Currently Loving: Benefit Dallas + Real Techniques Blush Brush

Sooo life kicked my ass and basically thesis + finals + graduation + a week and a half in Istanbul (!!!) and here I am.  But I am officially doing nothing this summer pre-law school, so time to blog!

I picked up Benefit's Dallas at Sephora two weeks ago, and I have been using it every day since.  Let me contextualize this purchase--I am extremely pale.  Like burning after half an hour in the sun, mistaken for a ghost in photos with flash pale.  I use bronzer and blush, but I have a hard time finding colors that make me look alive without making me look like a clown.  Enter Dallas!  Sephora calls it a rosy bronze, which is exactly what it is.  It'll cost you $28, and comes in Benefit's typical cardboard box packaging that unfolds at the top with a mirror.  It also comes with a flat blush brush, but I was never going to use that, so I gave it away.  How hilarious is that rearing pony over the sunset?  So soapy--in typical Dallas fashion.

It's a mostly matte powder--it has just the smallest hint of silvery shimmer, but barely enough to notice (I didn't even see it until I swatched it), and is fairly sheer, but builds up nicely, like you can see in the swatch.  I apply it with my Real Techniques blush brush (more on that later) on the apples of my cheeks, on top of my cheekbones, and lightly on my chin, nose, and temples.  The combination of blush and bronzer makes for the perfect natural flush--when I tan, I always burn first, so straight up bronzer usually looks unnatural on me.  The hint of rosiness in this combo looks insanely natural, and because of that and the sheerness, this is basically impossible to overdo.  It is literally foolproof--hard to overapply, easy to blend, and looks great even on super pale people!  The lasting power is typical for powders on me--all day, with maybe one touch up around lunchtime if I go to the gym.

Awkward Chic rating: A+!  It's a huge box, so it'll last me forever (and $28 for a blush/bronzer combo isn't bad), it's crazy flattering and easy to use, it smells like roses, and it wears nicely!

Real Techniques Blush Brush: Guys, I love Real Techniques brushes.  They're all synthetic, affordable, and great quality (plus I love the Pixiwoo sisters, so it's a win-win).  I have four now, AND I WANT MORE!  The blush brush is $8.99 at Ulta, and it is a steal.  Let me break it down--it's about 6 inches tall--the height of my palm--has a brushed pink metal barrel and a black plastic base that's wide at the bottom, so you can stand it up on its end, which is super convenient.  The brush head is extremely soft, but packed with bristles, so it's firm enough to pick up a good amount of product.  The rounded head means that the tip picks up product while the edges blend it out for a flawless application.  I can't even tell you guys how fluffy this brush is.  Sometimes I get distracted while putting on my makeup and just play with this brush.  I use it for contours, blush, bronzer, powder, everything!

Awkward Chic rating: A+.  It's hard to find cheap brushes of this quality.  I've paid three times as much for brushes that I like less.  Buy this!