Blush recommendation?

[hnich]

Hi there, I have super-pale, warm tones skin, and I am currently in search for my perfect blush...
I've tried NARS Orgasm (way too gold-y)
Milani Luminous is my current but I'd like something a bit darker (and it settles too thick on top of my foundation)
I've tried MAC coygirl and summersheen, both of which make me look...ruddy. i suppose

I don't know what I'm looking for exactly, I just know that the ones I've tried have never looked right!

here's a pic below with me wearing coygirl blush and foundation , the pics are untouched up, so please forgive the drunken shininess!
any recomendations for me to try or tips that I'm missing would be so hugely appreciated!

thanks again

 

[kimmy]

you and are have very similar colouring, and i'm absolutely in love with mac desirous blush! it was a limited edition colour, but if you can find it somewhere online i'd definately suggest getting it.

it looks fantastic with porcelain pink msf over it, too.

 

[martygreene]

Looking at the photo, you're pulling off some severely cool colors there, which makes me question the 'warm toned' descriptor. You might try some cooler blushes, and see how those go for you. Particularly since you say previous attempts have seemed 'ruddy'.

You might want to try Tarte's cheekstains, they're quite wonderful.

 

[hnich]

kimmy- thanks! the LE scares me a bit, but if I see it I'll def. try it (your skin looks great!)

mg- my warm-toned description mostly just comes from MA's who look at my face, sigh, and say 'we have to do something about all that redness!'
I feel like tact should be included in cosmetology lessons...

but I guess I must have misunderstood that then? i guess they were referring just to the problems with the skin tone, not the skin tone itself..I'm bad with things like that...
At Prescriptives I was tested as a Blue-Red (and it was perfect!), MAC, EM, and Alima I looked most natural in the neutral tones

I'm slightly afraid of cheek stains, but horribly curious...the ones from Quo at SDM look so..bright! (but I guess that's what blending is for..)
how do you blend it properly over foundation without smudging the concealer/powder?

 

[saniyairshad]

NARS makes the best blushes...
NARS Torrid
NARS Amour
NARS Nico
NARS Sin

 

[juicyaddict]

i just discovered nyx blushes and they're great! so cheap and super pigmented. they have cream blushes, too, and i think tea rose will look good on you.

 

[martygreene]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hnich kimmy- thanks! the LE scares me a bit, but if I see it I'll def. try it (your skin looks great!) mg- my warm-toned description mostly just comes from MA's who look at my face, sigh, and say 'we have to do something about all that redness!' I feel like tact should be included in cosmetology lessons... but I guess I must have misunderstood that then? i guess they were referring just to the problems with the skin tone, not the skin tone itself..I'm bad with things like that... At Prescriptives I was tested as a Blue-Red (and it was perfect!), MAC, EM, and Alima I looked most natural in the neutral tones I'm slightly afraid of cheek stains, but horribly curious...the ones from Quo at SDM look so..bright! (but I guess that's what blending is for..) how do you blend it properly over foundation without smudging the concealer/powder?

Yup, if you were matched at blue-red, I'd definately say you're cool leaning towards neutral.

Tarte cheekstains are a little different from the other lines, and in a good way. They're a round push-up stick, similar to a deoderant stick if you can picture that. They're a sheer hard-gel. You can apply them directly from the stick by drawing it against your skin, or tapping it against your skin, or you can apply it with a foundation brush or similar (my preferred method). I pick some up on the brush, then tap the brush where I want the blush to go. Then I blend it with my fingers, a sponge, or a clean foundation brush.

These can be applied before or after foundation, depending on how sheer your foundation is. Sometimes I'll use one tone under foundation, and another over top for a more natural, glowy, multi-dimensional look.

 

[ginger9]

You are very pretty btw

Looking at your picture I think you could try:

Barbie Don't Be Shy, it's cool toned but versatile - gives a very doll-like angelic look.

Dollymix is another great blush, it's just gorgeous and universally flattering. On you it's all about the light hand when you wear this blush, but give this a try if you can test at a MAC store.

Also, if you want to try some thing warmer, like a pinky-peach blush. Smile from the Raquel line would look great on you as well.

Lastly Sunbasque is fun too. It's a bronzey-peach with shimmer.

HTH!

