Brown and Blushin' Series: Mineral Concepts Blush

Brown & Blushin' time! And for this post, I just had to highlight not only a brand of make-up that I'm using but a different kind of blush.

ta daaaa....mineral blush!

First of all, mad love to Carol Jenne over at Mineral Concepts who is supportin' a girl's venture into not only mineral make-up but blushes too. After hearing wonderful things about this company, I just had to give it a whirl.

So check out Rosy Raisin.



The velvety smooth texture is to die for. And then when you come back to life, you will be in awe of the amazing color payoff which....uh, lasts all day on my primer-less and foundation-less skin in humid Central Florida.

Here's a swatch..


And check it out on the cheek.


And I didn't stop there with just the blush. I also dapped some of the color on my eyes...

I added some Black matte eyeshadow (MAC's Carbon) to smoke it out a bit.


And theeeen I put on some clear lip gloss and put some color on the lippies too!

Ehhh, a little too dark for my liking but I think it's amazing that I did a full face of make-up with only 4 products:

-Mineral Concepts Rosy Raisin blush
-MAC Carbon e/s
-NYC clear gloss
-Maybelline Black eyeliner




I'm happy about it and can't wait to showcase some more mineral blushes for yall. Anyone else dapple in mineral blushes? Shoot me some of your favorites and recs!

For this posts' Brown & Blushin' beauty we have my girl Ari over at Fashion Devotee rockin' MAC's Full Fuchsia blush.


Hot pink blush is beautiful on for an after dark glam look. My sister is rockin' it! Keep sendin' me your submissions to Brittany@ClumpsOfMascara.com. Stay beautiful!

Brown and Blushin' Series: Berry/Plum Swatches

Yaaaaay, time for another edition of Brown & Blushin'.

*keys theme music*


A lot of you gals were interested in berry/plum blushes. I'm not even going to sit here and front like I own such. I'm a total newb when it comes to those colors. So what did I have to do? Hit up my sis, Jessica from paix all around. She has provided us with some gorgeous blush shots and even swatched them. I know she can't wait to show us the FOTDs either, uh? Hehehe....love you Jess.

The colors are as follows (they are all from MAC):
(l-r) Ambering Rose, Breezy, Lovecrush (discontinued), Fever, Frame (discontinued), Flirt & Tease

Feenin' yet?

Wait...


Yall remember that song?





Oh my fault....had a New Jack swing moment. Let the show continue.




Beautiful, uh? I am definitely diggin' that Lovecrush. And of course. It would be discontinued. No worries....I'm on my mission to find a beautiful berry blush for my brown skin. Say THAT 10x fast. So uhhh....I'm pretty much in love with berry blushes for now. What you gals say? Any recs?



And for this post's Brown & Blushin' Beauty...we have the lovely Danyelle rockin' the MAC's Breezy Blush. My girl is all shy about having me post her pictures and I don't know why because she is gorgeous!!



CHEEKS:
Breezy- sheertone shimmer blush MAC; brush from CVS by Essence of Beauty
MSF Light Flush MAC


Killer brows, uh? And her skin IS that pretty in person. Chiiiile, I'm gon get there one day.
Don't forget.....you can send your blush photos and submissions to me at Brittany@ClumpsOfMascara.com. And thanks to all of you beauty bloggers for their contributions to this series. It has definitely been a collaborative effort and you gals have been so wonderful at supporting me. *tear* Love yall!


Stay beautiful loves!






[image courtesy: amazon.com

Brown and Blushin' Series: Types of Blushes

[NOTE] I'm workin' on some HTML/CSS so the page may be lookin' funky for a day or two. Excuse the messs.

Welcome to another post of the Brown & Blushin’ series. I am excited to see many of you involved in sending me your pictures, requests and proclaiming your love for all things blush! Remember, you can send me pictures of you wearing your favorite blush at Brittany@ClumpsOfMascara.com. If your blog has posts about blush for women of color and you’d like me to link you, I am more than willing to do so. Hit me up!

This post is about the different types of blushes out on the market. I know you didn’t think that powder was the only kind. Come on, girlfriend…get with the program. But since you are so in hip with the powder blush, I guess we’ll start there.

The most traditional form of blush, powder, is great for for all skin types, but especially oily/combination skin.

Plus, it’s the most dense of all blushes which means it will give you long lasting color. I absolutely adore powder blushes (well shoot, it’s the only kind of blush I’ve ever used) because I find that if you apply too much, you can always “take a step back”. How? By dusting a bit of translucent face powder or bronzer on your cheeks. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

My favorite powder blush? NARS Cosmetics make the BEST blushes ever. But for a beauty on a budget, I recommend Milani.

