The SO Project: Blusher

Sorry, sorry, sorry for missing last week's post. I was up to my ears with things to sort out, so I forgot. But I'm back this week, and I'm so glad, because we will be talking about my favourite make up product ever, blusher. I will not leave the house without blush on; I really feel like it's one of those products that will make you look pretty no matter how tired, or ill you feel. Even if I have no time to put on any other make up, I will sweep some blusher across my cheeks before I leave to go out.

Choosing Your Blush

You need to pick a colour that you think is going to complement your skin tone, and not stand out too much. You should probably aim for something that is close to the colour you go when you blush naturally. Depending on your skin tone, you can either go for a light shade, or a dark shade...but only you will know how dark.

Next, you need to pick which type of blusher you want. Powder and gels are great for oily skin, whereas creams are better for drier skin. I've never tried a gel, but I really like cream blushes as I feel that they give a more natural finish.

Applying the Blush

Now you've decided which product you want to use, then it's time to put it on! Powder blushes work really nicely with a big fluffy brush, I like to use either the slanted kabuki brush from The Body Shop, or the retractable kabuki from Ecotools. You can either apply cream blush with your fingers, or with a brush. When i use my fingers, I dab a little bit on and then blend it out. I do like to use a stipple brush sometimes, like the ELF stipple brush. In this case, I get a bit on the brush, 'bounce' the brush onto the cheeks and then blend using circular motions.

I have heard from a couple of sources that smiling, so you can find the apple of your cheeks means that when your face falls, your blush will be too low. Apparently, instead it is better to do a fish face, so the top of your cheekbone becomes apparent, and then apply there. Be sure to blend thoroughly, as you don't want to look like a clown! Also, if you start with a little bit of product, and build, you won't have to mess around with trying to tone it down if you go overboard.

What Do I like?

I have 3 blushes, that I love equally. One is Topshop cream blush in Flush, one is Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Rasberry and the last (and only powder) is Benefit's Coralista. 

The Topshop one is a beautiful girly pink, that looks a wee bit peachy when blended. It blends like an absolute dream, which is so nice to see from an inexpensive product.

The Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge is actually a dual cream blush and lipstick. The reason why mine is so bright, is that I wanted something to wear on both my lips and my cheeks, but my lips are quite red normally. This is a really great product to keep in your handbag, because it is a multitasker, but the texture is more like that of a lipstick, so it doesn't blend quite as nicely as the Topshop blush.

Last, but not least is Benefit's Coralista. This is a peachy coral, with a really lovely gold shimmer running through it. This really takes the need for a highlight away, because it gives a really pretty, radiant glow to the face. The shimmer is very finely milled, so it doesn't look like you've poured a tub of glitter over your head.