This was the first product I received in the Lookfantastic advent calendar and after using everything, I have to say this is also my favorite of the bunch. Considering that Natasha Denona is a an expensive brand, I was hoping that I would get to see that there is nothing so special about the formula, but I have to say that out of everything I currently have in my makeup collection, this is my favorite blush. Or even highlighter to be fair, although I’m not a big fan of highlighters.

Packaging:

The powders come in a very beautiful looking golden case, although it’s not metallic, it’s made of plastic and it’s very light. There is also a small mirror in there, but I couldn’t use it to be honest, because it’s so small. The writing on the lid is very similar to the color of the case, but I noticed some high end brands prefer to make it that way to make it seem more simple and elegant. The powder duo contains 4 grams in total, but it’s enough because honestly, it takes a long time to use up blushes and highlighters. I used this dup very often since I got it and I barely made a dent in it.

Texture:

The powders are so finely milled but they are still compact and don’t have kick back. Even the highlighter is still shiny but without containing chuncky glitter. Both the blush and the highlighter are easy to pick up on a brush, but it’s not too powdery. This is a blush and glow duo for a reason: both the blush and the highlighter are giving a radiant effect on the skin.

Ingredients:

Blush Golden Coral-

TALC, MICA, DIMETHICONE, OCTYLDODECYL STEAROYL STEARATE, ZINC STEARATE, ISOSTEARYL NEOPENTANOATE, POLYBUTENE, ISOPROPYL ISOSTEARATE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, TIN OXIDE, HEXYLENE GLYCOL, TOCOPHEROL, LECITHIN, ASCORBYL PALMITATE, GLYCERYL STEARATE, GLYCERYL OLEATE, CITRIC ACID

[+/-]:

CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), CI 15850 (RED 7 LAKE), CI 77491 (IRON OXIDES)

All Over Glow Light-

TALC, MICA, DIMETHICONE, POLYMETHYLSILSESQUIOXANE, OCTYLDODECYL STEAROYL STEARATE, ISOSTEARYL NEOPENTANOATE, ALUMINUM STARCH, OCTENYLSUCCINATE, ZINC STEARATE, POLYBUTENE, SILICA, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, ISOPROPYL ISOSTEARATE, PHENOXYETHANOL, DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, HEXYLENE GLYCOL, TIN OXIDE, TOCOPHEROL, LECITHIN, ASCORBYL PALMITATE, GLYCERYL STEARATE, GLYCERYL OLEATE, CITRIC ACID

[+/-]:

CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), CI 77492 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77491 (IRON OXIDES), CI 19140 (YELLOW 5 LAKE), CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES)

This is a vegan formula (Natasha Denona is also cruelty free) and I can’t say much on the ingredients, because makeup ingredients don’t usually help me to tell if a product is good or not.

Price and accessibility:

Natasha Denona products are available mainly at Sephora and otherwise just on foreign online shops. Like I said, they are expensive, and in Romania they’re even more expensive. For example, this mini blush and glow duo retails on the brand’s website for 19 US dollars which is a reasonable price, but it’s sold here in Romania for 178 lei (that’s like 40 dollars, double the price, and it’s what they charge for on the Lookfantastic website as well). It’s just not fair. Some other products have more similar prices (US dollars to lei), but this particular product is sold at such a higher price and I don’t get it why. If it weren’t for the costly shipping and customs, I’m sure it would be a much better option just to order everything straight from the US.

My overall opinion:

Putting the price tag asides, this blush is my favorite blush out of everything that I have. It’s a pinky blush with some golden undertones (I know it says it’s a coral shade, but I find it to be something in between a coral and a pink shade) and it’s very versatile. The highlighter is a pale gold highlighter which I like because highlighters that are too yellow just don’t look good on me. Both the blush and highlighter are buildable and it’s a good thing because you can go from a subtle makeup look to that bold glowy makeup if you want.

When it comes to makeup, you just love what you love. I love the colors and the texture of these powders so they became my favorite for my everyday on the go makeup look. And now I want to try some more from Natasha Denona and I’m so glad I got my hands on this duo because I wouldn’t have bought it on my own. But now, I do think that staple products, that you use everyday (in my case, the blush) are worth spending more money on, to have something that can look perfect even if you apply it quick in the morning, when you have a cup of coffee in one hand and you phone in the other and you just want to get it done and be out of the door. In other words, yes I would recommend this duo because it’s worth it. Also, it’s great for textured skin as well because it doesn’t emphasize the small imperfections of the skin.