Let's Get Cheeky - From Nubiana, With Love

I may or may not have mentioned this embarrassing tidbit before, but when I first started building a solid makeup collection, I would mindlessly buy lipsticks from everywhere in every shade, even if it didn’t match my complexion in any way, shape, or form. But…how does one build a basic makeup collection with just lipsticks?? Spoiler alert: You can’t, and now I’m trying to make up for it by experimenting more with cheek products.
Two new products on the market are the Red Water Lily blush from MAC’s Guo Pei collaboration and the Afterglow Palette, which is an ULTA Exclusive from BECCA Cosmetics. Red Water Lily caught my eye because of its subtle shimmer in the light, as well as Guo Pei’s beautiful packaging.

The first swatch picture is without flash, and the second is with flash. Upon first glance, it looks like a generic light coral pink blush, but you can see the shimmer better in the second picture. To be very honest, it is quite expensive for its size and the formula isn’t as good as some other brands I’ve tried. I actually saved up to be able to buy a good amount of the collection from the time it was announced, but I couldn’t justify giving into a huge mark-up just because of the packaging, so I stuck with one thing I would actually use – blush. It is definitely a collector’s item, so if you’re the type of person prone to giving into special packaging, go for it! You can still get it on the MAC website here.
The second cheek product I decided to invest in was the BECCA Cosmetics Afterglow Palette from ULTA.

This palette comes with two Mineral Blush shades and three Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed shades. It is the perfect palette for someone who is just starting to get into highlighting – you get to sample three great highlight powders as well as two great quality blushes. Wild Honey basically blends into my arm in the swatch, but it’s a lovely neutral blush for work. I also like how smooth the blushes apply and blend. The best part about the palette is that the entire thing costs almost the same as one full sized Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed. If you’re like me and don’t ever hit pan on products, this is a huge time and money saver! I’ll definitely be traveling with this now instead of having to pack separate blushes and highlighters. You can currently find it online at ULTA, or in stores tomorrow, but I was able to find it at my local ULTA last week.