Mystery Sleek Blush

Back in my brief Sleek Makeup obsession last December, I was scoping out eBay's offerings. And I stumbled upon a mystery blush. 

It wasn't listed on the Sleek website or mentioned in any blogs at the time. What could it be?

Sleek's blush in Life's a Peach! As soon as I read the the name, I knew I would pick it up. I cannot resist peachy blushes! The color just looks so flattering on light-medium warm skin tones. Plus I'm set for this season, looks like orange blushes are back! I picked up for around $11 including shipping. 

Top off

Don't be scared off by the safety cone orange shade in the pan. It is actually a beautiful matte orange peach blush that translates beautifully on your cheeks!

I set about comparing it to the other orange blushes in my collection. 

I picked R&R's blush in Immoral because it looks super orange-y in the pan too and also N.Y.C. Peach Glow Face Powder in apparent memoriam. First off, I must note that the photo makes the blush seem darker than it is, the true color is actually more bright and lively. 

It took a few swipes of Sleek to show up on my arm, whereas it only took a swipe for the other two. However, I wouldn't hold this against Sleek at all. R&R's Immoral is infamously hard to work with since it's so pigmented. You might need more than one light swipe for Life's a Peach to show up on your cheeks, but you'll never look clownish. And though N.Y.C. is slightly more pigmented, the color of Peach Glow seems too subtle. 

Sleek is that awesome combo of seeming totally flattering and the color still coming through on the cheek. It's like Peach Glow and Immoral got together had a mild mannered baby! Immoral has a stronger hint of neon red coral and Peach Glow is a more peachy beige shade.  

It is definitely one of my favorite blushes to wear. I don't worry that it's going to be too flashy for a day look. It's the perfect pop of color on a dreary winter's day. According to Sabina, this shade is limited edition. It's still not on the Sleek website, but there seems to be eBay sellers who have stock. Check it out!

Hearts Don't Break Even: Stila and Physicians Formula Heart Blush Comparison

Happy Valentine's Day!

In honor of this blessed/dreaded holiday, I'll be comparing the two heart blushes rocking the blogosphere this season.

My newest blush acquisition!

Stila's Make Me Blush Palette

I got this last week and I had been waiting patiently for it ever since it got Muse's seal of approval and picked up for 20% off plus free shipping too. Who can resist that?!

Admire it with me! Close-up of the gorgeous-ness. 

Hommina hommina

Top off

So much prettier than actual candy hearts

  

The gold overspray just comes right off! A reviewer dreamyone on Sephora said it would make a great eyeshadow. I tried it and it was gorgeous! Here's a swatch.

It's a beautiful vibrant, orange-y gold shimmery color. If you want the gold color without the blush, Prestige's eyeshadow in Golden Retriever is an exact match. 

And now a comparison swatch with Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush in Natural. I have a separate review for the PF blush. Check it here. 

See how the Stila blush looks kinda funky in this pic? I dropped it and part of it fell off. :/ It has fake overspray, but I shed real tears!

Here's an indoor swatch.

As you can see, the two blushes are in the same fresh, pink-y shade family. However, Stila definitely has a strong hint of reddish coral.

Swatch in sunlight

The two look even more similar in daylight, but Stila is more pigmented. However, that may or may not be a good thing for you. Stila is a bit harder to work with, I often have to buff it out even after a light application. PF is foolproof.

Blushes blended out

Blended out, they look even more similar, but no dupe. Looking closely, there's a noticeably heavier shimmer in Stila, but nothing too crazy.

As for logistics: 

Price: Stila retails $14 (there was a coupon code for at least 20% off online), PF $11.99 (but there's coupons and sales).

Where to buy: Stila is available online on Sephora, Stila, and Macys, though Sephora and Stila are out of stock right now. It's probably available at retail locations of these stores. I've seen the PF blushes in cardboard display stands at CVS and Rite Aid, though there's only two of each blush shade in each stand. 

Availability: Stila is limited edition (words I can't resist!). And PF is permanent for now. 

Size: Stila is 9.9g and PF is 7g. 

I'm glad I picked up both. They're not so similar that I have buyer's 'morse for getting both.

What about you? Which one do you like? Would you get both? Your thoughts!

Swatches and Comparisons: Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Natural

I just need to post this before I forget. I couldn't wait to rip open the box and see how this blush looks!

