Current favorite cheek combo

Lately I’ve loving going all out in the cheek department. Where before I couldn’t be bothered with more than a hint of blush, I now go for the full monty of contour, blush and highlight. Three steps that require three different products to achieve the look. And even though three products just for cheeks may seem a bit excessive, I find that with these three products I still maintain a natural look.

Nars bronzer Laguna
MAC Extra Dimension blush At Dusk
The Balm highlight Mary-Lou Manizer

And this is them: three products that I now use on a daily basis. At least, I try to. I lay them out every day, but I do not always have the time to apply them as I leave cheeks for the last step before I go out the door. Whenever my eye look takes up too much time, I cannot go beyond blush. Even when all I do is blush I have found myself gravitating towards this MAC blush, so whether I use all three or not, these products is all I’ve been reaching for when it comes to cheek make up.

NARS Laguna bronzer is a cult product in the make up community. I have had this for a long time, but I hardly used it. The reason? Because I didn’t have a brush that applied this naturally onto my skin. I tried regular blush brushes, specially marketed contour brushes and all I got was either a muddy blotch or a harsh line that was difficult to blend out. But then I purchased the Real Techniques Nick’s Picks brush set in London last year and in that collection there is a cheek brush. That was the game changer I needed for my contour application. I now use this brush to apply this and it’s as easy as spreading melted butter.

This MAC Extra Dimension blush in At Dusk was, unfortunately, limited edition. It is a fully matte soft neutral rosy pink blush that goes on quite sheer but is buildable. Since winter and the lack of sunshine have caused my skin to be the palest of pale again, I find this blush is again perfect for my complexion. Come late winter, early spring, my skin resembles that of Snow White and so any blush that is too pigmented or too bright or dark makes me look like a clown. This blush makes for a very natural finish and works every time.

The Balm’s Mary-Lou Manizer was reviewed just two weeks ago. In that review I was super excited about this highlighter and that hasn’t changed. This is the PERFECT highlight for my skin tone. It’s shiny but not shimmery or glittery and it adds the right amount of glow to my skin without fail. I use a highlight brush by Zoeva to apply this and all I need is to tap that into the product and I get a flawless application every time. If you’re still looking for a good highlight that will change the way you see highlight, then this is a great product to try out.

The three products not only have the right amount of pigmentation and a great texture, the colors also go together very nicely. You can see the colors swatched above, as well as applied to my face. I apply NARS Laguna in the hollow of my cheek. I don’t take it too far in because my jawline is fairly narrow already and bringing in my contour too far will make me look gaunt and too harsh. The blush is mostly on the apples of my cheeks. It’s very light and just gives a hint of color, but that;s what makes this perfect for an every day look. The highlight is right above that on the top of my cheek bone. I don’t bring it up too much towards my temple as I don’t find that very pretty. I really focus on the cheek bone.

Close ups can only get you so far, so here you can see the products on my face as you would see it from a distance. I also used the bronzer and highlight on other parts of my face. I used the bronzer to contour my forehead and my nose. The highlight is also on my nose and cupid’s bow. The lipstick I’m wearing is MAC Impassioned.

What is your favorite cheek combo?