Shiseido Face Color Enhancing Trio RD1 Apple RS1 Plum

These two blush palettes by Shiseido are my top choice for face color this season. I've always loved the texture of Shiseido blushes and bronzers (see reviews of Shiseido Camellia Compact, Desert Rose Bronzer, and Tea Rose Blush), and the new trios are no different. A silky texture, and what appears in the compact to look like fine shimmer translates on skin as a glow, just like you get from a myriad of high quality face products.

I had to add an extra swipe of the blush, otherwise you wouldn't even see the color here

There are two other blush trios in this range, Lychee (a pale pink) and Peach (golden orange). I chose the darkest two, RD1 Apple RS1 Plum, but to be honest, I could have lived without Apple, as the "highlighter" and "bronzer" stripes there are too apricoty for my taste, and the blush is less pigmented than it appears in the pan. Each set holds three stripes of colors, which some of you may have the patience to use separately but I admit that I prefer to blend together, because these stripes are too thin for most blush brushes, and besides-- only a plastic surgeon would ever be able to sculpt my face. I do add a touch of extra color from either of the available options, making the trios quite versatile, Plum being considerably more so. I'd say that Apple is best suited for light to-medium complexions, while Plum is medium to medium-dark.

The product itself is as powdery and crumbly as it is soft. I find myself regularly cleaning up messes, no matter what brush I'm using. The elongated compacts are sleek and elegant. They remind me of the ones from Serge Lutens makeup (Lutens is owned by Shiseido). The brush that comes with each compact is not half bad and functions well if you're on the go and didn't pack any fluffy face brushes. It's soft enough to blend the colors, and the shape allows for directional application. Do have a makeup remover wipe around for the aforementioned mess.

Bottom Line: not just for Shiseido addict, but you don't need more than one.

Shiseido Face Color Enhancing Trio RD1 Apple RS1 Plum ($37 each) are available at the counters and from shiseido.com.