Summer's Last Hurrah: Lunasol Cream Cheeks in EX04 Tender Glow Pink

Continuing on with my reviews of products which are obscure, seasonally inappropriate and generally difficult to get hold of... Although having said that, at the time of writing it's 82°F/ 28°C in New York City, and it definitely does not feel like fall yet; but worry not, after this review, I'll try to fall in normal beauty bloggers' footsteps and post something with a more autumnal color scheme. Ekhm.

This Kanebo Lunasol Cream Cheeks liquid blusher in EX04 Tender Glow Pink (~$40 for 12g) was a lovely gift from Jenni (thank you!) and a quick Google search tells me it was released as a part of Lunasol Limited Edition Christmas 2011 coffret (here's a review from BirkinBagBeauty). While it seems that this product is not available at this time, it may get re-released - and then this review might, just might, become even remotely helpful. Failing that, my hair looks really shiny in the FOTD shot at the end, so you can at least pretend to enjoy this post.

I don't have huge experience with Japanese cheek products; I've only tried the Canmake blushes so far (reviewed here) and still really enjoy them. From what I've gathered though, Asian blushes usually tend to be highly shimmery (unlike the Canmake Clear cream blushes), and this Lunasol Cream Cheeks is no different: it's a (surprise surprise!) peachy pink with lots of refined gold shimmer that gives an almost reflective glow on the skin, which you can see in the close-up shot of a blush dollop on my finger.

Compared to my other peachy pink blushes, Lunasol Tender Glow Pink is the closest to NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink, although a bit cooler and with a gold rather than silver sheen. Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Color in Lotus Pink is a bit redder and deeper in tone but also not too far off, while both The Face Shop Pastel Cushion in Coral Cushion and NYX Powder Blush in Peach are a lot lighter (more pastel) and more peachy.

L-R: Lunasol Cream Cheeks in Tender Glow Pink, NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink, Laura Mercier Lotus Pink, The Face Shop Coral Cushion, NYX Powder Blush in Peach

The consistency of the Lunasol blush is a bit more runny than I expected (I've seen this described as a liquid rather than a cream like the name suggests), and due to the squishiness of the tube, it's quite difficult to control the amount you squeeze out. The blush is pigmented, so a small dab is enough to cover both cheeks; the dollop you've seen in the second photo is perhaps too much already. While I'm usually not a fan of very shimmery blushes, I have to admit that I like the refined finish of Tender Glow Pink; I do however have some issues with the formula. For whatever reason, Lunasol Cream Cheeks goes a bit patchy on my skin and pools in my pores right from the application. I also find that it fades quite fast throughout the day, and I usually have no problem with cream blushes lasting on my skin.

All in all, a beautiful shade, but a somewhat underwhelming formula. I think I'll try to experiment with this one a bit more again in the spring, but for now, I'm putting it back in my blusher drawer. Have you started swapping out your make-up for fall already? I'm quite excited for the deeper shades again!