You will notice a theme as you look at the products I selected. Warm tones, burgundy, brown and taupe. I really enjoy khaki tones and browns that lean warm/orange. They are effortlessly appropriate for the season. I believe the Dior and Paul & Joe palettes were limited edition but the rest of the shades are readily available. You can never go wrong with Burberry shadows and these two colors paired together or used alone are stunning.

One of my all time favorite gel liners is Rich Ground from MAC. It’s a perfect coppery-bronze shade that has a slight red undertone to it. Chanel’s New Moon is not for the faint of heart. It’s extremely glittery and shimmery. It’s a night time shade for me but the effect is gorgeous. Armani’s eyes to kill shadow in #28 is a blend between rose gold and copper. It’s wearable for daytime looks for me.

Swatches L-R: Chanel New Moon, Giorgio Armani #28, MAC Rich Ground

You can see that the Giorgio Armani shade has more pigment and a sheen where New Moon is quite glittery and more sheer. Rich Ground has amazing payoff and a shine to it that just makes my eyes pop.

Finding an eyeshadow palette to use throughout the fall can be difficult, especially if you have something very specific in mind. I would recommend putting together some of your shades from MAC or Inglot (or any brand with single shadows) and making something that’s all your own. That’s one of the reasons I love Z palettes. I love having the ability to switch and swap colors as my mood or season dictates. I picked a few colors from my MAC palettes that I reach for this time of year.

I hope you enjoyed my selections and got some new ideas for shades to try. I have two more Autumn picks posts left- lips and nails, so watch out for those in the next few days. Let me know some of your favorite eyeshadows for fall; I’m always on the hunt for a gem!

Is there anything quite as feminine or dainty as that perfect pop of pink swept lightly across your cheekbones? I recently had a request to swatch all of my pink blushes (thanks Katherine!) and I was happy to oblige. I didn’t know when I first sat down to take photographs for this post just how many (or few) pink blushes I would have. If you have followed my blog for any length of time you know that I tend to prefer my peach and coral blushes and often gravitate towards those types of shades in new releases.

However, I quickly realized that I do in fact own a number of pink blushes in a wide variety of tones and finishes. Please note that this is only for powder blushes. I intend to do a cream blush post separately only because swatching the two different textures together isn’t exactly ideal.

I have tried my best to group them together in a way that makes tonal sense. Enjoy!

These are the lighter pinks and the more neutral pinks that can almost border on nude. Some are matte and some are quite shimmery. The lighting here looks slightly different as a storm ended up moving through as I was finishing and this was the last photo I needed to take. Don’t you hate it when that happens? Love thunderstorms though.

Pink Cult has quite a grey cast to it, which also makes it quite unique. It was limited edition- I depotted mine but I think it came out with the Jeanius collection in 2010? It’s a favorite for me in the winter. Pink Tea and Rose Ecrin are wonderful blushes that work well under pretty much any circumstance as they border on being nude. Autumn Catwalk was a gift from the lovely Tiffany of Will Work for Makeup well over a year ago, maybe even two- and it really does add that “hike on a windy fall day” color to the cheeks. I feel like drinking hot cider just looking at it. The 17 blush came from a friend overseas who used to have such an incredible blog (I miss you H!) and is amazing considering the price- I think it retails for 2 or 3 pounds. Rockateur is new and I just featured it in my last post- amazing!!! Dolce Pink and Tease are both quite shimmery- Dolce Pink being lighter and less pigmented and more noticeably sparkly on the face. Tease is that gelee formula I love and makes for a very glowing complexion.

Can you even see Well Dressed? It barely shows up on my current skin tone. I feel like when I am more pale it does, but it’s not earth shattering. It’s one of the first MAC blushes I purchased due to all the hype it got on Youtube and blogs at the time and frankly I’ve never really understood why. The Stila Custom Color, Tarte Fantastic and Illamasqua Nymph are all fairly similar- with Nymph having the best texture. Fantastic was limited edition and is a mini size that came from a set. Love at First Blush was limited edition as well but the pigmentation isn’t that great. Azalea Blossom is a true treasure and I am glad MAC has repromoted it a few times. Two Virtues and Adored are nice shimmery options for a slightly purple-hued pink. Catalina is the only Cargo blush I own and it’s rather nice. I enjoy the texture and pigmentation.

I hesitated including Mighty Aphrodite because it does border on being coral, but if you use the pink side a little more in ends up turning out a little more so. Illamasqua Hussy is the brightest of the group and Burberry Rose the darkest. Both are favorites of mine in terms of pigmentation and formula. Tarte Dollface is a super easy, never-fails shade that just seems to look good on everyone. Smashbox Pop of Pink is new to me (the newest is this group) and came in a set that may still be available at ULTA. I am super impressed with it. MAC Dollymix has a reputation all it’s own and seems to work well on a wide variety of skin tones. Too Faced Candy Leopard came in their Leopard Love palette (unfortunately limited edition) and is very soft and glowy. Bella Bamba is a nice watermelon pink with the right amount of shimmer.

