Tackling summer trends: favorite summer blushes!

Hey guys!  Today I'm continuing with my summer trends series with a post on my top blushes for the summertime.  Most of these follow the peachy-pink trend that seems to always be in style during the warmer months, but I also threw in two others that rank high on my list.
I used to feel really "meh" towards wearing blush.  I was shy towards using much color at all, fearing it would make me look too much like a clown; I'd end up using really sheer blushes that you could hardly even tell I was wearing.  Now, though, I've come to realize why blush is so important!  It's one of the easiest ways to perk up your face and make you look younger.  And, of course, you have to find the right way to apply it for your face shape along with getting the color you like best.  I used to think peachy pinks looked terrible on me, but I've found that ones with enough pink in them can be very flattering!  Since I think you can also wear other colors during the summer, I included a shimmery bronze and vivid lilac shade in this post as well- together, they all scream "summer" to me!  (PS- I have quite a bit of these because I rotate the blush I wear daily.  I'm sure a lot of you can relate :)

Clockwise from upper left: Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends blush in Fresh 20,  Hard Candy Fox in a Box blush in Spicy & Sweet, Darling Girl Cosmetics blush in Yes, Virginia!, DCG blush in Paradise Pink

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends sheer highlighting blush in Fresh

This is a blush I use when I'm doing a brighter pink or purple eye look and I want a soft, cool wash of color on my cheeks.  It's soft yet bright, so it creates a nice balance for vivid eyes.  I actually didn't use this much until recently, when I started playing around a bit more with color.  It's very sheer so I don't recommend it if you prefer more pigmented blushes.

Hard Candy Fox in a Box blush in Spicy & Sweet

You can read my full review of this here.  I usually swirl together the pinker shades, avoiding the brown, but all the brown does really is mute the final color and make it more peach (as in it doesn't make the color muddy).  This can be pretty bold for me- and the color leans pretty deep- but in small amounts it's gorgeous.

Darling Girl Cosmetics blush in Yes, Virginia!

This isn't as WHOA PURPLE as it looks in the jar or in my swatches, first of all!  It's subdued and pretty on cheeks and I love the finish.  Like Paradise Pink, it's almost-matte with a tiny amount of sheen.  I love this for a cooler-toned blush, perfect with neutral or purple/pink/violet eyes.

Darling Girl Cosmetics blush in Paradise Pink

On my NC20ish skin, this gives a really natural and flattering look- like you're wearing blush, but it's not in your face.  It's more on the peachy side with less pink, but its finish (same as Yes, Virginia!) makes it natural.  I will probably buy this in a full size the next DGC order I make.  I love it!

Clockwise from upper left: ELF Studio Contouring Blush/Bronzer, ELF Studio Golden Bronzer, ELF Studio blush in Twinkle Pink

ELF Studio Contouring Blush/Bronzer, blush side

This has been a long-time favorite of mine, despite my "meh" feelings towards glittery blush.  The soft color makes it more tolerable, I think.  This is pretty orange for what I normally gravitate towards, but I actually love this a lot.  It's also perfect in combination with the contouring bronzer (who would have thought..).

ELF Studio Golden Bronzer

No I STILL haven't finished this yet!  I purchased this at the beginning of last summer, but having used it so many times I was pretty sure it would be gone by now (and since I hit pan on it several months ago).  When I'm in the mood for a shimmery bronzer, this is what I use.  It's light in color and the shimmer isn't chunky, so it gives my face a really nice "glow".  A little on the cheekbones, temples, and nose looks wonderful.

ELF Studio blush in Twinkle Pink

This is a new one, and it's not the best quality blush, but the color is really pretty.  I should note that if you have the Studio Contouring blush/bronzer, the blush color is pretty similar, just a little more orange-toned.  This one has more pink in it, but as you can see in my swatches below, they're very close in color AND finish (same type of gold glitter).  However, Twinkle Pink is much more powdery, more so than my other Studio blushes.  It's a gorgeous peachy pink for summer, though!

Swatches:

L-R with flash: DCG Yes, Virginia!, ELF Studio Contouring Blush/Bronzer (blush), ELF Studio Twinkle Pink, Hard Candy Spicy & Sweet, DCG Paradise Pink, Neutrogena Fresh, ELF Studio Golden Bronzer

Hopefully this shows the sparkle/glitter a little better!

Hope you guys enjoyed this!  My next post will be my June favorites (I don't have too many), and then I have a few photo tutorials in the works.  Thanks for reading, like always. :)

xox