2014 favorites | makeup part 2: blushes, bronzers, and highlight

After I apply my concealer and sometimes-foundation, my face is looking pretty blank and flat! Here are my favorite blushes, highlight, and bronzers to add the color back in.

dolce & gabbana blush in tan 22 » It says blush, but it's clearly an overpriced bronzer. Even so, I'll buy this over and over because it's just that good. I have a review, here!

benefit hoola bronzer » Unfortunately just one bronzer isn't enough for me because I go completely bananas when it comes to contouring. Hoola is darker and more pigmented than the D&G one, so this one goes on just the hollows of my cheeks.

too faced a la mode eyes » BECKY THAT'S AN EYESHADOW PALETTE-- I know, I know! But, I like super shimmery highlights and even though it doesn't look natural at all... well, I like it so much to the point where I use La Croisette which is a SUPER pigmented and shimmery eyeshadow, as my highlight. I might look into the Becca highlighters but at almost $30..... I'm going to cry.

too faced full bloom ultra flush blush in cocoa rose » My go-to neutral blush, it works with both neutral and more out-there looks. I believe this is the first ever high-end blush I bought as well, around 2 years ago. Since then it seems like they've been out of stock of this shade in particular, and I really hope it's not discontinued.

tarte 12-hour amazonian clay blush in captivating » The perfect coral on the cheeks, I like using this when my makeup is fairly neutral to give a pop of color. I've been using it for a while and the imprint doesn't seem to fade away. Magic, I tell you.

The last of the makeup favorites series will be up tomorrow, featuring my favorite eye products! Unfortunately the hair and bodycare favorites won't be up until sometime in January (it feels so weird saying that!) since I'm saving the 31st for a post that will be special to me.

review | dolce & gabbana the blush luminous cheek color in tan 22

Ok, so a bit of storytime - Dolce & Gabbana blush in Tan is my faaaaavorite for contouring. So of course I'm gonna want to repurchase it during the VIB sale, except it's sold out online. I went as far as going to the Sephora in Times Square to get this, and that's saying a lot since I'm a super lazy person and would pick online shopping over carrying bags home, any day.

Anyway, I asked the sales associates if they had Dolce & Gabbana Tan - they did! It was the last one and one of them even showed me inside the drawer to prove it, haha. It was totally meant to be. The sales associates even said it themselves. This would be a good chance for a review since I've got a brand new one for OPTIMUM PHOTOS, but my thoughts will be more complete since I've been using this product for a little over half a year.



The new one is so shiiiiny. I don't know why, but it's really satisfying comparing old and new products.

Anyone else feel like a lot of the cost behind high end cosmetics is in the packaging? I'll admit it makes me feel a lot fancier than I actually am, though. It even comes with a dust cover to keep it warm on chilly nights!



Wearing just Tan as a contour, without blush. I wonder what that the little speck is under my birthmark.



Comparing D&G Tan with the other two bronzers I own. Benefit's Hoola looks more orange even though Hoola supposedly lacks an orange tone, and Tarte's Park Ave Princess is redder.... maybe.

PROS:

• Even though it has luminous in the name, it's not shimmery or glittery at all which I prefer for my contour. It's more ashy/cool toned than most bronzers, making it emulate the shade of natural shadows on the face. It looks pretty natural as far as contouring goes.
• Very easy to work with - super smooth, easy to blend out, and not patchy at all. It lasts pretty much all day on my face.
• It's a lot sheerer than I thought it would be (see cons), which makes it easy to build up and blend out without overdoing it.

CONS:

• The $$$, obviously - though it's worth every penny! It's $45 for .17oz of product, while most higher end blushes and bronzers have twice the amount of product for around $20-$40. I've heard that NYX blush in Taupe is pretty close, but I haven't tried it since I always had a hard time making NYX blushes work for me in the past.
• It's a lot sheerer than I thought it would be (see pros), and I'm slightly disappointed that I have to layer this quite a bit for it to show up the way I like it, though most people don't pile on the contour like I do. I go in even more with Benefit's Hoola underneath the cheekbones on most days.