Kanebo Lunasol 15th Anniversary Makeup Palette

I go through phases with Western and Eastern beauty brands, and judging from the title, you can probably tell that I am back on my Asian cosmetics kick. Lunasol will always hold a special place in my heart as the first high end Japanese makeup brand that started my uphill Japanese cosmetics climb. Jill Stuart followed closely afterwards, and then Suqqu.

Being on the higher end of Kanebo's family tree, I would say that Lunasol is geared more towards the 25+, working age crowd. That said, Lunasol's eyeshadows -- while almost always in the neutrals zone -- are consistently chock full of microglitter and shimmer. If you are one to shy away from shimmer or deem such finishes inappropriate for the office, their eyeshadows are not for you. Matte eyeshadows simply do not exist in the world of Lunasol (nor most other Japanese beauty brands actually.) Take a look.

Eyeshadows:
-Eyeshadow #1: This is straight up, multi-dimensional glitter and serves as a topcoat over the other eyeshadows. Much softer in texture than Tom Ford with no fallout issues whatsoever.
-Eyeshadow #2: Shimmery white, this is the least shimmery of the bunch and serves as an excellent inner corner highlight.
-Eyeshadow #3: Shimmery and metallic light beige with microglitter, this works beautifully as an all over lid color.
-Eyeshadow #4: Shimmery and metallic beige with stronger pink undertones and microglitter, this is another great all over lid color.
-Eyeshadow #5: Shimmery and metallic light bronze, this is probably the smoothest color of the six and extremely soft in texture.
-Eyeshadow #6: Shimmery dark brown with gold shimmer, this is my favorite as it is ultra-pigmented and blends like a dream, with minimal fallout.

Lunasol eyeshadows have always impressed me, but these simply take the cake in terms of ease of use, pigmentation, and lasting power -- easily 10 hours with no fading at all over primer! What sets this palette apart from the other Lunasol quads I own is that I can easily pick up the shades with my eyeshadow brushes, and the color in the pan is the color I saw on my lids. In the past, I had always turned to the sponge tip applicators and/or fingers in order to intensify most of my Lunasol (and other Japanese brand) eyeshadows, as they tend to be more sheer than their Western counterparts. More sheer, yet still as high of a quality as they get though!

Face and Cheek:
-Face powder: Despite the division in the pan, I'm going to just call it the face powder as a whole. The left side is reminiscent of Guerlain Meteorites, albeit a more stark and sparkly version, whereas the right side is your traditional setting powder suitable for those up to NC/NW25 skin tones.
-Blusher: This is also divided, with one half being peachy-coral and the other half being rosy pink. I would not call either shimmery, although they do give a noticeable glow when applied. Buildable in pigmentation and blends effortlessly, this really took me by surprise.

I had minor gripes with both products. With the face powder, it was next to impossible to solely pick up product from one half of the pan unless I went in with a blush brush. Eventually, I gave up and just swirled a powder brush across the entire pan, and surprisingly, it gave the perfect balance of mattifying and illuminating finish to my face. My biggest gripe with the blusher was the utter fact that Lunasol decided to stamp '15th Lunasol' in bronzey, chocolate brown lettering. I practically had to take off the top layers of the blush in order to remove any traces of said bronze-copper shades to prevent myself from looking as though I had mistakenly dipped my blush brush into the eyeshadows instead! Apart from that, I was very happy with how well the face powder and blusher wore on me.

Extras:
-Liquid Lips: To be honest, this was a sheer gloss on my pigmented lips despite the peachy-coral color in the tube. It did wear comfortably with no tingling sensation and kept my lips hydrated though.
-High Stylized Mascara: Nothing to write home about, as I did not see any lengthening nor volumizing effects with this. Then again, I am probably not the best person to judge non-waterproof mascaras, seeing how I only wear them a handful of times throughout the year.

Lunasol really knocked it out of the park with this all-in-one palette. It did come with sponge tip applicators and a brush that was rather useless, but as I had mentioned before, I didn't feel the need for the applicators this time around. I had never tried Lunasol's face and cheek products before, so this was a great way for me to try the rest of the line, and I can see myself picking up a few more blushers in the future. Despite the palette looking rather travel-friendly, I would advise not traveling with it (or be extremely careful if you do.) When I received mine, bits and pieces of the face powder had gotten all over the palette, so I did spend quite a bit of time wiping everything down. I think that just goes to show the soft nature of the products, but it does not detract from the overall quality at all!

