5 Must-Have Shimmery Blushes

This was a tough one, because I wanted to have diversity in color, and preferably, diversity in brand, too.  ’Cause let me tell you, there were 239847234 corals I’d love to have included, too.

1. Le Metier de Beaute Echo — coral-orange with a golden shimmer-sheen; lovely texture and wear
2. NARS Taj Mahal — golden shimmered orange; lots of great warmth, plenty of pigment
3. Benefit Bella Bamba — medium-dark pink with a subtle shimmer-sheen; very wearable, buildable
4. theBalm Cabana Boy — shimmered plum; simple, wearable, beautiful on
5. Tom Ford Wicked — subtly blue-based medium-dark pink with a shimmer-sheen; long-wearing and super soft

What’s your favorite shimmery blush?

5 Spring Blushes

We can’t forget some of the pretty blushes from spring either!

• Chanel Espiegle Joues Contraste
• Guerlain Blush G Serie Noire
• Lancome Glowy Ballerine Butterflies Fever Blush
• Benefit Bella Bamba Powder
• Giorgio Armani Transluminence Face Palette

What was your favorite spring blush this year?

If you were using Benefit Bella Bamba, what look would you create with it?

What shadows would you use? What would you use on cheeks? Anything added to the lips? Create a look using whatever you want, as long as you include today’s look book product!

Copper & Bronze Look

You could also add more color to this combo by adding a burgundy or berry eyeshadow (like MAC Cranberry) into the crease or on the outer third of the lid.  I loved the lip combo the best from this look!

P.S. – Happy 500,000 comments!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC Paparazz-she Eyeshadow (copper), MAC Spectacle of Yourself Eyeshadow (bronze), MAC Tweet Me Eyeshadow (peachy-melon), Burberry Trench Eyeshadow, Urban Decay Lucky 24/7 Shadow Pencil (copper), Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Burberry Pressed Powder (03)
• Cheeks: Benefit Bella Bamba Blush (pink)
• Lips: Guerlain Garance Rouge G Lipstick (pink-nude), Dior Apricot Cloche Ultra Gloss (peach-pink)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 222 (fluffy crease brush), 263 (angled eyeliner brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Paparazz-she = Copper Sparkle pigment; Spectacle of Yourself = Antiqued; Tweet Me = Melon
  

For eyes, start by applying Smudgeproof as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Paparazz-she eyeshadow on the lower lid. Lightly blend Spectacle of Yourself eyeshadow onto the outer corner and crease with the 222. Apply Tweet Me eyeshadow on the inner tear duct and crease with the 239.  Blend Trench eyeshadow with the crease shade and highlight the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Lucky on the lower lash line and pat Tweet Me eyeshadow on lower lower lash line. Finish by sweeping lashes with Inimitable Intense mascara.

For cheeks, apply Bella Bamba blush on the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116.

For lips, apply Garance lipstick first, then layer Apricot Cloche lipgloss for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

Benefit Bella Bamba Boxed Powder ($28.00 for 0.28 oz.) is a brightened medium pink with pale gold shimmer-sheen. It’s fairly pigmented and can easily be used as an intense blusher, but it’s soft and fine enough in texture to be used as a sheer color on cheeks when blended out. I want to say it’s like a mix of Coralista and Sugarbomb but distinctly pink, not really a coral at all.

At first glance, it seems like Bella Bamba might just be another NARS Orgasm variation, but it’s so much pinker than those peachy-pinks. The closest dupe I could think of was Chanel Pink Explosion Joues Contraste, which is slightly cooler and has less gold shimmer. NARS Angelika is closest in color by NARS, but it’s really more a mesh of that blush with Albatross, I’d say.

I’m a little disappointed to see Benefit cutting the product size down by so much–a lot of their boxed powders have as much as 0.42 oz., while ones that are lower hover around 0.35 oz. It’s just as pigmented and incredibly similar in texture to Coralista, which is a full 0.42 oz. It’s still a lot of product for $28 (most blushes are 0.15 oz. or so), but it was something I thought was worth noting. I’m also not a fan of the flip-top packaging, because it doesn’t stay open on its own (probably more frustrating to photograph than to use, I suppose, though). I prefer the removable lid myself.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

• Product: 29/30
• Value: 9/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

FINAL THOUGHTS: I think this is a great boxed powder, and even though they reduced the size, it’s still a ton of blush for the price.  It’s nicely pigmented win a flattering pink that’s not too cool or warm; the golden sheen makes it suitable for warmer skin tones while the slightly cool-toned pink of the shade itself works well on cool skin tones, too.

WHERE TO BUY: Sephora

See more photos & swatches!

Benefit Bella Bamba Powder

Benefit Bella Bamba Powder

Benefit Bella Bamba Powder

Benefit Bella Bamba Powder

Benefit Bella Bamba Powder

Benefit Bella Bamba Powder

Benefit Bella Bamba Powder

Benefit Bella Bamba Powder Swatch