Saturday, April 20, 2013

Dusting of Rose

I've had Illamasqua Naked Rose since September last year, but still find myself on the fence about it. It's a blush that I want to, and thought I'd love, but in truth rarely gravitate towards. This was yet another New York holiday purchase (it's unbelievable I'm still blogging about stuff I bought during that time), and I remember when I first swatched it at Sephora, I thought I'd found the shade of my dreams. It looked like the perfect everyday neutral pink that I could easily envision being elevated to top position in my blush collection.









l-r: NARS Douceur, Illamasqua Naked Rose, Tarte Exposed, Illamasqua Zygomatic

Naked Rose is the only Illamasqua powder blush I own, and I find it very smooth, soft and pigmented. Other blushes I have can be almost impossible to decently swatch with my fingers unless I've gently scratched the surface with a toothpick first, but Naked Rose has no such problem. The surface of the blush never hardens. In fact, I would even say it's on the powdery side because the pigment is so soft. It's easy to loosen the powder so it's almost crumbly, especially if you come at it with a slightly spiky brush. For that reason, I wouldn't dream of using it with a stippling brush. The texture reminds me more of an excellent matte eyeshadow (think Laura Mercier) than what I'm typically used to for a blush.

It's one of the most pigmented blushes I've come across (probably rivaled only by the ridiculous NARS Sin), so I need to make sure my brush makes minimal contact with the blush. I normally use the fluffy, tapered Real Techniques Blush Brush, because anything else risks overdoing it. Maybe because it's extremely tricky to get right, most days I just can't be bothered. The colour itself I don't find to be anything special. It's just a medium, slightly reddish, dusty matte pink. While not particularly unique, it's a versatile, universal shade that could complement a whole range of makeup looks. I can't really tell if it's more warm or cool, as that seems to differ depending on one's skin tone. If there's any redness to your cheeks, Naked Rose will draw attention to that. For me, it only works paired with flawless, evened out skin, and if I get the application spot on. Otherwise, it can look messy and ruddy, and almost like my skin is having an allergic reaction to the blush.

I purchased this in the States back when Illamasqua blushes were still $42 in Australia. Kudos to the brand for dropping their prices — a blush now retails for $28, almost the same price as the US if you include sales tax.

44 comments:

  1. That is such a beautiful colour :) I really want to try some products from Illamasqua! xx
    http://xtouchofbeautyx.blogspot.co.uk/

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  2. The swatch looks really nice! It's a shame it doesn't translate well on you! x

    norwegianelephant.blogspot.com

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  3. Amazing review I love the pink rose swatch it looks very pretty and bright yet natural :) I really want to try something from this brand I do like the look of their highlighter pallette have you tried this? x

    www.krystelcouture.com

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    1. I haven't ... didn't even know they had a highlighter palette actually! I don't have that many Illamasqua products (only 2) but what I have tried has been really nice quality :)

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  4. what a beautiful shade! it looks perfect on you! I've been looking for such a subtle shade for a while:)

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  5. I love Illamasqua blushes, specially the cream ones. So well pigmented and long-lasting! have you tried them?

    MyMakeUpCompulsion

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    1. I have Zygomatic - the only other Illamasqua product I own. I should use it more often!

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  6. I'm still looking out for my ideal neutral blush shade-Illamasqua Zygomatic is the closest I've been tempted...
    It sucks that Tarte blushes aren't available here :( though I love how Naked Rose looks so much paler and more wearable next to the darker, more sculpting Exposed. And Illamasqua prices are the reason I'm taking their offerings more seriously than other high end brands.

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    1. It's hard to classify a neutral blush - I'd probably go for Zygomatic as the closest to a true nude shade (without being too brown or dark and still with a touch of pink). Exposed is definitely more red. NARS Douceur might not have enough colour for you (too brown), but I really love it - it gives a really polished, natural look. I wouldn't recommend Naked Rose, it's more of a medium, reddish rosy pink - not really "neutral" in my book. You can buy Tarte from http://cosmeticsandcandy.com/ :)

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  7. i really want to try out illamasqua blushes :) it's such a pretty colour though, great review x

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  8. This is the only Illamasqua blush I own, too! I definitely agree with you -- it's a very versatile colour & compliments many looks! x

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  9. I haven't tried anything Illamasqua, would love to try their blushes ..

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  10. I really want to branch out into Illamasqua, especially since they lowered their prices! Their blushes seem absolutely amazing though I think from the way you've described Naked Rose, I don't think it would be a great colour for me.

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  11. That blush is such a natural pretty colour :)

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  12. I had this on my wish list forever, but I never got around to ordering it, mostly due to not being able to see it in person. It is a lovely colour for every day wear :)

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  13. Oh wow this is gorgeous!! Need this in my life haha :)

    JordysBeautySpot.com ♥

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  14. Looks gorgeous, but sounds like a lot of hard work for a blush haha, specially as I already have red 'rash like' cheeks haha!

    xoxo

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  15. It looks like such a pretty color! This has been on my wishlist for a while too, and I just ordered it at Sephora's sale :P

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  16. looks like a very pretty soft pink. I haven't yet tried Illamasqua blushes but want to try their illuminating powder.

