little white truths

I recently reviewed Burberry's Earthy Blush (see here) and I'm back today to review this one in Tangerine. Yes I suppose I could have reviewed them together, but I do feel a little differently about both and I'd used Earthy more when I reviewed it, so I don't mind separating these posts.

As you may know, I introduced both blushes to my Project Dent series two weeks ago (I hope to get the update post done today; stay tuned if you're interested), so I've been using them both every day for two weeks and I'm definitely ready to review this second one and then put them aside for panning at a later date.

Why do I want to pan them? Because I don't love them. Simple as that.

Each blush compact comes complete with a little dust jacket and a brush that I haven't used yet (see below) so I can't tell you if it's any good.

What I can tell you, however, is that Burberry packaging is my absolute favourite. It's sleek, it's elegant and it just looks good - plus there's a nice weight to it so you feel like you're holding something special. 

And even though the products don't float my boat (the ones I've tried, anyway), at least I have three pretty Burberry compacts on my display shelves. I look at my display shelves several times a day and feel happy whenever I do, so we can say that some of the 'value' has been made up because I'll likely keep looking at these compacts forever. That's worth something to me.

There's the brush:

And there's the pretty packaging below. It's beyond gorgeous.

While of course we shouldn't be swayed by packaging, I reckon that many of us are - and I particularly am because I keep my makeup out on shelves where I can see it and not tucked away in Alex drawers. 

I like storing makeup this way for many reasons, but one of those is that it's made me a more discerning purchaser: if I like the look of something but don't like the packaging, then I'll tend to wait for the next thing that's packaged more nicely. Believe it or not, this has helped me buy less and save money, which can only be a good thing!

• Enhance cheeks and instantly boost complexions with this lightweight powder blush for a subtle, healthy radiance
• The fine powder is ultra-blendable and buildable for effortless, mistake-proof application
• A collection of complexion-enhancing shades, complete with a brush applicator and mirror case
• To use: apply the multi-use blush shade to the hollow of the cheeks to gently slim the face and across the eyelids to sculpt and add dimension
• RRP $72 AUD for 7g

There's the pan in direct sunlight: 

It's a beautiful, nude orange/brown kind of shade and while I think it's a gorgeous colour, the blush itself doesn't do anything special for my cheeks (more on that below).

Now for swatches. Below I've given you some heavy and light swatches of Tangerine in different lights, then I've done some comparison swatches alongside Earthy after that.

There's Tangerine in direct sunlight:

And indirect sunlight:

Below we have Earthy (left), Tangerine (middle) and the two shades mixed (right), direct sunlight:

And indirect sunlight (indoors):

Verdict

These blushes aren't worth the price-tag. That's just what I think. Earthy has barely any pigment so it doesn't show up on me, and while thankfully Tangerine does if I build it, I still have absolutely no idea what I'm paying for and I don't rate these blushes at all.

As a blush, Tangerine does show up on my cheeks if I go in heavily with my brush and I do enjoy the shade, but it doesn't do much else for my skin aside from add a nice bit of colour - I'll go into that more below. Worth noting now, though, is that the pigmentation isn't good so I need to build it quite a bit, which doesn't matter so much on my cheeks but it does matter on my eyes (and I do like to use my blushes on my eyes).

What I mean by this is, when I try to build Tangerine on my eyes, it looks very powdery, very quickly if I want it to show up. This means it looks ageing because it makes my dry skin shrivel up when I lay it on like cement, so I can't use it on my eyes and that's unfortunate. As with Earthy, I can really only use this as a base shadow on my eyes because it just doesn't have enough punch to stand on its own.

Let's talk about expectations for a moment because I think that's important. Blush is my weakness and I've tried many of the 'big hitters' in the blush market because I'm more likely to wear a range of different blushes than I am eg eyeshadow palettes or lipsticks. That's why I have so many of them.

With high-end blushes, I expect a build-able formula that's pigmented but not overly so, I expect quality packaging, I expect something that feels silky smooth, and blends and applies well, and I also expect something that makes my skin look airbrushed (and therefore younger). That's what I'm paying for with fancy blushes. Surely that's what we're all paying for?

These Burberry blushes are the most expensive blushes I own, let's make that clear. Even though I bought them for 20 per cent off, they are still the most expensive blushes in my collection.

They come in nice packaging so that's a tick (although I wish we didn't have that wasted brush compartment - and I'm not the first person to have mentioned this). They feel silky smooth to the touch and they apply and blend well. Another tick.

When it comes to pigment, I don't think these are pigmented enough. And that's coming from someone who prefers a natural look and always opts for a lighter coverage, so if I'm saying they're too sheer, then chances are that others will too. 

Even if I give Burberry a 'pass' on the pigment issue (maybe I'm too dark for these blushes, although I only have a light-medium to medium skintone), let's talk about the airbrushed aspect.

My Hourglass blushes take years off my face because they airbrush the skin, with my Marc Jacobs blushes coming in a close second in terms of airbrushing, and my Kevyn Aucoin and Becca blushes coming in tied for the bronze medal.

These Burberry blushes do not do that. They don't lift the face; they don't blur texture; and they don't make me look like I'm younger and glowing from within. So what am I bloody paying for? Packaging?! Geez I hope not.

Worth noting, too, is that when I swatched these blushes for the purpose of the above photos, both Earthy and Tangerine developed hard-pan. Christ. If anything breaks your heart, it's having to take sticky tape to something that cost this much.

So in sum, I don't recommend this blush and I've given it a 'disappointing products' tag. It retails for a whopping $72 AUD and it doesn't deliver on pigment or how it looks on the skin. While I'm all for sheer, this takes things too far and it doesn't look like a high-end blush should on the cheeks. Or at least that's my opinion.

Overrated. I've given this a 'disappointing products' tag.