The puur-ty box before I tore into it

It's a peachy-pink blush with a sweet, floral scent. It's pretty pigmented, but not so much so that you will have a hard time working with it.

From my first swatch, I knew I had other blushes I wanted to compare it to. I have an affinity for peachy blushes and knew I had similar blushes in my collection. Ah, a true sign of a cosmetic addict, accidental back-ups. :P

Here's what I swatched it next to: 

Yes yes, the coloring's so off, but I'll be as detailed as I can. These blushes are very similar shades but not identical. The peachy-est one is certainly Luminous, followed by Rose Gold  The Happy Booster blush seems to be the same pink and peach shade as Coralista! Yay, dupe! 

They all have different finishes though. Rose Gold has the most heavy gold shimmer, followed by Luminous and Coralista. I'm happy to say that the Happy Booster blush has the least shimmer, it really is natural!

Pick up the Happy Booster Blush in Natural if you want a less shimmery version of Benefit's Coralista. It certainly is a far more affordable version, even at full retail ($11.99 vs. $28 for Coralista). But I advise you to wait on a good sale, it's not limited edition! As for me, happy I may be with my purchase, I have got to stop buying more blushes. At least more of the same. ;)

Did this pique your interest? Tried it? Your thoughts!

My Haul Under $20

Today I walked into CVS hoping to take advantage of the amazing Physicians Formula deal (Buy $10 worth, get 7 Extra Bucks). 

Little did I know the stars were aligning for me. 

My treasure trove

When I scanned my CVS card, the machine spat out a Physicians Formula $3 off coupon. Sch-weet! I also saw that my local CVS stocked the PF Happy Booster and I picked up the last blush in Natural. That had a $3 off coupon stuck on the package. So I paid $5.99 plus tax for an $11.99 blush! And I still qualified 7 Extra Bucks offer. With the Extra Bucks, I only paid a few cents for the blush overall! 

Then I went back to the cosmetic aisle and hauled like a maniac, because Elle raved about these Sally Hansen eyeshadows which are 75% off for $2.19. I picked up Sally Hansen Instant Definition Eye Palette in Ocean, Mountain, Amethyst, Stone, Earth, Metallic, and Quartz. Then I went back to the checkout and paid for part of the cost with the EB's I just got. The cashier looked at me like I was a god and I was high-fiving people up and down the line.

Ok, that didn't really happen, though the cashier was mildly impressed that I knew the shadows were on sale even though they didn't have stickers on it (lol, it's the secret drugstore club we all belong to b/c of Gianna).

In total, I spent $16.98. I'm more happy about the savings than the products, haha. 

Have you ever had hauls that come about like this? Tried any of these products before? Your thoughts!

Hard Candy Haul and Review

Ever since I heard about the new items for the Hard Candy line from Gianna, I was psyched about hauling them. Luckily, I was able to pick up everything I wanted. 

My haulage

My eyes were mostly on the duo blush sticks and concealer. I'm a blush fiend and I'm always on the lookout for my nasty undereye circles. 

(L-R) Hide & Glow Cheek Duo Cheek Tint in Pillow Talk, Hot Date, and In Love

When I got to the display, I did not want to choose between the three gorgeous shade duos, so I hauled them all. Typical me. ;)
When I first apply the blush on, it feels sticky, a lip balm-y texture. I kept expecting the blush to sink into my skin into a dry finish, but that never happened. I was so disappointed when I thought I was stuck with sticky cheeks! However, I found that when you blend it in with your fingers, the stickiness subsides. So blending is key to this!

Some Swatches

You get 8g of product per tube, 4g of each color. What I loved about the color range was that it all looked very natural on my cheeks. The vibrant, neon-ish colors are on top and darker, plummier shades on the bottom. In the tubes, In Love looked like a lovely vibrant coral. I wanted it the most coming out of Walmart. But after swatching it, I am far more impressed by the other two shades. Most of all, I loved the darker sides of the duo, which actually aren't too dark for me, like I had thought. Each tube retails for $6. 

Glamoflage Heavy Duty Concealer With Concealer Pencil in Light

I am not sure how to feel about this. This is a super pigmented concealer, so much so a teeny, tiny dot will be enough for your eyes. I totally think people will be able to cover up tattoos with this baby. But on the other hand, this is a bad undereye concealer. It looks fine when I first apply it, but it already settles into my fine lines in as little as five minutes. Yikes! Also, the concealer is formulated with petrolatum and lanolin, which make some people break out. And I am far too vain to use it, if it might make me break out. So, it might be good for covering up scars and tattoos off your face. 

