Urban Decay Afterglow 8- Hour Powder Blush

Blush is not something I would associate with Urban Decay as a brand. They have numerous other products down to a tee, their most famous being eyeshadow with the now cult beauty status Naked palettes. They have added to their repertoire with this latest release, the Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Blush range which contains 12 beautiful shades ranging from soft nudes to a vibrant purple and bright orange- red. The formula is infused with light-diffusing pigments to enhance and perfect the skin, something I think we can all appreciate as sometimes blush can serve to highlight if we're having a bad skin day (or week). 

I may have squealed when I opened the boxes to see the stunning packaging. The blushes are cased in a shiny gunmetal compact with a fishnet cut out UD on the lid that allows you to glimpse the colour contained inside. There is also a magnetic closure which added to my excitement. 

I received three very different shades, Quiver (a medium red), Rapture (a deep mauve with a hint of shimmer) and Indecent (a light peachy nude). The shade range is excellent, I'd imagine these will be popular with make up artists for editorials and because there are great options for a wide array of skin tones. 

Rapture is the only blush of the three that has shimmer. The shimmer however is very fine and not noticeable enough to highlight larger pores or any other skin "imperfections". I found it similar to that of a satin eyeshadow. The only blush I have that is comparable to Rapture is NARS Sin, a similar plum/mauve shade that is perhaps slightly lighter, however this is more finely milled and the shimmer isn't as noticeable which I prefer. 

Indecent is a very natural matte shade, I find I just need a touch of this on my skin tone or it can look a bit muddy. I love to wear shades like this with brown/ bronze eyeshadows like the one I'm wearing above. 

Quiver was probably my favourite of the three in that I have nothing like it in my make up collection. It's a stunning shade in the pan and I was concerned at first as to whether it would work on my very fair skin. Again, you only need a touch of this to get a beautiful rosy red flush. This is the kind of shade that can make blush the focal point of your make up, a look I adore. I've worn this with just lip balm as you can see below and also paired with red lips which works a treat and looks so pretty. You definitely have to be careful to not overdo it with a shade like this, but I think if you're going to invest in one of these blushes I would highly recommend one of the more unusual shades like Quiver. 

I have to say I was totally taken by these blushes from the moment I laid eyes on them. The packaging is without a doubt the most beautiful I've seen in a long time. The texture of the powder is so fine and almost creamy making them a dream to blend on the skin. I love that there is a mixture of matte and shimmer shades and the pigmentation gives them great lasting power. 

I love a blush that gives you that lit from within look, and they do just that, hence the name Afterglow  as well as all the cheeky blush names (which I love). 

Priced at €28 they don't come cheap, but I think they are worth the money in comparison to other high end blushes I've tried like the NARS ones which are more expensive. 

They are available now at Debenhams and House of Fraser Dundrum. 

Emma x