What's the point of so many {cheek} products? #4

Blushes

Previous posts:

What's the point of all that make-up? #1 

The point of so many lip products. #2 

What's the point of so many eye products? #3

So you might think that the list of cheek products may be short - you apply blush to your cheeks, right? - but if you are someone who loves to accentuate your cheekbones or create a healthy flush, you might want to see how the following cheek make-up products work out for you.

Colour

To add colour to your cheeks, you are going to want a blush. Your blush can be a tint, cream, powder or lipstick and it can be applied to a bare face over primer for longer wear or over your foundation and setting powder to bring life back to your skin. Blush can transform your look or go very, very wrong.

I like to build up my blush in a few light layers to prevent overdoing it. If you are prone to clone face, try lightly swirling your brush in the blush and follow by tapping the brush before caressing your cheeks lightly with it. Place your brush slightly off-centre from the apples of your cheeks and then blend outwards to prevent intense circles of pink in the middle of your face.

• Cream blush - The slippery texture of a cream blush makes for easy blending and is also ideal for blush application on bare skin. Because cream blush is "sticky", it often lasts longer than a powder blush would and makes the perfect primer for powder blush when you want to extend its wear. Cream formulas are also sometimes used to create dewy and youthful finishes as it never sets completely matte.
• Powder blush - A big fluffy brush is essential for applying powder blush and those stiff little brushes that come with your blush compact are best left for dusting ornaments. Unlike cream blush, powder blush is difficult to apply and blend with your fingers but makes your transition from your contouring shade to your highlighter much smoother. Blush finishes can be matte, shimmery or satin.
• Cheek tint - A cheek tint can be used in much the same way as you would a cream blush and if you own the one, you don't need the other. The big difference between a cheek tint and a cream blush is the consistency. A cheek tint is more fluid with a gel consistency and can double as a lip tint.
• Highlighter - Once you've spent a lot of time sculpting out your cheekbones with a contour shade and warming it up with bronzer (to be covered as part of the "Face" post in this series), you want to accentuate the highest parts of your cheekbones and give a healthy glow to your skin. Some people absolutely hate this trend and prefer to look more natural and matte but for the rest of us on the highlighter/strobing train, a beautiful highlighter can be found in a cream or powder formula. Both formulas offer the same benefits and it really depends on your preference but take note that a highlighter applied too heavily, can emphasise crow's feet.

Finally, if this post makes your head spin or your wallet sigh, a lipstick or tinted lip balm can absolutely double as a cream blush and that pinkish eye shadow that you are still trying to figure out how to create a colourful smokey eye with, works just as well.

Let me know what type of blush you prefer.

 

What's the point of so many {eye} products? #3

Previous posts:

What's the point of all that make-up? #1

What's the point of so many lip products? #2

I horde eye shadows. I can't help myself. The reasons I adore eye make-up so much are numerous but mainly I believe your eyes should be the focal point of the face. It is the windows to your soul after all and emphasising them kind of showcases your personality.

Preparation

• Primer - I can not say enough about primer and to prevent saying too much about it, I'll direct you to my post about eye primers here. Eye primers are absolutely essential if you want your eye make-up to: 

1. Stay all day without any creasing,
2. Cover the veins and discolouration on your lids,
3. Blend easily while applying,
4. Look vibrant, bright and true to the colour it is in its packaging,
5. Have minimal fallout while applying with maximum effect.

Colour

Applying colour to our eye lids are aesthetic but for many make-up junkies it is an art form. A complementary colour can make your eye colour stand out or your favourite colour can make you feel happy. It also creates a certain look to go with your mood, the season, your outfit or the event.

• Cream eyeshadow -  Cream eyeshadows can be used underneath powder eyeshadows to serve as a primer and give double the colour pay-off but it is especially useful if you do not like spending a lot of time on blending different shades together or if you don't have the time. It goes on smoothly and creates dimension even if you use only one colour. Dry eyelids can benefit from cream eyeshadows as it is moisturising and looks youthful.
• Pigments - Loose pigments are versatile and if you like experimenting, its uses are endless. Pigments can be applied like you would your eyeshadow or you can mix it with your lipgloss to create a wet look on your eyes or a funky, new coloured lipgloss. I like to mix my gold and silver pigments into my colour pigments to create a metallic eye pigment.
• Pressed eyeshadow - Pressed eyeshadows are basically eyeshadow pigments pressed with oils into the eyeshadow pallettes and singles that we love to use. Compressing the pigments makes it easier to apply as you can control the amount you pick up with your brush. The colour is often less vibrant than pigments and needs to be built up in layers to achieve the same effect but the fall out is considerably less. Whether you like a foiled, satin, matte, shimmery, glitter or metallic finish, pressed eyeshadows are not as messy as loose pigments and will not make the inside of your make-up bag grey which makes it more convenient to travel with.

Finish

• Eyeliner - Gel, kohl or liquid, you can apply it in pencil form or with a brush but it is the style of the eyeliner which will transform your look. Whether you applied your eye colour meticulously or quickly covered your whole socket with a blush brush (my 3 minute make-up trick), your eyeliner will:

1. Make your make-up look more polished,
2. Make your eyelashes look fuller,
3. Set the mood for your overall look (short and sharp wing = pin-up, elongated cat eye = seductive, heavy and bold = glamourous, messy and smudged = grunge),
4. Double as a primer when you don't have one,
5. And if you use a coloured eyeliner, add colour and drama.

• Mascara - There is really no point in applying any of the above products without pulling it all together with mascara. My one make-up pet peeve is a beautiful eye make-up without any mascara. I can't even. If it irritates your eyes, it is probably too old. If it runs and sits on your cheeks, use a waterproof one and if it does nothing for you, try a different one. Mascara gives your eyes life by making your lashes pop. If doing your make-up was baking a cake, mascara would have been the cherry on top. Depending on the type of mascara, it can:

1. Create volume,
2. Hold curl,
3. Add length
4. Blacken your lashes.

All you really need to create a beautiful eye make-up is an eyeliner (because you can use it as a primer), a simple pressed eyeshadow duo or trio and mascara. Everything else is just sprinkles on top. 

But if all of this is just too much for you and you're already late for work, it is, of course, absolutely okay to skip all of the above. Just know that you can leave the house with icky, messy mascara and still draw attention to your eyes.