Top 5 blushes

Don't you love it how some girls have that beautiful flush of colour on their cheeks, like they've been running for a few minutes? Next to actually having to go for a run, you can achieve this look by applying some blush on the apples of your cheek

In my former blog post I explained how to apply blush. If you haven't read it, check it out here :)

Without further ado, let's get this blush party started!

5. Canmake
When I bought this blush I had no idea how big the brand Canmake was. Turns out it's a very well known brand and is famous for its cute packaged make up items. I have to admit I caved for this blush because of its packaging. It seemed compact and getting 2 colors for one, is something every girl with a budget can appreciate. It has a coral and a pink side. You can use the colors separately, but you can also mix these 2 colors together to get a light pink.

Canmake: 03

4. Physician's Formula
Even you didn't believe me when I said I'm a sucker for packaging, please let this blush be a great example to that theory. Look how freaking amazing this blush looks and you'll want it too, haha! It has different sizes of hearts and it has about 3 colors you can mix. It gives a lovely healthy glow to the cheeks and is just wonderful to have in your collection. This is perfect for those days you don't want a lot of color on you, but you still want to add a radiance to your cheeks too appear awake and happy of course :)

Physician's Formula Happy Booster: Natural

3. MAC
This blush is probably my most expensive blush I own. It's a matte corally blush that has a great pigmentation and will stay for quite some time. Just be careful when applying this because you have to dab in very lightly with your blush brush and you'll have more than enough on your brush. Yes, they're not expensive, but since a little goes a long way I don't see my finishing this blush any time soon. A good investment I'd say!

MAC: Melba

2. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blissful
Tarte is known for its blushes and I just had to get myself one to see what the hype was all about. Next to the pretty blush itself, it gives the lovely subtle sheen I love. I got Blissful and it's a very light coral color, so hence that it seems very light. This blush stayed on me the entire day. I'm withholding myself to get another color, must...finish...this...one...first. (which will never happen!). Another detail worth mentioning: this blush is formulated without mineral oil, parabens, petrolatum, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate and synthetic fragrance.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush: Blissful

1. Benefit Coralista
My number 1 blush... This coral color will suit a lot of skintones and just gives the perfect amount of color and sheen to your cheeks. A wonderful blush that has a pleasant fragrance as well. The blush will stay for a very good amount of time. I like this blush because it's a no brainer blush. You don't have to be careful when applying this. Just dab in your blush brush and apply to your cheeks. No matter how many times you go over it with blush, it'll look great!

Benefit: Coralista

Here's a swatch of the blushes I just mentioned above. The swatches are only 1 swipe because I usually go over my cheeks just 1 time:

Left to right: Benefit, Tarte, MAC, Physician's Formula, Canmake

It's obvious that MAC and Physician's Formula are more pigmented, followed by Benefit's Coralista. I like the 2 others because they give that healthy glow to the face.
MAC is a little bit darker and is more pink than the PF's coral blush. Coralista is a coral (duh?) with a sheen to it. Blissful by Tarte is more of a corally, almost golden sheen, while Canmake's blush is the pink version of it.

Anyway, these are my favorite blushes. Mind sharing your favorite blush with me? Maybe I'll turn out to like it as well!

My makeup story

Hi my beloved blog readers!

This blog post will not be a regular 'here's-what-I-like-to-share-with-you post, but be aware that this will be a text post on how I fell in love with makeup.

Growing up with 2 older brothers didn't exactly encourage my femininity to come out of me. I often played with the typical boys' toys such as lego, cars and action figures even after being spoiled with Barbies, dolls and all that jazz.
My mom and my aunties used to bought me dresses to dress me up. I never actually REALLY enjoyed wearing dresses, but being an '80 girl, I had to work with what I got!
One of my first makeup memories was - like most girls - going through my mom's make up collection. I remember pulling out a dark red nail polish out of it and asked my mom to help me painting my nails because I couldn't. It made me feel so proud... If only I knew it was ugly as heck :D

Until the age of 19 I didn't act much of a girl...
I liked my baggy pants and never thought about acting ladylike or whatsoever. So I'm sure you get it that makeup didn't interest me at all.
When I was in college I remember seeing these doll like girls who were more occupied by their makeup than by their studies. The only makeup thing I was interested in was my performing well at school (and my lip balm because I didn't like the feeling of dry lips, haha!)
I do have to admit that by seeing these girls doing their make up, wearing sexy dresses, talking about what new make up items they bought, ... it lit a little fire inside of me. I didn't act like them, but I did start to pay attention to what I looked like: getting a new hair cut every year, looking for what clothing suits me, learning about my skin type, ...

