MAKEUP COLLECTION & DECLUTTER: Blushes

by - July 12, 2016


Blushes are one of my absolute favorite makeup products. It might actually sound really weird, but I just want to have every possible shade that I can at my disposal so that I have something to compliment every look on the rest of my face. Of course, this means I tend to go a little mad with power when it comes to my collection and since it was bursting at the seams it was definitely time to hammer down and pare down my collection. I actually did declutter my blushes about a year ago and gave a bunch of them to my best friend and tossed some terrible ones, so it's a smaller declutter than it would have been... but it's still a pretty significant declutter.

Keep reading to see what I've got and what I'm parting with!


City Color Be Matte Blush x2 - Fresh Melon, Unnamed Mauve Shade
I actually really, really love these blushes. I originally got the Fresh Melon shade in a subscription bag and the shade wasn't entirely my taste but the formula was smooth and pigmented and gorgeous on the skin, so when I saw a mauve shade at Winners I snapped it up. If you have the opportunity, these really are great blushes.

Makeup Revolution The Matte Blush in Dare
This formula is actually really similar to the City Color blushes. When I chose the shade Dare, the photo online looked COMPLETELY different than what I got in the pan, so this isn't as much of a go to as I was expecting, but it's a great formula and I don't really have much by way of hot pink blushes otherwise so I'm keeping it.

Essence Silky Touch Blush x4 - Sweetheart, Babydoll, Life's A Cherry, & Autumn Peach
I will never get rid of my Essence Silky Touch blushes. I want them close to me for all the times and I will buy every single shade that they come out with in the future.These are a beautiful, silky texture that give a really healthy, natural look to the skin - although with the brighter shades, you definitely have to use a lighter hand if you have fair skin like myself.

Wet N Wild Color Icon Blush in Rose Champagne
When I first saw reviews of this, people were giving it such a thumbs down that I didn't think I was going to like... BUT I LOVE IT. It's a really natural shade that pairs well with pretty much any look, but especially with bright or smoky eye looks. And it has a nice glow on the cheeks that I love as well.

Essence Beach Cruisers Blush in I Summer Break
This was a limited edition blush a couple of years ago and I don't wear it all that much, but it's so pretty that I just can't part with it. Plus, the formula on this one is really great as well.

Mariposa Blushes x3 - Mauve, Berry, Peach
These were a dollar store find that were really impressive and I decided to hang onto these shades because I feel like they could get a good amount of use. They're really creamy and pigmented - you really do have to use a light hand - and they hold on pretty well to the cheeks.
Essence Beauty Beats Blush
So... this was from a Justin Bieber collection that they did and I'm vaguely embarrassed about buying it, but this is one of my favorite winter blushes when my skin is extra pale and I want a cold-nipped cheek look with otherwise really fresh, simple makeup.

Essence Cookies & Cream Blush
This is another shade that isn't entirely my taste, but it's great when I have a bit of a tan or do a really bronzey look in the face. Coral, in my opinion, looks best on deeper skin tones than my own, but I can make it work.

Annabelle Blush in Hibiscus
This is one of those workhorse blushes that is perfect for every day. It's pink with a little bit of a warm rose hint to it and it pretty much works with anything.

Sonia Kashuk Beautifying Blush in Flamingo
This blush is definitely brighter pink than it's showing up in the photos and is another one of those summer blushes for me. This formula is AMAZING though. I love the texture of it and the way it blends into the skin.

JOE Fresh Blush in Hydrangea
Another perfect every day blush, this is one I reach for when I want subtle rosiness to the cheeks. This isn't my favorite formula, but it's not bad. I don't really reach for it that often, but it's nice.

LIDÉAL Sweet Symphony Blush in shade 01
This is a light peach shade that actually shows up - something I'm finding I struggle to find. I don't use this one that often, but when I want a true peachy cheek this is a great choice. The formula is super smooth and buttery and the pigmentation is insane.

NYC Mosaic Blush in Peachy
I've been a little bit in love with this blush for years. This one is another one of those really natural blushes, but it has a little bit of depth and some definite bronziness that I feel makes for a really warm, sunkissed look when I'm maybe feeling a little bit bleh.

JULEP Glow Pore Minimizing Blush x2 - Clover Pink & Peach Bellini
I actually don't reach for this blushes nearly as much as I should be, because they're actually really nice. They look more similar in the photo than they are. Clover Pink is a true pink with a neutral undertone, and Peach Bellini is a pinky peach with some gold sheen to it. Both are quite nice, but I need to use them more to know if I really love them.

Lancome Blush in Blushing Nude
This is a kind of terracotta nude shade that would probably work better on a medium to deep skin tone, but that I'm determined to make work. This is a good quality blush and I think that as we get deeper into summer and I get a bit of a tan this will work better on me.

theBalm Frat Boy Blush
This is one of my favorites and one of those blushes that I reach for when I don't know what I want to use, because it's a no brainer. This is a peachy shade with enough pink to make it work on my skin tone, and gives a really healthy look to the face. LOVE.

theBalm Balm Desert Blush Sample
I didn't think I was going to have any use for this, but I fell a little bit in love with it. This looks really bronzey in the pan, but on the skin it seems to pull in a lot of rosiness that just really gives that feeling of health.

