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You may have noticed something about Shameless Fripperies. Something has been missing. I’m here to fill the gaping void in your heart: we are going to talk about blush.

But why don’t you like blush, Karima? I do like blush…on other people. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had an irksome rosiness in my cheeks and it seems so counter-intuitive to conceal my natural flush to then reinstate it. For those who are naturally rosy 24/7 like myself, here are some mechanisms I’ve learnt to pull off blush and actually look good.

1. To work with your natural flush, counteract redness in the areas where saturation is undesirable- generally speaking this is on the jawline, close to the nose and on the temples. Let your cheeks run bare, I tend to employ this technique most of the time.
2. A lot of ‘gurus’ say you should select a blush shade based on the shade you naturally flush, I’ve always found this unflattering and frankly, it makes me look sunburnt. Instead I opt for tones I do not naturally exhibit to give my flush a slightly different nuance. EG: I have reddened cheeks so I opt for peach hues.
3. My most successful blush placement has been just off the apples of the cheek, more towards the side of my face. Again, I steer well away from the center of my face to avoid a permanently embarrassed-looking complexion.

Enough about that, please welcome Tom Ford Love Lust.

Tom Ford Love Lust Blush

In the pan, Love Lust can be described as a decidedly warm, brightened coral with golden shimmers. On the skin, however, it pulls a more golden muted coral with a fine, even shimmer (I detect gold, peach and perhaps a bit of pink). As a blush noob and non-collector, I was surprised to find that I had somewhat similar colour families in my existing blush wardrobe.

Tom Ford Love Lust Blush

Behold brightened corals, pinky corals and Illamasqua Lover thrown in for good measure (and to contextualize the warmth and shimmer of Love Lust).

Natural light (as always, you can click for bigger picture)

Tom Ford Love Lust Blush

And direct sunlight

Tom Ford Love Lust Blush

Compared to Love Lust, By Terry Rose De Rose Liquid Blush Coral Rose has a peachier base with A LOT OF cooler shimmer. Chanel Joues Contraste Reflex has a harder texture (courtesy of the baked formula), rosier hue and the iridescence, although fine, is not as densely packed. Benefit Bella Bamba is pinker and a hellovalot grittier. NARS Deep Throat is pinker (why do people keep calling this peach?!) and less shimmery. Illamasqua Lover is unapologetically matte and downright orange by comparison, so there. Additionally, Love Lust is not a dupe of NARS Orgasm, which I disliked so intensely that I purged immediately without hesitation.

Here we have a familiar face.

Tom Ford Love Lust Blush

Tom Ford Love Lust Blush

And dramatic zoom. DUN DUN DUN. Get in close and personal.

Tom Ford Love Lust Blush

The lowdown

Let’s start with the good. The colour is undeniably pretty and warm enough that it doesn’t exacerbate my natural redness; I anticipate that the muted coral paired with the golden shimmer will mesh beautifully with tan skintones. The texture is among the softest of the aforementioned above and the pigmentation is moderate – pronounced enough that application is effortless but not so pigmented that you ought to proceed with care. Longevity is a major plus: Love Lust refused to budge over a 12 hour day (this included a post-dinner nap, of which I indulge frequently and am now known for).

Now for the bad. You’d think that fine and evenly dispersed shimmer would be desirable but in practice, it reads a bit frosty. Any uneven skin texture screams “OH HAI I’M HERE”, which I noticed most in direct sunlight so I’m thinking this is more of an evening blush, as the shimmer pictures beautifully. Price isn’t usually a downfall for me but at 55USD you’d expect both love and lust at first swipe (see what I did there?) but the frostiness limits the practicality of this blush.

Overall, I enjoy Love Lust enough to keep it, which says a lot because I am a purge-a-holic, but I’m not raving about it…it’s just a ‘nice’ blush to me.

Do you own any of the Tom Ford Blushes? I wouldn’t mind getting one more, for science. Send me your recommendations!

xxkarima

Complete list of products mentioned

Blush
Blush
Color Blush
Color Blush
Powder Blush
Powder Blush
Powder Blush
Powder Blush
* Denotes products sent for consideration. Iā€™m always honest with my reviews :)

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    1. Hey Debbie šŸ™‚ Glad you liked it. It’s so simple that I’m not sure I could even create a tutorial out of it- I used Armani Lasting Silk Foundation (4.5), MAC Prolongwear Concealer NW20 (under eyes), Tom Ford Love Lust on the cheeks (obviously) and Edward Bess Forbidden Flower on the lips. xxkarima

  1. Hi Karima, love the professional outlook of your blog and youtube videos. I am also a huge Lisa Eldridge fan and the quality of your youtube videos are seriously up there. You are my favourite youtuber, really witty and informative videos.

    Keep up the good work, I’m sure you’ll make it big soon!

    Loves from Singapore!

