My Top 5 | Blushes

I'm a blush girl, I love how a different blush can completely change up your look. It can be subtle and compliment your makeup or it can be bold and give the makeup a new dimension. I decided to share with you my favourite five blushes that I wear a lot. Apart from one limited edition blush, all the others are still available. Four of them are matte and one is shimmer.

1. Sleek Squash
Sleek Squash is the bright pink blush in the Sleek Blush by 3 Palette in Pumpkin which I reviewed here. It's a bright pink matte powder blush. As you can see by the swatch, this is the brightest blush and it is possibly the brightest powder blush I own. I love wearing this in summer as it gives a lovely pop of colour on the cheeks. You can layer this for an intense look, or only use a bit and blend it into the skin for a more subtle look. I love that I can achieve two different looks with this blush depending on how I apply it.  This is slightly harder to work with than the other blushes (which are all high end) but the pigmentation is one of the best, and it lasts for ages too.

2. Illamasqua Katie
I already reviewed this blush here, I love this blush and would say it is possibly the favourite blush I own. I can already feel a bit dent in it, and am worried I will run out soon :(. It's a pale pink which really compliments my pale skin and adds a very subtle glow to my cheeks. I'd say it has the best formula of the bunch, it is incredible soft and very easy to apply and blend into the cheeks. It isn't powdery at all and lasts all day.

3. Nars Oasis
I've already reviewed this blush in more detail here. This is the only shimmer blush pictured. I actually prefer how shimmery blushes look, but as I often wear shimmery eyeshadows, it would be a bit overkill to wear shimmer on the cheeks. This is the darkest blush out of the five, it is described as a 'sparkling pink champagne'. It leans more brown than pink on my skin as I'm fair. This is less subtle on my skin as it is quite a bit darker, but it blends it well and I love wearing this on a night out. As with all Nars blushes, the pigmentation is great and the wear time is superb.

4. MAC Immortal Flower
This is the only limited edition blush of the collection. I didn't want to include it as it was limited edition, but as I wear this one so much, I figured it'd be silly not to include it. This is a peachy-orangey shade. It is a pale shade, and if you have tanned skin you won't be able to wear this. In fact, without lots of layering I would only recommend this to people with light-light medium skin. I love the way this blush compliments my bronzer and gives me more colour in summer. The formula is really nice and easy to blend into the skin.

5. Stila Convertible Colour in Gerbera
I already reviewed this here. Although I have dry skin, I tend to prefer powder blushes than cream blushes as I find they last longer. However, this blush is the exception. It stays on my skin for ages and blends into it seamlessly. As it's a cream formula it's not powdery or cakey at all. It is also very easy to apply and you can apply with your fingers or a brush. I love the colour of this, it's noticeable without being too in-your-face.

Those are my top five blushes in my collection that I wear regularly. Are any of these your favourite blushes too? What your top 5 blushes? Let me know in the comments!

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Illamasqua Powder Blush in Katie | Review and Swatch

Illamasqua blushes are one of the most raved about products of their brand, and it's easy to see why. I love their blushes, they're easy to apply, last for a long time and the pigmentation is great. My favourite blush from them, and the one I am reviewing today, is called 'Katie'. It's a light pink powder blush from their main collection.

Packaging:
The blush is housed in Illamasqua's typical sleek, black packaging. What I love most about this packaging is you can see the colour of the blush without opening the packaging up. The packaging is also extremely lightweight so would be easy to carry around with you.

Shade: 
The thing that first drew me to this blush was the colour. It's a pale pink colour that looks lovely on the cheeks. It is quite a natural looking colour so is great for people who like their makeup to look natural. However, the colour can be built up in order to achieve a darker look. The only issue with this blush is that due to its colour, people who have medium-dark skin may find it doesn't show up on them. But for all those as fair as me, this blush will look lovely on your skintones.

Application and Pigmentation:
The blush is very easy to apply, I'd go so far as to say that this is one of the most easy to apply blushes I've ever used. It is very soft and not in the least bit powdery -which is great for my dry skin! It applies easily and also blends well into the skin. The Pigmentation is also good, you can layer it up to achieve a more intense colour, or use less to achieve a more natural-looking blush. The blush also has a good lasting time, and I find I don't need to touch it up in the day.

Pricing:
For £18.00 this blush is one of the more expensive available on the market. However, I think the price is justified for the qualirt. Illamasqua often have sales on their stock throughout the year too, I've managed to pick up blushers for under £8 before!

Availability:
The whole range of Illamasqua Blushes (both Powder and Cream) are available from Illamasqua.

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