During my college years I discovered the following (in that exact order!):

• eyelash curler (drugstore one which broke off the majority of my lashes, causing me to walk around lash less for weeks!)
• moisturizer (Nivea moisturizer which turned out to be way too greasy for me)
• concealer (drugstore one as well and was way too pink for my skin tone)

After graduating I was finally prepped to take a step into the grown up world: to get a job.
That's when I did some research on 'how to become presentable for dummies', haha!
I finally got my hands on a Shu Uemura eye lash curler, an Olaz (Olay in the States) moisturizer targeted for combination to oily skin and a concealer with a yellow undertone. I was good to go folks!
It wasn't until the age of 22 I actually started to act like a true girly girl.
I wore dresses and skirts (voluntarily!) and wore a teeny tiny bit of makeup (as in moisturized, curled my lashes, concealed and put on some lip balm). 

But now the interesting part you've been waiting for:
I discovered makeup when I was 24 (knowing that I'm 26 for the moment, that hasn't been long at all!)
It all started when I got unemployed for quite a while. Spending all those hours on your computer was very tiring and you know how it goes: whenever you need to spend your time doing something useful, you start finding all sorts of distraction. My distraction was Youtube.
I accidentally bumped into makeup video's and saw these girls talking about how they put their makeup on, how they did their hair, what new makeup items they bought, ... I got sucked into it LIKE A FOOL, hahaha!

That's when I started to collect makeup items as well. I'm lucky enough to get to travel to Hong Kong every few years and buying makeup there was so exciting, because they're Asian items that Europe and the States don't have. I'd have the best of ... three worlds, right?
It was confusing seeing the brands' name change depending on which continent you are. I started recognizing product which were performing the same, but had a different name.
As I watch a lot of American beauty gurus on Youtube, I know what the name is in the States. Living in Belgium makes it easy for me to find out what the European name is and being able to travel to HK, allows me to compare those with the ones I've heard about from the other side of the world. That's why I started this blog, to introduce the people to all makeup items from 3 continents!

By now my makeup routine has changed tremendously, but I'm sure this beauty blog proves it all. I truly hope this blog post doesn't push you to put makeup on, because it has just become something that happens to interests me. I'm glad to share my knowledge with my friends, but I do have to admit that I still don't wear a ton of makeup as some of my friends do... Let's just say that I'm still digging the natural look, and let's keep it that way for the upcoming years, shall we? :)

Review Yes To Cucumbers wipes

Hello my beloved readers!

Time to review some wipes I've been using for quite some time now... They're the Yes To Cucumbers soothing natural glow facial towelettes!

I think most of you beauty fans have heard of the Yes To line before. If you haven't, let me introduce you to a natural skin&hair care line :)

There are 5 different collections on the market and every line is named after a vegetable, which is towards a certain skin type:

• normal to dry skin: Yes To Carrots line
• sensitive skin: Yes To Cucumbers line
• oily or acne prone skin: Yes To Tomatoes line
• fine lines and wrinkles: Yes To Blueberries line
• uneven skin: Yes To Grapefruit line

Belgian drugstores have carried the Yes To Carrots, Cucumbers and Tomatoes line for a while, and since I've heard so many good things on the Cucumbers' towelettes I decided to give these wipes a try.

Yes To Cucumbers towelettes

I've been trying them for over half a year and I have to admit I really liked them in the beginning. Now it leaved a tingling feeling on my face which I prefer not to have.
It does sooth my skin and it does takes off my make up or cleanses my skin, but I don't think I'll be repurchasing them anymore.

I would like to try out the towelettes from the Yes To Tomatoes line since that skin care line is towards oily skin, and since you can fry some french fries on my forehead I think the Tomatoes will do my skin good :)

Have you given any products of the Yes To line a shot before? If so, which one?