Happy Monday, everyone! Spring decided to visit Edmonton this past weekend and I think it's finally here to stay. I'm so sick of the random snow storms and cold snaps. It's time for some warm sunshine and leaves to start sprouting on trees!

With every change in the seasons, I update my skincare and makeup arsenal to suit the changing weather and humidity. Make Up For Ever (MUFE) recently released a brand new blush formula for 2014 to add to their iconic HD range, and I've been testing it out for the past week. The HD cream blush is formulated to feel like second skin. It's weightless, blends effortlessly and is able to give cheeks that natural glow.

Let's talk packaging. The compact housing the product is the classic, sleek plastic used for almost every MUFE product. It's small and lightweight, with a study snap closure and convenient mirror inside for touch ups on the go. I really appreciate that there isn't any wasted space, meaning that there is as little plastic as necessary to hold the blush. Nothing drives me crazier than unnecessary materials to make a product clunky.

I have shade #215 Flamingo Pink, and its just a tad lighter than what I perceive to be the pink of a flamingo. The formula is smooth, creamy, and highly pigmented. Trust me, a little goes a long way! It's smooth to the touch and a breeze to apply, as it glides right over the cheeks to deposit colour. The blush can be applied with the fingertips, a sponge, or a fluffy brush, and I found that a full, rounded brush gave me the most even application. The formula lasted me up to 6 hours of wear with a natural finish, so I'm pretty happy with the product. The range includes sixteen shades, so there's something in there for every skintone. Have you tried this blush yet?

This year, Make Up For Ever is celebrating 30 years in the industry. To celebrate this occasion, they're looking to send 20 people to Paris for a week this July! I totally wish I could go. Whether you're a professional makeup artist or a makeup addict, there is a separate makeup contest for whichever category you fit into! By entering the contest, you could make this trip a reality for yourself. Full details on their website here.

*Disclosure: This product was sent for consideration of a review.

Happy Monday! It's a long weekend here where I live so I'm recovering from a relaxing day at the lake. Sounds like a hard life, right? ;) For those of you having to work today, hope the day goes by quickly!

Aside from lipsticks, my favorite beauty product to play around with is blush. It's a product that can be hit or miss, and I have a hit to share with you today. theBalm recently released their Instain Blush, which they describe to be a long wearing, staining powder blush.

First of all, the packaging is just so cute. Mimicking the layout of a magazine, the package itself is palm-sized, armed with a mirror and  encased in a sturdy cardboard material. Each different shade in the product range features a different "cover girl" on the front, so it's easy to distinguish one colour from the next

The product itself is finely millled, meaning it's buttery soft and velvety to the touch. The blush is quite pigmented, so a little amount does go a long way. Using a brush for application, the blush is easily blendable, and happens to build up quite nicely if you like heavier colour. Toile, the shade I have above, is a strawberry pink shade that would look great on all skintones. It is quite similar to Benefit's Bella Bamba, minus the glitter. Applied with a light hand, it has a natural pink flush tone to it, which is why I like it so much. In terms of wear, it did stay on my skin for up to 8 hours, but it did definitely fade a bit throughout the day. Pretty good in my books, if you ask me!

So where can you pick up this blush? Nail Polish Canada (NPC) recently started carrying the Instain line, and has all six shades available for purchase. At $22, it's a pretty good price for 25.5g worth of product! For a limited time, NPC has free shipping on all orders, so pick one up now if you're interested! Also, they're holding a contest to win $75 worth of products from theBalm, so click here to check out the contest and enter. Good luck!

*Disclaimer: this post contains a sample provided by PR for consideration of a review

Ever since hearing Jen (From Head To Toe) rave about the Amazonian Clay blush from Tarte, I knew I needed to get it into my hands. But being a blush addict, I have WAY too many products and have been attempting to cut down. But VIB sales always get the best of me and I finally have this beauty in my hands.

Made from clay harvested on the river banks of the Amazon, this product works really well on all skin types. The clay blush looks really natural when applied to the skin, and is quite pigmented, allowing colour to build up with each brush stroke. The clay is supposed to minimize oil around pores, and provide hydrating benefits to the skin during wear - which gives your skin a natural flush all day. What I love about the shade Exposed is that its a great nude tone dark enough to double up as a bronzer too. It works really well for contouring and giving more definition to the face. The product is long wearing - up to 8 hours for me - and gives my skin a natural flush all day. The line itself has 15 shades to try out, so there's something for everybody. Do check it out, cause this is definitely sitting at the top of my list of blush favourites!

Available from Sephora & Tarte.

Back on July 7th, the new MAC Semi Precious collection came out, featuring tons of new mineralized eyeshadows, skinfinishes, blushes, and lots of lipcolour! The characteristic I loved most about the items in the collection was the beautiful swirl of colour in each of the eyeshadow & blush pans.

I myself am I blush addict. I find myself collecting more & more blushes in my collection each season, because I love the look of blushing cheeks :)

From the collection, I picked out two blush shades in Feeling Flush & Warmth of Coral.

Something different about these mineralize blushes though, is that they apply matte. Most mineralize blushes from MAC are usually frosty, so I love that these ones are different, and totally wearable shades to flatter many skintones!



Feeling Flush applies as a plum toned pink on the cheeks, and is quite pigmented. With one swipe of my brush, lots of colour is picked up and blends really well. Definitely apply with a light hand!



Warmth of Coral is a beautiful peach toned blush, and I am obsessed with peach blushes! Ever since picking up My Highland Honey back in December, I'm always on the hunt for more. This one is a little more subtle on the skin, but blends very well, and is buildable if you want more colour.

I've been holding this review back for a bit, because I was too afraid to use this product! The hearts are adorable, and the colours are so pretty, I didn't want to destroy the design.

I finally took the leap, and I'm pretty impressed with this drugstore blush! The company markets it as a mood boosting blush, with the scent of lavender to mimic the effects of endorphins. When I put it on, I don't feel any different, and can't really smell a strong lavender scent, but the design does make my day a little better! It's just too cute.



It's nice that the design is actually set pretty deeply into the blush, so one swipe will not remove it. It is relatively pigmented, but depending on where you place your brush, you may end up with slightly different colors on each cheek. I recommend swirling your blush brush around & tapping off excess before applying, in order to ensure even color payoff. I chose the product in Rose (Nude is the alternative), which comes off as a rosy, fuchsia pink with a slight shimmer to it. The color is buildable, and blends very well. Definitely exceeded my expectations.



Beneath the blush layer is a dual coloured brush and mirror to be used with the product. I do not recommend using this though, because the bristles are rather stiff and itchy against the skin. That's the only downfall I really found with the product.



Right now in Canada, there are specially marked packages with a $6 mail in rebate. The purchases can be made up until December of this year, so go out & hunt for those packages so you can save some money & get a cute blush!