Clinique Soft Powder Blush

I have been using my Tarte blushes for the past two months and I was ready to try some more blush formulas and shades.  I went back and forth about which brand and products to try this time around and I decided that I wanted to revisit another color product from Clinique.  I have tried and reviewed quite a few Clinique makeup products in the past and I have never found them to be of similar pigmentation and shade selection of brands like NARS and MAC.  Much of the makeup that I have used from this company is best for a professional setting or a more natural look for casual weekend looks.  Clinique still remains one of my favorite skincare product companies and I will continue to purchase many items from this aspect of their product line.

I wanted to give Clinique makeup products another shot, I have been using brighter blush shades from Tarte and MAC for the past two months and I wanted to look for shades with slightly less pigmentation.  I decided that the Clinique Soft Powder Blush might work well for the type of shades that I was looking for.  I found a few shades that I have been wearing to work and grad school classes over the past three weeks and I am growing more fond of this formula than many other of the Clinique makeup products.

I bought my blush shades at Sephora but I did find more shades on the Clinique website so I will need to visit one of the counters if I want to add more products to my collection.  "Silky formula sweeps effortlessly over cheekbones to create a natural look. Fresh, jet-milled colour builds and blends beautifully to desired intensity with custom sculpting brush. Long-wearing, colour-true. Oil-free.", states the Clinique website. 

The shades available on the Clinique website are...

- Cupid - shy, pale dusty pink
- Aglow - soft coppery nude with gold pearl
- Sunset Glow - midtone reddish bronze
- Smoldering Plum - heathered purple
- Iced Lotus - blue pink with white shimmer
- Precious Posy - energetic pink peach with gold pearl
- Berry Delight - midtone pink berry
- Spiced Wine - earthy brownish red with flecks of gold pearl

I bought Cupid and Berry Delight from Sephora.  Cupid is a pale pink matte with a very light color payoff.  This is a very nice shade to use for a natural look or with statement eyes or lips, it reminds me of a less intense version of Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Katie.  Berry Delight is a deep pink matte shade, this one applies as a medium pink on the cheeks and has slightly more pigmentation than Cupid.  Berry Delight is a more universal pink than Cupid as it could be worn by ladies with pale or medium skintones but Cupid is best for those with very pale skin. 

I am interested in ordering Iced Lotus and Precious Posy, both of these have a slight shimmer finish and I want to see how they compare to the shades with the matte finish.  Iced Lotus can be worn all throughout the year but I will be waiting a bit longer for Precious Posy, this peach-pink shade will work best with a bronzer in the warm weather months.

Both shades that I bought have light to medium color payoff, these are not the shades that I would wear if I wanted to do a bright cheek look.  They are best used for a more natural or professional makeup look.  Both of these shades last the whole day and are still in place when I finally leave my grad school class at night, they are a great choice for busy days. 

This is one of the better Clinique makeup products and I will be ordering the other two shades of this product.  This is a good formula for a wear-to-work look or for someone who doesn't like to wear a lot of pigment on their cheeks.

photo courtesy of Clinique