Gel Blushes

Ohh la laaa....I am swooning over Tarte's Cheekstains. How beautiful are they? They have won awards as "the best blush" from Cosmo, InStyle and Self magazines. I hear that the color payoff is intense and long lasting and get this....many of them are water resistant. Now that's hot for Floridian beauties who like to jump in a pool at a moment's notice. And since the cheekstains are oil-free, you don't have to worry about getting that oily face look. That also means that they won't be clogging your pores. Definitely adding this to my long list of "beauty products to cop".

Cream Blushes

One of the products that I was always afraid to try when I first got into MAC Cosmetics was their cream blushes. Now that I have this slight obsession with blushes, in general, I think that I may give them a try sooner rather than later. Cream blushes usually offer more color than powder blushes but since the color pay off is so rich, it takes a bit more effort to blend in. The great thing about cream blushes is that they are ideal for those of us with drier skin. They are a bit more emollient and therefore provide more moisture than powder blushes. This would be perfect for the winter months. I don't wear foundation but if I did, I would imagine that a cream blush would be absolutely divine for a nice evening look.

Bronzers

Let's have a moment of silence for the fabulousness that is bronzers. If you've been a reader of Clumps of Mascara for awhile, you know how much I Iove Bobbi Brown's Shimmerbricks. When I tell you this product is love at first swipe (to be taken literally), I'm not even playin'. Bronzers look absolutely beautiful on brown skin. It gives us a nice and natural glow. On days when I want to feel pretty without much effort, I swipe bronzer on the cheeks. Instant glow!!

This site will also give you more information about other types of blushes. It is a great resource for newbies. My girl Erin from The MAC Fetish (and ScandalousBeatyOnline.com) has a post here where she shows us that you can wear eye shadows as blush. I've also heard that you can swipe lipsticks on your cheeks for added color too. Who would have thoooought? Yall know I'm going to be trying that out.

And for this post's Brown & Blushin' Beauty, my lovely author, PBW from Forty is the New 20 shows us her beautiful FOTD with her wearing Dior Sunset Fiesta blush.

Lookin' gorgeous, uh? Love it! Send me yours at Brittany@ClumpsOfMascara.com. Stay tuned for more posts from the Brown & Blushin' series. Smooches!

[Photo Courtesy: tartecosmetics.com, narscosmetics.com, maccosmetics.com]

Brown and Blushin' Series: Brushes

Welcome to the first official post from the Brown & Blushin’ series. The series will highlight questions and pictures for the “new” blush applier. I also hope to dispel the myth that warmer tones can not wear blush. Oh yes, honey…when applied right, we can wear anything from bronzers to hot pink and bright orange blushes.

“Bright orange?”

Hmm mmmm….stay tuned to see exactly what I mean.

Today’s post will be about brushes; one of the most important elements of brush application. I, personally don’t think there is a typical “blush brush”. Different brushes, however, give you different outcomes. The brushes that I will be highlighting today come from the same family but have very little relation to each other.

Say hello to MAC’s 129, 184 and 182

I didn't mind savin' up for these brushes. They are worth it beyond belief.

--MAC 129 ($34)--

Why I love this brush: It is amazingly soft and is perfect for applying blush on the cheeks. I use this when I want color concentration on the apples of the cheeks.

--MAC 187 ($42)--

Why I love this brush: This was my first MAC face brush and holds a special place in my heart. The 187 is perfect for stipling my tinted moisturizer but I found it has other majestic uses when applying blush. It is perfect for lightly applying bronzers and taking color all the way up to the hairline....without being "too" much.

--MAC 182 ($45)--

Why I love this brush: My baby buki....I love this precious little brush. It picks up a lot of color and great for contouring. Contouring? Yep....the kabuki brush turns into a contouring brush with just a squeeze.

What are your favorite brushes for blush application?


Ohhh, and check this:

I thought it would be fun to feature some of my beautiful readers wearing their favorite blushes. Don’t be shyyyy. If I can post my clumpy mascara, you can show me your blushin’ cheeks. Send your pictures to me at Brittany@ClumpsOfMascara.com. Be sure to send a clear picture and list the products you used.

Brown and Blushin' Series

Blushes!

I can’t tell yall how much I love blushes. I wish someone would have told me a long ago that a sista of a darker hue can rock them beautifully. Before then I was sellin’ myself short but now I am truly a believer. And I absolutely adore my little blush collection. It is perfect for a newbie because none of the colors look alike. I decided to start a series in which I will feature a blush that I think compliments my darker skinned sistas. Thanks for the emails that inspired me to come up with this series.

Stay tuned for the series’ updates.

What do you think? Can darker skinned women rock blushes beautifully? Any type of colors that you would like for me to review? Email me at Brittany@ClumpsOfMascara.com.