Itch reviews: NYX Rouge Cream Blush

Hello there everybody..peace be upon us all!

Another blush review today :)

I acquired some NYX Cream Blushes after having my eyes on them for quite a long time.

I did own one Stila Convertible a few years back (a present from my sister) in the colour Gerbera. I didn't like it, both in terms of colour and formula (the product itself). It's very thick and hard to blend making me have the impression that cream blushes are a pain to work with. That is until I found out about NYX (plus other brands in that matter).

I got three shades from my last spree. The shades are Hot Pink, Glow and Golden.

Hot Pink - as the name suggests it is exactly that. You get a very hot pinky colour. This particular product is one of Ian Sham (the famous Malaysian pro MUA) essentials. So I thought I gotta have this one too in my stash...teehehehe This colour is very, very pigmented! You'll need just a teeny weeny bit to your cheeks and then blend it in. After blending it will give you nice pink cheeks but not over the top. LOVE!

Glow - Kinda like medium terracota colour with hints of pink. May look a bit dark in the pan but when applied and blended this gives out a natural flush colour.

Golden - Light coral pink colour. This is the least pigmented of the three maybe because the colour kinda blends really well with my skin. I do have to apply more layers with this one.

I applied this using a skunk / duo fibre brush. 2 very lightly dips are enough for one cheek. I usually just finish the application with my face powder, but sometimes I layer a powder blush just to get more staying power. 

ELF Studio has a good stippling brush which is great for this cream blush since it's very soft. Etude House also has one, it's a bit denser and shorter but still gets the job done.

I keep one in my purse because it's very easy to touch up with your fingers, even on powder. It can also double up as lipstick but as creamy as the product is, it dries my lips. I have to put a good layer of vaseline before hand. Golden looks really good on the lips :)

PROS:
Very creamy, makes blending a breeze.
Lotsa product in the pan (since you need just a little for every application)
Good pigmentation
Lasts a good 5 to 6 hours (what I really like about this is, it fades out nicely)
Easy touch up when required

CONS:
Could be used as lipstick but very drying (works okay with a lip balm or vaseline beneath)
Not available locally
Hygiene would be a problem for creams, always check for any unwanted gunk before applying

If you guys are looking for a cream blush, why not try this? Retails at USD6.00 at www.cherryculture.com I got mine by joining Ryan's spree.

So that'she review for today...hope it helps.

Have a colourful Saturday all!

FOTD: [Make up Challenge: No Brushes] Gold and brown

Hello there lovely Beauty Itch readers!

I challenged myself today to do a complete look with out using any brushes! I had a hard time deciding what colours to use on the eyes, but finally decided to do a white, gold and brown look with an extreme wing. I hope that the wing would take the eyes of the uneven blending of the eyeshadows...hahaha

When using fingers, shimmery and satin finish eyeshadows are easier to blend, matte finishes are a bit harder. It also depends on the quality of your eyeshadows. For pigmented eyeshadows, you should better layer the colours bit by bit, because it is way harder to correct with fingers.

SCARY BLOODSHOT EYES!!!

For my face since brushes are not allowed, I used mostly liquid and cream products. They are blendable with fingers unlike powder products. So the most difficult part was the overall face powder. I had to resort to using the puff that comes with my powder. Puffs are good for touch ups, but for whole face-after foundation application, it made my face look a bit washed off because I applied too much. It's hard to control the amount, because you really do need just a little amount to powder the whole face.

On my face:
Simply Siti New Age Simply 5 Cream
Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation (Combo/oily) in Warm Golden
Dermacolor Camoflage Creme in D64
Sephora Base Sublimatrice Primer in Highlighting
NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Golden and Hot Pink
Elianto Natural Mineral Fixing Powder

On my eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Silky Girl Natural Brow Pencil in Dark Brown
Maybelline Hyper Sharpliner
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Pencil in Zero
Elianto Activewear Mascara in  Black
18 colour palette (gold, warm brown, white and black)

On my lips:
NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Golden
Uptown Visions Sheer Lipgloss in Glazed

The end didn't look bad but I do feel that using brushes is easier and faster especially when it comes to blending.

