Misleading Names: Blusher

Let's continue our foray into naming conventions for blush, blusher, or rouge.

I delved into 3 brands blush products today and did a few hours of research on how many types, the names, descriptions they provide, and if the information was provided on their packaging.

The first company I looked into was Urban Decay. Their Naked products are so popular I assumed they would have a few "Naked" blushes. They didn't. They had one contour combo with a description but not on the packaging, online only. That's really all there is to say...next.

The second company I delved into was NYX. This was the most interesting research of the day. NYX not only had the cutesy names they had in-depth descriptions of each color, on each of their 7 types of blushers and 1 palette; these included tone, undertone, and shimmer or sheen, if any. The only problem is they do not include this on their packaging and some of the names were extremely misleading. Their HD Studio Photogenic blush has a "Georgia Peach" that is a light soft pink, not a peach. I thought maybe peach is technically a "light soft pink," it definitely isn't a primary color but they don't use "light soft pink" as the description for their truly peach blushes.

NYX Truly Peach Blushes: PB= Powder Blush, HDGB= HD Grinder Blush, BBL= Baked Blush, and SB= Stick Blush.  

• AMERICAN GIRL (HDGB05)- Soft peach
• SUGAR MAMA (BBL12)- Soft peach
• WANDERLUST (BBL06)- Iridescent peach
• PEACHY (MPB04)- Golden peach
• Orchid- Peachy-pink with gold sheen
• Tickled- Shimmery peach pink
• APRICOT (PB32)- Pink peach with gold shimmer

NYX Misleading Named Blushers (a few, not all):

• PEACH (PB06)- Matte baby pink
• TERRA COTTA (PB12)- Shimmery rosegold
• MOCHA (PB01)- Matte mid-tone pink
• GEORGIA PEACH (HDGB01)- Soft light pink
• APRICOT (HDGB02)- Plum-pink
• HIBISCUS (SB03)- deep beige pink

PB32

"APRICOT"

HDGB02

"Apricot" is used both correctly and incorrectly. When I think of Apricots I think of peachy-pink like the first image. Since the second one is called "Apricot" and it comes in a different format I would assume that when I applied it it would appear as Apricot, on my skin, that the powder consistency just makes it look pinker. So I would buy it and be disappointed, highly disappointed and left feeling mislead. NYX's powder blush in this color is a correct representation, on the other hand, their HDG blush in plum-pink, is not. The description provided on the full website, only, makes that clear. If you have an iPhone/Smartphone you have to go to NYXCosmetics.com, in the store as your browsing, and click on Full Site, to get color descriptions. The mobile site does not provide any description of color and if you don't know that you need to look you'll most likely end up with a different color than you thought most times (I'll list NYX's colors and descriptions, by type, in a separate post for your convenience.)

Last but not least I took a look at Maybelline's line of blushes. They list 5 types, one is a very soft peach almost beige skin-toned highlighter, in stick, cream, powder, and mosaic form. All of their blushes, no matter what form, come in the same 5 color schemes; nude, rose, pink, mauve, and coral. The only exception to this is their Dream Bouncy blush this comes in a combo gel/powder texture in 10 colors all named with a color or indication of color. The packaging, again, does not list the description but they don't really need to; the name and look say it all. Maybelline is true to their conventions. The only thing about this that I found disheartening was that I have never, not ever, seen their full line of blushes in stores, any store. Their Fit Me blush comes in the 5 based colors mentioned but in light, medium, and deep; making 15 Fit Me blushes, altogether. Have you ever seen all 15 in any store? I haven't. Their Dream Bouncy brand is the only blush I've seen their full line, in stores. Disappointing considering that after all my research I would buy Maybelline over NYX if I didn't have my iPhone on me and I wanted to trust the name and color listed or just not have to go through the trouble of going to the full website to get the information I need as a consumer.

Our winner for the day, by a landslide, is Maybelline and their 4 blush types in 5 base colors!!!!!! MAYBELLINE PUT THE FULL LINE IN STORES, PLEASE!

Name that Color- Blush

Hi All,

So, I'm going to let you in on just a little of the research I've done on naming conventions. I decided that I would focus on Blusher or Blush, first.

I contacted Too Faced, Cover Girl, and Bellisma. Some of you may not know the celeb make-up artist/plus-sized model Rosie Mercado but she is the owner of Bellisma a niche online cosmetic line. Cover Girl, we all know, a make-up company under the P&G umbrella sold in drugstores and Too Faced a higher-end, fairly young, cosmetic line known for their bronzers. I'm waiting for replies from these companies and will email more but wanted to give you a little peek into what one of these companies provides as descriptions for their Blushes.

General gist of the emails;
Why do you name the blushes you sell the way you do? Where can I find color information? Do you know the undertones? Why do you released color base for some and not others?


Too Faced-
Number: 3 with varying colors and 2 palettes
Types: Pressed powder, Trio shimmer powder, Creme, Natural and No Make-up palette

The Secret To No Makeup Makeup (Palette1)

Description: We all know you’re a natural beauty. But why not flaunt what you were born with?  This collection is dedicated to complexion perfection. With everything you need to create a flawless, “It’s just me” look, it’s a must-have for any home beauty kit and ideal for traveling (or sleepovers at his place).

(Middle Top) Creme Blush "Luminize," (Middle Bottom) Press Blush "Brighten" 

 Full Bloom Creme Blush

Description:  Mother Nature, eat your heart out. Our pigment-rich, creamy blush effortlessly blends onto cheeks and lips, flushing them with natural-looking, luminous color. The hydrating, blendable formula can be layered to any level of intensity, from barely-there to vivaciously-vampish.

Colors: Prim & Poppy, Tea Rose/Dusty Rose, and SweetPea/Sheer Berry

Can you guess which is which? At least they give you a hint, the cutesy name and color. Although I don't really know what type of berry or poppy. Too Faced isn't the worst they do give an indication of color and a cutesy name. They have very cute packaging but I own the Sweetheart blush in Peach glow and trust me it's not a glow. They incorporated an enormous amount of gold flecks (finely ground) but the word glow conjured a different outcome in my mind, at least. What do you think "glow" should produce? 

More to come...