Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Morale

I've always been a huge fan of Illamasqua, so when I finally got a chance to peruse their new boutique at The Bay Yorkdale in November, I jumped at the chance to pick up some new goodies (especially since I had some gift cards that I got for my birthday). I have several of Illamasqua's blushes now, and all of them are matte shades because that's all they used to make, but they've since added a few shimmery options, so I picked up two of them. Each Illamasqua Powder Blusher comes in black plastic stylized square compacts with clear lids, contains 4.5 grams of product, and retails for $26 at Illamasqua boutiques and $32 at Sephora locations.
Morale

Morale is a medium cool-toned cotton candy pink with magenta undertones and gold iridescent shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. This shade was originally launched with 2011's Theatre of the Nameless collection, and is permanent. It has a soft, finely-milled, almost buttery texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is brighter and cooler than MAC Gentle Mineralize Blush, cooler and more frosted than NARS Angelika and Tarte Adored, and darker and cooler than NARS Gaiety.

As a blush fiend/hoarder, I like to think that I have pretty much all the different kinds of blush shades out there, but this one is surprisingly unique to me. It's that kind of pink that is definitely cotton candy but has an undercurrent of magenta that gives it more depth. Moreover, it has a gorgeous shimmer-sheen to it that leaves skin looking beautifully illuminated, which isn't that common in pinks like these. In certain lighting, it looks more cotton candy and in others, it looks more rosy or magenta. The best thing about this blush is the texture, which is just so smooth and buttery. It's really pigmented but also blends out like a champ so you can really get a really nice bright pop of colour or a gorgeous diffused "perfect flush" glow. Because of this, it works all on skintones from fair to dark. The gold shimmer gives it a warmth that keeps it flattering for warmer undertones, too (and I find that those with warmer undertones tend to also make cooler shades warmer on the skin). A great shade for the transition into Spring.