makeup to-go: kimiko lifting puff blush

Some days of the week, when I'm feeling all ambitious and Bionic Woman-like, I'll skip out of work during lunchhour and huff it to the gym (granted, it's not that far; the company has a gym on-site). If I really want to give it my all and work up a good sweat, I need to lug all my post-gym accoutrements with me to work, and that includes not only shower stuff, but also some of my war paint. But in the mad-dash to get ready in the morning, I inevitably forget something, and often it's blush and/or makeup brush or both (or if I do remember the brush, it ends up lingering in the depths of my grotty purse). Happily, with some divine intervention, I came upon a sample of Kimiko's Lifting Puff Blush and let me tell you, it's a godsend for girls-on-the-go. It comes complete with a built-in puff housed in its little tower of greatness so you can buff on a pretty flush sans brush. Plus, if the girls at the gym have swarmed the mirrors and the primping gets out of hand, you can use the trusty little mirror on top of the little pot of blush, because it comes with that, too. Oh, and did I mention that the Puff Blush also helps firm your skin with its Hydra-FirmLift-powered ingredients? (No heavy lifting involved here, dears.) I'm loving the Sweet Lychee shade, a soft matte pink, that's a perfect match to that post-gym flush.

fixation: la bella donna vision of mineral lights, blushing

All-in-one, multi-tasking products get me all a-tingle (whatever floats your boat, right?), and one of my absolute favorite products ever is Vision in Mineral Lights by luxe mineral makeup brand La Bella Donna – a palette of four glimmering shades you can use on your cheeks and eyes for a candlelit glow. So when I found out they launched a Blush version, I just knew I had to try it. And this one doesn't disappoint. With four luminous, light-refracting shades from rose to peach, you can customize to create your very own perfect blush shade. I like to swirl my brush over all of them to get a lovely pinky-peach hue. And like its predecessor, you can use the Blushing palette on eyes too, to get a modern, Calvin Klein-esque, monochromatic effect. Of course, the gorgeously sleek, silver packaging doesn't hurt either.

summer must-have: nars orgasm laguna blush bronzer duo

Hello, lover... Yes, it's been around for a while, but this was my very first brush with the famed Nars Orgasm blush, paired with the also buzzed-about Laguna bronzer in this dynamic duo. How did it measure up? Quite beautifully, in fact (as if there was any doubt!): Orgasm's peachy-pink, lightly shimmery hue is a bit brighter than I expected, (so I'm more apt to use a light hand with it than with my usual blush) but the color is, as they say, very flattering and an instant wake-up call for your complexion. It's really the perfect summer blush. And the Laguna bronzer is one trusty glow-getter: it's sheer and totally buildable so you can look like you just got back from St. Barts, even if all the light you've been getting is the perennial glow from the computer screen or your daily sojourn for lunch. Linger in the afterglow.

fresh-picked: benefit posietint

It's hard to believe, but Benefit's cult favorite Benetint has been around for 30 years. And in all that time, I've never had a chance to use the famed lip and cheek stain, until now, with the latest incarnation, Posietint. While the original is more of a deep rose flush, Posietint is dubbed a softer petal-pink shade. But I honestly didn't think I was going to like this product: the almost shockingly bright, bubble-gum-pink color in the bottle looked a bit scary and the nail polish-applicator brush seemed like it would be unwieldy. I'm happy to report I was wrong on both counts, because Posietint is neither frightening when you put it on (it's actually a pretty, natural-looking rosy flush), nor difficult to use (just a few quick flicks of the brush on your cheek and then blend with your fingers). I guess that's the lesson of the day when it comes to lip/cheek stains: they may look all menacing and intimidating in the bottle, but not so when you wear them.

fixation: cargo melt-proof makeup collection

I'm continually astonished by the performing power of Cargo products. While some people scoffed at their last HD-inspired Blu-Ray makeup collection (even I was skeptical at first, truth be told), I was so wowed by the products that they've since become staples in my makeup bag (and that's no small feat). Now, just in time for summer, the brand has come out with the limited edition Melt-proof Makeup Collection – a three-piece kit featuring a super-stay-put blush/eyeshadow and lip combo palette, bronzer and mascara. The palette features three universally flattering, yet summery shades (a corally-peach blush, bronzy shadow and rosy-gold lip cream) that go on like a dream with zero creasing. The "Better-than-waterproof" Mascara plumps up lashes with minimal clumping and is easily removed with a swipe of makeup remover. My favorite of the pack is the bronzer - it's a matte powder with zero iridescence (so it's great for oily skin to tone down shine) and gives a really natural-looking sun-kissed glow. And yes, the products have great lasting power – while I haven't been able to try it out in super-humid conditions, I still managed to look fresh post-gym, at the end of a long day. Cargo stands behind this stuff so much, that, no kidding, they've literally trademarked the name Melt-proof. All told, this kit really has all you need to look fetching poolside without fear of looking like a drowned rat.

a blush with greatness: pop beauty rose belle

Full-on bronzed skin is so passe: this season, it's all about a healthy, rosy glow, which is why I'm loving this new blush and bronzer combo from Pop Beauty, Rose Belle. You may recall that I've become quite fond of this UK beauty brand - any product I've tried has been a winner for me, with a great selection of colors to amazing application. And this one doesn't disappoint either: it's a dual compact full of 8 rosy-hued, universally-flattering shades, from pale pink to bronze-rose that you can use as bronzer, blush, highlighter and even as eyeshadow. They're great colors to achieve the "new tan"; even the bronzy shades have a touch of rosiness, which I think looks more natural than browny-bronze shades. And you can create a seamless, unified look using the shades on eyes and cheeks, for a pretty, feminine look. Gotta love Pop Beauty for being the ultimate multi-tasker.