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  17. Those colors are so beautiful
    cutenquirky.blogspot.com

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  18. This looks so so beautiful on you!! Shame that you don't feel it looks the greatest with your complexion and whatnot :/ I can't believe how much Illamasqua was charging in Australia for a single freaking blush!! Seriously, every time you mention AU prices of makeup I weep a little (a lot) on the inside for you T__T Thank goodness they dropped the price on this for all the Australian beauty lovers :)

    Cassie
    thriftthick.blogspot.com

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  19. Soo pretty! I know what you mean about the shade though. Rose colors typically look pretty blah on my skin, even though they are so beautiful in the pan.

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  20. I like that colour, I don't know about how it would look on me, rose colours tend too look muddy on me. I like that it is a softer version of rose and quite pale. / Claire xxx

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  21. awwwh this is so beautiful!! Illamasqua naked rose is really famous I believe. I've read a lot of good things about it in particular and illamasqua blushes in general.
    Illamasqua isnt available here in germany, i can only buy it online T.T

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  22. I haven't tried any Illamasqua blushes but this one looks really pretty! I find that to be this same problem though, even if the blush is really pretty, rose coloured blushes aren't that flattering on me too. :T

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  23. The Illamasqua blusher is beautiful, I really do like that. I do not own any by the brand however I'm eyeing up a cream blush by them at the moment after watching a recent Pixiwoo youtube video.

    The Tarte blush Exposed also looks really nice :)

    At first I thought the packaging in the first picture was a yellow blusher, I was like woaaaaaah what is she going to do with that! (I'm clearly too tired and should be in bed).

    Amy xx
    A Little Boat Sailing

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    1. Haha I can see how you could see that! It's weird how yellow Illamasqua's packaging is - the font is yellow! I don't know if it's intentional but it makes all their packaging look faded and ancient :p

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  24. Wow is a really lovely and sweet color. Very soft and maybe some pale but is really beautiful.

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  25. This looks like a lovely dusty rose colour, very pretty on you. You have managed to sheer it out so kudos to you! But I know how you feel, I have a few blushes that I have to kind of force myself to wear, lol. xx

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  26. haha funny you posted this! i neglect my naked rose for so long as well (too biased towards my illamasqua katie blush) but these couple of weeks i've actually started using it again. such an effortless color! beautiful swatches

    à la foliee

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  27. I have this blush and I always forget about it, it can be a bit hard to wear because it is so pigmented! I love the colour though!

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  28. You have such a great eye for blushes. It seems that you always pick up the most stunning shades! I haven't had the honoured to try out any Illamasqua blushes as of yet, but I did do a cheeky Illamasqua order that should arrive soon! I can't wait to try out my new products after reading this!

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  29. This is such a pretty colour! So lovely and natural, perfect for spring! :) ♥

    http://abeautyromancee.blogspot.co.uk/
    http://abeautyromancee.blogspot.co.uk/

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  30. did i ever tell you that i love your photos of the products? they're amazing !
    thanks for the review, as per usual :) wow, naked rose looks so natural and it looks great on you!

    alex @ carouselstreet.com

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  31. Looks lovely in the pan but if it's that tricky to apply then it's a no-no for me. When I think of blush, I think of easy, fast and pretty. If any of those fail then I'm better off looking at something else. For $28 I'd choose any of the Benefit blushes in a heart beat over any other brand. Thanks for the review Lena : ) xx
    noiredame

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  32. For $28 I'd just get NARS Sex Appeal which is similar to this color but oh so much better and looks absolutely lovely! I love the color and I can see why at first it'd be something you thought you'd love. Personally I think it looks lovely on your cheeks but I think there's too much pink and that's what could be throwing it off. It looks less pink in the pan! Thanks for the review! I'm always on the fence with Illamasqua as they seem to be more dud than holy grails around. xx

    - Jess
    The Mod Mermaid

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  33. I wish Illamasqua would do the same for Canadians. Their blushes are $33 here, which is $37-ish after provincial sales tax. That's why I haven't purchased an Illamasqua yet.

    Anyway, I think Naked Rose looks lovely on you despite the reservations! I thought it was just a boring, pale shade, but your close up of the pan makes it look so beautiful. Now I feel tempted!

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  34. Such a pretty blush! :)


    www.ofbeautyandnothingness.blogspot.co.uk

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  35. The shade of this blush is so pretty on the pan but when swatched, I find that I don't really have a liking to it especially compared to Tarte's Exposed. I dislike products that draw attention to facial redness or any blemishes and what a shame that this blush does that :( I'm also not a huge fan of pigmented blushes as I can easily overdo it (especially since I already have the tendency to blush easily and have rosy cheeks, this doesn't help!). This Illamasqua blush nevertheless still looks great in your makeup collection!

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  36. I always hear such good things about Illamsqua blushes, the texture of it sounds wonderful x

    Evelyn @ We Were Raised By Wolves

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  37. Looks like a really lovely blush... a bit too light for me though :)
    I would love to try Illamasqua products some time cause they always have the most amazing promo pictures :)

    Such a shame you don´t really gravitate towards this blush cause it does look really pretty on you :)
    Hugs
    xx

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  38. This shade is really, really pretty but I see why it would draw attention to redness. The texture sounds really nice though! xx

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  39. This is that shade that I can't find ANYWHERE. I think it might just not be available in Canada =(

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  40. want this so badly, it's so pretty! x

    http://thebeautyvisual.blogspot.co.uk

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