The Best of Cream Blushes

 (L-R, Tarte Cheek Stain in Tipsy, Smashbox Cream Blush in Captivate, Topshop Cream Blush in Morning Dew, Max Factor Creamy Touch Miracle Blush, Chanel Creme Blush in Revelation, Estée Lauder Pure Colour Cheek Rush in Pink Patent, Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Fresh Melon, Chanel Creme Blush in Intonation)

I never used to be a cream blush fan at all, but I think I was looking in all the wrong places. With a couple of notable exceptions I do believe that the best cream blushes are found on high end counters. 

I was sick of using cream blushes that either took off my foundation or had disappeared from my face after an hour. However, once I discovered the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Fresh Melon, that all changed. This is what I'd describe as a true cream blush, it applies as a cream and whilst it does 'set' into the skin, it stays looking creamy and natural. It's got perfect pigmentation, not so heavy that it's easy to go overboard, but enough to not have to use too much. The wear time of this is fantastic too, it really stays put for most of the day, I do however find if I'm heading out in the evening that I like to top this up. This can also be used on the lips, it's a little dry but over lip balm it's fine. The colour is gorgeous, kind of a dirty peach shade. This is definitely the product that kick started my cream blush love affair.

After that was the Topshop Cream Blush in Morning Dew, a cream to powder formulation in a perky pink shade. Because it has a more powder finish it does tend to last longer than your average cream blush, although it doesn't have the best lasting power of all the blushes here. This is definitely a favourite of mine for summer months, because the shade is quite bold. You can sheer it out if you buff it in loads, but for the most part this is quite a bright cheek colour. These retail for a mere £7, so a good budget option!

From here things went from bad to worse for my budget, as I fell in love with the Chanel Creme Blush in Revelation. I was working in Boots at the time on the YSL counter which was directly opposite the Chanel counter, you see the problem here? I think I held out two weeks, swatching them on every shift, until I caved and picked one up. These almost have a moussey texture to them, and they really set into the skin and last all day easily. This shade is a dusky pink kind of shade, but I also ended up picking up the shade Intonation from the spring collection, a gorgeous bright coral.

Then came my dalliance with the Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink. This, like the Bobbi Brown offering, has a real 'traditional' cream blush formula, it stays looking slightly sheeny throughout the day, but really just looks so natural on your skin. The colour is really pretty, it's a good natural everyday pink, and the product is so easy to work with, you can even apply it with your fingers. The packaging is pretty cheap and crappy but it's small and compact which is always good (it makes me feel like I have less makeup than I actually do). 

Back in January I picked up a Smashbox set in the sale and inside was the Smashbox Cream Blush in Captivate. This is the darkest of all the blushes here, it's a warm pink shade with reddy undertones, but once you blend it in it looks really natural. Out of all the blushes here this is the only one I tend to reach for in the Winter months because it's not as bright a shade. The formula's great and it lasts really well on the skin.

A recent addition is the Tarte Cheek Stain in Tipsy, which kind of reminds me of a giant stick deodorant. This is almost a 'watercolour' blush, it's quite sheer, which makes it super natural looking on the skin, it just leaves a coral sheen to the cheeks. Because it's got a bit of a stain quality so it sticks around really well throughout the day. Perfect for low-maintenance makeup days.

And the newest addition to the blush roundup is the Estée Lauder Pure Colour Cheek Rush in Pink Patent, one of the strangest products I've ever used. It's a liquid blush dispensed from a pump which is strange to start. I've found the best way to apply this is to dispense a little onto my hand and apply it with either my fingers or a stippling brush. This is the most natural looking blush I've ever used, it just looks so natural. And the best thing is that once this is on, it's going nowhere.

Coming into Summer I always reach for cream blushes more, and I would wholeheartedly recommend every single blush mentioned here!

What are your favourite cream blushes?

Top Five High End Blushes

Continuing with the Top Five series slowly but surely, today I thought I'd share with you my favourites from the pricier end of the blush spectrum. Blush is one section of my collection that isn't all that big, I know what I like and I stick with it, and generally I only wear these ones. You'll see that they are all fairly similar, nothing too wild!

