YSL Beauté Blush Radiance for Fall Winter 2013

The YSL display for Fall Winter 2013 features two new Blush Radiance ($45) shades: #9, called a poppy coral, and #10, a pepper rose. I have press information that there's a third - a sweet sienna for darker complexions - but I have not seen it.

Oddly, YSL describes #9 as being for blondes and #10 as being for brunettes, with no mention of skin tone. This blonde loves #10. I tested #9 and liked it too, but I forced myself to select only one.

I have worn YSL's little quad blushes for decades. Over time, new colors have been created, and others re-promoted every few years. I wasn't sure when I saw the Fall Winter Display how these two had changed enough to be dubbed new. The sweet representative wasn't able to explain to me exactly what's new, although she mentioned reformulation. So I asked our regional rep, who provided me with information that shows the matte vs. shimmer shades (earlier incarnations were matte vs. satin) and focused on the new gold case, engraved like Pure Chromatics. There's also a relatively large travel brush that you can see in my photo below.

Promoted as a two-in-one product, Blush Radiance is a powder blush that combines two different finishes for "made to measure" makeup. If you wish to use only matte or only shimmer, though, You will find it difficult to select just that finish. The Blush Radiance compacts are relatively small, and I love big fluffy blush brushes. So, I always mix the finishes for a pretty, gleaming effect.

Adorn your cheeks with a sensual flush of color and light with this ultra-chic compact. The two powder textures, matte and shimmery, seamlessly blend to capture light and create a radiant veil of color on your cheeks. Incredibly versatile, this blush colors, contours, and highlights to create any effect, from natural to glamorous. The beautifully blendable formula contains self-adapting pigments that capture and transform light's intensity into a vibrant color source that complements any complexion. Remarkably silky texture blends beautifully for buildable, custom color.

I took swatch photos in full, mid-day sun. I swatched a heavy stripe with a sponge-tipped applicator at the top of my arm and then applied a lighter, more realistic swatch in a larger area below the stripe - hopefully to portray how the color would look when applied with a brush (although it's still applied a little too heavily). I mixed the matte and shimmer shades.

I think this dusky rose is gorgeous. When the shimmer and matte shades are mixed, a beautiful gleaming color results. This rose tamed for fall could become my go-to blush in September.

I'm thrilled with my new Blush Radiance. It's probably best that YSL hasn't made any bold moves away from its popular design of Blush Radiance. It has a history and legions of dedicated fans, myself included. I like new things as much as everyone else, but there are some staples of my makeup wardrobe for which continuity is comforting.

The collection has arrived at Neiman Marcus. I have not seen it available at other retailers, but I'm sure it will be available soon. I looked on the YSL Web site, but didn't find it.

Photos courtesy of YSL Beauté or by Best Things in  Beauty

YSL Beauté Fall Winter 2013 Collection City Drive 4 Wet & Dry Eye Shadows in Classy

Cara Delevingne is an English fashion model, actress, and granddaughter of former English Heritage Chairman Sir Jocelyn Stevens. She is also the face of YSL Beauté's Fall Winter 2013 Collection. In the ad for the collection, she wears a sexy black dress and sports one of the two new Palette City Drive 4 Wet & Dry Eye Shadows ($55), wearing a bright green eye shadow from the Artsy palette. Her lips are dark red, and she is pictured against an urban night sky. The collection has arrived at Neiman Marcus counters. It is scheduled for an August launch, so counter arrivals may be spotty this month.

There are two limited-edition Palette City Drive 4 Wet & Dry Eye Shadow quads in the collection, the one on the left above that Delevingne is wearing, Artsy (which is well-named), and the more neutral one - Classy - shown at right above. As you might imagine, I purchased Classy. I don't have the face for bright green and blue. If you take Delevingne out of the scene above and imagine her in a workplace, she would stand out, probably not in a professional way.

Classy is a very pretty palette, inside and out, on the display. When I removed it from the box, I found bold lettering meant to remind me of its namesake, Yves Saint Laurent. I had no trouble selecting it. However, I tested only one shade in the store.

I took swatch photos in full mid-day sun. I used a sponge-tipped applicator to apply all four shades to my arm, starting with the brown in the top left of the compact and moving clockwise around the shades. I swatched all of the shades heavily and dry. Use a damp brush, and you'll achieve a more dramatic look.

The brown at the top of my arm is a great brown. It is cool enough that there is no mud in the shade, and it offers a nice gleam. The very light beige base shade in the palette is perfectly neutral. You'll be able to do a lot with it.

The sparkly grey is beautiful, but I think it's jarring with the other shades. I like it, but I don't plan to wear it with its Classy cousins. Maybe I'll pair it with the base shade, but I don't love grey and brown together on the eyelid. That's odd because I have a gorgeous Armani jacket that's grey and brown. Maybe it's a personal hang-up I need to get over.

I didn't need the warm brown, terracotta shade. I should have swatched it at the store. I assumed it would be the color I saw in the compact. It's not, so make sure to try it on your skin before you commit to it.

All in all? I should have skipped this palette. I will selectively use three of the four shades in the palette, but they are not unique. While that's not a problem for me (having duplicates), none of the shades are distinctive enough to have warranted the expense. Had I had the time when I was at Neiman Marcus, I should have swatched only, spending my money instead on a beautiful brown Rouge Pur lipstick I left behind.

See what you think. The collection has arrived at Neiman Marcus. I have not seen it available at other retailers, but I'm sure it will be available soon. I looked on the YSL Web site, but didn't find it.

Photos at top courtesy of YSL Beauté; other photos by Best Things in Beauty