Obsession with Color

Ever since I started working, I have had a love affair with blushes. It just brightens my day knowing that even if I look like shit, I can still somehow look decent by adding a pop of color to my cheeks.

And it's just great to have so many choices! Pick from: peach, pink, peachy-pink, cotton candy-pink, berry pink, plum, coral, red, reddish rose, old rose, orange, tangerine orange, brownish rose, bronze, terracota brown, beige pink, bronzed peach, nude pink - I can go on and on! There are also undertones to choose from - yellow undertones, warm, cool, blue undertones, pink with peach undertones, etc etc etc. There are also various finishes - sheertone, matte, satin. You can also choose if you want it to have shimmer or not.

I have 8 blushes as of now. Maybe non-makeup junkies would say this is too many already, since I can't even finish one pot in one year. Many, do you say? What about this list of a fellow GirlTalker, and I quote:

My list of blushes:
NARS Deep Throat - light pink and peach with shimmer
NARS Silvana - terracota brown with shimmer
NARS Lovejoy - bronzed brown with shimmer
NARS Madly - beige pink with shimmer
NARS Cactus Flower - coral red with shimmer, cream
NARS Malibu - pinkish brown
NARS Portofino - light coral with shimmer
Bobbi Brown Tawny - brownish rose
MAC Sunbasque - bronzed peach with shimmer, matte
Laura Mercier Azalea - deep pink
Benefit Benetint - rose red
Benefit Dandelion - very light muted pink
Bloom Sheer Colour Cream in Rosie - rose pink with shimmer

Mga wala na sa akin, pinaampon:
NARS Orgasm - peach pink with shimmer
NARS Gina - tangerine orange, matte
NARS Gilda - coral, matte
NARS Torrid - coral with shimmer
NARS Outlaw - reddish rose with shimmer
NARS Sin - light plum with shimmer
NARS Mata Hari - azalea pink, matte
NARS Desire - deep cotton candy pink, matte
NARS Angelika - light cotton candy pink with shimmer
NARS Amour - peach pink, matte
NARS Penny Lane - pink plum, cream
NARS South Beach - bronzey peach with shimmer
NARS Maui - rosey pink
Bobbi Brown Rose Clay - rose with a hint of pink
Bobbi Brown Apricot - true apricot
Bobbi Brown Spice - reddish brown
Bobbi Brown Powder Pink - azalea pink
Bobbi Brown Pink Truffle - pinky brown
Bobbi Brown Desert Rose - muted pink brown
MAC Angel - muted pink, matte
MAC Peaches - bright peach, matte
MAC Peachykeen - pink peach with shimmer
MAC Pinkerpeach/Trustfund - coral pink and whitish bronze
MAC Primpin/Golden Kitty - bright pink and bronzey gold
Laura Mercier Crushed Hazelnut - bronzed brown
Laura Mercier Blushing Apple - reddish rose
CARGO Polynesia - rose pink with shimmer
CARGO Catalina - light pink, matte
CARGO Louisiana - old rose with shimmer
CARGO Gotham - azalea pink with shimmer
Stila Convertible Color in Lillium - rosey brown
Stila Convertible Color in Gerbera - coral
Cheeky Pop Sunrise - bright coral pink and shimmery golden yellow
Cheeky Pop Sunset - cotton candy pink and muted shimmery yellow
Benefit Georgia - very light peach
Tarte powder blush in Charm - same shade as NARS Angelika
Tarte cheekstain in Flush - berry pink
Tarte cheekstain in Dollface - light cotton candy pink
Bloom Sheer Colour Cream in Shy - light rose pink, matte
L'Oreal Blush Delice in Sugar Praline - brown pink with shimmer
EB Baby Pink - cotton candy pink
EB Soft Amethyst - brownish pink peach
EB SoftSpice - bronzey peach
EB Midnight Wine - berry, matte

Say what?! I wouldn't even dare count how many she listed. I, for one, am only limited to brands available here in Manila (i.e. NARS, MAC, Laura Mercier, etc). If not for them, I might not even know that there are brands such as Cargo, Tarte, Stila, Cheeky Pop, etc. For the record, I've also tried local brands such as Ever Bilena and it's also quite good, but if you're a very picky blush girl and you pay attention to details, you'll really see the difference in terms of the quality of the powder. It also didn't help any that I got tiny zits when I used it.

This is a rather expensive "hobby." MAC blushes cost around P1,200. NARS cost around P1,350 before their price increase. Laura Mercier are relatively cheaper at P800+. However, these are really good investments (yeah, hear me talk about investments!), because 1) good blushes last long - you don't have to re-apply during the day, 2) the powder is finely-milled, 3) less probability of breakouts compared to local brands, etc. Trust me on this one. Of course, you would need a good blush brush to go with your blush, if you want even application.... Just so you know - a MAC blush brush will set you back by around P1,600-P1,800. It's funny, right, how the actual blush costs less than the brush (there's a reason for this, but we're gonna veer away from the topic). So if you're a newbie, you'll probably shell out P1,00+ for the blush itself and another P1,000+ for the brush. However, there are cheaper alternatives to MAC like the Bloom Blush Brush (available in Beauty Bar) only costs around P900. But more on brushes on another post, methinks.

This is not to say that I would like my collection of blushes to rival theirs. I don't plan to, thank you very much. But I can't help but salivate when I look at their lists. So many choices, you wouldn't even believe!

To end this post and to probably quell your curiousity, here's my personal list of blushes:
1) MAC Fleur Power
2) NARS Orgasm
3) NARS Sin
4) Laura Mercier Crushed Hazelnut
5) Bobbi Brown Blushed Rose
6) Bobbi Brown Pale Pink
7) Clinique Mocha Pink
8) Philosophy Lip and Cheek Tint

I also have Ever Bilena Pink, but I hardly use it anymore 'coz of reasons already stated above..

I tend to alternate these everday, depending on my mood and if I wake up early enough to get a new blush from my stash.

Oooh, before I forget, I'm definitely getting 2 new blushes before the week ends:
1) Laura Mercier Azalea
2) MAC Sunbasque

I'm also lemming for NARS South Beach. Darn.