Before discovering the Shiseido Oil-Free Bronzing Powder, bronzers are my least favorite makeup because I have had horrific experiences with it turning either too orange, unflatteringly ruddy, or dirty brick brown on me as my skin gravely oxidizes makeup. Add to that, since bronzers are more popularly used for contouring and I don't see myself developing a substantial amount of skill in it anytime soon, I cared less about them.

Luckily, I learned about the Shiseido Oil-Free Bronzing Powder and I finally realized that bronzers are not monsters but friends. Shiseido describes this product as an oil-free bronzing powder that provides an all-day, air-brushed finish to create a natural, radiant & sun-kissed look.

   Comes in 3 shades: Light 01, Medium 02, and Dark 03. P1998 for 0.42 oz compact, $35 at Sephora

   "With flash" photo of the bronzer on the pan is color-accurate. See last photo below for a zoomed-in pic

The Shiseido Bronzing Powder in Medium/02 is a flattering true brown for my skin. On the pan, it has microglitters but isn't shimmery at all when brushed against the skin. You must know that I shy away from anything glittery as shimmers almost always provide my acne scars an unsolicited emphasis, but this powder's an exception.

It's nice to find a bronzer that's not heavily pigmented at first swipe. I can lazily wear Medium/02 as a blush without minding if I'm using a heavy hand. This is a  feature which bronzer noobs such as myself can immensely benefit from. I sweep the brush thrice to get some pigment, tap it out once to take out the excess, and then brush under the apples of my cheeks. After, I take a big powder brush to blend the bronzer upwards to further diffuse it up to the apples of my cheeks. Note that the Shiseido bronzer fairly wears long as I see minimal fading on my oily cheeks only after 4-5 hours.

    Shiseido Bronzing Powder used simply as a blush to add warmth & colour to cheeks (no other cheek prods used)

Products used in the FOTD above are: Nature Republic The First Clarifying Toner, ZA True White Liquid Foundation (OC30), Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited (RD 160), Shiseido Oil-Free Bronzer (Medium). It's a quick way to look somewhat made up. The bronzer made a huuuuuuuge difference I tell ya!

It wouldn't be fair not to make a special mention that the compact comes with a soft and densely packed kabuki-style brush. I have not used any other brush other than this as it works extremely well. I only wish it was sold separately so I can get back-ups (not that this brush can't handle the whole 0.42oz of bronzing brilliance; it is actually quite sturdy and has not lost its earlier softness even after several washes).

I have already used this product severaaaal times and I can't believe hetchmarks are still visible near the edges

If only this bronzing powder was tagged several hundreds of pesos lower, I would recommend it to makeup newbies in a heartbeat to avoid the bronzing horrors I went through. I know that NARS Bronzing powders are cheaper-- locally, so they may want to check that out first. Weirdly enough, NARS bronzers are a dollar more expensive than Shiseido's at Sephora but contain lesser product in the pan ($36 for 0.28oz vs $35 for 0.42oz), meaning Shiseido is definitely a bang for the buck if you're purchasing in the U.S.!

In a twist of fate, the product I used to hate is now something I find myself using a lot. Thanks to the Shiseido Oil-Free Bronzing Powder in 02, I struck gold discovering an air-brushed finish bronzer that shows up nicely on my skin without failing to give me a healthy, natural, sun-kissed look. It's an added bonus that it photographs really well and has never broken me out!

The Etude House dear Darling Tint is a good alternative if you want a pop of color on the cheeks and a pair of effortlessly kissable lips. At 198php (~$4), this is a good lip and cheek tint.

Packaging

The almost gel-like tint is housed in a rather wide and long plastic. It has a doe-foot applicator just like most popular tints. This one is scented and has an initial grapefruit taste to it when applied on the lips.

Etude House Dear Darling Tint in Berry Red
a month after I purchased

Color

I'm not impressed with the color pay-off as I find it a bit unnatural (my gold standard is the natural flush that The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Tint gives me). Etude House's Dear Darling Tint is quite similar to the color you get from Nichido lip and cheek tint so make sure you don't apply too much on the cheeks.

