Joey New York - Chiseled Cheeks Sheer Gel Blush
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Mon Aug 29, 2005 4:18 am

I feel so terribly guilty for not writing a proper review here for a while that I couldn't go another evening without posting something Anxious

The truth is that I have quite a few reviews waiting to be written, I just haven't got around to it and work has almost always come in the way Sad

Someone recently asked about Joey New York in general so I thought I'd start off by writing a review of their gel blush.

I am not a fan of gel blush myself. This is not because I don't like gel blush, it seems to be because gel blush doesn't like ME. Or at least, it seems to be that I am totally uncoordinated and cannot apply gel blush so that it looks natural (or even just normal!) on me. About 99% of my gel blush experiences (yes - even though I know better, I refuse to let gel blush beat me!) have been disasters where I try to use the blush but give up after a few goes because I look like a

(keep in mind that I am pretty fair).

Enter the Joey New York Chiseled Cheeks sheer gel blush. This was my recent gel blush acquisition and I honestly told myself it was going to be my absolute last attempt at gel blush. The MUA reviews is what swayed me to buy this although I later figured out that there is _another_ JNY blush that is called Chiseled Cheeks and the reviews were for that one (mental note: must try that too, it gets v.good reviews). However, I am really glad that I tried the gel because it seems to be absolutely fool/Mabsy-proof so far! Dancing

I have this in the shade called "Super Duper Neutral" and it looks scary and dark in the bottle. However, it goes on _very_ sheer and does look very natural on my pale skin. I have no problem blending this and sometimes I actually feel like I have to apply more on my cheeks (that's a first for me with gel blush!). The nice thing about this blush is that the color does last through the day and it looks like it's natural, not fake. That is the reason why I always wanted to try out cream and gel blushes - to me they look more natural than powder blushes; it looks like the color is part of your skin and not something on top. If you are very fair and have been wanting to try a gel blush then I can highly recommend this.

Btw, packaging wise, the blush comes in a see-through plastic sqeezable bottle that is very similar to the bottles that eyedrops come in. It's quite convinient in terms of dispensing the gel and does give good control over how much you squeeze out.

Ah, I feel much better now... the non-review-writing guilt is melting away.... Cool

free skin care · Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:24 am

Thanks for the Joey New York review Very Happy

I have been looking at the blushes myself and I too noticed the good reviews from Make-up Alley.

free skin care · Fri Sep 02, 2005 12:32 pm

This one does look very interesting... have you tried the Vincent Longo lip/cheek stain? How does it compare with it? Where did you end up buying it? Very Happy

Sat Sep 03, 2005 12:39 am

I haven't tried the Vincent Longo so I can't compare sorry. If it's a stain rather than a gel then I really stand no chance with it - I've had two cheek stains in the past (i.e. liquid ones) and I just can't get the hang of them at all, they're even worse than gel blush for me....

I actually got this blush quite some time ago (although it's the most recent gel one I bought). I'm pretty sure it was from EDS - I buy most of my things from here.

free skin care · Wed Sep 28, 2005 9:09 am

Wow, I’ve been way behind in reading posts lately! Confused

The only other JNY product that I’ve ever tried was one of her so-called tooth brightening lipsticks that is blue-based so it’s supposed to give the illusion of whiter teeth. Let’s just say I was underwhelmed. I briefly flirted with the idea of trying her “Super-Duper” lip plumper thing (I don’t think that’s the proper name, but I’m sure you’ll recognize the product to which I’m referring), but the reviews on MUA changed my mind. I’d also checked the overall reviews of other JNY products on MUA and they didn’t appear to be that high so for the most part of chosen to bypass this particular cosmetic/skincare line, but if our resident Blush Maven says this product is worth a 2nd look than who am I to argue with the expert?!

I’ve also always loved the look of gel or cream blushes on the cheeks as opposed to the powders that just sort of sit on top but I have a devil of the time trying to apply it and make it blend properly, and this holds especially true for the gel-based blushes.

The very first gel blushes I ever tried were from Origins, gosh – it most be almost 10 years ago now! I think gel-blush “technology” was basically in its infancy at this point and this Origins gel blush may have actually been the very first one on the market. It was around the time when Origins also introduced a little kit of three sheer berry-colored lipsticks that they called “Bite Your Lips” or something to that effect. As soon as I saw this gel blush at the Origins counter I immediately had to have it and took it home and tried it the next morning without playing around with it first to practice the different application technique and the results were disasterous...let’s just say that everybody was coming up to me and asking if I felt okay because my face looked like it was severely flushed from a spiky-high fever!!

