rimmel lasting finish soft colour blush: #010 santa rose

I've never really been a huge blusher type of girl. I'll take eyeliner, brows, or even lipbalm over flushed cheeks any day, and my minuscule collection consists mainly of bright coral pink hues. I decided it was about time I step up my game and add a bit of variety into my everyday cheek colour — but it did take me a while to decide on which one. I wanted something natural and fuss free; something preferably from the 'drugstore' (nothing is considered drugstore in New Zealand, really) so I wouldn't have to break the bank.

Cue Rimmel's Lasting Finish Soft Colour blush in #010 Santa Rose ($6.98). I came across this on ASOS the other day and vaguely remember Alix (icovetthee) mentioning this in her makeup collection video. I did a quick Google search, and it popped up on a lot of bloggers' favourites, top blushes, and 'best mediocre looking product that turns out to be amazing' lists. 

Complete with scratches on the flimsy looking plastic lid; the packaging isn't the best. Still, I definitely do appreciate the makeover it has had — the design is much better than the old trapezium shaped packaging, and the embossed Union Jack on the surface is a nice touch. I was initially worried that the colour would be too light on my medium Asian skin tone, but I couldn't be more wrong. While powdery when picked up with a brush, the pigmentation is on par with a lot of higher end brands. The trick to this blush is to apply with a light hand and avoid going overboard (which I did the first time. My cheeks resembled a monkey's butt). On my skin tone, it comes off as a warm peachy pink, with just a hint of brown.

I highly recommend these blushes; they're great quality, affordable, and a good beginner's product to start off with. ASOS is one of my favourite online sites to pick up beauty products — they often have discounts (permanent 10% if you're a student, which I sadly no longer qualify for), free shipping, and they stock a range of products unavailable in New Zealand (Bourjois, Pixi, Paul & Joe, just to name a few). I have a number of sites that I use and trust when it comes to online shopping, but we'll save that for another time.