YSL welcomes the Lunar New Year with the limited edition Beauty Blossom Collector Blush Palette

In early January 2014 I spotted a very exclusive, limited edition blush palette from YSL Beaute pop up on Makeupstash (always an excellent resource for latest news and reviews) and despite the fact I have been feeling blah about Spring 2014 releases and despite not being a sucker for packaging, I fell hook line and sinker for this one.

What it is, is a specially packaged YSL Bush Radiance No. 6 in a golden compact decorated with Chinese plum blossoms which brings us to the name – Beauty Blossom Collector Blush Palette.

The Chinese character reads ‘chun’ – Spring (It’s one of the very few characters I recognise 😛 )

This beautiful compact is also released in time for the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations which fall on 31 January this year and I don’t think it could have been any more apt in design and execution. The Chinese New Year is a celebration of red and gold and the YSL Beauty Blossom Collector palette sits well amongst all this gaudiness.

Lest you wonder if YSL Beaute has quietly sneaked back into the country, the answer is no. As of now, YSL Beaute isn’t available in Malaysia yet although it might quite possibly change in the near future. Who knows. I got this through Mag of Makeupstash who very quickly helped me snag one of the only 100 pieces available in Singapore and even gifted me a Gloss Volupte Extreme Shine in #207 which is a festive season worthy red. Yes, I have swatched the palette and yes you will get the swatches and low down on it 🙂

I have noticed that this is also available in the UK (Selfridges and Harrod’s £32) and also in Canada (Hudson’s Bay C$55) but not in the USA so it isn’t an Asia exclusive product but neither is it widely available either.

The compact is very lovely with a glossy resin protecting the design on the cover of the compact. The Blush Radiance No. 6 is however a permanent shade so if the case doesn’t appeal to you but the content does, then take heart. You will still be able to get the blush.

Blush Radiance No. 6 is a quartet of different colours and textures in a shade I’d describe as mauve-rose. Each quarter will give you a different shade but it’s very small so the best way to use this is to swirl your brush and apply to cheeks where you will derive a rosy flush on cheeks.

This is actually not a shade I wear often nor will pick for myself if it wasn’t in this palette. As much as I love rosy shade of blush, I find that a deeper rose shade like this one, with it’s slight plummy undertones tend to accentuate the brown tones on my skin which makes pigmentation look more obvious. This is partly the reason I tend to a lighter pink shade because it brightens my skin tone.

Swatches: Left – YSL Blush Radiance No. 6 Right – YSL Gloss Volupte #207

The swatch was done by mixing up the shades in the pan and it is of course applied more heavily to show you how the colour looks. On my skin it takes on a slight plummy undertone so while I do think this is a shade that can be used by most skintones (which is possibly why it was chosen) you may want to stay away if you too, like me, have a problem with pigmentation spots on cheeks.

Longevity was good and I have used YSL blushes before this with a lot of success so it is one to look into if you have the funds and opportunity. Like I said, Blush Radiance No. 6 isn’t one I’d pick for myself if I had a choice, but I couldn’t pass it up in this beautiful compact. Sue me 😀

I dug around a bit to see if I had other blushes that might have a similar shade, so if you miss out on this, but like the colour and want a more affordable (or easier to source) option then you have it.

1. Maybelline Angelfit blush in Strawberry – similar shade but more pink
2. Sleek Makeup Flamingo Blush – closest in shade to YSL Blush Radiance No. 6 but more shimmery
3. YSL Blush Radiance no. 6
4. Chanel Joues Contraste Tumulte – More sheer and more pink and suits my skin better as it brightens my skin more than the YSL one does
5. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Natural Beauty – similar shade but more red toned

Here’s how it looks when I wear it.

I put on a little more than usual so it’d show up better. On deeper skintones, it will show up better as a rosy flush but on fair skintones you may have to be a little careful and use a lighter hand when applying.

I’m also wearing the Gloss Volupte No. 207 Rouge Velours in this face shot just so you have an idea how it looks. It’s a new gloss formula from YSL and it is very pigmented as the swatch above will show. It is in fact, almost like a liquid lipstick, and Mag very kindly picked a colour I’m known to wear – a bright red! But she also cleverly picked one with slightly cooler tones which I feel flatters my complexion better. Talented woman, that one! 😉

I’ll just briefly run this one down with some initial thoughts. I actually love how YSL used gold with silver in their gloss packaging. It’s different and an interesting attention to detail. The cap closes with a click so you know for sure it’s closed properly and it looks good, doesn’t it?

The wand has a rather unique design that allows it to pick up and apply product better on your lips and while I do find that it picks up a little more product than I like, it does make it easier to apply without double dipping.

No. 207 Rouge Velours is a pigmented bright red with a slightly cooler undertone. It will flatter most complexions and brightens up the face almost instantly. I like how the texture is opaque yet not sticky or goopy or heavy. It is very nice to wear and is fairly longwearing. The only thing I’m less keen on is the scent which is the same one present in YSL’s other lip glosses. It’s a fair bit too sweet for my tastes. But if you can get over that, it’s a beautiful texture with good strong colour and lovely glossy shine.

In a nutshell

YSL Beauty has released a special Beauty Blossom Collector Blush Palette in selected countries, which is the permanent Blush Radiance No. 6 in a special limited edition compact with a chinoiserie design in time for the Chinese Lunar New Year. The compact is very lovely and well made and will appeal to collectors of beautiful compacts especially since this one is quite limited in availability. The colour of Blush Radiance No. 6 is a rather medium-deep rosy mauve that will be able to be used by most women, but I feel it to be a little less flattering on my skin as the plum tones accentuates brown spots on my skin. If you have clearer skin than I do, then this shade is very lovely and versatile. But ultimately I’m in this for the packaging 😉 Gloss Volupte is a lovely pigmented lipgloss that is almost like a liquid lipstick. The unique applicator allows you to pick up sufficient product and apply it more easily to lips to coat it more evenly. I love the colour and texture and shine but I’m not crazy about the sweet scent which is present in most YSL lip products. The colour was a perfect fit for me though!

Pros: Blush – Pretty compact, Blush shade will suit light to deep skintones, Finely milled powders make it easy to pick up colour and blend on skin, Not too shimmery nor too matte; Gloss – Strong pigmented colours, Not sticky or tacky, No shimmer, High shine, Lovely packaging

Cons: Blush – Colour may accentuate brown spots on skin, Limited availability of this compact worldwide; Gloss – Strong sweet scent doesn’t appeal to me

Who will like this: Anyone who loves pretty compacts, Anyone who loves shiny pigmented non sticky lipgloss and doesn’t mind the scent

I actually found it very fascinating that YSL released this in conjunction and in celebration of the coming Lunar New Year. It’s a nice nod to the festival and although I’m not all that into Chinoiserie I couldn’t help falling for this one simply because 😀

Were you lucky enough to pick one of these palettes up for yourself? Did it grab your attention too?

I have to say I was very lucky indeed that I could get someone to help me pick this up. We get a lot of Christmas themed makeup but rarely any Chinese New Year themed ones so it’s just really nice that YSL did one, and that I got my grubby mitts on it, of course. Excuse me, any excuse for a blush fiend to pick up another blush hehe… 🙂

Paris B

YSL Beauty Beauty Blossom Collector Blush Palette Price: S$70/£32/C$55 Availability: YSL at Ion Orchard and Takashimaya, Selfridge’s & Harrod’s in the UK and The Bay in Canada Limited Edition: Yes, Chinese New Year & Spring 2014