YSL Radiance Blush in #8 from the Northern Lights Holiday 2012 Collection

YSL launched two new, limited-edition Blush Radiances ($45, aka Radiant Blush) with the Northern Lights Holiday 2012 Collection. This is one of them, #8. I'll show you the other warmer color (#7) as soon as I can.

YSL's Northern Lights is a small, carefully edited collection. Only half of it appealed to me. Sadly, neither of the eye palettes did. One is heavy on blues and includes a bright plum, and the other offers festive, sparkling silvers and greys.

The new Blush Radiances did appeal to me. I have loved YSL's blush quads for more years than I can count. They seamlessly blend matte and shimmering textures to create an iridescent, lit-from-within look. Incredibly versatile, these blushes color, contour, and highlights to create any effect you need, from natural to glamorous. YSL advertises that the beautifully bendable formula contains "self-adapting pigments" that capture and transform light’s intensity into a vibrant color source that complements any complexion. Whatever. I just like them! They have a remarkably silky texture that blends beautifully for buildable color.

I took swatch photos of #8 using a sponge-tipped applicator at the top of my arm and a blush brush below. Both swatches were applied heavily, and my photos were taken in very bright sunshine.

This gorgeous pink #8 is quite sparkly when all the shades are blended together, as you see here. You can see the sparkle in the compact, and you will see it on your skin. I found that I could wear away some of the sparkle in the compact with my finger, which leads me to believe that there is an overspray on the blushes. Use of the blush will diminish the sparkle level, but not eliminate it. I would compare it to Chanel's new Star Dust if you need a sparkle comparison.

The cool pink color of #8 is beautiful. I can see pairing it with the two eye palettes, even if I didn't spring for them. This pink is a "me color," so I'm perfectly happy with my new blush.

I'll bet I've purchased 20 Blush Radiances since I bought my first one at Saks Fifth Avenue in Chevy Chase. I love every one of them (of course, some are no longer with me - I used them entirely). I expect to get a lot of wear from #8.

I purchased my new YSL Northern Lights items at Neiman Marcus. I did not have time to check out the other stores to see if the collection is widely available yet. Make sure to stop at your favorite YSL counter to look.

I am a tad confused by the number "8," which appears to have been re-used by YSL. There was already a #8. Check it out at Nordstrom online. I wish companies wouldn't re-use product names and numbers.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty