Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Spring 2012 Luminous Creme Blush Review and Swatches

I've been pretty much living in these blushes ever since receiving them from My Beauty Bunny. Read on to find out why.

Taffeta; Tropical Glow; Rose Quartz; Champagne Life

Can you tell I've used Champagne Life more often than the others? It's the first one I tried, mostly because the name is just fantastic. It sounds like what I would've captioned a photo from a high school hotel party or written CHAMP LIFE on my knuckles in Sharpie.

Taffeta; Tropical Glow; Rose Quartz; Champagne Life

What Youngblood says: This oil-free cream-textured blush combines a shimmering glow with sheer, long-wearing color. Can be worn as a cheek color or highlighter, or layered with powder blushes for extra color.

What I like: These shades are so bronzey and gorg for springtime. They have just the right amount of shimmer to brighten up my dull winter skin, without making me look like a disco ball. The texture is unlike anything else I've ever tried; think a moister (real word?) version of the Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush I was crazy about in high school. As an added bonus, Youngblood is a cruelty free, paraben free, and vegetarian company, which we love.

What I don't like: I can imagine the creaminess reading as greasiness, particularly on oily skin. We'll have to wait and see how I feel about these on my combination dry-in-winter-oily-in-summer skin in a few weeks once the Florida summer is in full gear.

Overall: I believe these retail for somewhere around $30 for .21 oz (6 g) of product. To put this in perspective, Mac Cremeblend Blushes are .19 oz (5.6 g) and cost $20. So for the amount of product you're getting, Youngblood Luminous Creme Blush is actually more cost efficient than Mac Cremeblend Blush. Do you need this? If you're partial to cream blush, absolutely. (What are you waiting for? Go now.) If, however, you're a powder blush girl, save your money. There are some really great drugstore options for powder blush, especially Physician's Formula and e.l.f.

XOXO, T

*FTC: I received these blushes as a giveaway prize from My Beauty Bunny.  This in no way affects my opinion of the product, as we pride ourselves in the integrity of our posts.

Why I've Decided to Go Cruelty-Free and My Favorite Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Brands

I should disclose that I'm a complete animal lover. During my twenty-two and a half years on this planet, I've had close to a dozen pets (probably double that if you count fish), including 3 cats, 4 rabbits, one leopard gecko, and a genius Border Collie-Blue Heeler. My Tuffi (below) has the sweetest soul in the world. When I look in her big, brown eyes, I can't imagine how anyone could commit such horrors to an innocent animal.

A few days ago, I saw Beagle Freedom Project - Second Rescue - June 8, 2011, which broke my heart since Beagles are typically such an adventurous, high energy breed. Although the video has a happy ending for these nine puppies, I can't help but think about all the other animals who aren't as lucky.

But the severity of the issue finally hit home for me when I read a Shimmer Kisser article, detailing just what all happens to animals in test labs. I'd always assumed that all that happened in these places was painting bunnies' fingernails or putting mascara on dogs, but learning otherwise made me cry.

I was happy to find that a few of my favorite make-up brands are indeed cruelty-free, including Almay, e.l.f., Estee Lauder, NYX, NYC (New York Color), Physicians Formula, Revlon, Sally Hansen, Sonia Kashuk, Urban Decay, and Wet n' Wild. (In addition to being cruelty-free most e.l.f. products are also vegan, with the exception of a few lip treatment items.)

I also found a pretty extensive list of cruelty-free nail polish brands. (Zoya is vegan, too.)

"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." - Andy Rooney

XOXO, T