Blushes, blushes, and blushes - Kanebo Kate, Maybelline FIT ME, and Shu Uemura

Since Memorial Day weekend when we journeyed down to New York City for some family errands, I came back with some allergies all over my face... and this redness and itchiness continued for an entire week that I have to put all skincare to a halt...

My theory is, NYC is too dirty for my delicate skin... or perhaps some little "animal" crawled all over my face that caused allergic reactions on me.

Oh well, moving on to the topic of this post, blushes. I have acquired some blushes in my last few hauls, and I would like to compare them here.

When it comes to blushes, I prefer warm toned/orange colored blush over sweet pink color because orange color is more flattering for my darker skin tone.

1. Kanebo KATE blush in OR-1

 

This blush retails for 1300yen but I believe my friend was able to get it for 20% or 30% off from her local drugstore "Segami"

On the left side is the lighter blush color for a natural healthy glow or highlighting, and on the right side is the deeper, more pigmented blush color for more contrast:

An interesting thing to note about the case design is the front case cover is slightly curved to accommodate the cylindrical blush brush:

As indicated on the packaging, the brush itself is 100% horse hair. I am actually quite impressed by the quality of the supplied brush, because usually the brushes that came with the blush are not that soft and and usable:

With one swipe on my fingertips, I already picked up the pigment from this blush. I am sold!

Swatches on the back of my arm, I like both the texture and the color this blush delivers. I am loving this blush by KATE!

2. Maybelline ANGEL FIT Brighten Up Blush in Velvet Apricot

Maybelline Angel Fit is exclusive to Asia. I have always think the Maybelline FIT line found in the US is a cousin of Asia's Angel Fit because they have somewhat similar packaging. But anyhow I got this from my recent haul from Hong Kong. The reason I got this is because I have seen Kathi from Lotus Palace raved about this blush she got from her sasa haul and since this is quite inexpensive (maybe $6?) I may as well give it a try.

When I opened the plastic wrapping the actual blush casing itself becomes less attractive in its flimsy plastic packaging... (at this point I thought KATE is a lot sexier!)

Ingredient list at the back. Note that this does contains TALC:

Actual blush itself. The brush applicator is a total failure, with the bristles so tough and hard, I don't think I can ever use this to apply blush on to my cheeks. It's tens of thousands of miles away from the fantastic brush from KATE blush:

Swatch on the back of my arm. Not the most super pigmented blush and if you are looking for a sheer blush color, this is the one for you.

3. Shu Uemura Glow On Blush in Antique Orange

I got this blush sometime ago from the outlet and this is not my first Shu Uemura blush. I believe it's some kind of a limited edition and I think it's not for sale anymore. Owning Shu Uemura blushes before, I know they deliver pigment and quality.

This blush contains some fine gold colored micro-glitters that will be nice for a girl's night out.

As promised, this blush is super pigmented. With just one swatch, the colors shows up very well. You need to be very careful with your brush not to pick up too much blush powder or you will end up looking like a monkey's butt:

Verdict.

Comparing the 3 blushes side by side. At a glance, Shu Uemura's blush is the most pigmented. I have to circle out where I applied my blushes because the other 2 doesn't show too well in the picture.

Zooming in more into the swatches. I hope you can still see traces of Maybelline and KATE blushes here.

Overall Maybelline is way too sheer and I like KATE better because of its silky texture and buildable coverage. Shu Uemura is definitely pigmented but caution is needed when applying because less is more :)

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Glamour Quad *limited edition*

As promised from my Cosmetic Company store outlet haul, I am reviewing the Bobbi Brown Sparkle Glamour Quad today.

It retails for $40 on Bobbi Brown's website and I got mine for $28 (30% off) 

This quad is actually the second quad I got. The first one was sent to Momo-chan a while ago when I ordered it for her from Bobbi Brown's 20% off F&F event back in April. While the outlet is 30% off retail, the items from Bobbi Brown's website does come with a full size gel eyeliner GWP, plus the 20% off, and with cashback of 4%, so it's not really that bad to shop online sometimes!

Eversince I got Momo-chan her quad, I am debating if I should get one for myself. But now that I found it at the outlet and it's limited edition, I MUST GET IT!

See how it said, "Handmade individually in Italy" at the back? Wow, an handmade eyeshadow? That's luxurious, and they are from Italy! I like how they said, "Please handle with care" as if it is something fragile. I read online reviews that this quad tends to shatter if drop on the ground... ok, I will be careful!

