Clinique Cheek Pop and Milani Blush Review

I bought all this myself...

Rather than break it all into separate post and bore you to death (*yawn*), I decided to fold all four blushes from my birthday hurls into one post.

All together now!

Review and more after the jump!

Swatches--

Swatches w/ Daylight Bulb; L to R: Plum Pop, Ginger Pop, Delizioso Pink, Lady Rouge

Now one at a time--

Milani Baked Blush in 10 Delizioso Pink (P)

Milani Delizioso Pink is a magical drugstore blush. A finely milled, highly pigmented cool-toned pink, this color is a god-send for us fair-haired mavens. On darker ladies, it should still show up true-to-color. I have to go a bit lighter for this color on application using a really fluffy brush, but it is a great formula so it blends like a dream. I love this and wish there were more options at all level for blushes like this.

It is one of two new, MATTE blush offerings from Milani and one of the few matte blushes available at the drugstore. Search your local Walgreens (where I found mine!), CVS, or Walmart for this amazing blush. It should run about $7, even less if you can find it on sale and in stock. 

Milani Powder  Blush in 06 Lady Rouge (LE Spr 14)

This Milani beauty is the return of last Spring's amazing cult hit. So good they had to do it twice! This is another option from Milani, who is well-known for having some of the best drugstore blushes out there.

Lady Rouge is a warm, coral red. It is matte, but instead of being baked, it is a pressed powder. It does kick up powder when you swatch it or run a brush through it, so be careful. It is not nearly as finely milled nor as pigmented as the baked blush formula, so that is a bit of a bummer. Lack of dense pigment combined with it's powdery nature makes it go on a bit patchy. While lovely, it does have a shortened wear time on my cheeks also. I don't think I will be going back after the other three.

I got mine at Walgreens on a stroke of luck. Stalk the stores if you want these or try your luck with Cherry Culture later. Should run you around $8, depending on sales and retailers.

Clinique Cheek Pops in 01 Ginger Pop and 04 Plum Pop (LE Spr 2014)

These. *Sigh* These blushes. So cute. So pretty.

Clinique won the Holy Grail here for so many people. I do adore my Milani blushes, but these. Are they powder? Yes. Are they cream? On my cheeks they behave like one. Once the weightless formula hits skin, it seems to melt and become one with skin. No joke. It wears well too with Plum Pop not fading on my face, even after everything eyes started to die, for close to 6 hours and fading nicely after that. Yes. Six hours.

Plum Pop on my cheeks indoors

Plum Pop on my cheeks outside

 I can't believe it. So weightless. Such color. Luminous. My new Holy Grail. You can't really tell with my crap camera, but it looks so flawless and natural on my skin. I used a very heavy hand and it still looked amazing.

All that being said, Plum Pop is a satin, cool-toned pink. It appears to have some fine shimmer that does not translate to the face.  Ginger Pop is an orange-mauve with warm undertones. It also has some fine shimmer but same story as with Plum Pop. There are two other colors available.

The Cheek Pops are suppose to be limited edition for Spring at $21 each, but I hope that they decide to expand the line. The formulation is just magic. Available at counters (where I bought mine) and online at places like Sephora and Clinique.