Yves Saint Laurent Blush Volupté 4 Baby Doll

I'm ready for spring. Are you ready for spring?? I am so, SO ready for spring! Alas, the temperatures are not going to be moving much past +5C in this part of the world even in late April, and that's as far ahead a forecast as I could find. So, the months are technically springy, the weather, not so much. To combat my longing for warmth and desire to not have to wear a million layers, I treated myself to a new toy. Did I need a new blush? No, I'm perfectly capable of going through life with just one. Did I want another blush? Yes, yes I did. I've been wanting a bright, blue based pink for ages but couldn't justify it. The wet, windy gloom that's been dominating my skies and will continue to do so for months still, was the final push to inject some much needed colour and excitement into my daily life, and so what if it happens to be in blush form!

I've been salivating over the YSL Blush Voluptés for months. I wanted like five, but I could tone it down to three. For the longest time I couldn't decide whether to add 4 Baby Doll or 5 Favorite to my collection. They are both the kind of cool pink that I wanted and nearly indistinguishable from one another. One time I had each of them on either cheek and honestly couldn't tell the difference. Same thing when swatching them. There is a minute difference, but you'd be splitting hairs looking for it. My mother telephoned me from the duty free shop and asked if I wanted anything. I said yes and instructed her to go check these blushes out and help me choose between 4 and 5, because I was at a loss. She thought the exact same as me, that they were nearly identical. So, I asked her to pick one, for whatever superficial reason (name preference etc), and surprise me. I ended up with Baby Doll and so far am very, very pleased! I say so far, because I got this late last night and wore it for the first time this morning. This is, I suppose, a first impressions post. 

You get a generous amount of product, 9 grams (compared to 4g in my Chanel – booo Chanel!), and they've also updated their compact design. I had a couple of their pressed powders, and while this still shows fingerprints like a mofo, it does feel nicer, weightier and the edges are no longer razor sharp. I love the improvement to the mirror, which seems clearer and a bit more magnifying. The best part is that the hinges now allow the compact to open up much more – not 180 degrees, but plenty to feel comfortable in the hand and to actually be usable when getting ready.

I'm not a fan, per se, of the prevalent Mondrian design YSL have introduced throughout their makeup line (the eyshadows, the blush...), but I do like that the blush comes with two shades that are spaced within the design in a way that it's actually possible to just get one or the other on your blush brush. Granted, I use a smallish Japanese brush, so if you prefer/own bigger brushes, you might be restricted to having to swirl the colours together.

The outer bright pink shade is absolutely gorgeous. It's matte and vibrant, pigmented but not scary. You definitely get the intense colour you see in the pan right away, there's no swirling your brush and counting to 10 mississippi (dastardly glare at you, Chanel). But at the same time, you're very much in control and not in too much danger of over-doing it. There's a sophisticated translucency to this powder. I kept layering and layering it on just to see if I'd get clown-cheeks soon, and trust me, you'd see it coming and stop yourself well before doing any irreversible damage. The little square of pale pink with gold shimmer in the center is incredibly delicate – the amount of sheen it gives is very subtle, in contrast to some Dior blushes for example, where the shimmer is rather noticeable and tends to migrate all over your face. As you'll see in the swatches, there's not much difference between the outer pink on its own and the colour you get when you swirl the two together.

The blush is really nicely packed, there's nearly no product kick up at all, which, in my book, is super important. I hate when chunks of powder break loose whenever you barely touch the surface and kick up a cloud, making the contents of the compact a perpetual mess. This is as smooth as silk and dry, just the way I like it (I'll leave the “soft as buttah” powders to other gals). The blush has a very mild cosmetic, Nivea cream scent to it – non offensive and very faint. I'm personally not bothered by it and am sure it'll smell like nothing at all sooner rather than later.

I really loved the look I got with Baby Doll, it makes me look even more Nordic than I already am, if that's even possible =D. I also applied some of the blush as part of my light eyeshadow look in the crease.

Will this be my go-to everyday blush? Probably not. A warm pink (not to be confused with peach or coral) is more universally flattering on me, which is why 2 Séductrice, 6 Passsionnée and 8 Héroïne are calling my name, particularly since I'm so impressed with the quality and value of this blush. Baby Doll is a bright, vibrant diversion from the murky and mundane for me. It makes me envision spring, summer, warmth and carefree holidays. Perhaps it'll do the same for others as well =).