I would give this look a 2.5 out of 5..hehehe. I'm going to redo this look with brushes and without the scary bloodshot eyes :)

So that's it, it is possible to put your make up without an array of brushes..but for me..I still prefer using them.

Have you tried this before? Are you satisfied? Do share emkay!

Have a bright one everybody!

Itch reviews: ELF Studio Blush (Giddy Gold and Twinkle Pink)

Hey there lovely readers, peace be upon us!

Squeezing in a review for you guys today :)

Today's product under the Beauty Itch's spotlight is the ELF Studio Blush.

I got 2 shades from the collection (newer shades for Summer 2011) and they are called Twinkle Pink and Giddy Gold.

Left: Giddy Gold , Right: Twinkle Pink

Twinkle Pink is a very light pink with gold shimmers while Giddy Gold is a medium gold colour with also gold shimmers.

Swatched without flash

Swatched with flash

If you look at the pictures of the product in the pan and on my fingers you can clearly see that these colours are very powdery. When you try to pick them up with your brush, it will go everywhere. The colours are very very sheer. You have to layer them quite a few times to get the intensity that you usually get with other blushes, even cheap ones :(

But once you get that colour, Twinkle Pink looks really natural on the face. But the colour is more suited to fair to medium skinned girls. Giddy Gold looks a bit odd alone, but paired with a little pink, it's not so bad. I've tried using this as a highlighter but it looked kinda weird. Maybe if you have a darker more olive toned skin, then this would be nice. I've tried using Giddy Gold as an eyeshadow, and I really like it. But you have to pair it with a primer or a base to get the shimmer to pop and stay in place.

Now one thing that I don't like is the shimmer is too rough. Though you can't really feel it on your skin, they speckled all over the face. Both of these blushes do not fair well with flash photography because you can clearly see the balls of shimmer on your cheeks and the fall outs on your face.

So, all and all...

PROS:
Affordable
Good packaging
Has a good range of colours in the collection

CONS:
Too powdery
Rough shimmer and too light reflective
Poor pigmentation

I have read that the other colours are better and offer good pigmentation. Maybe you guys can check them out. These 2 are not recommendable (at least from me)

ELF Studio Blushes retail at USD3.00 and can be bought from www.eyelipsface.com or via Robecca's spree thread.

Hope you guys like the review. Have you tried any ELF blushes? What's your favourite. I'm thinking of maybe trying from the USD1.00 line.

Okay, have a great day all!

FOTD: Dark Smokey Brown Revisited

Hey there everybody, peace be upon us!

It's been quite a while huh? I missed you guys!

Bought EH! magazine issue Sept 2011 last month just because I really like the cover! Especially the make up on Neelofa. I know I have done a few smokey browns before, but I thought another one wouldn't hurt :) hehe .

The make up Artist which was Razlan used a few variations of browns to get the overall look. The liner was really thin and so close to the lash lines that you could barely see it. He did not use any false lashes (I do think the lashes would just take away the natural beauty of the look and making it look OTT). Lips and cheesk are kept nude with kinda like a coral undertone.

Okay, I look nothing like Neelofa, but she is a very beautiful girl no? So here's my look inspired by the cover.

Products that I used:

On my face:
Naturactor Cream Fundation in 141
Elianto Natural Mineral Fixing Powder
NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Golden
A coral blush from a generic palette
ELF Warm Bronzer
NYX Mosaic Powder BLush in Highlight

On my eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Too Faced NAtural Eye Palette (Sexpresso, Heaven and Silk Teddy)
Too Faced Insurance Policy Palette (Socialite)
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil in Zero
Elianto Activewear Mascara in Black

On my lips:
NYX round lipgloss in Ceto
Stage Wonderluxe lipstick in Naughty Nude

What do you think? 

A little side note: hehe...I do think my face is getting chubbier month by month. I'm well in my 8th month of pregnancy and I've gained 15kgs...a little bit more than my first pregnancy. Ah well..I don't mind as long as there's no complications. Less than a month to go..do pray for me a safe delivery :) thank you!

Okay, Have a lovely Friday everybody! Thanks for dropping by!