My Cheeky Trio

What you see before you may be my all time favourite trio of cheek products. Since obtaining these little beauties, I've been using them as a trio on my cheeks (or a quad, since the Bourjois product contains both bronzer and highlighter but heyho!) and the result is rather lovely. I use the Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow to slightly contour - a process I think I've officially mastered thanks to the Real Techniques Contour Brush, who'd have thought?! - the Bourjois bronzer lightly just to warm up my complexion, since my very slight hint of tan has all but abandoned me and I'm back to my pale ways, and the highlight side lightly on my cheekbones and up onto my brow bone. The highlight is a lovely, lovely subtle highlight. I've read some reviews where people have said they're quite disappointed with its subtlety, but I think it's a selling point personally, if I wanna go all out and glimmer the day away I'll just bust out Mary-Lou! The final point of my trio application is NYX Blush in Peach. I picked this up in Next a few weeks back and it's been on my cheeks almost exclusively since. The colour is the most beautiful pale pink shade, and the finish is quite sheer so it's difficult to over-do it, but easy enough to layer for a more intense colour. I find this shade to be absolutely perfect for my cool-toned complexion (as a note, the Rimmel Light Porcelain shade of foundation is a perfect match for me, if you're around that sort of skin tone, I'd urge you to check out Peach. It's massively complimentary) and can see myself wearing it into the depths of winter. 

Bar the Illasmasqua pigment, the products are all quite affordable (saying that, though, I also own NYX Taupe blush and that works in a very similar way - I just don't have it with me and slightly prefer the ease of application with Hollow, but Taupe would be a good substitute for a lower budget) and I'm very, very happy with the results. Cheek makeup is the one thing I always feel like I accidentally go overboard on and it's not something I have to worry about with this little combination of bits :)

What are some of your favourite cheek products, any recommendations?

A New Found Love - Illamasqua Hollow

Illasmasqua is a brand I've wanted to try out for the longest time - with this being one of the products in particular. It's raved about in the beauty world for being the best contour for people with pale skin, and I have to say I agree! It's difficult to find a product that's not too dark/orange/murky to use on pale skin and Hollow certainly cuts the mustard with being absolutely perfect for it. As the name suggests, it has the ability to make your cheeks look hollowed out without looking unnatural, and I believe it's absolutely worth its price tag.

The product is a cream, and one that's surprisingly long wearing. I actually find it difficult to get off my hand when swatching it for whatever reason. Although these are marketed as multi purpose products, I've yet to try it anywhere but my cheeks for fear it'll crease on my eyes and this isn't the sort of colour to use on your lips, ha!

The product is highly pigmented and so so so easy to blend you'll be done before you even know it. I've already mentioned how perfect the colour is for fairer skins, but I think if your skin is much darker than fair-medium, this isn't likely to work for you, and you'll need something a little darker. I daresay Illamasqua offer something darker in the same product family though, although I haven't checked personally, but it may be worthwhile looking into. Another thing I like about the product is its quirky packaging - I actually spent a good five minutes trying to figure out how to open it (the lid lifts off, and I was trying to twist it. Oops!) and then another couple going "look, it's all curvy!" to my boyfriend, with a bemused expression and "yes Charlotte" being the basis of the reply I received.

Swatch of Hollow against my arm. I've not been matched to a MAC foundation shade, but I'm equivalent to an NC15, for reference.

If you've got fair skin and want to check out a good contouring shade, I'd definitely recommend Hollow. For something cheaper and a powder formula, NYX Taupe blush is absolutely wonderful also, I've written a post on that here.

What's your favourite product for contouring?