A Swatch

Another tip is that the concealer runs very light, so you might want to go a shade up, if you are a fair-medium. I had to exchange the light for a medium.  The pencil concealer was a perfect match for my skin, you can't even see it! This retails for $6.

 

Glow All the Way Face & Body Luminizer in Doll Face

I randomly picked it up, since I was hankering for a new primer to try out. I had heard about liquid highlighters from Tao. This would be a super cheap alternative to Benefit's High Beam. You get 2.7 oz. for $8, which is a steal compared to High Beam which retails $24 for .45 oz. This luminizer is a pink gel consistency and is super pigmented with fine silver shimmer. You really have to be careful not to overdo. It's easier to work with if you apply it underneath your foundation, so it's more subtle.    

Holy Pigmentation, Batman!

Overall, I really love the blushes and highlighter. I'm still on the fence on the concealer. 

Have you hauled the new Hard Candy too? Let me know your thoughts! :)

Review: Jane Blushing Cheeks in Blossom, Dupe Alert!

I see that the R&R blushes are almost wiped out since the commencement of the sale last night. But Spank has been out of stock for longer. 


For those who did not get to partake, there's an identical dupe for R&R Spank!

I heard of this through theymightbejenny's review of R&R Spank on MUA. She said Jane's Blushing Cheeks in Blossom was virtually the same shade as Spank. This was before I myself got ahold of Spank, so I thought it was a great idea to try Spank on the cheap before I invested big. 

I picked up Blossom at Rite Aid for $4.19. This is 3.4g worth of product.

I really loved it! It's just as the name indicated, it looks like my cheeks are blushing. In the pan, it looks like a flat rosy color. It really transforms itself on the skin. It's a vibrant pink. Just like R&R blushes, it's super-pigmented. The texture is silky, but in a different way than R&R. It has a more plastic-y feel, but not unpleasant. 

When I got Spank, I compared the two side-by-side. 

I was so shocked, they even look similar in the pan!

As you can see, they're pretty much the same color. theymightbejenny says Blossom is more yellow-toned. I think Blossom is more pigmented than Spank. It only took two swipes to get the swatch of Blossom, whereas it took four swipes for Spank.  In addition, Blossom shows up more lively on my cheeks than Spank. In a way, I can understand the hype over Spank. I definitely love the color that Blossom provides. I also found Blossom much more portable. It's tiny compared to the R&R compact, so there's no way it can't fit into a makeup bag. And the cost is sweet on your wallet. You don't even have to wait for a sale to get it. You can buy five Blossom's for the price of a half-off Spank!


I definitely recommend Blossom over Spank. This definitely shows you don't have to pay a lot to get a quality product. I'll be getting a back-up.

Have you tried either? Both? Your thoughts!

My First M.A.C. Haul: Venomous Villains Bite of An Apple Blush

I'm pretty much a virgin to high-end, and a part of me has always been proud of that. But once I started hauling R&R, I fell down the rabbit hole. When Tao (haha, I mention her a lot because she's the one who got me into cosmetics, my guru!) talked about how "gorgeous" Bite of An Apple blush was from the M.A.C. Venomous Villains collection, I couldn't help myself!

Well, I could have, but that wouldn't be any fun, would it? ;)

I hit the local M.A.C. in my town. Being in fancy department stores and cosmetic boutiques still make me really nervous. I somehow feel guilty if I don't buy everything in sight. Do you feel that way too? 

I swatched BoaA and, while it was gorgeous in the pan, looked pretty dull on my skin. It was a reddish tint on my skin and had none of the pretty fluorescent coral it displayed in the pan. After being spoiled by the silkiness and pigmentation of R&R blushes, I found it deficient in that department. But it's relatively pigmented and buildable, which means it's much easier to work with than R&R. 

The beauty powders were a different story. Oh So Fair and Briar Rose were so silky and the colors looked really captivating on my skin. Oh So Fair had a neutral pink color that was flattering on me, while Briar Rose had the lavender pink color reminiscent of R&R's Tease, but more purple-toned. I preferred the beauty powders far more than the blushes in this collection. But at $25 apiece, I couldn't bring myself to buy something even more expensive than R&R. 

