My Latest Addiction (pun intended)

I go through phases with makeup. One day, I feel the need to own every nude lipsticks ever made, and the next day,  I'm tracking down every limited edition peach pink blushers (with cute embossing) ever released. The same lack of commitment holds true when it comes to powder and cream products. Hence, my owning seven cream/liquid cheek products in one order. In my defense, I was going through a dry skin phase from being too adventurous with trying out different chemical peels -- in the colder months.

Addiction is a Japanese brand founded by Ayako, who many know is the former NARS creative director. Apart from a few bold blush color similarities between both brands, there really isn't a whole lot of overlap. Addiction focuses mainly on more sheer and shimmery delivery, whereas NARS really hones in on the bold and pigmented.

By Terry Cellularose Blush Glace 01 Rose Melba and 02 Flower Sorbet

Terry de Gunzburg, the mastermind behind By Terry, knows luxury quality... and prices. Some products are more worthy of the hefty price tag than others.

I have a love-hate relationship with cream blushers. I like how they give a more glowy and natural finish, but I dislike the fact that a lot of them tend to disrupt the foundation beneath. But when a company like By Terry releases such delicious-looking blushers, resistance is futile really. Quite honestly, after having given these Cellularose Blush Glace a fair shot and with different ways of application, I'm still on the fence.

These blushers come in three flavors: 01 Rose Melba, 02 Flower Sorbet, and 03 Frozen Petal, but I only have Rose Melba and Flower Sorbet to show.

01 Rose Melba is the quintessential baby doll pink that leans neither too cool nor too warm but can pull coral at times. This is best suited for light to light-medium folks.

02 Flower Sorbet is the perfect coral-orange shade that compliments all skin tones. I can see light to medium skintones pulling off this shade.

Touted as blushers that "flush the cheeks with a cool burst of watercolor for a long-wearing healthy glow", I can see why they are very appealing to many (including yours truly) during the hot summer months. A gel form cheek stain -- more or less -- in a pot with a cooling sensation upon application all sounds too good to be true. I mean, it even claims to "smooth the complexion, protect the skin, and delicately flush the cheeks with color for a plumped, preened finish."

Flush the cheeks, they do, albeit with a slight learning curve. I can't apply cream blushers as well as Lisa Eldridge can with my fingers, so my preferred way of applying cream products is still with makeup brushes. With a duo-fiber stippling brush, I find that these blushers blend to nothing, no matter how many layers I apply. However, they do fare better when I use my fingers to tap the product onto my cheeks, and I find that I also use less product that way.

Smooth the complexion? Not so much. If I don't exfoliate well prior to wearing these blushers, they apply very unevenly and splotchily. The same goes for dry patches or any blemishes I may have. They just seem to accentuate such imperfections even more. However, I am glad to report that these do not alter my foundation whatsoever. I did try them on after I had set my makeup, and let's just say, these do not go well over powder at all.

Lastly, and quite possibly, my biggest gripe with these Blush Glace is the fact that they never fully dry down and remain somewhat tacky throughout the day. On days when I opt for all cream products, I only like to lightly powder down my T-zone while leaving the rest of my face powder-free. When I first wore Rose Melba in such a manner, all I could think of was to not have my Nth strand of hair stick to my cheeks. In short, it felt just as uncomfortable as hair being stuck to lip gloss. Thankfully, a light dusting of translucent powder over my cheeks took care of that issue, although it did take away some of the glow.

(Size comparison to a mini Baume De Rose)

That said, these blushes wore extremely well, true to its claims. While they do stain the cheeks for at least ten hours with minimal fading, they were also easy to remove by the end of the day (unlike other cream blushers which stained my cheeks for days.) Like all By Terry products, the Blush Glace smells like roses, ie pure luxury. I'm sensitive to fragrances in my makeup but I have yet to break out from any of her products. *knocks on wood*

These blushers retail for $58 each wherever By Terry is sold. For 0.25 oz, there isn't a lot of product in a jar, but do keep in mind that you also don't need a lot of product (if applied properly.) I believe these are limited edition, but all three are still in stock from sites like Beauty.com and BeautyBar, as well as at Space NK.

Guerlain Meteorites Bubble Blush in 01 Twinkle Pink

When Guerlain released two Meteorites Bubble Blushes for Spring 2014, I debated whether or not I should even bother purchasing one. For starter, the packaging is extremely cheap-looking and by that, I mean plastic packaging -- a total departure from the luxe packaging Guerlain is so well-known for. Secondly, the amount of product one gets by no means reflects the $42 price point for 0.14 oz of product. Ounce for ounce, it really puts Benefit's Rockateur to shame. However, I waited a bit too long and before I knew it, 01 Twinkle Pink sold out both on Nordstrom.com and Sephora.com, my two go-to retailers. (02 Fizzy Cherry is still available at the moment.) Thankfully, a dear friend of mine completely surprised me with it, and I couldn't be happier to add it to my cream blush collection!

If you are a fan of how the Guerlain Meteorites smell, you will fancy the Bubble Blush. If, however, the scent of violets turns you off, this blush is not for you. As mentioned before, I wasn't too fond of the packaging. On the plus side, it is extremely travel-friendly, since it is extremely light (although it might still take up a bit of space in one's bag.)

Formula-wise, this is a cream-to-powder blush. It still does not entirely dry down to a satin finish like the Chanel cream blushes. Instead, it gives a slightly dewy, glowy finish that reminds me a lot of the YSL cream blushes. I do appreciate how it does not stay tacky once the product sets, ie my biggest gripe when it comes to cream products. As far as longevity goes, this lasted a good six hours on my cheeks, which is considerably good for a cream product. Most of them tend to melt off my oily skin by the four hour mark.

I've applied it many ways, and I've found that the best way is over foundation (prior to any powder despite the cream-to-powder claim.) It just applies more easily and more evenly that way. I've also tried applying it with a brush, as well as directly onto my cheeks and then blend with a brush, and I actually prefer the latter. It is more precise and I can tell how much product goes on my cheeks. Do keep in mind that even though you think you may have over-applied, once you set with powder, you lose some of the color. In a pinch, finger application works just as well since the product itself blends so effortlessly.

When blended out, 01 Twinkle Pink is the quintessential Barbie pink blush in cream form. It works beautifully on fair to medium skintones, although I wouldn't recommend it on darker skintones as it'll barely show up. I can see, however, 02 Fizzy Cherry looking lovely on darker skintones. As mentioned, 01 Twinkle Pink is sold out on many places online, but I would suggest checking out your local department stores with a Guerlain counter, as they may still have a few in stock.