I love Monday?

Reasons to love Monday-

GossipGirl

The Rachel Zoe Project

Being fresh and rested for the week

-That's all I can come up with. :)

For those of you who are GG fans like me, how gorgeous was Blake Lively last week in that coral dress? If you not only love GG but you also love beauty (like me, and why wouldn't you, as this is a beauty blog) you would notice how she was literally glowing, and would want to steal her look ASAP.

Here is a link to a totally unnecessary recap of the episode and to one of the only pics I could find of her in the dress ( if you click on the pic it gets bigger) - http://talking-gossip.com/episode-guides/season-3/episode-1-reversal-of-fortunes/-

While super gorgeous, Blake's look isn't too hard to figure out. Obviously the main thing is the coral blush, swept along the cheekbones. Also important is a highlighter for this look. A little highlighter above the cheekbones is always good and in the pic it looks like Blake's goes from above her cheekbones to her temple.

The Next thing is a bright berry gloss or lipstick, and eyeshadow in shades of gold. Top it off with black mascara and eyeliner, and you're done.

Now, if only we could steal some of that amazing figure or her sexy easy charm. *sigh*

Have a great week ladies- love,

iCandy

Battle of the Drugstore Blush!

Just to let you know how afraid of looking like a trampy circus clown I used to be, I never used to wear blush (granted, just a few years ago I was a fresh-faced teen so I didn't really need any), but now mineral make-up has appeared to tame my clown-fueled anxietes with blush that is so natural people will just assume you are a beautiful, rosy-cheeked angel and not even realize that you're wearing blush at all!

Blush Challenger #1- L'oreal Paris Bare Naturale Blush

This blush is already way ahead of its competitors just due to the fact that it comes with its own brush. The dispenser is like most other mineral make-up brands, a small container with holes to

shake out the make-up, but sadly, no way to secure it for traveling (perhaps with tape?). Built in brush and packaging aside, the blush blends flawlessly into skin, giving a super natural glow. The formula is extra shiny with a lot of dimension and lasts all day, through work, sweat, and play.

The blush in Pinched Pink works great for my medium skin, just a sweep along my cheekbones gives me a natural wash of color that brightens up my face and makes me look like I spent a few minutes in the sun. The only drawback is that there aren't too many colors to choose from, mostly in the pink and bronze family, but it is a really great quality brush, drugstore brand or not.

Blush Challenger #2- Maybelline NY Mineral Power Naturally Luminous Blush

I bought this blush in True Peach for my vacation last month. The first thing I noticed about it (apart from there being no brush) was that the blush was more matte than shimmery, which is not so great. You want your blush to attract and reflect light, not absorb it. This blush comes in a wider range of colors than the L'oreal blush, most of them seem universally flattering, but just in case you aren't sure which will work for you, the website offers a color matching tool where you enter your skin tone and eye color and it selects the best colors for your coloring.

I discovered that while the blush is not very special on its own (despite the pretty color), it makes a perfect cheek stain when I mix it with equal parts of my rosebud salve, which also gives it a nice shine that the powder alone lacks Using it this way is also nice for summer, because a stain will hold up better than powder in hot weather.

Although both put up a good fight, I have to say that the L'oreal Bare Naturale beats out the Maybelline Blush just by a few hairs, mostly because of the brush and because of the shimmery and long-lasting powder. Let me know which one is your favorite.

love, iCandy