The 15th Anniversary palette is -- as you might have guessed -- limited edition, so if you fancy snagging a collector's piece that is functional and actually delivers, I would recommend getting your hands on it soon. I had seen this palette running anywhere from $90-$110 USD, which is very reasonable when you break down the cost of this palette for each individual product.

Tom Ford Eye and Cheek Compact in Unabashed

 

Tom  Ford's eye and cheek compact in Unabashed, limited edition for Summer 2014, needs no introduction. It had makeup addicts all around the world calling department stores to pre-order back in February, when leaked images surfaced on many social medias. Heck, it had my heart racing a mile a minute when I first saw said images! As many of you may already know, it is housed in the same compact as Tom Ford bronzers, except in the ivory and gold packaging that I simply adore (and clearly cannot get enough of.) There is quite a bit of product in the compact, so I personally think it warrants the $95 price tag. Of course, if you're a makeup collector, this palette is a no-brainer of a purchase.

 

To start, there are three eyeshadows in the left column. At the very top is a light beige-y glitter shadow that works best as an eyeshadow topper. Alone, it really just provides glitter with no noticeable base color. Like all Tom Ford glitter shadows (which I like to call 'adult glitter'), this is a dream to work with, and I did not experience any fallout. Next, is a cool-toned, matte, grayish taupe shade. It is probably the easiest shadow of the three to work with, as it is incredibly smooth. I also learned that this works quite nicely as a cheek contour. So, if you feel as though you had missed out on Chanel's Notorious sculpting veil, give this a go. You might find that it gives the same effect! Lastly, there's the striking matte royal blue shade. Royal in more ways than one, i.e. a royal pain to remove when swatched on my arm and when applied on my eyes! Word of caution: this shadow in particular does stain, especially on bare skin! This is extremely pigmented, however, when it is blended out, it becomes more of a dark teal color. (I intentionally blended out the edges of this shade in my swatches below so you can see what I mean.) This is probably my least favorite shade of the three, as it is quite dry in nature.

Moving on to the "bronzer" and blush, and I say bronzer with quotation marks because technically, the top pan acts more like a highlighter. (You really should not attempt to warm up your complexion with such a frosty, borderline metallic, product unless your goal is to look like a walking disco ball.) As a highlighter, it is stunning! However, on my NC25 skin tone, I find it a bit too dark of a highlighter (or at least dark enough that I can't achieve the lifted cheekbones effect when applied with a traditional highlighter brush.) Thankfully, I find that with a fan brush, all is well, and it has earned a spot in my Top 10 Highlighters of all time! Like the matte taupey gray eyeshadow, this is also multi-functional. I've used this as a lid color several times, and it works just as phenomenally!

The star of the palette, in my opinion, is the warm pink blush that some have deemed the adult version of NARS Orgasm. I can see why with its strong golden lean and frostiness, but that's where the similarities end. This blush is undoubtedly smoother and easier to blend than the infamous O. Despite it being frosty, it also never accentuated my pores (which can happen with Orgasm at times.) It reminded me a lot of Tom Ford's blush in Love Lust, so I went ahead and did comparison swatches (see below.) I would say if Love Lust and Frantic Pink had a baby, this would be it. That said, if Tom Ford ever releases this blush in a single form, I will be the first in line to pick it up. I love it that much!

In conclusion, Unabashed is a welcome addition to my embarrrassingly growing TF collection (and my palette collection, in general.) I was wary of ordering the palette in the beginning, because this is the first eye and cheek palette he has ever released, so I didn't know how it would compare to the top-notch quality of his permanent line eyeshadows and blushers. I am happy to report that both cheek products perform just as well as his blushers, in terms of pigmentation, blendability and lasting power (well over 10 hours with no signs of fading!) As far as the eyeshadows go, apart from the royal blue, the glitter and matte shades are comparable to the shadows from his quads and trios. (Read: amazing!) I did hear folks passing on the palette because it resembled the limited edition trio in She Wolf, but rest assured, they are not similar in my opinion. If anything, I would say the glitter shade is most similar to the one in Silvered Topaz. I wasn't able to find a dupe to the matte taupey gray shadow in any of the quads I currently own, but I still went ahead and swatched the shadows in the matte gray color family from both the She Wolf and Silvered Topaz palettes.

