Lakme Absolute Baked Blush

I am back, or sort of (my cousin has informed me if life gets this bad during allergy season, it might be time to consider surgery). I bought a couple of Lakme items in India during my most recent visit that I've been meaning to blog about for a while.

I've had issues with the pricing, packaging, and yes even the quality of Lakme's blushes before. It felt overpriced for a blush that hardened and had zero pigment. It reminded me of the blush I used to borrow form my friend when I was a a teen. The only problem was my friend was very fair/pale. And so was her blush (I used to annoy her by layering on a bit more blush and asking "can you see it now?" for at least a full ten minutes). I was pleasantly surprised by Lakme's Absolute range and while I wasn't crazy about all the products, there are a few winners there too.

The packaging for the blush is bare and minimal, which suits me just fine. The plastic feels a bit flimsy and the lid doesn't shut firmly enough for my comfort and I'm not sure it would withstand much tossing about in my kit. The clear lid is a nod to efficiency as I like being able to pick up the blush I want to when I am in a rush.

One highly irritating drawback is that the blushes have no names. Note to Lakme, you can even number them sequentially. Or not. Either way, it's really simple to have an identifier on the blush shade. The one I bought is the third shade Lakme has available on their website.

The blush itself is beautiful. The texture is soft and very blendable and feels very high-end compared to the packaging.  The pigment quality is also very strong, and since I have been known to overindulge in my lost of blush, I build intensity with this one. I hope I don't upset the make-up gods (they have the power to make my lipstick go rancid prematurely) when I say that the texture, pigment quality, and wearability reminds me of my Chanel Joues Contrastes blushes.

The color I have/am reviewing is a orangey-brown shade with a hint of pink. It reminds me a bit of a deeper, more intense version of MAC Sunbasque. It's also very suitable to create a sun kissed look with as it pulls the warmth from skin tones.  The shimmer is present but very grown up. I can see this shade flattering a large range of desi skin tones.