It's time for Deal or Dud! No one likes wasting money on products that are not worth your time or money. That's why I created this new series called Deal or Dud. If it's a Deal, then you and your wallet will be happy. If it's a Dud, well, now you can avoid another disappointment . Will the City Color Blush Quad be worth your money or should you skip it? Find out now!
Blush palettes are life. Their cute, colorful, useful and fun. Its not a rare thing to see a high end blush palette but when the drugstore comes out with a promising blush palette its like topping on a cake. In this case the pretty cupcake is City Color Cosmetics Intense Blush quad in "Collection 2".
I found this 4 pan City Color blush quad at my local 5 Below for $4. If a 5 Below isn't in your area, then you will have to make an order online (buy here). Unfortunately, City Color is not available in stores and its also more expensive online ($7.99). There are 3 different quads available and each one has a different color theme. The quad I found has a warm bronzy theme with a bright coral pink and burnt red.
I wasn't crazy about the picture above but I had a hard time getting my camera to capture the color of the blushes. However, I wanted to upload atleast one picture, bad or good, that shows the true color of each blush. So yeah, here it is.
This blush does have Talc in it. Some blushes with Talc break me out, others don't. If your skin is sensitive to Talc, skip this blush and explore other brands like Makeup Geek or Physicians Formula. Also keep in mind that this palette does have parabens as well.
I actually really like the packaging of this palette. Some people have trouble opening it up. I don't but I do have longer nails. Each blush is in a pot (great for depotting), which keeps them from shattering so easily if you drop it. Right now I am secretly clapping my hands because I only dropped it twice.
I wouldn't call the texture creamy but its not dry either. They have that classic blush texture that is soft and smooth. When I first swatched it the indentation made the product feel stiff but after the first layer the blush softened. It doesn't have a gritty texture or a chalky consistency, which can be a problem with cheaper blushes. But I'm quite surprised by how much I like the texture of this blush formula. It's similar to some high end blushes I own.
The only problem with the blush formula is how easily the powder kicks up. When I dip my brush into the product a lot of excess powder gets all over the pan. Which I guess that's not a huge problem. I'm not usually discouraged by a product when it has that simple flaw. In the end it all depends on how it applies and wears. I personally don't mind if I have to blow the excess powder off when I'm done.
The pigmentation is just incredible. Really the blushes might be too pigmented for some people. It would be easy to go into clown mode in an instant without meaning to. When I first used this palette I went ham with the bronze shade(first swatch on left) and ended up looking like an oompa loompa. So I definitely recommend tapping your brush a few times before applying blush to your face.
Despite being highly pigmented, they do blend out beautifully. As you can see in the picture above they sheer out to wearable colors that appear semi matte on the skin. I particularly like the bronzey shades for warming up my face or their great for days when I cant wear obvious pink blush because of breakouts. The other two shades are definitely more bright but from experience they can be sheered out for a wearable and desirable look. By the way, If you have darker skin this palette would suite you very well.
The wear time is a lot longer than I expected. I figured with a cheap palette like this I wold only get maybe around 4 hours. To my surprise, every blush lasted for around 7-8 hours, which is the average wear time of my makeup before I wash it off. Even better, I think a couple of the darker blushes might have slightly stained my cheek, but I guess with any shade that bright it's not that surprising.
Deal or Dud?
Overall, I really like this quad.. It's affordable, and the blushes are pigmented, blendable, & soft. This would be a great buy for beginners who are building a collection or even makeup hoarders like myself. The packaging might seem bulky to some people but I love it. I would feel confident packing it into my suitcase without worrying if it's going to break.
This drugstore find is definitely a deal!
Are you going to purchase this palette?
Do you own any of the other palettes?
Let me know in the comments below!
