These are my three latest blush purchases: Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Naked Rose ($24), NARS Blush in Douceur ($28), Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed ($25). I recently hit pan on Douceur, so it's a repurchase. Naked Rose and Exposed are new. This is also my first Illamasqua product (oops, edited to add - besides a Nail Varnish seen here).
While I don't think NARS has the absolute best blushes around (don't hate me please!!), I do love the sleek and very slim containers because they are fantastic for travel. Four NARS blushes take up almost the same amount of space as two blush containers in most other brands. The Illamasqua packaging looks nice, but every time I pick it up it seems a bit chintzy and lacking heft. I also miss not having a mirror in the compact. I don't always use the mirror, but it's nice to have in a pinch.
L-R: Naked Rose, Douceur, Exposed
Inside light, L to R: Naked Rose (light swatch), Naked Rose, Douceur, Exposed. Naked Rose is a much more pigmented blush than the other two, so that's why I included the lighter swatch.
As you can tell I'm on a neutral/pinkish kick!! While these are all in the same color family, I do feel they have different undertones.
Inside light, L to R: Naked Rose (light swatch), Naked Rose, Douceur, Exposed.
Here's another angle to see the subtle differences. If Naked Rose and Douceur had a baby, I think it would look much like Exposed! Ha ha :-)
Outside morning light, L to R: Naked Rose (light swatch), Naked Rose, Douceur, Exposed. Naked Rose is a much more pigmented blush than the other two, so that's why I included the lighter swatch.
Did something unusual and pictured this in morning light (around 10am) as opposed to midday. Morning light seems to be a bit brighter and a touch cooler on color than noon time or afternoon sun. Think I'll try to stick to noon or afternoon for pictures, but it's interesting to see something different!
Naked Rose has a much softer texture than Douceur and Exposed and simply glides on. It is definitely more pigmented than Douceur and Exposed, and as such it also has better staying power to get me through the day.
With Naked Rose I think I finally have found a blush that looks pinkish on me!! This is a celebratory find because most colors pull peachy/reddish on my skintone. Douceur and Exposed give me very natural but polished looking cheeks. They are great to wear with a swipe of gloss but also look fantastic with my brighter lip colors.
Overall, I'm really loving all three colors!! Do you have any of these? What do you think?!