I have seen Unabashed popping up online from time to time on Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks, and Bloomingdale's. If you are still on the fence about this palette, I would recommend snatching it up before it sells out completely -- something I can foresee happening in the very near future -- and see for yourself if it is worth keeping. I promise that this is one palette you will be happy to have in your own collection!

Michael Kors Bronze Powder in Flush and Beam

I wasn't aware that Michael Kors had his own makeup line until a few weeks ago, and ever since then, I could not get the Bronze Powders out of my mind. Apparently he launched his line around the same time Marc Jacobs Beauty arrived at Sephora, so of course, he was overshadowed despite the potential of his much smaller (yet equally impressive) offerings. It also didn't help that MK cosmetics is only available at Macys.com and select Macy's locations. Even then, they are placed alongside his fragrances in the fragrance department!

First of all, if you are a sucker for packaging, you will absolutely fall in love with Michael Kors' entire collection. As mentioned, his collection is quite small with just bronzers, lipsticks, lipglosses, and nail polishes. However, all of his products are housed in a glamorous and sturdy (but still plastic) gold packaging of some sort. That said, I have always been wary of fashion designers turn beauty designers, so I treaded carefully while at the MK counter. Deciding between two of the three bronzers was difficult enough, so I passed on the lip products and polishes for now. Even though I ended up with both the Flush and Beam bronzers, I still would like to make a quick note of the third bronze powder in the color Glow. Glow is your traditional, neutral-toned bronzer with a hint of shimmer that reminded me a lot of NARS Laguna.

Flush Bronze Powder ($50):

Flush was the initial product that caught my attention. Even though it was marketed as a bronzer, I knew it would serve as a blush for me. It is a frosty, rosy pink powder that works beautifully as a blush for folks with fair to medium skin tones. (Any darker, and this might not show up too well as a blush, but I'm sure it makes for a great highlighter nevertheless.) While it is frosty in nature, I would say it is more shimmery once applied, and it does not accentuate my pores whatsoever. Rather it just gives this indescribable youthful glow from within. Flush, in particular, is a dream to apply and blends seamlessly.

This powder has a mild scent that is reminiscent of Dior's J'adore fragrance. However, it is not detectable once the product went on my cheeks. To be honest, when I first saw Flush, it reminded me a lot of Tom Ford's blush in Love Lust. However, I quickly learned that Flush was not as finely-milled of a powder nor is it as pink in undertones. (See swatch comparisons below.)

Beam Bronze Powder ($50):

Beam is Flush's slightly more coppery counterpart, and I would say this is more suited for light-medium to darker skintones. Like Flush, this is frosty in the pan, but once this is applied to the cheeks, it gives more of a glowy sheen that never accentuates pores. However, I must say that this is not as smooth in texture as Flush and actually applies a bit patchily as you can see from the swatches below. (It's more noticeable when applied with a brush than with my finger swatch.)

I also couldn't help but see how this compares to Tom Ford's Savage (easily one of my Top 10 blushers of all time!) In fact, the only reason I went with Flush at first was because I thought Beam would be an exact dupe to Savage. But I'm happy to report that they are not exact dupes -- similar but not exact. Savage has a more apparent reddish undertone, whereas Beam has more golden undertones.

MK Swatches: Flush (brush application, finger swatch); Beam (finger swatch, brush application)

As you can tell, both Flush and Beam are quite similar when blended out, so owning both is unnecessary. They are also the same in regards to how buildable they are in pigmentation. If you are looking for intense pigmentation à la Illamasqua, these are not the products for you (although they can be built up to said intensity.) Longevity-speaking, both powders lasted through 10-hour workdays with no signs of fading but still maintaining the aforementioned healthy glow. In fact, my cheeks became more glowy as the day progressed because the powder had mixed with the natural oils from my skin. And lastly, and quite possibly the most apparent thing, is the fact that each one of these is a behemoth of a bronzer/blush! 21 grams (or 0.74 oz) of product, to be exact! That's nearly 2.5 times the amount of product you get with Tom Ford blushes or even with NARS bronzers. Once you get over the initial sticker shock of these Michael Kors bronze powders, you will find that they are worth every penny -- not only in amount but also in quality (and, certainly, when displayed on your vanity!)