Description of this quad on Bobbi Brown's website:

Limited Edition

Sparkle Glamour Quad

Like a party dress for your eyes. Sparkle Glamour Quad has a highlighter shade plus three smoldering, smoky-eye-friendly shadows, all infused with fine, light-catching glitter. Shades include: Pink Glitter Sparkle Eye Shadow, Smoky Sparkle Eye Shadow, Moonlight Sparkle Eye Shadow and Sandy Sparkle Eye Shadow.

Actual colors of the palette (according the Bobbi Brown online description):

Top row, left - right: Pink Glitter Sparkle (a light crystal pink) and Moonlight Sparkle (a light silver)

Bottom row, left - right: Sandy Sparkle (a warm golden beige) and Smokey Sparkle (a deep gray)

Swatches on the back of my hand, bottom row has the Urban Decay portion primer applied with the shadow swatches:

Definitely not seeing the pinks or silvers from these swatches as the name of the eyeshadow suggested. I call the pink more like a terracotta warm tan? The lighter shades are definitely glittery, but not as pigmented as the colors show in the palette. They dont even show up in the swatch above when not applied with the UD primer. But in reality the glitter does show up. The glitters are not chunky and actually the texture and the feel of it reminded me of the pink glitter from my Coffret D'or palette:

Both are very glittery, but perhaps the Coffret D'or one is a tad finer. Afterall it's high quality Japanese cosmetics right?

But I love sparkles. So I am fine with the light pigmentation, as I can use it for a nude look with glitters. As for the darker shades, they also resemble the eyelining browns in the Coffret D'or palette as well, but maybe not as pigmented. Perhaps that's the reason why I like this quad so much because the colors are less pigmented, and I can create a less dramatic daytime smokey look around the eyes.

Overall I am happy that I got this quad, I will be using it more often for a nude make up look for days that I am using running errands without expecting seeing anyone!

The Cosmetic Company Store eyeshadow haul

As we journey up north for our anniversary dinner at Miyake in Maine, we passed by the factory outlet. One of the must go to place is the Cosmetics Company Store, and I ended up scoring a few eye shadow quads. The past season (or even current!) limited edition eyeshadow palettes caught my attention immediately!

I got 2 Bobbi Brown eyeshadow palettes for myself and 2 MAC's for my other friends overseas :)

If you follow my blog earlier, I actually got this exact same Sparkle Glamour Quad for Momo-chan. (Actually I found 2 of the 3 items I ordered for her from bobbibrown.com 20% off F&F event and the price at the outlet was further 10% lower. However, there were full sized GWP that came with my online order so actually I didn't pay that much more... haha saying this to make myself feel better for overpaying!)

I have been contemplating if I should get this BB Quad for myself but since I see for $28 (originally $40 on Bobbi Brown's website) and it's limited edition, I MUST GET IT!

And an added bonus, "Handmade individually in Italy." Wow, an handmade eyeshadow? That's luxurious, and they are from Italy! I like how they said, "Please handle with care" haha!

Also at 30% off retail, the other Bobbi Brown eyeshadow quad I got is the Sultry Eye Palette, which is also a limited edition (I am such a sucker for limited edition!) and last month they were still available online but now it's all sold out There were 2 other similar eye palette available (Smoldering Eye Palette and Smokey Eye Palette I believe) but I think this one I picked up is more versatile and flattering for my eyes. I think I have been making up long enough to know what colors work best for me!

I will be reviewing the above 2 Bobbi Brown palettes individually in another blog posts.

And I also got 2 MAC eyeshadow palettes in plum and purple hues, but they will be sent overseas for my friends.

This is the 2010 Tartan Tale Holiday collection. I believe this palette was named "6 Beauties Play It Cool Eye Kit." I tested it out with the testers and they are not shimmery and they will be perfect for the office.

I found a swatch online from Kalasugar to show you girls the color:

Courtesy of Kalasugar.net

And this I believe is the limited edition from the year before, by the name of "Sorceress eye palette"

I found swatches from older blog posts from loveblendnbeauty:

Top Row: White Rabbit - Hold my Gaze - Edge of Dark

Bottom Row: Magnetized - Hypnotizing - Altered State

That's pretty massive haul for me, to haul 4 high end eyeshadow palettes at the same time!