Cargo Water Resistant Blush in Coronado
This blush is REALLY light, so if you're any deeper than fair it's going to be hard to make this work, but I reach for this on days when I'm going to the beach or the pool and want something that's going to hold up at least somewhat. Based on this formula, I'd like to try a shade that's not quite so light.

Seraphine Cosmetics Happy Hibiscus Blush
This is pretty much brand new in my collection and I'm really impressed with it. I think of it as kind of a burnt apricot shade and I think almost any skin tone could make this work and it would look lovely. I don't know how much I'm personally going to reach for it, but I do think it's definitely a nice addition to my collection.
 

Clinique Cheek Pop Blush x2 - Pansy Pop & Heather Pop
This is my favorite blush formula, period. These two shades are the only ones I have so far, but I have every intention of adding to my collection in the coming months. Pansy Pop is a very light, slightly sheer purple colour that I think gives a really youthful look to the skin. Heather Pop is pretty much my perfect every day blush and probably the one that I reach for most in my collection. It's a mauvey pink shade that looks really natural and gives a bit of glow. Lovelovelovelovelove.

Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Duo in Ripe Watermelon
To be honest, I'm keeping this duo more for the highlight than for the blush. Both products are gorgeous, but the blush is a little brighter than I tend to reach for. The highlighter is AMAZING though, which makes this duo a must keep.

Laura Gellar Blush & Brighten in Sateen Subtle Berry
This is another blush in my collection that I'm a little bit in love with. In the pan, it can look more like a bronzer, but swatched and applied to the skin it's definitely a pretty warm mauve shade with a gorgeous sheen. I've been using this all year, but it's definitely a blush that shines in the summer.

ModelCo Blush Cheek Powder in Peach Bellini
Admittedly, I almost never reach for this. This is your NARS Orgasm type of blush that has a peachy pink base with a ton of gold sheen in it. It's definitely not my favorite type of blush, but because I do occasionally reach for it (and I'm decluttering a similar blush) this one is staying in the collection.
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Magic
I feel like I've had more tarte Amazonian Clay blushes in the past... but I don't know where they are and this is the only one left. This is a really pretty shade that I think would be pretty universally flattering, though I don't know if it would show up on very deep skin tones. It's a true pink shade that I would say has a HINT of satin to it, but is mostly a matte. And it's pretty, goes with almost anything, and has that great tarte formula.
 

Honestly, there's a theme with the blushes I'm decluttering here - too light or too dark. I feel like almost all of those fall into one of those categories. Almost all of these are really lovely blushes, they just don't work for me.
Wet N Wild Color Icon Blush in Mellow Wine
This is OLD. Like, really old. This shade just never really worked for me so I rarely used it. I think this is probably a great workhorse type of blush for medium to deep skin tones, but on my skin it was just a little much.

Benefit Dandelion Blush
I know this is, like, the big thing right now... but this has always felt way too light to show up even on me so I just don't get it. Maybe it's an issue with this small size that I have? I don't know. I love the shade, but it just doesn't pack enough punch.

essence Good Girl Bad Girl Blush
This is another one that just doesn't pack enough - or any, really - punch for me. I was SO excited about this one when it was released and went to two stores to find it, if I remember correctly, but there's just no there there. Too light.

Sleek Blush in Rose Gold
So I decided to declutter this even though it's an absolutely gorgeous blush because it's so incredibly similar to the ModelCo Blush above, and since this isn't a shade I reach for often it isn't something I need in my collection. That said, this is going to someone who will use it because it's beautiful.

THEFACESHOP Single Blush in OR01
There is a theme of blushes that are too light here. This was actually one I went back and forth on though, because it's such a lovely texture and I can build it to get a really subtle peachiness, but I decided to pass this along because I'm more likely to reach for the Cargo blush in that situation.

Coastal Scents Forever Blush in Romantic
Buying blush online can be a little tricky, I've learned, because it seems like photos can often be deceiving and this is one blush that I had that issue with. This is just too deep for me. I feel like this would be great on skintones ranging from sort of deeper olive to deep, but on my fair skin it's just too much and even a light touch is still too much.

Mariposa Blush in Pale Pink
This blush came in a set with the other 3 Mariposa blushes that I decided to keep, but this shade is just too light and baby pink for my taste. It's insanely pigmented and the shade is really pretty, but I just don't like it on my face. (And I actually destroyed it the other day because I wanted to use the pan. Whoops!)

Vintage by Jessica Liebeskind Illuminating Face Highlighter
Okay, technically this is a highlighter but I can not pull off a super pigmented baby pink highlighter on my face because it just looks weird and insane, so I tossed this in the blush drawer, but it's just too light and too intensely glowy for me. I will pass this along as well, because it's nice quality, but I just can't make it work.

Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore
First... This blush is so pretty - except for the explosion of microglitters in it that end up pretty much all over your face. I got rid of another Milani Baked Blush in my last declutter and this one was never going to be far behind it. That said, I think it's just about time I got my hands on Luminoso, don't you?

Soooo there you have it - a buttload of blush staying, and a little load of blush going out. I know my blush collection is ridiculous, and I know myself well enough to know that it's going to keep growing, but I feel no shame. Blushes are one of my favorite makeup products and I basically want them all. So.

What're your favorite blushes, drugstore or high end? 

Thanks for reading!

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