Tom Ford comparison swatches...

I had trouble tracking down Flush on the Macy's site, which makes me question whether or not these are limited edition. However, my local store still had a few in stock. Beam, on the other hand, is still showing availability both online and in stores.

Tom Ford Lip Color Sheer in Pink Dune

 

Apparently 2014 is the year I dabble in luxurious lipsticks. Who would have thought? Tom Ford released eight lip color sheer lipsticks as part of his Spring 2014 collection and, as you might have guessed, Pink Dune ($49) immediately caught my attention. Shimmery gold pinky nude lip color... it all sounds too familiar, I know. I only have a handful of other lipsticks that fall under the same category (some possibly exact dupes), but the sleek and chic white and gold packaging had me swooning when I first laid eyes on the ad campaign.

Thankfully, the formula proved to be just as big of a hit as the packaging. The scent of Tom Ford lipsticks reminds me a lot of MAC's, though nowhere as strong of a vanilla scent. Calling it a sheer lipstick is a bit of a misnomer, as Pink Dune layered quite nicely with two passes to give decent pigmentation but not to the point where I would consider it opaque. When worn alone, Pink Dune gives off a sheen that makes additional lipgloss unnecessary.

What I love about the formula is that I can keep on layering, but it would never feel heavy on my lips, unlike other lipsticks. What's equally amazing is the wear time of Pink Dune, given the fact that it's a nude lipstick. It wasn't until the sixth hour mark (and after talking and eating/drinking) that I noticed the color slowly start to fade from the middle of my lips. Nothing that re-application can't solve, and even then, I did not notice any flaking. Also, I would like to add that I did not experience chapped lips at the end of the day during the times that I have worn Pink Dune. Lipsticks with shimmer tend to make my lips peel, so I've always proceeded with caution. I am glad to report that this one in particular is extremely sensitive lip-friendly.

I can't foresee myself owning any more colors from the lip color sheer range, but I do want a couple of shades from his permanent range of lipsticks. Don't be too surprised if you see the infamous Spanish Pink or the Lip Color Shine in Bare show up in my future reviews. Just sayin'. That said, if you've been eyeing a lip color sheer, I'd strongly suggest snatching the color(s) that interests you as they are limited edition, and some colors have completely sold out.

Lipstick Queen Velvet Rope Lipstick in Star System

Lipstick Queen, oh, Lipstick Queen! How you manage to boast a price tag with your Velvet Rope lipsticks higher than Tom Ford lipsticks is beyond me. How I manage to somehow own one is well beyond me too, as lipsticks rank quite low -- categorically speaking -- in my makeup addiction. What happened was Beauty.com sent out a "We've missed you! Here, enjoy $15 off $50 purchase!" What's a girl to do? $35 is much more palatable than the original $50, so I submitted my order for Star System, albeit reluctantly. YSL and Chanel lipsticks run ~$35/pop for justifiable reasons (read: designer.) Lipstick Queen, on the other hand...?

I'll start out by saying that if you dislike the silicone-y feel with your makeup products, you will not like the Velvet Rope formula. To me, it felt like a silicone lipstick once I applied the product on my lips. I personally don't mind it, because it just means that it is incredibly light-weight. It literally glides on like silk. Another point I would like to mention is that all of the lipsticks in the Velvet Rope range is matte -- something I did not know before as I had not seen these lipsticks in person prior to ordering. However, I have to say this is one of the most comfortable and most long lasting matte lipsticks I have tried. As a person who has very sensitive lips prone to chapping, I've always steered clear from matte lipsticks completely, despite having tried many in the past. The closest finish to a matte lipstick that I can tolerate is satin, and even that can be troublesome. But I am happy to say that Lipstick Queen has restored my faith in matte lipsticks.

Color-wise, Star System is not a color I would wear on its own (on my NC25 skin tone) when I'm not wearing any other makeup as it washes me out a tad bit. Instead, I've enjoyed pairing it with Giorgio Armani's Gloss D'Armani in 103, and it just creates the perfect nude lip combination that is not too brown nor too pink. When paired with a smokey eye, I can see many nude lipstick lovers rocking this lipstick alone -- without a gloss -- and looking fabulously. One major drawback to this range of lipsticks is how there isn't a large color selection: five to be exact. Of the five, Star System is the only color in the nude family and the one I would consider to be the safest, as the other four are quite loud in color. Great for those of you who love bolder colors, not-so-great for those who prefer nudes or my lips but better shades. Additionally, the lipstick has a subtle peppermint scent, but it is not noticeable once applied.

