Alison Raffaele • Inner Glow in Playful • Blush

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mary_ln on 5/12/2012 3:47:00 PM more reviews by mary_ln

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I have 3 of these in the colors Playful, Witty and Charming. I would repurchase, but that might be hard to do as I believe they may have been discontinued. All three of these colors are beautiful - very sheer and very believable. I have found the best way to apply them is by rubbing a cotton swab very firmly over the product until I have enough to dot several spots of color on each check. The gel stick itself is very solid making it too difficult to apply with fingertips and I find when I try to rub it over my cheeks it's too hard to do without dislodging my foundation. A slight dusting of loose powder and you're good to go the entire day.

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*TOP REVIEWER* 2ksmom on 6/28/2011 9:57:00 AM more reviews by 2ksmom

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I love gel-stick blushes, so when I saw these on hautelook.com for $5.50, I picked up one each of ‘Playful’ and ‘Witty’. I like them both, though ‘Playful’ is definitely my favorite of the two. ‘Playful’ is a sheer reddish pink. This comes in a purple & white tube with a screw-on lid. The product pushes up from the bottom. A minor complaint is it is kind of hard to push up and adjust how much product is exposed. This is a sheer, solid gel blush stick. It is somewhat firm for a gel blush, and its not wet or sticky at all. It goes on sheer but is definitely buildable. I usually apply a swipe to each cheek on bare skin, then apply my usual foundation, then apply another swipe to each cheek. Layering with my foundation helps it last all day on me. I think this is best for normal to oily skin types. My skin is pretty normal, but my cheeks are on the drier side, and sometimes this tends to ‘drag’ esp on bare skin, however it blends out pretty easily. The effect is really pretty and natural. It also makes a really pretty, coordinating lip tint. It doesn’t last too long, maybe 2 hours, and it’s a touch drying on the lips so I always apply balm or gloss overtop. Its low maintenance because I can just swipe it on straight from the tube and blend. I also like that it smells like raspberry Jello. It has kind of a bitter taste, but its not marketed for the lips, anyways. I think the ‘Playful’ shade would flatter most skin tones; on my fair, neutral-toned skin it’s pretty close to the shade I would naturally blush. I wouldn’t hesitate to pick this up again, or try one of the other shades, if I find them again at such a great price (even though you get nearly an ounce of product, I doubt I’ll ever actually ‘run’ out of it). One downside though is that I think these might be discontinued, or otherwise just very hard to find.


BTW, many thanks to the reviewer who posted the above color swatches, I found them to be an exceptionally accurate representation of the actual colors!

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laure1 on 4/25/2010 9:23:00 PM more reviews by laure1

Age: Unknown   Skin: Normal   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

Alison Raffaele Inner Glow is the best cosmetic blush made today. It is a water-based translucent gel, which, when applied in layers, will achieve any level of color intensity desired and look completely natural. I wear it everyday, often with no make-up other than Anthelios sun block, and people always compliment my skin --they say it looks radiant. When my husband sees me without it, he says, "you need to get a little sun."

Alison Raffaele Stick Gel blush (in any shade that suits your coloring) is the best blush for any age or skin type, because:
1 Effect: This product executes and flawlessly achieves the goal, the raison etre, of any blush product: it creates an utterly natural, beautiful glow- from-within;
2. Application: easy and mistake-proof. It does not streak, flake, or do anything weird, ever; it blends perfectly with moisturizer;
3. Feel: nice, not waxy or greasy; glides on straight from the tube or from fingers to cheek.
4. Fragrance: faintly berry;
5. Long-lasting: not only lasts on skin throughout the day (unless skin is oily--then just reapply), but also the tube offers a huge supply. The product does not break-down over time, and although cold and/or heat may affect the gel's texture, it will not affect performance. I am currently using Inner Glow that is more than a year old;
6. Packaging: minimalist, does not deteriorate or ever look scratched, chipped, old or icky. Just wipe the top and threads with a tissue before closing;
7. Price: In absolute terms, medium-- in value--an extraordinary buy. It's $5 less than Tarte but much better IMO.
8. Corporate citizenship: Green. In honor of Earth Day, Alison Raffaele donates 10% of all sales to the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the pre-eminent environmental protection organizations in the U.S.
9. How to buy: online.

