Sephora Collection Blush Me!

Good Day Everyone,

Whenever I have been in a Sephora store lately, I've been paying a bit more attention to Sephora’s own line of makeup, Sephora Collection. Typically in the past I have spent my time looking at the various makeup brands that I am most familiar with (Stila, Make Up For Ever, Smashbox, Dior etc) and ignored Sephora’s own line. This is because I’m the kind of person that tends to stick with makeup brands that I know and have had positive experiences with. Makeup isn't cheap, especially in Asia and I really dislike the idea of spending money on something which I then don’t use because either the colour wasn't quite right for my skin tone, or the product didn't have much staying power etc. Returning makeup products that just didn't work for you isn't really something you do in Singapore or the UK for that matter, unlike in the US which definitely leads the way in good customer service and returns policies (from my experience). 

On my last few visits to Sephora I have found myself drawn to the Sephora Collection blush me! blush in the colour Abricot No.11. That’s right Abricot (not apricot). The shimmery golden tones of this blush have been calling out to me for a while now and finally, I not only heard their call, but answered it by making my purchase :o)

Now Sephora describes this as;

 “What it is: Three shades of coordinated color for cheeks. What it is formulated to do: Highlights, contours, and adds radiance to your cheeks with a single swipe of the brush. Can also be used on eyes for a pop of vibrant, shimmering color.”

The blush is split into three colour strips of gold, rose gold and bronze. All three colours have a lovely shimmery (not glittery) effect. The packaging is very sleek and I love the see through lid as it makes it very easy to see the colours when rummaging through a box full of makeup products. There is no mirror which doesn't really bother me. I quickly realised that there is a knack to opening the lid, which once I mastered, made life a lot easier :o)

On my medium skin tone, this blush does not work well as a blush but I had kind of guessed this from the colour swatches I had done in store. The colour wash is too sheer and lacking in depth and just doesn't show on my yellow skin tone the way I would want a blush to show. If I try to build up the colour by layering I end up building the shimmery effect rather than the colour itself. Given the shimmer, I don't tend to use this blush to contour with as I prefer a matte contour product.

From left to right: gold, rose gold, bronze, swirl of all 3 colours

It is really difficult to pick up just one colour from this blush unless you use a highly tapered brush or an eye shadow brush. I find the colours work best when swirled together to create a beautiful warm toned highlighter, which I often pair with a peach or coral blush and this was my main reason for purchasing. The blush leaves a very pretty golden sheen on the cheek which glistens beautifully in the light – a glistening sheen, if you will - see what I did there? ;o)

A close up of the colours with several layers of product

In addition, all three colours make nice eye shadows whether used together to create a look or separately. I will use the gold colour as an inner corner highlighter and bring the colour in on the inner third of my eyelid. I then use the rose gold as my main eye shadow colour on my lid and use the bronze colour in the crease and outer third of my eye to create some depth. The result is a pretty, warm, autumnal look that goes perfectly with my brown eyes.

So whilst this blush is not a great blush, for me, it is a beautiful highlighter which was my reason for buying it and a lovely eye shadow trio and for that reason it makes my experience of Sephora Collection blush a positive one!

Have you tried any of the Sephora Collection products? Which have been your favourites?

Love Sheen xxx

My verdict:

As a blush 2/5

As a highlighter 4/5

As an eye shadow 3/5

For the UK: unfortunately there are no Spehora stores so it means buying online from the US

For the US: click here although I think this particular product has been discontinued

For Singapore you can find his product currently at Sephora for $24SGD

(Note: I purchased this product with my own money)

Stila Convertible Color For Cheeks & Lips

Good Day Everyone,

One of the highlights of a recent trip back home to England (aside from seeing my friends and family) was the time I spent in Harvey Nichols department store, more specifically the Stila counter (website). It’s fair to say, I had a bit of a Stila ‘splurge’.

I first came across Stila at Sephora in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) where I purchased the One Step Illuminate from their One Step range (click here for thoughts on that). As I had some time to spare I went onto explore other Stila products and one that caught my eye in particular was the Convertible Color for cheeks and lips. However, I resisted the temptation to buy as I’d already spent rather a lot on makeup. So prior to my trip home I had done my research, swatched the colours at my local Sephora and compared the prices in Asia with those back home to see where I could get the best deal. As is often the case, it was cheaper to buy in England and so I waited patiently for my upcoming trip.

Before I even got to the Stila counter at Harvey Nics (it was only later after the splurge that I realised Stila is also available in Boots and so I missed out on my Boots points... how annoyed was I - grrr!) I already knew I wanted to buy the Color Convertible in the colour Gladiola. I’m a sucker for anything that’s peachy/corally/orangey as I feel it really suits my warm complexion irrespective of the shade, whereas with pinks I feel I have to be a bit more choosey as not all shades of pink suit me. Whilst at the Stila counter I also decided to purchase the blush in a pink shade and boy did it take me a looong time to choose between Gerbera and Lillium. I (eventually) settled for Gerbera – a soft pink.

The blushes cost £16 each and you get 4.25g (0.15oz) of product for your pennies. They come in the cutest of round compacts, with the outside colour coordinated to the colour of the blush inside. The top of the compact has a floral embossed design with ‘Stila’ and ‘convertible color’ written across it. Inside, the lid contains a decent sized round mirror which is very handy for when you’re on the go, and the blush itself. There is no applicator. Being a cream blush this is not an issue in the slightest (for me). The compact is light weight and snaps shut which means I’m quite happy to throw it into my handbag without the fear of it opening and turning everything a bright orange colour ;o)

The colour pay off is amazing!Both blushes are true to colour and whilst Gladiola looks a little scary as a bright orange, it blends out (see last photo) to a beautiful peachy coral colour so don’t let the orangeness put you off (trust me).  I have always preferred cream blushes over powder as I love the dewy, glistening finish they give making my face look all youthful and glowy, and these did not disappoint!

You can apply these blushes with your fingers, however, my preferred method of application is to use my Real Techniques stippling brush (click here for thoughts on this brush). Not only does it avoid staining my fingers, but I find that I use much less of the product when applying this way. The brush also creates a very diffused, air brushed look where the edges of the blush just seem to blend seamlessly in my skin / foundation and there are no harsh lines / edges denoting where the blush colour ends. I love this look and struggle to achieve this effect when I use my fingers. The colour lasts a long time and does not go blotchy as it fades towards the end of the day.

These blushes can also be used as lip colours, however, I’m not keen on using them on my lips as I find them a little drying plus I feel the colour is a little 'patchy'. Also, I can’t seem to put my finger on it but for some reason I just do not like how they feel on my lips. A part of me thinks it might be psychological. As these look like blushes rather than lip products, my mind is telling me that these are not quite right on the lips plus my primary reason for the purchase was to use them on my cheeks.

In summary, I think these are absolutely gorgeous blushes with a wide colour selection and the cutest of packaging. I personally cannot wait for my next trip back home to expand my collection :o) Have you ever tried these blushes? What were your thoughts? Which colour did you go for?

Love Sheen xxx

My verdict:

• For cheeks 5/5
• For lips 3/5

(Note: I purchased these products with my own money)