Lastly, I am sure the question a lot of you are probably thinking is: So is this lipstick worth $50? I am hesitant in saying 'yes', because I don't think any lipstick is worth shelling out $50. However, what makes this lipstick so amazing is its formula and its longevity. This lipstick held up extremely well through eating and drinking, and I only needed to reapply by the 6-hour mark which is quite good, especially for a nude lipstick. I would also like to add that this is definitely a collector's piece, considering how glamorously packaged it is and how heavy this weighs. Not clutch-friendly, by any means, but it does make for a great self-defense tool if need be.

Bottomline: Recommend purchasing but not at full price. I do believe these Velvet Rope lipsticks are limited edition, so I would pick them up sooner than later. Certain shades are still available on Beauty.com, Nordstrom, and Ulta.

Shu Uemura Silk Cushion Eyeshadow in Amber Brown and Blusher in Orange Quartz

Shu Uemura is a line I tend to forget about, because it's not as easily accessible here in the states (and I have my reservations with ordering products online without seeing them in person beforehand.) I only own one other Shu product, and it is the painting liner which was gifted from a friend nearly three years ago. To this day, the gel liner still has not dried on me and works just as well as when I first received it! So when I saw promo pictures of the Spring Collection Silk Cushion eyeshadows and blushers, I knew I had to venture into the Shu territory. As a fan of cream eyeshadows and neutral colors, by default, I had to get Amber Brown. The other three colors released with the collection were pastels, so I safely passed on them. Blush-wise, there were only two options: Orange Quartz and Pink Quartz. Because I already have other pink cream blushers in my collection, I went with the former, despite the rather intimidating color that was shown on the Shu site.

Silk Cushion Eyeshadow in Amber Brown

I had really high hopes for this eyeshadow, but this went on extremely sheer. With one swipe, the only thing I saw was silver glitter particles with the slightest hint of beige. It wasn't until three or four swipes later when I was able to see the warm brown base color of the shadow. Even then, it was nowhere close to what you see in the jar. Texture-wise, I would say it's a hybrid of Chanel Illusion D'ombre eyeshadows and Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush. Like the Dream Bouncy Blush, with first use, one can clearly see the dent I had made in the jar. Also, like the Illusion D'ombres, the silk cushion eyeshadow is moussey in feel, though nowhere as glittery. The glitter particles are still present but less noticeable to leave a shimmery, light brown with red undertones shade when blended onto the lids.

The lasting power is equally disappointing. Even with my NARS Pro Prime Smudgeproof eyeshadow primer, I noticed creasing by the four hour mark, and that has never happened to any other eyeshadows I have ever tried before! If you're one who doesn't have issues with oily lids and prefer sporting lighter eye makeup, Amber Brown might be worth looking into as this may fare better.

Shu Uemura Silk Cushion Blusher in Orange Quartz

This blush initially went on sheer, much like its eyeshadow counterpart. However, the color is more easily buildable with a couple swipes with a synthetic blush brush. While I could have applied Orange Quartz with my fingers, I still prefer a brush, since it gives me more control in terms of placement and in depositing the perfect amount. This blush leans slightly on the orange side of peach blushes but with a neutral undertone, making it extremely wearable for all skintones. Additionally, there is no shimmer whatsoever in Orange Quartz. Instead, you're left with a glowy sheen, since the product does not entirely dry down to a powder finish.

Thankfully, the blush lasted on my cheeks longer than the eyeshadow did on my lids. In fact, the blush stayed vibrant without any signs of fading on me for a good seven hours (with no additional layering of powdered blush on top), which I would consider quite good for a cream formula. The product also does not oxidize -- an added bonus!

(Swatches: Amber Brown 3 swipes, blended; Orange Quartz 3 swipes, blended)

Overall, I would say that I was quite impressed by the blush from the Silk Cushion range, although I could do without the eyeshadow. If Shu expands the blush line from the current range in the future, I will definitely be investing in a couple more. Both of these products and the rest of the Silk Cushion range is currently available on Shu Uemura.com.

