A 101 Guide To Blush
Apart from foundations and nail polishes without a doubt my all time favourite beauty products to buy is blush. There is just something so fun about choosing a new shade and formulation to perk up your skin tone and there is a huge range of products to choose from. And it's without fail one of those beauty product that you can instantly tell if you love or not. So today I'm going to be chatting all things formulation, brands, how to pick the right shade for you and what brushes work the best for application.
THE FORMULAS
From my knowledge, there are 3 main formulations to choose from when it comes to blush and they are powder, cream and liquid. For me, I've always been a powder girl mostly as it's the easiest formulation to get hold of and wears typically well throughout the day if you struggle with oily skin. Creams are something that I've dabbled in over the years and they can work beautifully at depositing colour onto the cheek as well as leaving a healthy glossy sheen on the skin. And then there are the liquids which typically work as more of a stain on the cheeks, I've never really fallen in love with a liquid blush as I find them typically very difficult to work with. So the formulations that I gravitate towards are typically a powder or a cream as I find them the easiest to work with, get hold of and last the well on my skin.
THE BRANDS
There is no denying that I'm a high-end consumer when it comes to blush. And it's not because I believe that they are any better in formulation but it's the shade range that sucks me in every time.
NARS BLUSH: The only beauty product I've tried from Nars is their blushes and they do not disappoint. The formulation isn't exactly mind blowing, it's just a really good powder formulation that compliments the skin, blends in with ease and is incredibly long lasting. But their shade range is just sublime and sadly my favourite shade Douceur is sadly discontinued. It's the perfect dirty pink with a brown undertone that goes with absolutely every makeup look I could think of and not only compliments the skin but sculpts it too. If you're pale it's one of the easiest ways to add a flush of colour as well as chisel in some cheekbone definition.
TARTE BLUSH: I have a couple of Tarte blushes [Exposed & Blushing Bride] in my collection and they're so worth all the hype that they received throughout the years online. The formulation is one of the best I've ever tried, they're a powder and they're incredibly soft and smooth and blend like a dream but they're incredibly pigmented so much so that you have to be really careful when using them as it's so easy to end up with a little too much colour on the skin. Their official name is the Tarte 12 hour Amazonian Clay blushes and they definitely live with up to their name as they're so long lasting on the skin and never settle down to be dry or uncomfortable either which can so easily happen with powder products.
STILA CONVERTIBLE COLOURS: Hands down when it comes to cream blush there is no denying how much I love the formulation of the Stila Convertible Colours and I think they're probably my all time favourite cream cheek product on the market. They're so soft and creamy but they're not sticky or tacky at all and they deposit the prettiest flush of colour to the skin. They add somewhat of a gloss to the cheek but it's nothing that looks unnatural, just incredibly healthy. Even though they are such a creamy cheek product they last well on the skin but you can increase the wear time by setting them lightly with a powder or another blush that's similar in colour.
HOURGLASS BLUSH: I go back and forth between what I think about these blushes because they're so pricey. But there is no denying how beautiful they look on the skin and everything from the formula to the packaging is a complete dream. But then for the price, I sit on the edge because the Maxfactor Creme Puff blushes are pretty much identical they just don't have the dreamy gold packaging. If you want to treat yourself to a shade that you can wear every day and feel truly special when using then they are a lovely treat.
CLARINS BLUSH*: I've always had a soft spot for Clarins beauty products but lately, I've been really enjoying their blushers. The cream formulation doesn't wow me all too much but the powders are beautiful. They're something to reach for when you want minimal makeup and something soft but still want to enhance the skin in a natural way. So often powders can sit on the complexion and look unnatural but I never have that issue with Clarins and they blend and melt seamlessly into the skin giving you a natural flush that lasts beautifully throughout the day and they always have a lovely shade range.
PICKING A SHADE FOR YOU
There are no rules when it comes to beauty and you're free to use whatever shade you please but for me, I've always found the colours that compliment me the most are the ones that are pretty natural. I'm sure there's some age-old beauty rule that says you should pick a blush that is similar to the colour you would naturally flush which makes a lot of sense but it doesn't leave much room to experiment. The shades without fail that work for me and either dusky berry tones or dirty pinks and roses, anything bright or remotely erring on the side of neon looks pretty vile against my skin. I also don't like my blush to make too much of a statement either because if I want to wear something a little brighter on the lips or on the eye then I'm free to do so.
I typically go for a matte or a baked blush as anything too shimmery is just a little overbearing for the makeup looks that I go for. I'd much rather add shimmer with a highlight than directly on my cheeks as I never find it to be that flattering. And a matte cheek colour doesn't always have to be something that makes the skin look flat either which can often be a worry with them.
APPLICATION
If there is one area I would say I'm pretty good at applying my beauty products it's my blush and that's all thanks to discovering that a stippling brush is your best friend. I like to blend my blush upwards and out on the cheek rather than have a single pop of colour as on me that's rather an ageing look. A stippling brush is something that works with either a cream or powder product and it helps the product mesh with the skin beautifully rather than it sitting on top of it which is typically what can happen with a fluffy brush. The Real Techniques Stippling brush is something that's typically marketed towards using with a foundation but I prefer it to either apply blush or with any general powder products.
What are your favourite blushes?
