Blushing Apples

As far as yesterday's post was about lips, I wanted to talk about cheeks as well (my friend Tracy nicknamed me Cheekz for good reason). Recently I haven't been doing the "pull into hairline" sort of cheek as much as the "dab at the apples" kind, largely because of my obsession with Robin's (Cobie Smulders) makeup in How I Met Your Mother, but we'll stay on topic for now.

Cheeks: Tarte Exposed

How I do it is I use my LMdB Cheek Brush and pick up a good amount of pigment, then press it onto the apples of my cheeks (remember the first point of contact between brush and skin deposits the greatest amount of pigment). From there, I sort of fluff and blend it out.

Eyes: Chantecaille Rose Gold; Cheeks: Chanel Tempting Beige

Of course, if you want to add a little extra something to the look (and it's daytime and totally not appropriate to be sparkling–you listening, Cullens?), try a non-glittery highlighter. In the pictures above I used Dior Airflash Primer, which works great as an opal highlighter as well. I really need to talk about that one day soon.

Swatches of the products in this post:

L-R: Chanel Tempting Beige, Tarte Exposed, Chantecaille Rose Gold

Chanel Tempting Beige is a lightly browned peach and my go-to peach cheek color. I think I've never been tempted (ha!) by any other peach blush because this one is just perfect for me. Tarte Exposed is a lightly browned muted rose.

Now, on to my current TV obsession. Have you watched How I Met Your Mother? I can't believe I waited this long to jump on that bandwagon (in a way, that's great since I could just smash straight through seven seasons). Every time Robin comes on screen I stare at her makeup because a) she's gorgeous, and b) she's made up very well. Her makeup artist applies her blush the above-mentioned way, and she always looks just the right amount of flushed.

Though not indicative in this picture

Did you know Cobie Smulders was also in the Avengers? I never knew till someone pointed out to me that she was Samuel L. Jackson's hot assistant.

Anyone else has the same ardent fondness for HIMYM? Or browned cheek products? Let's discuss!

Chanel Summer 2012: Le Vernis Holiday, Island, and Delight

Apart from Calypso, the only other items from Chanel's summer collection that dazzled me were its nail polishes. Chanel released three shades, Holiday, Island, and Delight, and I snatched them up gleefully. While I love the ubiquitous blue polishes that every brand seems to be releasing this summer, I have to admit these are a welcome change.

Chanel Holiday is a vivid orange. It is such a bright, jolly shade that I'm almost afraid to look at it for fear of hurting my eyes. They make your nails stand out and is a good alternative for red this summer. The formula for Holiday is a little thick (am I the only one having trouble opening Chanel's recent nail polish bottles?) and was not the easiest to apply. The first coat looked horrendous but the second smoothed it out. 

Chanel Delight, on the other hand, was marvelous to apply. It flowed on smooth and could have been a one-coater if I was diligent enough. The shade is a shimmering light gold, like the color of aluminium foil if it were gold instead of silver. While some say it is comparable to Graphite from last fall, I personally think it's more similar (and superior) to Gold Fingers.

Chanel Le Vernis Holiday, Island, and Delight retail for $26 and is available at all Chanel counters. I purchased mine from Chanel.com.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Rose Gold

Despite its various incarnations throughout the years and ubiquity in Beauty Must-Have lists, I never really thought much about Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks in the past. I didn't know what it was for. It was too frosty (in my opinion) to be a highlighter but not pigmented enough to be a blush. In addition, my perception of the brand was colored by bad experiences at counters and gritting my teeth at unfriendly sales assistants, so I always walked away without purchasing anything.

My indifference has never really been challenged until the Rose Gold collection came around. Dustin was by my side as we rifled through the beauty counters at Bergdorf's, and we stopped at the Bobbi Brown counter. I confessed I didn't understand them as highlighters, and he explained, "well, those are luminizers. You're supposed to put them on top of your blush."

Somewhere in my head a gong (of understanding) was struck, and I left the counter holding my very first Shimmer Brick. 

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Rose Gold contains five shades of rose, pinks, and golds. Swirled together, the resulting hue is its namesake. While it looks frightening in the swatch, it becomes altogether magical when layered over another color on the cheeks. Case in point:

Cle de Peau Cheek Color Duo in 02

Bobbi Brown Rose Gold Shimmer Brick layered over CdP Cheek Color Duo in 02

What is the word for it? A glow? A luminescence? A sultry flush? (Ha!) However you want to call it, I think it looks fetching on the skin, and especially great for drawing attention to your cheeks.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Rose Gold retails for $39 and is available at Bobbi Brown counters nationwide and bobbibrown.com. Like all good things, it is unfortunately limited edition.