I wish everyone knew stick gel offers the most natural, come-from- within blushing glow for any age. This is how I found stick gel blush and Alison Raffaele: I discovered the properties of stick gel blush during a make-up session at Rancho de la Puerta. After the spa's private line became unavailable, I looked for stick gel blush and found 3 brands at Sephora: Stila (stick blush no longer made), Tarte, and Alison Raffaele. Alison Raffaele was and is superior, but Inner Glow is no longer available at Sephora. There is an Alison Raffaele site online store, which also lists addresses of stores that carry the line, and there are some other online providers.

Obviously, it's not a mass market product--eg., there are so few reviews on this site ; there is no advertising. But Alison Raffaele Inner Glow deserves to be better known.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* missnat on 4/20/2010 3:24:00 PM more reviews by missnat

Age: Unknown   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Beautiful, lasting, natural, glowy, easy to blend (unlike the other gels I've tried, which have to be blended with lightning speed, and still always streak). I've used it on bare skin and over tinted moisturizer. This shade gives a natural-looking, healthy flush of reddish pink. One of my fave makeup items of all time, and will be collecting it in more shades. Also great for travel, since I don't have to carry a brush, and I've even swiped and blended on a plane with no mirror and it looked great! Makes me look like I've had a nice, long nap.

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jtraverso on 2/23/2010 1:20:00 PM more reviews by jtraverso

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I have porcelain skin and wanted a very natural looking blush in the pink family. This product appears very dark when you remove the lid - almost like cranberry sauce, but don't be scared. It's very sheer, super easy to blend and looks great immediately. I love the color. My seven year old daughter (fair skin like mine) sneaks into my make-up bag and uses this product. She's able to apply and blend so it looks very natural on her as well. My only complaint is the staying power hence my overall rating of 4 stars instead of 5. I've tried setting it with loose powder but it still disappears rather quickly. I will try layering blush with powder a couple of times and see if that helps.

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Duster on 7/6/2007 11:43:00 AM more reviews by Duster

Age: 44-55   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

This stuff is wonderful - goes on easily and lasts. Shows up on my very pale olive skin as a natural flush color. No scent that I can tell and realy looks like I just got off the elliptical or came in from the cold. What's not to like?

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pretty_janette on 5/12/2007 10:45:00 PM more reviews by pretty_janette

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

This is one of my all-time fave blush! I really love it because it looks so natural and it lasts all day. Another good thing about this blush is it's less sticky and the price is cheaper than Tarte flush. I always wear this during summer because it gives me the most natural looking blush even after I have perspired. In addition, it doesn't clog my pores, so it doesn't give me zits.
I will certainly buy this again and I must tell you girls that Skin blush in Playful is a must-have. Every girl should invest on a great gel blush and this one is the perfect one to own!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* syeung2 on 9/4/2006 11:18:00 PM more reviews by syeung2

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Great line of gel blush sticks.

Product: gel blush in wide push-up tube with screw-on lid. Texture is smooth and firm, easy to apply directly to the cheeks. Feels dewy but not sticky, and sinks into the skin nicely, and I forget that I'm wearing it. Smells like sweet fruit, but faint. Can be used on lips as a light stain, though it tastes awful - but a coat of lip gloss over it does the trick.

Color: this wears on my AAB/NC25 skin as a warm sheer red. Pigmentation is sheer and not bold; you can layer more on to intensify the color, and I can get plenty of color well before my cheeks get icky. I swipe once or twice, and dab if needed, then a quick once-over with my fingertips to blend. Easy!

Best suited for: gals who want a sheer, natural tint of color.

