Review & Swatches: Laura Geller Babycakes Blush Palette

In my humble opinion, Laura Geller is one seriously underappreciated brand here in the UK.  Sold through QVC, it seems that the products aren't particularly well known to the general public, which is a damn shame.  So many people go nuts for MAC Mineralise Skin Finishes - but I think Laura Geller's baked blushes are far superior, in that they give pretty colour with a good dose of shimmer, without the massive glitter chunks that you often get with MSFs.  Having tried a full size Pink Grapefruit blush, and absolutely loving it, I'd been hankering after this Babycakes baked blush palette for ages.

Now it's found a place in my makeup collection and I've had a chance to use it a fair bit, I'm even more smitten.  This palette contains four colours - Sugar Free Raspberry, which is a non shimmery warm raspberry pink; Pink Grapefruit, a shimmering pink with orange tones in it; Golden Apricot, a sparkling peach; and Sunswept, a gentle bronze with champagne shimmer.  The colours are all absolutely beautiful, although the shimmer shades are quite similar.  The differences can really be seen in the sunlight; the sparkle has different tones in each blush.

Left to right: Sugar Free Raspberry, Pink Grapefruit, Golden Apricot, Sunswept

(in shade)

Left to right: Sugar Free Raspberry, Pink Grapefruit, Golden Apricot, Sunswept

(direct sunlight)

The packaging is a simple cardboard framed palette, with a thin but usable mirror, and a retractable brush.  Each blush is actually quite small, which makes the palette very portable - I find it very useful for weekends away, as with the four colours included you can match pretty much any makeup look with ease.  And they're domed!  Despite the small size, I'd be very surprised if I came anywhere near hitting pan on these within a year or so.

The included brush is a little bit small for my liking, but at a push it's still usable enough to apply the blush - it'll just take you a bit longer than it would using a full size brush.  I like the fact that it's a retractable brush - this prevents the black cardboard inner from getting covered in too much sparkly fallout (although you'll still get a fair bit when you swirl your brush over the blushes themselves).

Overall, I really love this palette.  Costing around £30, you get a perfectly portable blush wardrobe which will provide a decent match for almost any look.  The blushes themselves are well pigmented and pretty, and while the shimmer levels are quite high, it translates into a fine glow on the skin rather than an overly reflective or glittery finish.  I'm very pleased with my purchase - and if I ever reach pan on these shades, I'll definitely be buying another one.

If you'd like to try Laura Geller's Babycakes palette for yourself, you'll find them exclusively at QVC, where the palette is currently priced at £26.56.  What do you think?  Would you get a lot of wear out of these shades?  Let us know in the comments!