Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Product Review: Illamasqua Blusher Duos in Katie/Ambition & Beg/Bronzerella (with swatches).

Hello lovelies!

Happy Hump Day! How quickly time is passing, we will be in December before we know it!

I've been feeling a bit under the weather lately, so I'm going to have to skip this week's makeup tag at Aqeela's and bring you a review instead. I go through phases where I'm obsessed with certain types of beauty products (think lipsticks/eyeshadow palettes, etc) and for the past few months, I've been obsessed with blushers! Here are the two gorgeous blusher duos which kick-started my blusher obsession.

Called Katie & Ambition and Beg & Bronzerella, these blusher duos are part of the Illamasqua I'mPerfection campaign. I already brought you a review of some of the Speckle polishes from the same collection, so this post is terribly tardy!

The blushers are all matte formulas, a texture which I've truly fallen for lately as they are just so flattering on the skin. Being of a darker skintone, I have to be careful with shimmery blushers as they can make me look like I've got a sunburn (not quite the look I usually try for). Matte blushers are also fantastic if you have wrinkles, as they don't tend to fall into the wrinkles and highlight them. These blushers are extremely pigmented, but blend beautifully, and you can layer them for more impact or blend them out for a subtle wash of colour.

First up, we have Katie (candy pink) & Ambition (neutral - but I'd describe it as more of a dusky rose). Both are extremely versatile shades, I do believe Katie might be a bit too pale for darker skintones, but I like using it as an eyeshadow. Ambition is very flattering on my cheekbones, and is one of my favourite blusher shades. I do think Ambition would work well on most skintones.

Illamasqua Blusher Duo in Katie (top) & Ambition (bottom).

Read more (and admire the pretty pictures) after the jump!

Illamasqua Blusher Duo in Katie (top) & Ambition (bottom).

I've included two swatch photos below, the first is heavily swatched while the second is blended out to a wash of colour.

L-R: Illamasqua Blusher Duo  in Ambition & Katie (heavily swatched).
L-R: Illamasqua Blusher Duo in Ambition & Katie (blended out).

Next up, we have Beg (dusky rose, but I'd describe this as a terracotta pink) & Bonzerella (coppery bronze)! I do confess to liking this compact a bit more than I do the Katie & Ambition duo, simply because both these shades suit my skintone very well. I think that Beg & Bronzerella are more flattering on darker skintones, but they can easily be blended out to suit fairer skintones too. Bronzerella is also lovely when used as a bronzer for contouring.

Illamasqua Blusher Duo in Beg (top) & Bronzerella (bottom).
Illamasqua Blusher Duo in Beg (top) & Bronzerella (bottom).

I've included two swatch photos below, the first is heavily swatched while the second is blended out to a wash of colour.

L-R: Illamasqua Blusher Duo in Bronzerella & Beg (heavily swatched).
L-R: Illamasqua Blusher Duo in Bronzerella & Beg (blended out).

There is also a third blusher duo meant for fairer skintones, called Lover/Hussy, but I don't own that one. You can check it out here.

The packaging is fantastic; it's sturdy, compact, and very easy to clean. The black case is also very stylish. It can be a little difficult to open so do be careful not to break a nail. Each compact houses 2 x 2 g blushers, which in my opinion is plenty, given that I've never hit pan on a blusher before! You can also mix both shades to create a third shade, which makes it the ideal travel companion!

Using these two blushers duos made me completely lose my heart to Illamasqua's matte blushers, so I've since picked up three single blushers! I'll be sure to review them soon, I love every one of them!

These blusher duos retail at $39 and are available from all Illamasqua counters in Myer, or from the Myer online store. Alternatively, you can also purchase them directly from the Illamasqua UK website where they retail at £26.

What do you think of these blusher duos? Which one takes your fancy? What kind of beauty products are you currently obsessing over?

Much love,
MM.
x


Note: These products were kindly provided for my consideration. This has not affected my opinion in any way. For more information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

24 comments:

  1. I love the look of Ambition and Kate Duo blush, I think it would suit my skin tone. I haven't had the chance to try any Illamasqua products yet, but I might have to reconsider :)
    Claire x

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  2. Katie is beautiful. They make great blushers x

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  3. Very nice!! Katie is my fave :)
    I'm like Claire and have never tried a Illamasqua blush. But Ive been falling for blushers lately too so I'm keen to give that duo a try.

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    Replies
    1. I think it's the general favourite! You should, they are almost on par with 'drugstore' brands thanks to the price fall. :)

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  4. I have the first one, and I love it! The second one looks gorgeous though! Great reviews, lovely xx

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    1. Aren't they? It'd be so easy to go crazy and buy all their blushers. :P

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  5. I looooove Ambition & Katie! I must buy it! I love blushes - I was looking at my blush collection and thinking that I don't have enough and then you post about some pretty blushes! I take it as a sign! Especially because you happen to be my enabler :D

    Jokes aside, hope you're ok! I'm busy this weekend coming, but let's catch up soon! xx

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    Replies
    1. I went through that a few weeks ago and have tripled my blusher collection since. :P

      See you Friday, we'll hit up Illamasqua! ;)

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  6. GORGEOUS - the blushers and you, special girl - just love combination "things" especially blushers as I almost never get a single blusher to do what I want, needing to combine colours to get a good, natural but nice effect. Can't believe how inexpensive they are either. Great work. Hope you're looking after yourself.
    With love,
    Trish.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Trish, and I agree with you, 'combination' things always get my vote too!

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  7. Great reviews! I really like the 1st duo

    I also like the look of the lover/hussy one too! I need a new peach toned blush...finally threw out my favourite that I've been using way longer than I should have! (it's been discontinued and replaced by a baked blush, but it's not the same )

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    Replies
    1. Everyone loves the first! Hehe. You should check it out. I hate when that happens, it's so frustrating. :(

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  8. Love love these blushes! I been wanting to get Beg & Bronzerella. The great thing about these blushes are the price, two for the price of one!

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    1. You should take a look! I think they would look great on your warm skintone.

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  9. Wow that Katie and Ambition would be lovely on pale skin - and they look like they could be great blended together too! Not too bad a price - fairly reasonable compared to their UK price too (unlike some other brands that double the price when using aussie dollars!)

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    Replies
    1. They are, I sometimes blend them both for a bit of fun. :)

      Very reasonable, the prices are very similar thanks to the price drop a few months ago!

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  10. I actually really like the Bronzerella and Beg duo ...probably because I'm more of a warm skin tone and am naturally gravitating towards those shades anyway.

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  11. Illamasqua blushers are ridiculously pigmented and like you I do love a matte finish for a more natural look. I could be so easily tempted by these but I don't exactly need more blush at the moment!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, I love pigmented products haha! I don't do sheer. ;)

      I think matte is just so flattering on all skintypes!

      When is it ever about 'need'?!

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