Sunday Riley Blush in Intimate and Honest

Sunday Riley makes beautiful blushes! Why did I wait so long to show you the two I purchased earlier this year? I bought Intimate and Honest long before Barneys New York had the Beauty Bag Event, and I can't explain my forgetfulness. I've been using these blushes, so I don't have an "out of sight, out of mind" excuse.

I know that some of you had read about them on other blogs, so I'll use that as my excuse for holding out on you. Now, perhaps the subject of Sunday Riley's Blush ($30) will be fresher. It's a great time to consider these blushes for spring and summer.

Honest is shown at left in my photo directly above, and Intimate is shown at right. I wanted two appeared to be polar opposites. Honest (#104) is warm - a blend of peach and pink that translates on my skin as a beautiful nude peach with a hint of pink. Intimate (#105) is popping rose pink.

I took swatch photos of both shades in full sun (it must have been cold outside because there were patches of icy snow on the ground). In both photos, I followed my usual swatching routine. I applied the blush heavily with a sponge-tipped applicator at the top of my arm, and I applied it more moderately with a dense blush brush below. In all cases, the blushes were applied more heavily than any of us would apply them normally.

Swatches of Honest are shown above. Hopefully, you can see the warm, golden blend of peach and pink. I suspect that your own skin tone will affect how Honest looks on you. It does shimmer, although not excessively in my opinion. If you look carefully after application, you'll see tiny little sparklies on your skin. They tend to fall off with time, leaving a radiant blush that stays with me all day.

Rose lovers will find Intimate a must-buy blush. The color is luscious and intense. Like Honest, it's lightly shimmering. Intimate is much richer than Honest. Intimate packs a punch if I apply it too heavily. Applied with a light hand, I'm smitten each time I look in a mirror. It's uniquely flattering.

Sunday Riley Blush compacts are classier than the eye color compacts. The compacts have average heft in the hand, the Sunday Riley logo and name in gold on the cover, and nice mirrors inside the flip-up cover. They even come with the luxury-signature velveteen pouch, which you'll probably set aside, as I do. The price is right, so I'm going to purchase at least one more Sunday Riley Blush. Gaia at The Non-Blonde tempted me to buy Blushing, a pale, dusty rose that I know will be perfect for me. I'm curious about Dimples, a plum rose, but I'd love to try it before I buy. There's nowhere in the DC area for me to do that.

Sunday Riley Cosmetics were launched last fall. When the eco-conscious skin-care guru decided to create her collection of perfectly pigmented cosmetics, she looked to such traditional American botanicals as aloe and orchid. “I wanted breathable formulas that give a luminous, polished look,” she explained to W. Given my experience with the eye shadows, lip glosses, and blushes, I think she succeeded. I've never tried her skin care. I may have to remedy that.

Sunday Riley's color line is available at Barneys New York locations and online. Hopefully, we'll have more options sometime soon. I'd love to see a boutique pop up at Nordstrom or Bloomingdale's.

Photo at top courtesy of Barneys; other photos by Best Things in Beauty