From The Straits Times    |
Clinique Cheek Pop, $39

We’ll be honest here: One of the reasons we’re writing about this new cheek stain is to share a personal blush application tip that we’ve found very helpful in the past weeks, but let’s talk about the product at hand first, shall we.

Clinique’s Cheek Pop is very easy to love, with its clever formula that starts off as a comforting cream in the pot and finishes as a distinctly silky powder on your skin.

Concocted using a slow baking process – “baked” cosmetics being a relatively new beauty buzz which promise superior staying power and colour-true pigments compared to your regular milled powder products – Clinique says that the patented tech responsible for this bit of makeup magic also allows for buildable colour that’s nigh undetectable on your face.

CLINIQUE Cheek Pop Icon Plum Pop $39 b1.png

The allergy-tested, fragrance-free Cheek Pops are available in four Asian-friendly hues; we like the one in Plum (pictured above), which is beautifully flattering for cooler skin tones. For the sheerest of stains, dab on the Clinique Cheek Pop colour of choice using your favourite blusher brush, then dial up the drama by sweeping on another layer or two for night.

Now for a nifty little insider secret. We’ve found that the best way to apply blusher is to envision a horizontal line on your cheekbones, starting from the tip of your ears and extending to the side of your nose bridge. Where are the cheekbones, you ask? Palpate your upper cheeks using your fingers: You should be able to detect the sturdy bone beneath your skin, just above the softer hollows that are your cheeks proper.

What you do next is to swirl a bit of the blush onto a brush – make it a natural bristled one in this instance, because you don’t want to pick up too much product – then start from the middle of the imaginary line on the cheekbone, somewhere below the pupils of your eyes. Sweep the colour out and upwards towards your temples, then blend at the edges for a soft halo effect.

We’ve found that placing your blusher on the cheekbones – as opposed to smiling and then applying on the apples of your cheeks – allows for an immediate “lifting” effect that’s also incredibly subtle and natural to boot. Think of it this way: You aren’t perpetually smiling, so applying on the apples only creates an incongruous circle of colour in the middle of your face that can look garish and unnatural.

Check out Clinique’s Cheek Pop at your nearest cabin, and try on our suggested method for size!

Clinique Cheek Pop, $39 each, is available from March 2014 at Clinique counters island wide. For more information, visit www.clinique.com.sg and follow Clinique Singapore on Facebook.

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