Review: Illamasqua Katie Blush

Illamasqua Katie Blush

I've had this blush for little over a week now and can't love it enough! I was originally worried at first that it would be too light for me and look a bit ashy against my yellow toned (but still relatively fair) skin but that's totally not the case. For reference, I am a No.1 in the Hourglass veil foundation in winter and a No. 2 in summer; Punjab in NARS Sheer Glow foundation (sorry I've never been MAC colour matched so I can't give you the NC/NW comparison - I swear it's on my to do list though!). 

Things I love about this blush:

1. Colour

Now I wouldn't say that this blush imparts a "natural glow" (and to be honest my natural glow after I've been doing exercise is not pretty at all! - side post - does anyone out there agree? I never "blush" after exercise, but rather my whole face just goes red), but it does give me a very pretty doll like pink flush. Especially if I'm going for the asian minimalist makeup look, this is the perfect blush to complement the just foundation, blush and mascara look.

2. Quality

It feels very finely milled. It takes just a small pat from my MAC 129 brush to pick up a good deal of product, so with one swipe of the brush I can get a decent amount of pigment pay off on my cheek. The colour is buildable too so I don't have to use a light hand when applying, but can build it to a darker pink with a few more swipes.

3. Matte

Where has a matte blush been all my life? After succumbing all too readily to the raves on you tube re the NARS Orgasm blush and using other brands which always had some shimmer to it, I can't believe I never appreciated the power a matte blush could have. With my oily/acne prone skin, the last thing I want is a shimmery blush to highlight further any bumps or blemishes I have. That's where the matte blush comes in. While Katie is matte, the colour shows up so pretty on the cheek and doesn't look dull at all (which is probably what I worried about most with a matte blush).

4. Packaging

Ok, so I'd like to say that I'm generally not lured to a product because of it's packaging, which I can vouch for because I pretty much used a $1 ELF blush for about a year straight. But I do really love the packaging. For starters the pan is HUGE! It's almost the size of my palm. I love this because it means my MAC 129 brush can easily pick up the product and this helps to give a more even application (Brownie points +5). Extra +5 Brownie points goes to the lightweightedness (is that a word??) of the packaging. For such a large pan, it is surprisingly light! Who wants to carry around a blush that's heavy? 

Caveats:

Unfortunately there has to be a downside right? Well the good thing is I can't think of too many.

1. Price - AUD$40; USD$16 +AUD$11 shipping at beautybay.com; USD$24 at Sephora (unfortunately they don't ship to Australia :() Yes - this is v. expensive for a blush. Is it worth it? Absolutely! But I would try to find a friend in the US or UK who can send it to you.
2. I have to admit I'm a bit of a...you guessed it...blushaholic. So given I've only had this blush for a week, I can't promise that I won't have another favourite next week!

Until then...happy blushing!