When swatched, Dear Darling tint is very similar to The Bodyshop's tint
(L): The Bodyshop (R): Dear Darling Tint in Berry Red

Shade

There are 3 shades available: berry red (01), real red (02), and orange red (03). I got berry red since SA claimed it sold like pancakes. 01, as I've observed over the Etude House counter, has a stronger shade of berry than 02. 03 might be the least enticing to purchase because it really did nothing for my NC30 skintone.

Overall Impression

Because of the cheap tag, I'm satisfied with this product. It was able to give my lips a hint of color that adds to brightening up my face to improve the way I look. It has an impressive staying power both on the lips and cheeks. Minus the unnaturally red flush it gave me and the fact that it dries up relatively quick (vs The Body Shop's), I would've given the Dear Darling Tint a 5-star rating.

I will not recommend this to those who have stubborn-dry lips. Tints just emphasize the ugly truth.

Dear Darling Tint bigger than Bodyshop's

The big question is, will I repurchase the Etude House Dear Darling Tint when I run out? If I had the extra cash, I'd rather go for the Bodyshop's Lip and cheek tint (despite the fact that it has a less impressive staying power than the dear darling tint). On less financially glorious days, I consider this product a savior!

Nyx launched their premium makeup line, the HD Photogenic Studio Collection, which carries an interesting blusher called, the Grinding Blush. 

Photo from Audrey Dao

Nyx website brags: A revolutionary system for face blush. This genius system grinds mineral-enriched high-definition blush powder that deflects light from skin an makes pores appear smaller and smoother. Perfect for photos an filming. Grinding powder allows you to control the amount you need and keeps remaining product fresh. Say goodbye to oil trappings on powders, contamination, and cracking.

The packaging reminded me of Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder:

This is a cool concept from NYX, really, and I've been reading a lot of good reviews from this blush (and the grinding powder, too). However, the uncool thing is having to shell out a whopping $20 for a NYX stuff! Yup, the Nyx HD Grinding Blush is sold at $20. A few more $$$ and you can get yourself a pan of NARS blushes!

Here's how they look like (collated from NYX website):

This blush contains: Mica, Kaolin, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Silica, Hexyl Laurate, Diisostearyl Malate, Magnesium Stearate, Red 30 Lake, Nylon-12 Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, C.I. 77491 (Iron Oxides), Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Chlorphenesin, VP/VA Copolymer, Hydroxypropyl Methycellulose, C12-14 Pareth-7, Amodimethicone, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol, Crosspolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Salicornia Herbacea Extract.

Jheng, a co-beauty blogger, sported English Rose prettily:

Photo Source

Jheng swatched ALL 8 colors, too! Check them out HERE

Nyx blushes are really great buys; they are affordable and very pigmented (check out some Nyx blush swatches I talked about a year ago). However, with steep price points on their HD Studio line, I am on the fence about getting them.

I will be waiting for more reviews on this. If this blush garners a fair amount of thumbs up for being photogenic and lasting on oily cheeks, I will get one. For the meantime, I'll busy myself creating a good dupe for it.

Photo Source

More resources for Nyx HD Studio Grinding Blush at The Shades Of U, VampyVarnish, and IamBrigitte. If you live in the Philippines and would like to join the NYX preorder (Grinding blush is at P750!!!), click HERE.

The first time I encountered 4U2 products was when I got hold of their Gemtone Quad in Moonstone. I even did an amateur EOTD (my first ever, actually!) using the affordable eyeshadow quad. Now that they have released a new line called 'Envy', I grabbed the chance to purchase a 4U2 Envy Makeup Set (feel free to click on pics for a ginormous view of pigments).

4U2 Envy Makeup Set in 01... it's no deadly sin!

They have really stepped up this time. The 1 1/8" x 1 1/8" palm-size box contains 3 eyeshadows, a blusher, an eyeshadow applicator, a blush brush and a mirror!

4U2 Envy Makeup Set in 01 Net wt 6g
Also comes in 5 other shadow+blusher combos (#02-#06) 

It's not a fantastic packaging though. It's a lightweight plastic (rather flimsy) and the sad thing is that it can be a bit difficult to open the box (or was it just me?).  Nevertheless, the palette seals tightly and it's just totally jaw-dropping that the tiny 4U2 Envy palette has a matchmaking set of shadows and a blusher (plus tools!).