I hauled BoaA, despite my unsatisfactory in-store swatch, hoping I'd change my mind when I got home. 

There's a print of the Evil Queen from Snow White. I'm not that into this packaging, though she looks pretty fierce. :P

Unfortunately, the blush remained gorgeous in the pan and blah on my skin. Oh well, at least I got another coral blush. I'm in love with peachy blushes. Gosh, I'm turning into a blush collector. Save me!

Did you get this blush too? Your thoughts! :D

Daamn, R&R Sale Back with a Vengeance / How to Buy 2 R&R Blushes for $18.16 or Less

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in with the infamous sale!

It's back, hide your wallet!

The best part is you can stack a $25 credit on top of the 50% off you'll receive for signing up with R&R after you have been referred by someone else. For people who have been having issues with using the $25 credit, myself included, it seems that the R&R site has fixed that bug and the $25 credit will show up in checkout, where it previously disappeared.

I just completed my last R&R blush haul by buying Shameless and Seduce tonight for $18.16. You can buy them for even less, if you don't live in California since they won't charge you sales tax.


I was referred by Tao and that how I found out about this fabulous offer. I'd be happy to refer you. I would get a $25 credit if you make a purchase. You could also ask Tao, since she should get the credit for informing me of the ingenious savings idea. For some reason, she deleted that post.  

The cosmetic line must be really in trouble, if the sale has been on-and-off. So I guess haul while this still exists, if you're interested. You could also wait for the designer sales sites to restock them, but the $.99 shipping and $25 credit is pretty handy. At this moment, all blushes except Call Me (of course) and Spank are in stock.  Click here to see the blushes.

If you would like a referral, comment on this post with your email. I've set commenting to mandatory moderation, so I will delete your email after I sign you up for a referral and it will not be visible to others.

I think this might be my last post on R&R since it's saturated my blog for a while... unless something crazy happens. Let me know if you would like a review on Shameless and Seduce.

Happy Hauling!

Rock & Republic Collective Haul and Review

Sorry for the delay in reviewing! Midterm season is well upon me. :/

Onwards!

My R&R haul actually turned into three hauls. Funny how that can happen. ;)

I got my first four blushes (Immoral, X-Rated, Kinky, and All Nighter). I loved them so much that...

I set about getting more. But they were all sold out online by the time I was ready to order again. I managed to snag the last Bedroom for haul #2 when they restocked a few colors mid-September. 

Finally, I went to Los Angeles on a spontaneous weekend getaway with bf in late September. We decided to stop by the R&R freestanding store on Robertson. To my shock, they had the entire makeup line and they were all 50% off. Unfortunately, the much-coveted Call Me shade was unsurprisingly sold out. But I managed to snag Foreplay, Tease, Spank, and Lust at half price. :D 

 My R&R haulage from LA. The bag is with my LA bestie since she liked it so much, lol.

So, I give you,

The Blushes

Packaging 
Like everyone has said, the packaging is super luxe. Of course, that means bulky. It's in a round cardboard box that is triple the size of the blush. It's actually not that large or heavy. It's definitely larger than your typical blush, but not much larger than a foundation compact. 

 They all come with a plastic sheet cover. I still kept them, because I don't want to throw away anything. These are my first high end cosmetics, lol. I'm such a virgin. :P

 
This is the coveted R&R blush after Call Me, according to MUA. It's already sold out on the R&R site, even after the sale was over. I definitely had high expectations in buying this. I'm sorry to say that it's just hype for me. This matte baby pink blush was definitely pigmented, but not as much as the other blushes. The lasting powder is not as good. You can definitely find something similar for cheaper.  I've adjusted the lighting in the pics to reflect the true color to the best of my ablities. 

I don't understand why this blush doesn't get much love. A lot of people think it's too dark. But it's perfect for my skin, giving my cheeks a walking-in-the-cold flush! It's a beautiful matte, berry  color.

I think this is comparable to Spank, but I definitely prefer this. It looks like a light lavender, but it goes on more as a cool pink. It has better lasting powder and shows up better on my skin. I like it. 

 I got this just because I can't resist orange blushes. This has more of a hint of red than Immoral. It's gorgeous, and the shimmers are very subtle. I still prefer matte blushes. But I definitely like this. 

A close-up of All Nighter so you can see the shimmers, very finely milled

I got this, because jessicalee422 said it was a matte version of Call Me. It's a gorgeous subtle peachy pink color that is buildable. I LOVE it. 

