Don’t let bright pinks scare you! First, they can always be worn as soft and as sheer as you’d like; it’s all about application and the tools you use–opt for a stippling brush and a lighthand, and you’ll get subtler results. Second, you can let your cheeks become the focal point of the look by going lighter on eyes and lips!
Tarte Amused Amazonian 12-Hour Clay Blush ($25.00 for 0.20 oz.) is described as a “bright pink.” It’s bright, all right! It looks practically glowing in the pan, but if you’re like me and fear more pigmented blushes, it can be blended out to look like a soft pop of pink. It’s very easily a brightened, medium-dark pink with cool blue undertones set in a satiny finish. There’s just a hint of sheen but nothing shimmery or frosty. MAC Overdyed has a similar intensity, but it’s less pink, more purple. MAC Amazon Princess is also less pink, more purple–but not quite as purple as Overdyed. MAC Her Blooming Cheek is just slightly less pink but similar. Make Up For Ever #3 is a bit darker.
I really like the texture, finish, and feel of the formula, but the wear definitely doesn’t get to 12 hours for me. Amused managed to look mostly fresh for eight hours but did look noticeably faded after ten hours. The lighter shades in the range don’t do quite as well, but these really intense shades seem to linger for longer. The powder is very finely-milled and soft, but it’s also so soft that powder easily gets disturbed, and it’s easy to get too much on the brush. Since this shade is so intensely pigmented, I recommend a stippling brush and/or gently tapping the excess off for light to medium color coverage.
It doesn't quite meet the twelve-hour claim, so wear is where this product falls short for the most part. It is almost too soft, though it's both good and bad, as it adds to the blendability but creates excess loose powder on the pan itself as well as allows too much product onto the brush at once. The pigmentation is plentiful, and the texture is silky soft, though it almost gets powdery.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
8/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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It’s so hard for me to pick favorites, but these are ten products that really caught my eye this year for adding color and/or glow to cheeks. Since these are products for 2011, I did exclude any spring 2012 products that may have been reviewed this year, as they’re technically for next – so these feature products new for 2011 and permanent products I discovered this year!
Tarte Blissful Amazonian Clay Blus ($25.00 for 0.20 oz.) is described as a “warm peach,” but it’s more like an intense coral-pink on me! It’s more pink than coral, but it’s not truly pink. The brightness and strength of the pink will make it a wearable coral even on cooler complexions. The hue reminded me of Smashbox Blushing/Peony, which is a touch pinker and is a cream. It’s also similar to theBalm Frat Boy. Make Up For Ever #6 is a bit lighter, less pink.
Tarte says that these have a twelve-hour wear time, which I haven’t yet experienced, but some of the darker shades tend to do better than the lighter ones. For instance, Blissful wore for eight hours well, and though it was faded, I could still detect some on after ten hours. I like that the blush is really silky soft in texture, which makes it easy to blend, but it is also soft enough that a brush easily dislodges the powder so you can easily get too much product on your brush with some of the more intense shades like Blissful. I’d recommend a stippling brush or tapping off the excess if you prefer a light look.
Better wear than the previous two shades I've reviewed, but it doesn't quite meet the twelve-hour claim, so wear is still where this product falls short! The pigmentation is plentiful, and the texture is silky soft, though it almost gets powdery.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
8/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Tarte Cosmetics is having their Friends & Family sale where you can get 30% off your purchase + free shipping on $40+ orders with code FFDEC, expires 12/12.
Tarte Blushing Bride Amazonian Clay Blush ($25.00 for 0.20 oz.) is described as a “plummy rose.” It’s a muted raspberry–it’s a bit pink as well as plum–with very faint shimmer. The shimmer looks more obvious in the pan, but it doesn’t translate much onto the skin–there’s a definite sheen once applied, but it’s not a heavy shimmer, so pores are not emphasized. It packs a punch if you aren’t careful! Blushing Bride is richly pigmented but can be applied softly and the soft texture allows for easy blending out if necessary. The hue reminded me of Bobbi Brown Plum, which is a touch pinker.
I had the same wear results with this shade as with Exposed, which was eight hours of good wear, but by the tenth hour, it had disappeared. I was hoping for a bit longer wear, because of the intensity of this color, but no dice! The texture was not as finely milled here, but it was still quite soft without being powdery. I recommend using a stippling blush to apply this color, because it is very intense, and if you use a regular blush brush, you might find the results are too much and require a fair amount of blending out. I also found a stippling brush disturbed the powder less, which meant less excess powder being kicked up.
It's a good blush, but it just doesn't wear the full 12 hours that Tarte claims, which is really where this product lost the most points from. It wears well (eight to ten hours on me), looks natural when applied, and has good pigmentation.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
9.5/10
Longevity
7/10
Application
4.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
