I’ve had these products for several months, so I decided I may as well combine them into one review!

Yves Saint Laurent Make Me Blush Bold Blurring Powder Blush in 12 Honey Moon

YSL started off the year releasing three additional shades to their powder blush line. I first reviewed Peachy Nude, Restless Rosé, and Nocturnal Nude HERE. Then, I discussed Rose Haze and Spicy Berry HERE. My versions of Nude Lavalliere and Berry Bang came from the brand’s first face palette in Golden Oasis HERE.

Although I have plenty of the brand’s blushes already, I have an especially hard time resisting the ones in their shimmer finish. So, I purchased this while at a slight discount via Flaconi.
There are technically only shimmer/satin and matte finishes listed in the Make Me Blush Bold Blurring Blush line, but among the shimmers there are a few as sheer as highlighters such as 69 Lavender Lust and another of the three new ones called 10 Stardust Love.

Before we move onto the review, I feel it’s necessary to point out that YSL has already released a number 12 blush, but it’s called Nocturnal Nude. I assumed the duplicate number was a typo or simply an oversight, seeing as how there are at least 18 shades in the range, plus a few in the liquid formula as well. It’s not unbelievable that there could be a mixup. However, Nocturnal Nude was one of the blushes that did not get released at every retailer. In fact, I’m not even sure if it ever launched in the US. I had heard people living in the US had to get theirs from Selfridges in the UK. As for Germany, the only two places I can confirm had Nocturnal Nude was Flaconi and the YSL-Deutschland website. Nocturnal Nude was removed from Flaconi’s website and it has been listed as out of stock at YSL for at least six months.
So, it seems as if that blush has been discontinued. It’s still a strange choice to reuse the number, even though Honey Moon is basically an amped up version of the shade in terms of depth, shimmer, and pigmentation levels.

I’m pleased with this new addition, but I hope YSL will consider making a deep brown-pink nude shade someday, since we already have three that lean orange.

The majority of the blushes in this line are pigmented, but the lighter shades are unsurprisingly easier to control. Honey Moon isn’t as intensely pigmented as Spicy Berry (which could appear patchy in specific circumstances), but I still need to apply it lightly. Unlike many blushes that just need an wispy brush to build up the product slowly, the consistency of the blush powder is on the thicker side. To ensure the best application, I use brushes that have both an airy and medium dense section of the brush (for instance 3D styles or angled brushes). This way, it can pick up and apply a small amount of product from the looser side, but the other part of the brush has decent buffing power. My rephr Kōyō brush has always been perfect for that, but I can even use the Hakuhodo G6440 if I only do a single tap into the blush surface before buffing the color all over. Using a loose brush to apply with and switching to a buffing brush to blend it in works too.

Of the blushes I own, Spicy Berry and Nocturnal Nude are definitely satins because they have a sheen, but the shimmer particles aren’t as easy to see after being blended in. Restless Rosé has more obvious shimmer, as does Honey Moon. As long as I keep my blush layer of Honey Moon sheer, and especially if I use a blurring and/or finishing powder on top, texture isn’t as emphasized. So, I don’t mind this shade being so shimmery.

Other than being mindful about which brush is used, I don’t have any other issues with Honey Moon. It has good longevity and no added parfum. It just comes down to preferences whether someone will like this or not.

Yves Saint Laurent All Hours Hyper Bronze in #5

After getting the Golden Oasis palette with its blushes and highlighters, I couldn’t let go of the feeling that if I bought the bronzer, that would be the last face powder product from YSL that I cared to test out. Curiosity finally got the better of me and I caved.

Based on the countless reviews I saw, I knew the current darkest shade was my only option. #5 in the pan looks like it will be quite dark, but packing on the product still results in a fairly sheer application. It having a very thin consistency aids in its buildable nature.
I was relieved to see the hype surrounding this bronzer wasn’t exaggerated. The matte airbrush finish is akin to the Victoria Beckham Beauty and Charlotte Tilbury bronzers, though YSL’s is slightly drier looking than them on my face. It also leans red, but thankfully isn’t overly red to the point that I wouldn’t want to use it. Still, I’d prefer if the brand had a shade extension with a deep golden option.
I heard someone say that YSL’s pressed powder range goes even deeper than the bronzers, so I once considered using that as a bronzer, but I decided not to try that out of fear that the color could be even more sheer.

Bronzer vs Completed Look

I’ve had no longevity issues with the product. It’s blendable and doesn’t require any special brushes. If I want to maintain that sheer quality, I use my airy brushes. If I want maximum color payoff, like in the photo above on the left, I use a denser brush.
It being sheer makes it prone to being easily covered up by a bold blush or toned down too much by my finishing powders, so I have to keep that in mind.

I don’t believe I’ve posted a new bronzer ranking for 2025, but based on my list from 2024, I would possibly rank this above Vieve as a new #13.

Yves Saint Laurent Loveshine Candy Glaze Holiday Collection in 22 Shimmer Rose (Medium Pearlescent Pink).

I like the YSL Candy Glazes, but I made a mistake in assuming the 2025 limited edition shimmer lippie would be the same formula as the shimmer one from 2024, which is actually a Loveshine Lipstick. That 2024 Holiday Loveshine has a wonderful emollient yet balmy consistency, but the shade of pink is quite bold and bright on me. I was too overly excited about this more natural looking color to check which line it was actually from.

I found it interesting that Shimmer Rose is even stickier than the permanent Candy Glazes and it still isn’t as natural looking on me because the shade looks even more cool toned compared to my warm undertone. Although it turns more bubble-gum pink than I wanted, I consider Shimmer Rose to be more wearable on me than Pink Desire. Besides the photo below, I’m also wearing it in the photo on the right side in the blush section.

As seen in the arm and lip swatches, there are chunkier pieces that come onto the lips when first applied, but they can be smoothed out nicely and evenly. My other Candy Glazes don’t swatch like this, but rubbing my lips together a few times makes it a non-issue.

I don’t feel any graininess from the shimmer, this has a light fruity scent, and the stickiness extends the time that I have a moisture barrier gripping my lips. Even if I wipe my lips with a wet paper towel, the sticky residue persists, so oil is the easiest way to remove it completely.

I can, and have, used this a few times in the center of my lips to boost the gloss level of other lip products. However, I still don’t use this enough to be able to say this was a good purchase for me. It honestly wasn’t, but at least the packaging is beautiful!

I will do my best to be better informed when this year’s limited edition lip products launch towards the end of the year. Then again, I’m supposed to be on a lip product no-buy, so maybe I should avoid it altogether!

That’s all for today! Bis dann!

-Lili ❤