<
This hourglass blush has been a staple in my makeup bag for years. I recently rediscovered it and it really is brilliant! BTW, the picture above was taken before I let my hair color grow out. 🙂
When some people think of brilliant nudes, they might think of Venus de Milo or the statue of David… I think of an hourglass blush, LOL! Brilliant Nude Strobe Lighting Blush by Hourglass folks is SO, SO good, especially if you love a fresh look that lets your cheeks shine without looking overdone.
Unmissable fresh color that’s not uncomfortably obvious
It’s the same effect you get from NARS Madly Blush or the Kevyn Aucoin Neo trio, you know where you have a touch of color, a touch of shine, and your face and skin look more vibrant and peppy than whether you’ve just taken a brisk puff to go or someone sneaked up and started tickling your ribs.
Your cheeks will have that beautiful blush! That’s what you get from Brilliant Nude.
What is an unsung makeup hero? For me it’s an often underestimated makeup tidbit, a permanent collection product that slips under many makeup lovers’ radar screens but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series includes some of my favorites.
Peachy amber mixed with a shimmery highlighter
Brilliant Nude is a peachy amber blush blended with a gorgeous gold shimmering highlighter. It’s one of the Ambient Strobe Lighting Blushes, which is the blush family in the Hourglass permanent collection, which has a more obvious and visible highlight (there’s also the Ambient Lighting Blushes, like the shade Diffused Heat, which are great too, but they have a softer emphasis effect).
Not to say that the Ambient Strobe Blushes like Brilliant Nude have an obnoxious highlight. You know, it’s hourglass, they handle their finishes with a very sophisticated touch. It’s softly reflective and luminous, but it’s not metallic or garish or garish, so it can be worn by women of all ages (and pore sizes!).
A healthy glow on all skin tones
Mixing the highlighter and blush together gives you the perfect combination of color and shine that’s just a little, but not too much. I’m a Tang girl, an NC42 in MAC, but I’ve seen this on both lighter and darker ladies, and it’s lovely across the board. You get more of the blush effect on lighter skin. On darker skin it functions more as a highlighter, but in any case the cheeks have a healthy blush and a radiant glow.
Long lasting
A .15-ounce pan costs $38, which is pricey (like most Hourglass products), but all you need is a little, and that little doesn’t need touching up halfway through the day.
Easy to use
For a fresh look, I’ve found that the best way to apply this blush is by using a blush brush – no fancy techniques or movements required! Simply swirl in the pan to blend the blush and highlighter together, then use a light, sweeping upward motion on the apples of your cheeks.
I use one layer, two at most, and that’s all I need. Simple and easy.
Color goes with everything
Another brilliant thing about this blush is that you can wear it with any combination of colors on your eyes and lips, and it seems to flatter almost everything. In this image I’m wearing it with a cooler brown eye, but it also works with warm shades of brown or light or nude colors. Basically anything and any color combination you can think of, Brilliant Nude goes with it, and the same goes for the lips. Peach, pink, purple, red, orange… It doesn’t matter. All colors look good.
The take-home message
Wearing this blush makes me look like I’m wearing a little makeup, but I don’t look like I’m wearing a ton and I love that about it. And it goes with almost everything!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
karen