I got this because Pink said it was an awesome peach matte blush. It's a pretty peachy brown color, but I definitely could have duped it for cheaper. I like it.  

People seem really fascinated with this shocking pink color. It's definitely a sheer, true highlighter pink in the pan. Honestly, it doesn't show up that well on my skin. The color is nothing special once it's on the skin.  

 This is shimmery, rosy brown color. It's a bit dark on my skin, but with a light hand it makes a wonderfully glowy cheek for a nighttime look. I'm sure people with a darker complexion will give it more love than I can.    

I got this because Tao loved it. And I am sooo glad I did! It is a-mah-zing! It is construction-worker orange in the pan, but a strong coral matte on my cheeks. This is definitely the R&R blush I can't live without.

Swatches

 My Final Thoughts


Leave: Spank, Kinky


Try: Tease, Foreplay, All Nighter, Lust


Haul: Immoral, X-Rated, Bedroom


Despite some meh's, I definitely don't regret my purchases, but it'll be a while before I buy something that expensive again. My wallet's still hemorrhaging blood, lol. 


Let me know what you thought of the blushes! :D

Rock & Republic Blushes Back in Stock and On Sale :O

Like everyone in the blogosphere, I've been eying the R&R blushes since they've been raved over by so many bloggers in late August. I was super bummed when they went out of stock so quickly! I tried looking for it on HauteLook, Editors' Closet (and getting bombed with their emails), Ebay, and MUA swap. I went to Nordstrom Rack to look for it since Catherine said she found All Nighter there. But no luck, though I picked up a Paula Dorf red blush and a Stila smudge pot.

I even contemplated making a dupe with TKB Trading pigments, despite having no knowledge of cosmetic formulating or knowing what the blushes looked like. :P Yup, I went nuts.

But I maintained self control, even when the last blush went out of stock on the R&R website last night. (I did whimper a little)

I was rewarded for my patience. :)

Now the full range of R&R Pressed Blushes (except Call Me) is back in stock today (for now) and with the coupon code "rockcosmetics" is 50% off plus $.99 shipping. Thanks to Muse for providing the code! <3

Click here for the page.

I've placed an order for:
All Nighter because of Catherine
Immoral because of Tao
Kinky because of Lulu
X-Rated because of Tao

Thanks, ladies! Even though my wallet is significantly lighter at the moment. ;) I went for the cra-zazy colors, since the other colors will probably be dupable in a cheaper form. I really hope it's not all hype.

Now you don't have to subscribe to those invitation-only online sales that spam your email like I did, lol!

Will you be hauling any R&R?

Virgin Post: Be gentle!

I first wanted to post a haul, because this haul is significant to this blog. I had promised myself that I wouldn't buy anything after too many rounds of buyer's 'morse. Haha, prior to that I spent way too much money on something I basically wasn't sure I wanted. I've definitely been a shopaholic way before I regularly read beauty blogs, but reading glowing reviews on unfamiliar products is super enabling! ;)
So I resolved to stop shopping for six months....that lasted two days! Because I walked through Rite-Aid and saw this.

Temptation calling

I am a huge Freeman fan! They use some really lovely ingredients. I am always wary of skincare products when they seem to be composed mostly of fillers. But Freeman doesn't seem to do that. I've seen a good selection of Freeman products only at Rite-Aid. Perhaps they're better stocked on the East Coast?

Anyway, my bf reminded me of my ill-timed no-buy pact. But he said I could buy it if I wrote a review of the products on my blog. He's so sweet to encourage my blogging! Procrastinator that I am, this haul was from May 30. But I'm here now! :D

I bought:
Freeman Pineapple Facial Enzyme Mask ($3.99), thanks to raves from Muse and Jean
Freeman Chocolate & Strawberry Detoxifying Mask ($1.99)
Freeman Dead Sea Minerals Anti-Stress Mud Mask ($1.99)
Freeman Avocado & Oatmeal Facial Clay Mask ($1.99)
N.Y.C. Blushable Creme Sticks in Plaza Pink and Big Apple Blush ($3.99)

Swatches

Natural Lighting: Big Apple Blush (Top) Plaza Pink (Bottom)


With Flash: Big Apple Blush (Top) Plaza Pink (Bottom)

I've tried most of these products already, so expect to see reviews coming soon!