  2. Thanks for this! I hate orgasm on me because it highlights all of my my cheek splotchiness/acne hyperpigmentation. I also vastly prefer peachy blushes on my face to minimize that effect. I have benefit’s Coralista and like that but it doesn’t have the staying power I’m looking for. I’ve been eyeing this blush for a long time and now I can feel confident pulling the trigger without having to try it on in person.

    1. Hey Sasha! I tried to give the pros/cons because it’s a pricy product and people ought to be well informed before making such a purchase. I’ve never tried Coralista but I’m interested! I’m glad you found the review helpful šŸ™‚ xxkarima

  3. Hi. First time commenter, long time reader here. I think you look *stunning* in these pics. I dont see any of the frostiness you speak of in these pictures, and I own Love Lust (and 3 other Tom Ford blushes) and love them! I like your hair here too. How much longer till you can wear eye make-up again?

    I just tracked down the Suqqo Frame Fix Cream Foundation based on your recommendation and can’t wait for it to arrive! I live in the States and purchased it sight unseen from one of the websites you recommended, so that’s how much I trust you! Haha.

    Please do more videos! šŸ™‚

    1. Hey Suzanne šŸ™‚ Welcome!
      Thank you so very much! I think the frostiness comes down to me being ultra picky- I thought it was worth a mention. As for eye makeup, I’m just taking each day as it comes but I estimate a few more months, unfortunately!
      Oh oh! Do report back on the SUQQU Frame Fix Cream Foundation! I hope you love it as much as I do šŸ™‚ And I’m very flattered that you trust my recommendations, I like to think that my reviews are impartial/critical where need be. xxkarima šŸ™‚

  4. Great review! I really enjoy the way you word your posts — very eloquent, witty and fun.
    You are so damn beautiful, and this blush looks stunning on you. Love it!

    BTW, have you tried the eyeshadow blend brush 13 from TF? I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

    Cheers šŸ™‚

    1. Hey Jen! Thank you thank you <3 too kind. I do own the TF 13 blender, it's probably my next review so keep your eyes peeled! I've been meaning to review it for ages, it's a great brush. xxkarima

  5. I really like your blog, but normally im a phantom visitor, never tell nothing but i really like what you do, this time I want comment because yayyyyyyy have someone like me who thinks the same way about blush =D Im really happy for see that!!
    We have the same color skin and i dont like my natural flush and dont like use a lot a blush yet, I had Bella bamba like you, and another one that I really like is Terracota light on shade 3 dark, using just a little bitte this bronzer with blush give a discrete shade and a beautiful natural flush.

    Thanks a lot for the amazing reviews and videos
    xoxo

  6. Hey Karima! I really think you might like Coralista- and if you end up not liking it on its own- its a great color to layer with others since it isn’t super pigmented. I swapped away love lust (because it really was not right on me), and Frantic Pink which just made me look strange… but that’s probably my skin tone’s fault. But I have and adore Ravish and Wicked. Ravish is my favorite blush. I am totally shocked because I usually go for light pinks, but applied lightly with my Suqqu cheek brush, it is gorgeous! I always wear it when I’m wearing the Cognac Sable quad.

    1. I’ll take a look at Coralista and Ravish- I hear lots of great things about the latter and it’s not normally a colour I gravitate towards but I’m willing to give it a go! I love Cognac Sable <3 Thank you! x

  7. Hello from France! I really enjoy your videos. They’re entertaining and knowledgeable which is great. Not only have I bought a couple of things based on you liking them, i.e. le blanc de chanel, but I’ve got a list of things that I would like to get next, i.e. the viseart matte palette.
    Does Australia have a kiko make up shop, yet? I’m sure you’d love it. Great make up finds – great value, really cheap.
    One question:
    I’ve got some redness at the top off my cheeks – one side more than the other. Are peaches and corals the best solution for me? Should I stay away from rosy ones altogether? Thanks .

    1. Hey Tina!
      So glad you enjoy my recommendations šŸ™‚ Australia doesn’t have Kiko, sadly. I purchased a few of their products while in Europe, it’s such a fun store!
      If you conceal your redness altogether, you’ll have more flexibility as to what blush you choose. Personally, I steer away from strong rosy blushes but it is trial and error, try it on and determine whether YOU feel it makes you look sunburnt. Comes down to preference, I find that peaches are good at detracting from surface redness, if that’s what you’re aiming to do.
      Hope this helps šŸ™‚ x

  8. I own most of Tom Ford blushes except Frantic Pink. I do agree with Deb that Ravish is indeed astonishing and has been my favorite blush since I bought it. Ravish is versatile, it can matched with most of the eyeshadow that I wear. Before Tom Ford, I was a Chanel CJ blush lover who tend to gravitate towards blue tone pink as I have fair complexion. I do highly recommend Ravish and Savage. Really worth the splurge, at least from my point of view.