After that little episode, I was seriously gun-shy about ever trying another gel blush again. Fast-forward a few years, and I keep seeing a product called “Benefit Benetint” as the holy grail blush product in the annual InStyle magazine’s “Best of the Best” beauty list. I timidly went forth and bought it and had similar results to the Origins episode, even though I faithfully followed the application hints provided in the magazine. I thought, “F*ck that noise!” and took it back for a refund.

Next, I was suckered into trying my beloved Vincent Longo lip & cheek gel stains which I had originally purchased to use as a blush but when that flopped I soon discovered that this little gem of a product would turn out to be my holy-grail lip stain.

There were several other gel based blushes that I tried in the interim, one of them actually being a limited edition product put out by Revlon – I think the color was called “Tiger Lily” that actually worked fairly well for me, certainly better than all of the other ones that cost 2-3 times as much!

Finally, the last gel blush that I tried was another much-ballyhooed product in InStyle magazine called Tarte Flush. I managed to resist the temptation to try this for a couple of years, until they finally introduced a shade called “Tickled Peach” and that’s when I caved. I bought it, I tried it and I actually had some success with it and began to understand what all the raves regarding gel-based blushes were about. It worked very well for me, even though I was using a powdered mineral foundation at the time, but around the time that I discovered the wonders of Decleor Ylang Ylang oil and the miracle of “fighting fire with fire” to combat my oily skin, the Tarte Flush suddenly become all but impossible for me to apply evenly to my cheeks. It turned out that once I finally managed to get my over-active oil glands under some semblance of control, the “canvas” of my skin suddenly became to dry for me to be able to blend the Tarte Flush evenly over my cheekbones. This was the point when I basically threw in the towel regarding gel blushes and returned to my old faithful cream blush, Nars “The Multiple” in Portofino because I wasn’t willing to give up the prospect of having less oily skin just because Tickled Peach was a stunning look for me!

Whew! Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, on to a couple of specific questions for Miss Mabsy:

If you’ve tried any of the Tarte Flush blushes, how does it measure up against this JNY gel blush? From your review, it sounds like you dab a bit on your fingertip or a makeup sponge and dot it along your cheekbones and blend, is this correct? If yes, about how long do you have to blend it before you end up with a couple of dark berry-colored dots in the middle of your cheeks? That was the biggest problem I had back with that Origins gel blush, I’d squeeze a bit from the tube and by the time I lifted my finger up to my cheek, the damn stuff had already dried and adhered to my fingertips! I swear, during that whole Origins debacle, I went around with permanent berry-colored dots on the tips of my fingers from where it had stained my hands before I could get it applied to my cheeks!

If memory serves, you also use JI pressed foundation, right? So you don’t have problems with the JNY gel blush “grabbing” or becoming stuck to the powder foundation, preventing you from being able to blend it properly and seemlessly?

Do you know if the JNY gel blush comes in any additional shades? Would you say that you are more cool-toned or warm-toned? I’m very fair too, but I lean more toward the warm side so I look best in blushes that tend to be more peachy as opposed to those that are more pinky....

I might have to see if I can score a sample of this stuff the next time I go to my local Ulta store because my Sephora location has been marking down all of their JNY products for clearance so I’m wondering if that means that none of the Sephora stores will be carrying this line in future...?

And one more thing, before I run out of steam Very Happy

...Application hint for gel/cream blushes: I haven’t remembered to try this myself, but I’ve heard that for a super-natural look of flushed cheeks without the dreaded application problems associated to applying a cream/gel blush over a powder foundation such as our beloved JI pressed powder or other mineral foundations, if you apply the cream or gel blush *before* you apply your foundation it gives an amazingly natural flush of color to your cheeks that actually looks like you are actually blushing because the color is appearing to come from within or underneath the skin, as opposed to the obvious clown circles or racing stripes of color slashing each cheek. I’ve always wanted to try this technique myself but I’m always forgetting it until after I’ve applied my blush and I’m screwing the cap back on the container. Embarassed

Anyway, have any of you heard about and/or tried this, and – if yes – what were the results?

free skin care · Wed Sep 28, 2005 9:34 am

I got the Joey gel blush in super duper natural after reading this (had it ordered the same time I ordered the VL lip/cheek stain). Well, it does not even come close in comparison the the VL stain. The Joey one clumps together with my JL powder, so I can only use it on bare skin, and even then, it does not come close to comparing with the VL. I would return the Joey stain in a heartbeat (if I could) and get myself another color of the VL Very Happy

free skin care · Wed Sep 28, 2005 9:41 am

Well since the VL stain didn't work for me, at least not the color, I think I'll give this a shot too. I don't wear foundation so that shouldn't be an issue either. And Mabsy sounds very similar to me in her skin-type/complexion so hopeful it will work for me too!

free skin care · Wed Sep 28, 2005 9:57 am

the one thing that puts me off buying one of these gel blushers is stained fingers Laughing

free skin care · Wed Sep 28, 2005 11:01 am

TAMgirl99 wrote:

Well since the VL stain didn't work for me, at least not the color, I think I'll give this a shot too.

