making faces :: spring flings [part 4]

having already looked at nails and eyes and lips that radiate spring, it seems only right to give countenance to the cheeks. after all, nothing in beauty is more emblematic of spring than a radiant, flower-petal complexion plumped with the dew of youth and innocence? for those of us who may have squandered our dew and innocence a while back, the gods of beauty have provided us with a way to fake it nicely. here are a few of my choice tools of deception...

deep throat

nars :: deep throat :: i'll forgive you if the name doesn't exactly conjure up images of sweetness and girlish innocence, but trust me, this is a lifesaver when it comes to wanting to look healthy and natural and like you haven't spent the ten of the last twelve hours proving that you could out-drink a room of seventeen year old boys. it's a natural coral-pink that's very difficult to overdo, which is important if your motor skills are a bit compromised by the previous evening's indulgences.

personally, i find this shade works much better for me than "orgasm", nars' ubiquitous peach with gold shimmer and a hint of pink blush that everyone now seeks to imitate. on me, "orgasm" shows a bit too orange, whereas "deep throat" seems like the colour i  blush naturally, assuming i blushed with a really healthy, radiant sheen.

dainty

mac :: dainty :: this is one of mac's mineral blushes, meaning that it has a natural gleam to it that all mineral products have. it also means that if you wanted to make it more dramatic, you could apply it damp, although this isn't the kind of shade i picture being used for dramatic effect [and, in fact, mac mineral blushes have plenty of colour payoff even without added tricks]. mac blushes are underrated in general and their mineral ones give a lovely wash of colour that can be built up without looking gaudy or can be blended out for a subtle effect. about the only issue i have with the formula is the wear time, which is shorter than most blushes, but it's still decent enough that i keep going back to some of my favourites, this one in particular.

"dainty" is a yellow-pink that will warm cool complexions a little without looking forced. [of course, it's a great natural alternative for warmer complexions as well!] i find that this is a great option for me when i'm tired, or when my skin looks dull, as often happens at the end of winter. it's a great colour to achieve that perfect "english rose" pink and white complexion if you're a pale lady, plus that kiss of sunlight yellow constantly makes it look like you're glowing from within.

TWO MORE AFTER THE BREAK...

bella bamba

benefit :: bella bamba :: this is almost a little bold for a spring-time look, but it can be blended quite soft and its distinctive sheen make it less bold in use than it might first appear. i originally reviewed it here and my opinion of it continues to be high. i love its gorgeous bright coral-pink base colour, i love its white-pink sheen that looks especially beautiful for an evening out, because of how it catches the light. i love the delicate apricot scent that greets me every time i open its cute little box. i don't necessarily love shelling out $36cad for a blush, but these little boxes pack a lot of powder that in turn packs a lot of punch, so they tend to last a long time.

for spring, this actually works very well as a "statement cheek", one that can be paired with a subdued eye and lip to give a nice, fresh and youthful look, like you've been out enjoying the fresh air. which is great if your three hour "lunch meeting" was actually a ten minute phone call followed by a two and a half hour stroll along the harbour front. you can just claim that that healthy, vitamin d-enriched glow is just the blush and no one will be the wiser.

south of france

edward bess :: south of france :: since i got this a few months ago, i seriously have to stop myself from wearing it every day. on me, it functions as both a highlighter and a blush, which gives me the option of using it on its own for a subtle cool rosy effect or combined with another blush just to give my skin that absolutely perfect finish. i've already raved about this sleek wonder for the skin, but it seems like i just can't say enough about the enviable lustre it brings to my face. its fine shimmer blends over the skin to create a sort of soft aura and smoothes over any imperfections to make you look like a movie star.

in the season of allergies, this is a godsend, because it's wonderful for disguising that mottled colouring that we can develop when our body is forced to adjust to the change in seasons. it may not do anything to make you feel more wonderful, but no one else has to know.

now, a word for those of you who don't think it's worth bothering with blush. i was one of you. i too felt that i was just fine with my pale complexion and didn't need to force myself to paint my cheeks like a clown or mindlessly mimic the look of outdoorsy cheerleader types. what i didn't get was that blush is actually one of the things that makes the most difference. like mascara, it does a lot of work for very little credit. for one thing, its colour and placement changes how your face is shaped in the eyes of others. it can create shadow to make your cheekbones look more prominent. it can make cheeks appear fuller and younger. it can make it look like light is constantly hitting you at just the right angle.

but what's more important is that people are way more conscious of skin than they like to admit. sure, everyone says it's someone's eyes they look at first, or some other part, but the truth is that we're hard-wired to admire a fine complexion at the most basic level. skin and hair are the cues our ancient brain uses to identify a healthy mate, capable of producing hearty offspring. even those of us who aren't given to breeding think this way, whether we're aware of it or not. all of us. even the ones who say they worship the pale, sickly faces of dracula and his kin can't escape this, because the look they really like isn't patchy and spotted with acne, no matter how fair it is. what they're really looking for is someone with the luminous radiance of a pearl in the moonlight, which comes from good health or good makeup. so even though cheek colours might not have the range of eye shadows or the pronounced effect of lip colour, remember that it's more likely to give you that je ne sais quoi that comes from pleasing the lizard brain we all possess.

so now that we've looked at some of my perennial spring favourites, the only thing left to do is show you some of them in action. coming soon...