I have a hard time deciding between NARS Desire, Smashbox Radiance and Tarte Amused. All three are quite similar and add the most amazing pop of color to the face. I simply love these shades! MAC Flaming Chic is the lightest in pigmentation and Sleek Santorini is the heaviest. Just look at that glaringly bright color! Can you believe that it is from the drugstore? If you’re unfamiliar with the brand it is from overseas and is widely carried in drugstores (they call it “high street”) there. You can order the brand online but I’ve yet to see it carried in store in the U.S. – though I firmly believe they should! MAC Azalea is also quite the neon shade and I have to take extreme care when applying. MAC Her Blooming Cheek is similar but has no shimmer and is slightly lighter (and was limited edition).

That about wraps things up. I’m quite satisfied with my pink blush collection and feel I have most tones and finishes covered. I do still have a few shades on my wishlist (namely Chanel Rose Initial, Dior Rosy Glow and MAC Pink Swoon) but I’m not feeling the need to rush out and purchase them any time soon.

What are your must have pink blushes? Is there a shade I need to know about?

It’s no secret that I love the Burberry Beauty line. I have never been disappointed by any of their products. When I saw that their spring collection contained new blushes and a new eyeshadow I was incredibly excited, to say the least.

I recently stopped by the Burberry counter at my local Nordstrom and was excited to see the spring line up out. I picked up a few things that caught my eye.

Burberry Hydrangea Pink Blush

Burberry Hydrangea Pink Blush

It’s bright, pink, and slightly fuchsia toned. In one word: it’s gorgeous. Like all Burberry blushes I have tried it is utterly smooth and silky, and packs quite a punch in the pigmentation department.

Hydrangea seems to sit somewhere in between Natural Beauty and Azalea. I am so thrilled Burberry is releasing brighter colors in the lip and cheek department. This bright pop of pink is the exact blush I was looking for for spring.

Burberry Gold Pearl Shadow

I was initially a bit hesitant to purchase this shade because I wasn’t sure how exactly it compared to the other Burberry neutrals I have in my arsenal. Turns out it’s quite different but it is also more sheer than other shades from their line.

It also has a fine shimmer shot throughout. You can see the shimmer particles in the photos above and below.

You can see that Gold Pearl is much more yellow in tone and much lighter than most of the other shades. It’s closest relative is Trench, but Trench is more neutral. As I said above, it’s more sheer then many of the other shades I have tried. It might be one best swatched in person if you can.

Burberry Pink Sweet Pea

The one gloss that captivated me from this release was Pink Sweet Pea. It’s a very unique color (look at that shimmer!) and it pairs well with the Hydrangea Blush. It leaves behind a nice stain on the lips long after the gloss has worn off. The formula is comfortable, not tacky or sticky. It wears off evenly, and can be built up or sheered down to your liking. It’s my favorite item from the collection!

When I pulled glosses to compare it to I really couldn’t find anything I had that was close. Strawberry Fields is much darker, and Easy Lover is lighter and much more sheer, but does contain a similar shimmer. But just LOOK at that color. It’s absolutely swoon-worthy, right?! It has a blue-ish shimmer that you can see in the sun and it’s perfection on the lips. My SA couldn’t confirm it, but I have heard that this shade is limited edition.

What spring collection have you admired the most so far? For me, I’d definitely say Burberry is at the very top.

Happy Friday! I’m very grateful for the weekend. It’s been a rough week for me. I had several meeting this week including two that kept me at the office until late in the evening. I’m glad to have some time to rest and unplug. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

Eeek! Fall is just around the corner and I’m finally able to say I’m looking forward to it. I love the summer- the hot days and long nights, the sun, swimming and everything in between. However, the fall is such a special time of year. The brisk air, the falling leaves…everything is just so magical. Including, and this is important, the makeup. That’s why since I first learned of these new shadows being released by Burberry months ago I was already excited for autumn to get here.

The two new shades are #23 Dark Sable and #24 Mulberry and both are gorgeous- though I’ll admit Mulberry steals the show.

Dark Sable

Mulberry

I’ve only just received these, but as you can see from my previous collection post on Burberry eyeshadows, I’m no stranger to their formula and their excellence. They are by far my favorite high end powder eyeshadow. The packaging and etching are the icing on the cake.

I was struck by how close Dark Sable was to Taupe Brown. It’s definitely a bit warmer, more brown but I did not expect them to be this similar. That makes Mulberry stand out even more. There isn’t anything like it in the current Burberry line up. It’s a beautiful slightly burgundy brown with loads of dimension, just like Midnight brown. It’s autumnal perfection in pan form. If I could only choose one of the two new shades, it’d hands down be Mulberry.

They are both available online at Nordstrom right now. The shadows retail for $29/each.