Swatches. I have never tried any blush from this brand but I have to say I'm really impressed with how pretty palette 01's blush is on the skin.

4U2 Envy Makeup Set 01 Blusher's swatch

Why isn't 4U2 naming their pigments? Even with the other quad, I had to play silly and name it S1, S2, S3 and S4 for reference. These lovely colors deserve a name for themselves! I forgot to do so with the pretty blusher but I took the liberty of naming their amazing shadows:

I baptize you 'Clean', 'Sin' (coz you look like UDPP Sin) and 'Tempt'
no primer to boost the shadows' colors, only used The Body Shop's crayon concealer

During that last post on the Gemtone quad, I ranted that I may have bought an expired palette. This time, the 4U2 Envy Makeup Set's manufacturing and expiry dates are blatantly displayed on a sticker on the product's seal (hard to miss)... so that's really good.  Mine will expire on 2013 (manufactured mid 2010).

[Can you help me name the blusher? And did you like the new names of the shadows?]

I will be reviewing the entire set in-depth during the next post lest I bore you once again with my long posts. I know Lysa won't be bored, but I won't keep you. I'll let you drool on the palette for now and give you the juicier stuff that the 4U2 Envy Makeup palette has in store for you later!

Wish Lip and Cheek tint in Magic Red is a cheap alternative for those who fancy 2-in-1 tints.  I got myself a tube at Watson's a few days ago and I was so excited to put the cheap product to a test.

At 89php (~$2), you actually get what you pay for: the flimsy packaging, the sticky feel and the ugly fingertip stains. However, the clear tube is definitely stronger than you think. I loved how magically red it turned out on my lips that I looked back at the plastic lip tube and shook my head in disbelief, "this stuff really works".

Wish Lip and Cheek tint in Magic Red
89php @ Watson's

On the lips: Unlike The Body Shop's lip and cheek tint, Wish's color pay-off is very promising!  You only need a teeny weeny amount, spread it evenly on the lips, and you build the color from there. I also love how it really stains the lips. I noticed that even after eating, my lips are lovely pink!  Also, for those who do not fancy scented/flavoured products, this isn't for you.  Wish has a strong strawberry flavour!

Wish lip & cheek tint: A tiny amount offers a faint pink hue

On the cheeks: If you're already struggling putting color on the cheeks using a wand applicator, Wish will give you an even more difficult time getting an au naturale blush. It is a pain to get the right amount of tint out of the tube! You end up wasting a lot of product while staining your fingertips big time. But anything can be achieved with practice so I'm not giving up on this product just yet.

It's clear on the tube, but red on the lips and cheeks!

On a positive note, the tint glides magically (once again) on the cheeks and does not dry out easily (easy to blend).

It is actually an easier lip tint than a blusher. It is very sticky on the cheeks while it's perfectly fine on the lips.  But you can always work your way around it as a blusher through practice. I just love those moments where you purse your lips or rub your cheeks and that clear jelly substance just turns magically red.

Frequently compared to: Smashbox O-glow 

Pros: affordable, locally available, stains lips and skin for several hours, non-drying, little amount of product already gives outstanding color, highly blendable (no need to worry about creating streaks or spots)

Cons: very sticky on the cheeks (not good!), high risk of overapplication (both lips and cheeks), quite messy especially for beginners, flimsy packaging

Trying out Wish lip and cheek tint as a lip stain and blusher

Helpful hints: 

• Seal the tube TIGHTLY.  Otherwise, all the stuff around your lip and cheek tint tube gets an instant flush, too! Not nice.
• Tone down cheek color if you overapplied by putting powder on top of it. This also allows a less greasy/sticky cheek.
• Hold the Wish lip and cheek tint tube upright (capped part on top) when squeezing out the product. And please don't squeeze like there's no tomorrow.

If you feel like Wish lip and cheek tint in Magic Red didn't work for you, you might want to opt for their Strawberry variant instead. I'm eager to try it too since it has a more subdued color, the perfect antidote to always overapplying this reviewed variant.

Cream blushes are ideally for dry-skinned folks, but I'm able to pull these Nyx Rouge blushes off despite my combination to oily skin type.  Perhaps because it results in a powdery finish instead of the usual dewy look.