Christian Dior Diorific Perfumed Illuminating Powder 002 Perle D'Or

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not always the biggest fan of Dior face and cheek products, as they tend to fade on me after a few short hours. They're also not the most pigmented to begin with. Needless to say, I don't pay too much attention to Dior's new releases. However, when I saw pictures of the Diorific Perfumed Illuminating Powders circulating on Enablergram Instagram, I knew I needed to get my hands on one. It didn't help that it was limited edition for the holidays 2013 AND was part of the Europe exclusive Golden Winter Christmas Look collection. Also, in case you've missed the memo, I'm a highlighter addict.

Dior released two illuminating powders in this collection: 001 Rose D'or and 002 Perle D'or. After the longest game of eenie meenie miney mo to help me decide between the two, I finally settled with 002 Perle D'Or. (Picking both of them up was not an option, as these ran quite exorbitantly price-wise.) To start, the packaging. To call it luxurious would be an understatement, as this is one of the most beautiful and most hefty compact I own in my makeup collection to date. The highlighter itself is a true work of art, and some have even said that it was designed to mimic Charlize Theron's dress in the J'adore ad campaign. Additionally, it also comes with a brush, that is rather soft and useful, to match the compact's golden exterior.

Now Dior wasn't joking when they called this a perfumed illuminating powder. In fact, when I first opened the compact, I was able to detect Dior's infamous J'adore scent, which had been infused in the the product itself. Not to worry as the scent itself does not linger too long once the product is applied. The highlighter has a glittery gold overspray that disappears once I dipped my brush in the pan. What's left, however, is a beautiful pearly gold highlighter. In terms of texture, this is soft but not exactly the most finely-milled highlighter I've come across. Instead, it's borderline powdery. The pigmentation is quite good, yet subtle. I would call Perle D'Or a more tamed version of the Becca Pressed Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone and definitely less potent than theBalm's Mary-Loumanizer. As far as wear-time goes, this lasted a good eight or so hours with no noticeable signs of fading -- one of the better performers in Dior's recent face product offerings.

Now, would I say that Perle D'Or is an absolute must have? No. Is it nice to have? Definitely. The product is more suited for light to medium warmer skintones and for those who are not sensitive to fragrance in their makeup. Lighter skintones could possibly pull this off as a finishing face powder when lightly dusted all-over, whereas slightly darker skintones can use this as a traditional highlighter. Perle D'Or not only is a collector's piece but a functional one at that. Despite the hefty price tag, it is one product I know I will be getting a lot of mileage out of.

Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compact in 08 Tulip Fields

Jill Stuart really brings out my inner princess. I mean, if that packaging doesn't scream girly at you, I don't know what does. I've always been interested in this line, but trying to find a reputable seller that carries her products is half the battle. (The other half of the battle being at a reasonable price.) Jill Stuart blushes come in two flavors: a loose form and a pressed version. Loose powders, in general, have never really struck my fancy, so I decided to pick up Tulip Fields (08) -- limited edition for Spring 2014 -- instead as my first Jill Stuart blush.

Like all of her products, this has a light rose scent when you first open the compact but quickly dissipates upon application. The blush is divided into four quadrants, and I particularly chose Tulip Fields because of the highlighter shade on the top left hand corner. Alone, it gives a very strong yellow lean -- a bit too yellow (and glittery!) for my liking -- so I've been enjoying mixing all four quadrants for a soft, glowy peachy-pink blush. Because it is so glowy, a highlighter is unnecessary. On days when I do want a more satin, rosy-pink blush, I just concentrate on the bottom half of the pan, and it is equally beautiful.

(Swatches: 4 quadrants individually, all 4 shades mixed)

Asian cosmetics products tend to be sheer in nature as they are meant to be built up. This blush is no exception. It is difficult to over-apply, and on my NC25 skin tone, I had to swirl my brush in the compact a few times to get just the right amount of pigmentation. On me, the blush lasts a good ten hours without any signs of oxidation or fading, which is quite impressive.

I was able to get Tulip Fields at Beauty Kat, since I didn't see the Spring collection on Imomoko. Both are great sites for authentic Jill Stuart products. The blushes run anywhere from $55-$65, but do keep in mind that you also get a rather nice goat hair brush (that can easily be detached.) I can't see myself owning more than three blushes from her line, as the colors are not all that unique. I do, however, have my eyes set on #10 Sweet Biscuit, since the color combination is slightly more different than the rest.