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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Sleek Blush by 3 in Sweet Cheeks | Review and Swatches

If you read my haul post here, you'll know that I recently picked up the Sleek Blush by 3 Palette in Sweet Cheeks. I already own the Blush by 3 Palette in Pumpkin which I reviewed here, and I really love it. When I saw Sleek had bought out a new palette and saw the bright colours in it, I knew it was a must have for my makeup bag.

Colours:
The colours in this are gorgeous bright colours which are ideal for summer. Cupcake is a gorgeous blue-toned pink. This is the only blush in the palette which is a cream formulation. Dolly Mix is a very gorgeous lilac colour. I really like that they included this in the palette, it adds something a bit different to the palette. It's quite a unique colour and I can't think of any similar drugstore/highstreet blushes off the top of my head. Finally Candy Floss is similar in shade to Cupcake but is much more warm toned.

I think all the colours in this palette are really wearable and are great for Spring/Summer, although I will definitely be wearing these in Autumn/Winter too. These blushes do look a bit scary in the pan as they are bold, but you can create a much more subtle look by applying these lightly with a stippling brush.

Pigmentation:
As you can hopefully see from the swatches, the pigmentation on these is great and typical of Sleek blushes. The swatches are all 2 swipes each. I was glad to see that the cream blush, Cupcake, was well pigmented as this is the first cream blush that Sleek has released. I'm hoping that in the future Sleek comes out with a blush by 3 palette containing only cream blushers. These can applied to give a very intense look, or using a light hand to give a more subtle effect. One word of warning: make sure you blend these if you are going for an intense look. The pigmentation is so good that you can look a bit clownish if you aren't careful.

Application:
Sleek's blushes are some of the best affordable blushes available. They aren't quite as easy to blend as some of the higher end blushes (such as Illamasqua's) but they are a lot easier to apply than most other drugstore/highstreet blushers. In my opinion, the cream blush applied the best and was easily blended into the skin. The powder blushes are a bit harder to work with, but can still be blended into the skin with a little effort. For the price, the quality of these is superb.

Lasting Power:
I always prime my skin and found that on me the two powder blushes lasted all day, which I have found is often the case with Sleek blushes. The cream blush did not last as long (as was to be expected) but lasted about 5 hours + before there was noticeable fading. This is typical wear time for a cream blush, but this can probably be extended by powdering the blush or using a setting spray.

Packaging:
As always, the Sleek packaging is lightweight and easy to carry around. I also love that Sleek always includes a large mirror in their blush palettes as it is ideal if you want to touch up your makeup while you are out and about. Sweet Cheeks also comes in a limited edition outer packaging as it's part of the Candy Collection. However the rest of the packaging is no different, apart from the blush and collection name being in the lower right hand corner of the palette.

Pricing & Availability:
Available from Superdrug for £9.99, along with the rest of the collection of Blush By 3 Palettes.

I really like this blush trio and have been loving the bright colours for Summer. These blushes are some of the best quality available for such an affordable price. I really recommend this to anyone looking for affordable blushes which have great pigmentation

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