Each pan sells $6 over the US, and around 360php locally.

(L): Nyx Cream Blush in Hot Pink, (R): Nyx Cream Blush in Red Cheeks

Swatching Nyx Rogue Cream Blushes on my NC30 hand

These two blushes show up pigmented on my NC30 cheeks.  Watch out for Hot Pink as it can be easily overdone.

Swatches under different lighting conditions:

Nyx Rogue Cream Blushes: Fluorescent light, indoors, (+) flash

Nyx Rogue Cream Blushes: Outdoors, (+) flash

Nyx Rogue Cream Blushes: Outdoors, (-) flash

I use these blushes with my fingertips.  They are creamy treats that can be easily blended.  These two blushes show up pigmented on my NC30 cheeks.  Just watch out for the Nyx Rogue Blush in Hot Pink as it is creamier than the other.  It's easier to overdo Hot Pink on your cheeks.  Now, we don't want clown-faces, do we? 

Some Tips:

1.  If you find that Hot Pink is toooooo creeeamy, you can put it in the fridge to prevent dipping accidents (notice how my Hot Pink pan looks beside Red Cheeks... see that "dip"?).  I noticed that post-ref condition of the blush solidifies it a bit more.  

2.  Try your best not to overdo Hot Pink.  It's tad difficult to undo this mistake, you see.  Make sure you dab a small amount on your cheeks and just layer if you want more color.  

3.  I find it difficult to tell these two apart when blended well into the cheeks.  They pretty much have identical colors on the skin.  The only difference is that you use more of Red Cheeks than Hot Pink.  So if you're pressed to choose just one of these two, root for Hot Pink *wink*

Nyx Rogue Blush in Hot Pink on my cheeks.  Sorry for the cheek pouch.  I'm eating candy when this shot was taken.  

High Definition makeups are definitely in these days.  Imagine my surprise when I found out about MUFE's HD blush, a new addition to their photo-makeup line.

Photo Source

Sephora website sells these 0.33 oz cream blushes at $25 each and captions the product with:

VIEW ALL PRODUCTS BY MAKE UP FOR EVER   HD Microfinish Blush What it is: A cream blush that naturally sculpts and highlights the cheeks for a healthy glow. What it does: HD Microfinish Blush combines mattifying and reflecting powders to create a soft-focus effect for a  radiant complexion. Its ultra-fine, second-skin texture blends seamlessly, imparting a healthy  glow that's hard not to notice. What else you need to know: Formulated with evaporating oils, HD Microfinish Blush has a long-lasting result.  Dermatologist tested. Paraben free.

Swatches here, click to enlarge:

It rates a 5/5, with its being natural-looking on the cheeks as its strongest point, in the site's currently 4 reviews on it.  I'm eager to read more feedbacks!

Sigh, don't you wish we had our own Sephora here?  If we did, it'll be a hell lot easier to compare this newbie with the famed NARS blushes!

I was lucky to have been able to try this cheap blush duo on my cheeks. Sebastian Trucco's Blush Creme Duo in Desert Rose offers a pink blusher and a pretty highlighter.

From Sebastian Trucco: "Highlight and blush team up to give your skin a flawless, satiny finish. Cream-to-powder colors and contours bone structure. Silky sheer cream highlight accents and heightens. Subtly enhances natural skin. Housed in a dual-compact"

What I love about it:

• gives me a healthy flush on my cheeks; lovely color!
• 'newbie-to-blushes'-friendly in terms of application/blending
• the creamy blush glides perfectly and miraculously becomes powdery to suit my oily cheeks
• cheap! I got it for 400+ php
• the palette has a HUGE mirror!
• if you over apply the blush (a slim chance), the highlighter works great in toning it down

Uh-ohs:

• I have no use for the highlighter since it'll just emphasize my acne scars
• packaging looks like a coffin
• poor staying power on my oily, oily, oily cheeks
• locally unavailable; but there are a few who sell over ebay.ph

Here are the swatches (click pix to enlarge):

I'm still thinking if I'd purchase again after using it all up. I'm a little bit reluctant since I'm a cheek tint gal.

To anyone using NARS blushes: can this Trucco product be a shade dupe of any NARS blush at all? I was just wondering...