The Balm Instain Blush in Toile

Wow, what an unusual shade of blush. Toile is definitely a unique color. The Balm website describes it as strawberry, but I think it's more like an orange/fruit punch color. This being an Instain blush, you get long lasting full impact color pay off. But since this is such a bright color, it's just got too much going on. This might be why I find this color to be really hard to wear. It doesn't quite go with any make up looks that I usually sport.

 

 

But to give it a fair trial, I paired it with a simple black cat eye and a mauve lip gloss the first time I wore it for a full day. It looked nice, but it's still not my favorite color. I think it will look better on me in the summer with a bit of a tan. In the winter though, I just don't see myself reaching for this that often. I also think it clashes with my red hair really badly.

 

If you are a lover of coral and orange blushes, then you might really like this shade. As with other Instain blushes, it is not matte, rather it has a nice sheen to it. But for this color to work for me, I feel like it needs to have more of a shimmer to it. I applied highlighter above this blush, and didn't like it. But the highlighter on top of Toile looked pretty. But I own other blushes in this color family that I find to be more flattering on my skin.

 

 

*All of the Instain blushes I have tried are over the top pigmented. The swatch on my finger above is basically just a tap on the powder. Because of this, they are a little hard to apply at first. It's best to use a large brush and lightly tap as much surface area of the brush on the powder and then start blending that onto your cheek. Blending is your friend because it is really easy to go overboard with these. But when applied just right, you will have perfect blush ALL DAY LONG! I don't think these actually stain your skin, because they come off easily without leaving any residue behind. If you like really natural looking blush, I don't think these are your cup of tea, because even when applied with a light hand, there is just so much color on your face. I love these, but wouldn't use them with a really bold eye look because it would just be too much in your face competing for attention. (I copied and pasted this from a previous post on Instain blushes.)