Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

Illamasqua Powder Blusher gets two thumbs up

“Sir, let my report show that Illamasqua’s Powder Blushers ($23) join their lipsticks and cream blushes in the oh-my-gawd-this-is-hella-pigmented department.”

I’ve been getting to know Excite and Beg, two of the 15 shades currently available online at Sephora.com, and I think I might be hooked on both.

Vibrant and buttery

As if their rich colors weren’t awesome enough, these finely-milled blushes feel just like buttah, melting seamlessly into my skin.

The texture reminds of Shu Uemura’s Glow On Blushes, some of the best blushes I’ve ever tried.

All-day wear

Both shades (and I’m guessing the others, too) last for hours, with the colors staying true on my cheeks from dawn until the freaks come out at night.

Excite, $23

Excite applies as a REALLY bright matte orange. Beauties who love bolder blush looks just might love it paired with coral lipsticks and glosses. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Excite

Swatch of Excite

Wearing Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Excite
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One layer of Scandal applied with a lip brush

Hiya, ladies. I wanted to share a few more pics of the two Illamasqua lipsticks from yesterday’s swatch post.

Like the other Illamasqua lipsticks I’ve tried, Obey and Scandal apply with intensely VIBRANT pigmentation, but that’s kind of a double-edged sword…

High pigmentation = tread lightly!

One the one hand, the richness and boldness of these lip colors took my breath away, but working with this much color proved tricky; I found it easy to unintentionally cross the line between dramatic and Baby Jane.

Scandal, $20

Scandal, a matte yellowish pink, has just the faintest touch of cream. I think it looks bold and bright applied directly from the tube — cool for dramatic makeup looks (like for theater) — but it may be a bit much for everyday use.

A lip brush seemed to produce the most natural look, and because of Scandal’s pigmention, I only needed to use a very thin layer of product for complete coverage.

Added bonus: Scandal photographs *really* well. 🙂 Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Obey, $20

At first I struggled with Obey, a matte coral pink, because it lacks Scandal’s creaminess.

That seems to make it look and feel somewhat drier than its sibling on my lips, and coupled with Obey’s intense pigmentation, it spelled a full-on recipe for lip trubs.

One layer of Obey applied with a lip brush

A single layer applied directly from the tube looks thick and kinda soft porn-ey (eww), and even a thin layer applied with a lip brush still looks heavy.
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