 Sugarbomb has been my go to blush for about a year now, it's just so easy to wear and it goes with every makeup look. The colours swirl together to create a lightly shimmery deep coral, that leans towards the pink side of things. A little of this on the apples of the cheeks really brightens the complexion, and gives a super natural flush to the cheeks. The wear time is great as with all Benefit Blushes, and it smells amazing too. 

The most luxurious of my picks has to be the Chanel Creme Blush in Revelation. I've been banging on about this since I got it but I just love it that much. I'm not big on cream blushes, I generally find them fiddly to apply and the lasting power tends to lack, but this I just adore. The colour is my perfect blush colour, it gives me a true 'just been out in the cold' or 'awww don't make me blush' pop of colour. It's really easy to apply too, I just pat this onto the apples of my cheeks and blend with my Real Techniques Expert Face brush. With a good primer underneath, this lasts all day. 

I didn't want to include a limited edition blush in this but I couldn't help myself. This is MAC's Ripe for Love from the Temperature Rising Collection at the beginning of the year. It's similar to MAC Peaches, but a little darker, I tend to skip bronzer when I go for this. This is gorgeous with a bronzey smokey eye and a coral or nude lip. It's a dark peach with no shimmer, but it still adds a fair bit of dimension to the skin. Looks beautiful with Benefit Sunbeam over the top, or the Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder in Radiant Light.

 Another Benefit blush, because I just love them, Hervana is more of a pinky, almost lilac blush, a bit more wintery than all these corals I seem to have included. Like I said, I love the formulation of Benefit blushes, they're really pigmented and last so well on the skin. I also have Coralista which I love (obviously, it's another coral).

Well I couldn't not include a Nars blush could I? Infact, I could have included every Nars blush, but I was restrained (ha!). I'm so glad that Orgasm was in this palette, since I lost my beloved Orgasm Blush a while back. This has been one of my favourites for a few years now, it's the perfect coral, with a hint of golden shimmer. Love love love.

Have you tried any of these blushes? What are your favourite high end blushes? Are there anymore Top Fives you'd like to see?

 

NARS X Guy Bourdin One Night Stand Palette

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Miracle Touch

I was sceptical about the Max Factor Miracle Touch blushes (not least because of the crappy packaging and dodgy shade range) but this is actually quite nice, a cream blush that doesn't turn into a powder, isn't sticky but is quite nice. This is the best of the shades, Soft Pink, and it gives a natural flush to the cheeks. 

Yes the packaging is awful, and I definitely wouldn't carry this in my handbag (which is a shame since the wear time of this isn't great) since I'm sure it would just crumble, but it's nice popped on the apples of the cheeks, paired with a smokey eye.

And for the price you can't grumble! £5.99, if you can find this shade, it's quite hard to get a hold of!

Have you tried this blush? What did you think?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win an Urban Decay Lipstick here!

Good Karma, Hervana

A moment of weakness whilst perusing Boots at Waterloo late at night, led to the acquisition of a blush I've been coveting for quite some time.  I think my Benefit Sugarbomb blush might just be my most worn blusher ever, nicely pigmented but natural looking, long lasting formula, gorgeous smell, and extremely flattering. A couple of months ago, I added a miniature of Coralista to my collection and it's been very loved too. Hervana has been on my hitlist for a few months now, the pretty mix of colours in the box was probably the main draw (that and the heavenly packaging)!

Benefit blushers are a pricey investment at £23.50, but I've been reaching for Sugarbomb at least four or five times a week for the last six months and I've barely made a dent in it, so it's an investment I'm happy to make.

Like all Benefit blushes, it comes with a little blush. This one is different to the one that came with Sugarbomb, it's angled, which makes it better for blush application, and the bristles feel softer too. Not sure if Benefit have changed the brushes or if each blush just has a different one. I'm probably more likely to use this one than the other one, particularly when travelling, but for the most part I do generally reach for my Real Techniques blush brush.

In terms of colour, when it's all swirled together it creates a beautiful, purple toned pale pink on the cheeks, that looks like a very natural flush. The beauty of this blush though is that you can use the brush to pick up specific segments, to create slightly different colours every time. There's a pink champagne colour, a peach, a dusky pink and a purple in there, and they all look great on the cheeks alone or mixed.

I really love Benefit blushers and I'm so glad I picked this up! Have you tried any Benefit blushers and have any recommendations? What are your favourite high end blushes?