I feel as though I haven’t done a makeup post in ages, so here we are: a bit of springtime blush to add some fresh colour to dull, wintery faces. Two lovely peachy shades – one from Dior’s Spring collection and the other a blush from YSL’s permanent makeup line-up.

In the interests of transparency, I haven’t actually worn any makeup for about a month – the photos below were taken a few days before I gave birth, and since then the need (and desire) to wear cosmetics has pretty much gone out of the window. The only person looking at my pale, sleepless face is the New Baby, Ted, and I’m not sure he’s  bothered about anything apart from my breasts.

I digress: back to blushers. Lots of people think that orangey shades are really difficult to wear, but actually I think that they are somehow more forgiving than pink. The gentle warmth can be very flattering – and at any rate the area you’re applying the blush to is quite small – it’s not as though you’re bashing it on all over as you would a bronzer. Perhaps that’s what frightens people – almost everyone has had a disaster with a too-orange bronzer!

But limited to the apples of the cheeks, peachy shades are pretty foolproof and  – incidentally – a nice option if you want to skip the bronzer altogether but still add an element of sunny warmth to the skin.

I’m only really having this orange blush love-in because I fell for YSL’s Limited Edition I Have A Blush On You compact, which is the top blush in the picture above. I used it, photographed it and then, as I went to publish the post, found out that it had completely sold out. Within days. So, I found the nearest shade to it (the Blush Volupte in shade 7, left in the pic) and used that instead! Here it is – very cheery and optimistic, don’t you think? I do like the life it seems to bring to the complexion.

For those wanting more of a coral tone (edging towards the pinkier side of peachy!) Dior have a very pretty  blush in their spring collection; the Colour Gradation. It’s on the right of the photograph below, alongside the amazing Maybe nail polish (possibly my favourite nail shade of the season) and the limited edition Blurring Powder, which I haven’t tried yet.

Dior’s Colour Gradation Blush is much more vibrant than the YSL one, so good for darker skin tones and for adding colour to sunkissed skin in the summer months. You can see that the majority of the powder is erring on the pink side, but being the peach aficionado that I am, I’ve been tending to wave my brush about in the top segment, getting a good hit of orange and catching just a hint of the pink.

Dior’s Colour Gradation Blush in Coral Twist is £29.25 at Escentual.com and YSL’s Blush Volupte in Shade 7 is £33.50 at Selfridges here.

While I have you, a spot of website housekeeping: firstly, there’s a brilliant Alpha-H giveaway happening on my Instagram page, if you’re reading this before noon on Friday 3rd! You can find me on Instagram by searching @modelrecommends. Secondly, for those commenting on the Merumaya samples post for the Exfoliating Toner: please read the instructions in the post and follow the sign-up link! Leaving a comment does not register your interest for a sample, the only way you can get one is via the brand’s website. Thanks!