bareMinerals Blush in Pure Charm, $18

Another part of my Bare Escentuals kit is bareMinerals Blush in Pure Charm, a dramatic orangey-peachy-pink tone. The color is slightly more daring than I'm used to for blush. In some pics it looks neon! But when you see it it's actually much more of a rosy shade with hints of peach and gold.

The texture of the blush is really nice--soft, blendable, and buildable. I'm not really a fan of loose powder blush though, especially in such a small container, because it makes it hard for me to get it evenly distributed on my brush. I ended up using the cap as a little dish to catch the excess and moved the brush around in that. It seemed to work pretty well, but if I'm running around in the morning I'd be afraid of making a mess.

Applied sparingly (less than in this pic), it looks really nice on my skin tone. I think it would work with darker complexions as well. It's a perfect summer shade because it adds a bright pop of color that can blend well with a tan (or bronzer). And actually, I think it would look beautiful as an eyeshadow!

What I love about this color is the tiny gold sparkles. It gives the blush depth without compromising its strong pigment. I photographed it next to my staple, Nars Orgasm, which is more heavily infused with gold. As you can see, it's around the same shade, but more intensely pigmented.

Final verdict
Cost: $18 brand new, but they don't sell the color at Sephora anymore. Try looking for it on eBay and Amazon for as little as $8.
Texture: Just like the eyeshadow, I found it to be soft, blendable, and buildable. Feels like nothing's there at all!
Color: This color is a bit daring but it's easy to make it work. Just keep blending! The gold sparkles keep it from looking too shocking.
Repeat offender: I like this blush and would definitely understand why someone would want to buy it again--it's great quality and is a unique color. But I honestly can't really get over the inconvenience of the loose powder (it's slight, I know). I'll use it for sure, but I think I'll stick to pressed powder blushes. Maybe I'll just use this one as an eyeshadow instead!

-T

Lorac TANtalizer Baked Bronzer, $32

Lorac's TANtalizer Baked Bronzer is probably one of the first deluxe-sized samples I ever got from Sephora (this little container has been through a lot). I had never tried bronzer before. I mean, at that point I was just figuring out what blush was! As a pale girl who is nervous about melanoma (not to mention that I tan all weird and uneven), I've pretty much given up the idea that I'll ever be effortlessly golden. But, I love wearing this bronzer in the summer to give the illusion that I've had a little shimmering sun kiss my skin.

The color is a mix of warm browns and light, soft golds, and is super shimmery (just make sure you don't accidentally get the matte one). It is highly pigmented, blendable, and buildable, which makes it really easy to get anything from a tiny hint of shimmer to a deeper golden tone.

To me, the effect is a lot like Orgasm's shimmer, but without the peachy-pink tone.

(top/left: Lorac's TANtalizer Baked Bronzer; bottom/right: Nar's Orgasm blush)
In fact, my favorite summer look is to blend the bronzer on top of the blush, creating a peachy-pink-golden-shimmer duo of awesomeness (which I attempted to re-create between the two, above). Then I just dust the bronzer everywhere else--shoulders, collarbone, chest, etc. I love it! It would even make a really pretty eyeshadow if you're a fan of shimmery neutrals.

Final verdict
Cost: $32 is pricey but I think it's worth it. The sample size shown above is much smaller than the regular size. Plus, it comes with a mirror and little brush (shown in the second photo here).
Color: Beautiful and warm, even on pale skin. I think it would work well on many skin tones.
Buildable: It's really easy to put on a little bit or a ton. It's soft and blends really easily.
Repeat offender: Once this is up, I'll definitely buy it again. It lasts a long time and is just a really good product. It does exactly what it's supposed to do, even if it does cost a little extra.

-T