I'm sorry the VL didn't work for you as a lipstain. IMHO, the only limitation to the VL lip/cheek gel stains is the lack of a bigger color/shade selection. Did you keep your receipt? Even if you didn't, if you bought it from Sephora they'll give you a refund or exchange no matter what! You could swap the VL for the JNY....

free skin care · Wed Sep 28, 2005 11:51 am

Yep that's what I'm planning to do. Although I am running low on lipfusion so I might have to refill that first!

And I totally agree with the color selection, they definitely need more to choose from!

free skin care · Wed Sep 28, 2005 12:30 pm

I have the VL in Cupid's breath and I love it for my cheeks...if I use it on my lips, I wrinkle the lips and then apply very little in dabs- that way when you "un-wrinkle" the lips, it looks completely natural. I put it on my cheeks before putting on JL pressed powder- looks supernatural Very Happy

Fri Sep 30, 2005 2:11 am

carekate wrote:

If you’ve tried any of the Tarte Flush blushes, how does it measure up against this JNY gel blush? From your review, it sounds like you dab a bit on your fingertip or a makeup sponge and dot it along your cheekbones and blend, is this correct? If yes, about how long do you have to blend it before you end up with a couple of dark berry-colored dots in the middle of your cheeks? If memory serves, you also use JI pressed foundation, right? So you don’t have problems with the JNY gel blush “grabbing” or becoming stuck to the powder foundation, preventing you from being able to blend it properly and seemlessly?

I have the Tarte and like it (love the smell of it!) but it's *so* sticky that I would never consider using it with mineral powder foundation or even powder at the same time. I only ever use it if I'm going for the natural glowy look. The JNY blush is maybe just a tiny little bit sticky but if you let it sit for a few minutes then powder goes over it with no problems (or at least no problems for me but I almost always use gel blush only when I'm not using any powder). I apply it with just my finger - squeeze out a bit and pat it on while blending. What I really have to stress here though is that the JNY blush, or at least the shade that I have, is not very pigmented (though it looks like it is) - this makes it foolproof. I have not had any problems with blending it at all (problems that I *do* have with other gel blushes e.g. clinique).

carekate wrote:

Do you know if the JNY gel blush comes in any additional shades? Would you say that you are more cool-toned or warm-toned? I’m very fair too, but I lean more toward the warm side so I look best in blushes that tend to be more peachy as opposed to those that are more pinky....

I am yet to figure out the whole warm/cool thing (no kidding!) I'm pretty sure that I am cool toned, and I keep getting told that, but then every so often I read or hear something contradictory. I wear Mac NW20 - does that tell you anything? I tend to look better in peachy blushes as well - the JNY I have is more of a natural earthy color. There are other shades of this blush but I have not seen them, sorry can't help here.

carekate wrote:

I might have to see if I can score a sample of this stuff the next time I go to my local Ulta store because my Sephora location has been marking down all of their JNY products for clearance so I’m wondering if that means that none of the Sephora stores will be carrying this line in future...?

I can send you some of mine if you'd like to try it Wink

Btw, about the comment you made earlier re: reviews of JNY. I fully agree with you. I was actually quite surprised that EDS decided to stock it because I have heard mostly poor things about this line. There have been a few products that I have tried though that have been pretty decent - though I don't see myself trying most of their skincare line....

carekate wrote:

I’ve always wanted to try this technique myself but I’m always forgetting it until after I’ve applied my blush and I’m screwing the cap back on the container. Embarassed

Anyway, have any of you heard about and/or tried this, and – if yes – what were the results?

Yes, that is how I always use gel blush if I am planning on using anything in powder form over the top. I can't imagine using the gel blush over the top of powder because I don't think I could get it to look as natural. That is the reason though that I can't use Tarte when I use powder stuff. As far as the JNY gel blush is concerned, since it's not very pigmented, you'd have to layer it a bit if you're planning to put mineral makeup over it (given that the mineral makeup would block out some of the pigment) - probably not the best choice of blush if that is how you're planning to use it...

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