Wednesday, March 14, 2012

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

12 comments:

jen said...

I'm going to have to bite the bullet and try something from this line. I wish I were going to NY soon so I could see it in person... :(
xoxo
jen

Jo said...

You will LOVE the Sunday Riley blush in Blushing! I have Honest too and it's great!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Jen!

It's always fun to see the shades in person. I end up buying more, though. :)

Charlestongirl said...

Thanks, Jo! I hope to get it in an exchange for a duplicate shadow Barneys sent me.

yesplease1816 said...

Hi Charleston Girl,

Is it just me or just Intimate look a heck of a lot like Givenchy's Le Prisme Blush Bucolique in Bucolic Poppy? Is it just the pictures or are they very similar in real life too? I appreciate your help! Thanks!

Cindy's Societal said...

Hi Charlestongirl

Who makes Sunday Riley cosmetics?? I feel like I've been living under a rock and suddenly there are tons of reviews on Sunday Riley cosmetics LOL

Intimate looks gorgeous!!

Cindy

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Cindy,

Actually, Sunday Riley makes Sunday Riley. Google her. The Sunday Riley "dot com" only displays her skin care, not the color line. It's worth a look to get a sense for who she is.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi YesPlease!

That was the first thing that crossed my mind. I compared the two. The Givenchy has a touch of peach in it. Intimate doesn't. They are similar, for sure.

yesplease1816 said...

Thanks so much for your help!! I do have just one more question for you though: did you find these blushes hard to work with at all? As in, so pigmented that it could be a little difficult for people who apply blusher with a heavy hand? Because Karen at makeupandbeautyblog recently did a review on Intimate as well and she claims that it is so pigmented, it can be hard to apply/blend. Thank you again!!!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi,

I don't find them at all hard to use. I didn't read Karen's blog, but perhaps she used the wrong brush. Make sure to use a fluffy brush, like a powder brush and swirl it lightly on top of the blush. Then swirl the blush lightly on your cheeks. Works perfectly for me. :)

If you're worried that Intimate is too dark for your skin, try a different pink. After seeing Gaia's swatches, I need to try Blushing. I don't think you could overdo that one.

yesplease1816 said...

Lol I know, since you mentioned Blushing, I went and checked her review and am so torn between the two! Thanks so much for your help though-I absolutely LOVE your blog! You can really tell that you do it for pure love of everything beauty :)

Karla said...

I'd love to try a Sunday Riley blush. I'd prefer a pink/rose but I have no way of seeing them in person. I have olive toned skin and thought I'd love the Intimate shade but while I love your swatch I don't care for others I've seen. I'm wondering if Blushing would be too light for me. Have you seen Blushing in person?