Hey lovelies,
If there's one blush finish that can be somewhat polarizing, it's shimmer. Done well, they give a perfect, lit from within glow but done wrong, they're more likely to cause people to mistake you for a disco ball! I was contacted by Luxola recently to ask if I'd like to put some of the shimmery blushes they offer to the test, so let's see how these three fare! Plus there's an exclusive discount coupon at the end of the post, so get scrolling :D
I was allowed to choose three different blushes from among the many brands Luxola offer, which was no easy feat! If you've never shopped with Luxola before, they're a company based in Singapore who ship to New Zealand, Australia and parts of Asia - you can find the full list of locations they deliver to here. They stock over 200 hundred brands so there's definitely something for everyone's tastes and budget. If none of the blushes I'll be showing you today appeal, you can try more on their website.
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Wet n Wild Berry Shimmer
The Wet n Wild blush is big on packaging, not so much on actual volume, containing 4g of product - but that's not such a big deal given it's currently on sale for $6.15NZD! It contains a small travel sized brush, which is a bit too sparsely bristled and floppy to be very useful - I did give it a good go and it just did not want to blend, so back to the comfort of my regular blush brush it was.
Berry Shimmer is a ruddy berry with heavy golden shimmer. It has very strong colour pay off and I needed to use a very light hand (even so, I think I still over did it a bit!). If you want cheeks that have a rosy glow as if you've been on a brisk walk on a cold winter's day, Berry Shimmer is well worth a look. I think this shade would be excellent for darker complexions too. The texture is finely milled and kicks up some excess powder in the pan, but doesn't look powdery when applied. On me, Berry Shimmer lasted a solid ten hours before showing signs of fading.
A FOTD with Wet n Wild Berry Shimmer
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Mirenesse Marble Mineral Blush - Rose Diamond
Mirenesse is a brand I haven't used in many years (not since receiving their Secret Weapon mascara as a magazine freebie circa 2009, which from memory was one of the first tubing mascaras around!) and I was excited to get reacquainted. Straight off the bat you can tell Mirenesse is presenting themselves as a luxury brand, with the Marble Mineral Blush arriving in its own special pouch. It has a lofty price tag to match, currently retailing for $63.79NZD on Luxola, but it should be noted that this blush contains a whopping 12g of product! For comparison's sake, a MAC blush is $48.00NZD for 6g.
This blush comes in a large, palm sized compact which has a decent weight to it, although the lid feels a little wobbly and thinner than the rest. Not like it's going to pop open, more that it might slide to the side somehow. I really like that Mirenesse have chosen to include a good quality, generously sized mirror instead of an ineffectual travel brush.
Rose Diamond is a medium, slightly warm pink with heavy shimmer and lovely, buildable colour pay off. Although it looks super shimmery in the swatch, it applies with a more subtle effect and gives quite a natural finish. It's very powdery in the compact, but again, doesn't appear that way on my cheeks. Wear time was very good, still going strong after seven hours wear and beginning to look faded after nine hours.
A FOTD with Mirenesse Rose Diamond
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Sleek Rose Gold
Last but certainly not least is the famous Rose Gold blush from Sleek MakeUP. This blush is famously a close match for the immensely popular NARS Orgasm, which I unfortunately don't own to compare, but this glowing beauty certainly helps to sate the lemming. It's packaged in a simple but sturdy matte black compact with a large mirror and contains 8g of product, currently retailing for $15.95NZD.
Rose Gold is a medium coral pink with lots of golden sheen. The texture runs on the drier side and I found it took a bit of building for me to be happy with the colour saturation but I absolutely love it on. The shimmer doesn't emphasise pores or fallout, it's very fine and smooth. Rose Gold lasts for seven hours on me before disappearing.
A FOTD with Rose Gold
What I liked:
- Sleek Rose Gold wears for seven hours
- Mirenesse Rose Diamond wears for nine hours
- Wet n Wild Berry Shimmer wears for ten hours
- Wet n Wild Berry Shimmer has intense colour pay off
- Sleek Rose Gold and Mirenesse Rose Diamond have buildable colour pay off
- They don't emphasise pores
- No fall out from shimmer
- Large mirrors included in Mirenesse Rose Diamond and Sleek Rose Gold compacts
- Huge amount of product in the Mirenesse Marble Mineral Blush
What I didn't like:
- Mirenesse Rose Diamond and Wet n Wild Berry Shimmer kick up some excess powder
- The brush included with Wet n Wild Berry Shimmer is pretty useless
- Mirenesse Rose Diamond's lid feels a bit loose and wobbly
Where to buy:
- Luxola (individual links above)
Luxola have kindly offered my readers a 25% discount code! Use the code BLX-LANI to receive 25% off your first order. The coupon is valid until the 30th of September, 2015 and is only valid for first time Luxola customers. Some brands are excluded from the discount coupon, you can find out more in Luxola's FAQ.
Not feeling confident about blush in general? Luxola have a great article in their online magazine, LXEdit to help you find the perfect shade and application style for you. Find out more.
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Lani
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