Bright blushes for the summer!

Left: MAC Salsarose (satin) & Right: MAC Frankly Scarlet (matte).

Left: MAC Salsarose (satin) & Right: MAC Frankly Scarlet (matte).

When summer hits, it's usually the time where we all try to look a little more natural and wear less makeup to avoid any creasing, "melting", or fading the sun and heat may cause.

During the summer, I don't wear as much eye makeup and I try wearing a lighter foundation with minimal powder and of course a bronzer all over. Since I'm taking the focus off of my eyes, it's a fun season to experiment with bright blushes and lipsticks.

When wearing a bright blush or lipstick, you always want to keep the eyes very soft, so it doesn't overpower the look. You can either go neutral, wear a soft wash of taupe, champagne or gold all over your lid, or use a shade that almost matches your skin or keep it bare with a couple of coats of mascara.

Bright blushes might look a little intimidating to those who aren't very comfortable with color, but you can really use any blush and make it look natural by using the smallest amount. Two of my favorite bright blushes are MAC Frankly Scarlet and MAC Salsarose. Both are extremely similar raspberry shades, with Frankly Scarlet being slightly more red, and Salsarose being slighlty more pink. Swatched heavy, you can see the difference, but swatched lightly you can barely tell them apart. The lovely thing about shades like this, is when applied lightly to the face, the color is very reminiscent of the actual reddish hue your face will naturally turn when you blush.

Finger swatches in the same order as above.

Hand Swatches. Top: Frankly Scarlet & Bottom: Salsarose

Wearing MAC Salsarose & a bright lipstick (OCC Divine & ChaCha Liptars mixed)

Frankly Scarlet is a permanent MAC shade, whereas Salsarose is a PRO shade and can only be purchased at a MAC Pro store or ordered by phone at 1-800-866-6464 (for US orders). (See more information about PRO products here) MAC Dollymix is another favorite of mine, but I actually lost mine, and I'm going to have to purchase another one pretty soon.

Some other brights that are on my wish list are: MAC Devil (Pro), MAC Full Fuchsia (Pro), Nars Rhubarb (Pro), Nars Exhibit A, Nars Taj Mahal, NYX Hot Pink & NYX Red Cheeks.

What are some of your favorite brights? I'll be posting favorite bright lipsticks soon as well..