Review: Australis Creme Colour Blush

I never paid much attention to Australis Cosmetics until the beginning of this year. The packaging is so teen-oriented, I always walked past their rack towards other brands. It's a little like Silkygirl in Malaysia - its not the first display you go to when you want to check out new arrivals.

Until you realise that the brand is full of undiscovered gems.

Take this blush for example. It caught my eye when I was going through a cream blush phase a few moons ago and turned me into an Australis convert since.

(Doesn't it look so pretty against my hat?)

Actually, this little pot of pink is meant for both cheeks and lips. I have tried it both ways and very much prefer using it as a blush instead of a lip colour for three reasons: first, the strong lavender scent makes me a bit wary of putting this near my mouth; second, one of the ingredients makes my lips itch; and third, I feel a bit iffy about double-dipping in pots and all that. A little odd as I ordinarily wouldn't give two hoots about hygiene issues.

It must be the lavender scent which is making me think twice.

I bought this in Dusky Rose, which as you can see from the swatch, is a pretty bright pink blush so it's easy to go overboard and look like Bozo the Clown. The best way of applying this blush is to lightly swipe the surface with your fingers and pat it onto your cheeks, before blending out lightly with a kabuki if needed.

Voila! Instant English rose pretty.

I have tried using a stippling brush but nothing quite beats using the fingers for applying this blush. I suspect that it's because this product contains quite a bit of oil and wax, which gives it a lot of 'slip' and makes it a little sticky.

This blush works best for me on bare skin, with a little bit of primer underneath. It has a tendency to wear off faster over foundation so I only take this out on days when my skin is on its best behaviour and want a bit of a pretty flush on my cheeks.

Something I realised recently is that this product is a deadringer for Bloom's Sheer Colour Cream, from the packaging and texture, right down to the lavender scent.

Australis Creme Colour Blush retails for AUD 8.95 and comes in three colours: Flirtatious Pink, Dusky Rose and Chocolate Truffle. Bloom's version costs AUD 22. Guess which one I am going for?