Overall: will last a long time for the price and is perfect for the weekends when I need a little color but no fuss. Truly makes me look like I'm glowing from within... Looks very natural. I'll never give this stuff up!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* yovivbabe on 3/27/2006 10:55:00 AM more reviews by yovivbabe

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

LOVE LOVE LOVE! My absolute favorite and most necessary product is blush--i can't live without it. That being said, I own about 50 blushes (seriously) and am constantly on the search for my HG. I think Skin Alison Raffaele in "playful" is it. No, wait. Correction: it IS it. It's really quite different from anything else i've ever used. Much better than Tarte, though they both come in a stick form, this blush isn't sticky or tacky and it doesn't leave random splotches of darker color like Tarte sometimes can. The color is a glowy, natural flush that can go from subtle to more apparent (which I love) without looking fake or harsh--in fact, it looks completely natural. The product doesn't just sit on your skin the way some cream blushes do and it doesn't fade. I hope to god they NEVER discontinue this. It's amazing.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Karryn on 2/24/2006 5:51:00 PM more reviews by Karryn

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

This really is a great blush - it's easy to apply and comes in a convenient push-up tube that will probably last me the next twenty years. It does impart an "inner glow" type look. Having said that, though I won't buy it again because of the price and because of the potential to look like a circus clown. Yes, this product can do that. I think you have to actually BE Alison Rafaele to apply this properly!

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*TOP REVIEWER* SaraLee2 on 1/11/2006 5:42:00 PM more reviews by SaraLee2

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Medium, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

UPDATE: I've been using this stuff for over a month now and it's definitely the blush I reach for most. It looks just as perfect at the end of the day as it does in the morning. It is the ONLY blush I own that I can say that about. Even if the rest of my mu has slid off my oily face, this stuff just keep on glowing. At first I carried it around with me for touchup's, but now I know I can just leave it at home since I've never once thought it needed refreshing. Absolutely HG stuff<br
WOWWOWWOWWOWWOW!!! My newest blush obsession...like I need another one :P I totally agree with PeggyA. This stuff rocks! I've always been a non-powder blush girl, but lately have gone back to using powder blushes (I do love Clinique's new BB's), but this has brought me back into the non-powder fold. I've now taken all my other blushes (both powder and non-p) out of my mu bag and replaced them with this. This particular color looks like a dark, clear, red with pink in the tube. Glide it on and it looks like a clear, pinkish red on my skin (MMM, beige with yellow and plum). Once it's blended and dries, it's more pinkish-red. Gorgeous. The packaging is great. A push up tube thats about an inch in diameter and 3 inches tall. You push it up from the bottom and has a screw on lid so it stays air tight. You only need a tiny bit so it will last forever.

I hate to beat the term "glow from within", but this is what they meant. I thought I knew, but I was wrong...until using this stuff. THE most natural, glowing, flushed look I've ever tried, and if you could see my mu boneyard, you'd know I've tried almost all of them. Not sticky at all, glides on like a dream, barely have to blend it, looks like you have no blush on your face but like you just came in from a brisk walk in the cold air. Seriously. Fool proof really. Lasts all day, doesn't sink into pores or slide off and I have mostly oily skin. Feels completely weightless. Did I say WOW???? WOW!!! OK...I'm done raving. Definitely getting more colors!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* PeggyA on 10/24/2005 10:27:00 PM more reviews by PeggyA

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I have never had an easy time using any blush except for the powder ones. Alison Raffaele's Inner Glow blush in Playful has been the answer to my prayers of using something other than powder blush. I have tried more cream, gel, and stick blushes than I can count but I found each and every one of them difficult to apply. I find this blush gel stick super easy to apply. I just do one swipe on each side of my cheeks, blend slightly with my fingers and I am done and it looks great. Even better this does not have to be applied on just skin - it looks perfectly good and natural on top of my tinted foundation. This blush is not sticky like Tarte and does not dry instantly upon impact so I have several moments to smooth it out before it dries. It looks just like a glow from within (which is why the name fits it's so well). I ordered this from Beauty.com and they described this color as being reddish but on me it is looks like a nice pink glow. I am definitely going to buy at least one more of the Inner Glow blush sticks in another color- probably the peachy color as I like to make my cheeks a combination of peachy-pink. Since it only takes one light swipe to color my cheeks I believe this blush will last a long time. I do add just a whisp of translucent powder after applying this blush and it has lasted on me, numerous times, all day. I also like this color swiped on my lips, it's not the longest lasting as a lipstick but it goes great with my cheeks. I will definitely repurchase this blush when I am done.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No