 

[hnich]

wow! so many recs...I'm beginning to be a fan of nyx so i'll try those first, but I'm going to the mac pro store today so I don't know if I can resist trying on the barbie blush (loving the barbie line!)
def. gonna try out the cheek stain if only to finally satisfy my curiosity

EDIT: ok, shopping update: went to SDM, MAC, and Sephora
had a MA try me on don't be shy, and she assured me that smiel was teh same colour...it looked like I was in junior high! too bright for me...the MA looked at me like I was an alien too when I asked if she could blend it in more...she also said I needed a 'warmer' blush which made me laugh

next to SDM to look at the QUO tarte knockoff stains...Giggle was a perfect, neutral color, reasonably priced at 17.50, but of course, they were out of stock except for the tester (i've phoned other stores and they also didn't have it, might be discontinued?) It also seemed a bit hard

finally gave in and went to sephora to check out the tarte cheek stains, the price made me feel faint...and then i tried it on my hand...oh my god, the texture and colors were to die for...I bought the 3 mini set for $47.00 (damn that PST...)
I just tried Tipsy on now, and it's perfect! just flushed, really natural, not muddy or ruddy at all...the apple-y smell is strange, but not unpleasant
so yes, I'll continue with the cheek stains but so far they seem perfect, I'll post a pic next time I have full makeup on (essay due in 2 days, not started yet!) to compare with the before

thanks again for all the help, specktra girls rock.

 

[JRPAGV]

Have you tried MAC Cheek or Estee Lauder Rose Nuance? Those are both great colors, IMO.

 

[hnich]

update: 5 minutes after applying...
my skin is now itchy and slightly bumpy from the tarte.
ironic because I was going to use allergy as an excuse if I didn't like the formula, and now I love the formula and have an allergy....will give it a few more shots before returning, the reaction isn't too bad

 

[martygreene]

which shade of the tarte stain? I've yet to encounter a model or client with an allergy, though it's possible to react to anything. I'm uncertain if the reaction would be pigment or carrier based, you could probably research that a bit if you wished.

Sorry to hear you skin isn't happy with it though!

 

[ginger9]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hnich EDIT: ok, shopping update: went to SDM, MAC, and Sephora had a MA try me on don't be shy, and she assured me that smiel was teh same colour...

I don't want to put down the MA that helped you out but Don't Be Shy and Smile are NOT the same colour. I tried both blushes out on either cheek and there was a clear distinction. I do think Don't Be Shy is a very cool and dolly like blush so if you want something more natural per se then maybe it's not your best choice. Btw, have you tried checking out the swatches section? There's tonnes of blush swatches on ladies of various colourings.

Sorry to hear your skin reacted to the cheek stain....I've had that happen before too and also with cream blushes

...

 

[Winthrop44]

I am pale with warm/yellow undertones and superimposed rosacea, which sometimes makes my face look a bit pinker than my neck. I do use neutral to yellow-based foundations (I usually wear Alima N2 but can also wear W1) and then generally stick to warmer peachy, beige or coral blushes. Smile, BTW, works beautifully on me and is a warmer pink. I would unfortunately not be able to use the Tarte cheek stains myself (although they look lovely!) because of my rosacea - they would make me redder and cause breakouts pretty immediately due to the propylene glycol in them. I have no idea if any of this is relevant to your situation, but this is what popped into my head when I read that you'd reacted to the cheek stains.

Edited to say Smile is still available online on the US MAC site and it's described as a soft pink coral. Don't Be Shy is described as a bright clean pink.

 

[hnich]

yes, tried the tarte again today on bare skin to make sure it wasn't just reacting with the foundation...no bumps this time (I think the bumps last time were already there and just aggravated) but my skin burned over any blemishes and swelled slightly

plus the smell, is suuuper strong and it's rather sticky...

but it's so pretty! ah well....next ones to try MAC's Smile (regardless of MA's opinion...) and Sunbasque NYX's cream blushes (I am growing to like the idea of cream/gel blushes..) and track down Quo's giggle cheek stain, the formula seemed really different, and it's scentless so maybe I won't react

people with non-sensitive skin are so lucky...I can't even remember the last time buying makeup without making sure it was returnable because 6/10 times it'll hurt my skin

 

[martygreene]

you might want to contact Tarte and let them know. I find it very interesting myself- I'm EXTREMELY sensitive and haven't had any trouble with the tarte stains myself. Tarte would probably like to know about your reaction though.

 

[rosquared]

you should try cargo's the big easy!

 

[hnich]

martygreene- I'll let them know, maybe it was the glitter in it? my skin is super sensitive due to acne meds, and it did feel a little like sandpaper on bare skin...could be the source of irritation
but the shade on tipsy was great, so I guess corally-pink might be a good shade for me to try in other brands..I'm very curious about bronzer, but also wary...I'm so pale right now that I'm scared it'll look ridiculous!
so many recommendations...I'm slowly narrowing it down though!

 

[martygreene]

You might try one of the non-shimmery ones, see if you have the same issue?

 

[shimpaniac]

try springsheen...gorgeous!!!!