 

The texture is fabulous - finely milled and smooth.  It can be built up in intensity, but you would be hard pressed to overdo it, as it is a subtle color with a natural looking finish.  Wear time is a good 8 hours on my oily skin and I can still see some color at the end of a long day. 

I like that there is no obvious shimmer in Sensuous Rose, but it is far from flat.  There is a slight sheen that is quite flattering.  The Pure Color blushes retail for $28 and you get a generous sized compact that has a mirror and heft.  The biggest issue I had is that the compact can be difficult to open.  It's almost like it has a sweet spot that you have to find, as force doesn't seem to work. 

There are 16 shades of Pure Color blush available, and I also picked up a shimmer shade in Peach Passion.  I can see collecting more of these blushes, as the quality and finish is really lovely!

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Estee Lauder Lilly Pulitzer Face Compact

One of the items in the Estee Lauder Lilly Pulitzer Summer Nights gift set  was a face compact containing a powder foundation, bronzer, and blush.  I love the idea of having three face products in one convenient compact you can pop in your purse, plus the colorful shell design against the white background has brought a bit of brightness to January's dreariness.

Fortunately, the Double Wear Powder Makeup in Ivory Beige was a good match for my skin.  I tried it first as a foundation and decided I needed more coverage than it provided, so it worked better for me as a finishing powder over a BB cream or foundation.  I've got oily skin, and although this does claim to be oil absorbing, I noticed a dewy look less than an hour after application.  So, it may be a better option for those with dry to normal complexions.  I've had better luck with Lancome's Dual Finish Powder when it comes to combating shininess.

The Bronze Goddess soft matte bronzer is indeed soft, but not completely matte.  There are finely milled copper shimmer in it that is quite subtle and lovely.  Bronze Goddess is warm toned without being brassy or going orange on me.  It's a subtle bronzer and I don't have to worry about having brown streaks on my face when I use it it.  Pigmentation is good and buildable.

The Pure Color blush in Pink Kiss is a warm toned pink with a faint gold shimmer.  The shimmer bits in both the bronzer and blush are so finely milled that they provide more of a glow than obvious shimmer.  The result is both flattering and natural looking. Wear time was a solid 7 hours before I started to notice some fading.  Overall, all three products in the compact performed really nicely and I'm particularly pleased with the blush and bronzer.  They will be standards during the warmer months coming up!

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.