In this post, I’ll be breaking down my recommendations on the best blushes in town; and the best part? They’re all at an affordable price! I used to not be the biggest fan of blush because I felt it was a little too artificial, however, as time passed it easily became one of my FAVORITE steps of my makeup routine!
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What’s the point of blush?
At its core, blush is just a product that is meant to add a flush of color to the face to mimic your natural complexion. Blush is intended to bring back the color to your face that you lost after applying your foundation which completely evens out your skin tone on your face. You might be thinking (or not) what if I don’t wear foundation; can I still wear blush? The answer is, of course! Blush can be used by absolutely everyone to add some nice pigment to your face with a touch of color.
“I feel blush is super feminine and just makes you look super awake and fresh.”
When it comes to blush, there are two main kinds: powder and cream blushes. When choosing between the two, it is completely up to you. First off, cream blush is super user friendly since it is a cream; there is no mess and there isn’t much excess. Additionally, cream blushes are often used to give a more natural blush moment where the skin is more dewy and glowy. They are more moisturizing and they set pretty quickly so you have to work fast with them. One con is that they don’t last as long and have a relatively short staying power.
Powder blush, on the other hand, provides a more matte look to the skin. However, not all of them are matte! They have powder blushes with shimmer in them to provide a more glowy/satin finish to the skin. Powder’s are not as easy to blend as cream blushes, however, they are long-lasting and stay on the skin for much longer than creams. Personally, I prefer a powder blush since I have oily skin. Powder blushes can absorb excess oils which is a huge plus for me and they add a nice flush of color for the entire day.
Now that we covered all of the basics, let’s get to my TOP Blush recommendations! As I just mentioned, powder blushes are my go-to so all of my recommendations will be the best of the best powders. However, I included a few glowy options as well so you can have the best of both worlds! For each blush, I included a swatch both with and without flash so you can more or less get an idea of the true color.
Best Blushes #1: Essence Satin Touch Blush
By far, one of my favorite affordable brands is Essence. I haven’t tried everything this brand has to offer; I’ve only tried mainly blushes and mascara’s (read what I think about their mascara’s here). So, although I can’t vouch for everything, I can firmly say (with what I’ve tried so far), the quality is AMAZING all at a super affordable price ($2.99 each!). When I was at my local Ulta, I stumbled upon these blushes and picked them up right away. The blushes are only sold in 2 shades; 10 Satin Coral & 20 Satin Love.
“The quality is AMAZING all at a super affordable price…!”
The Satin Touch Blush has a perfect amount of pigment to instantly add some color to your cheeks. It is not too overly pigmented so it’s not difficult to work with this product. However, it is pigmented enough to ensure that the shade shows up on the skin. As far as the Satin aspect of this blush, it adds a glowing color as well a light pearl effect. Because of this, the blushes have a slight shimmer when on the skin. The two shades in their range are definitely not enough, but, it is a good start because the colors are gorgeous! The shade Satin Coral is a bright coral shade that makes you look so sun-kissed, and the shade Satin Love is the perfect natural color for every day wear. They are both beautiful and highly recommend trying both of them out!
Although these are Satin blushes, I, as a girl with oily skin, have not had any trouble with the shimmer. Usually, shimmery products on the cheeks can tend to also accentuate pores, however, this product did nothing of that sort whatsoever. These blushes are so beautiful, very pigmented and are the the perfect addition to your complexion.
Essence Satin Touch Blush Swatches
In the above swatches, you can probably notice how in the pictures with Flash, there is a slight pearly sheen. The blush isn’t sparkly on the skin, however, it just gives a natural slight – glowy finish.
Best Blushes #2: Essence Matt Touch Blush
I’m sure you can tell how much I love the Satin Touch blushes by now. Now, multiply that adoration by ten times; THAT’S how much I completely adore this product.
“I literally am smiling while typing this because I just can’t wait for you to try this hidden gem out!”
This blush is the PERFECT matte blush. It truly is everything you would ever want in a blush, just like the previously mentioned Satin blushes. It is pigmented, easy to blend, and the best of all, it is only $3.99! This blush lasts all day on my oily skin and since it is matte, it doesn’t add any extra shininess to my face.
Like the other blushes, they only sell it in 2 shades for now. I’m really hoping they extend this line and shade range ASAP. The two shades that are currently available are 20 berry me up! and 10 peach me up!. Shade 20 is a darker berry color, which may look intimidating in the pan, however, it is not that bright or intense when applied at all. Shade 10 has been my go-to holy grail for the last few months. It is a perfect everyday natural shade. It is not too peachy where it looks orange, it just the right amount of peachy pink to add a flush of color. These blushes, especially for their quality and price, are a MUST HAVE!
Essence Matt Touch Blush Swatches
From the swatches, you can definitely see that these blushes are more matte than the two satin blushes to the right of them. Their pigmentation is just amazing. They are smooth, blendable, buttery, pretty much everything you’d want in a blush.
*With all of the Essence blushes, although the pan size is pretty small, they will last you a very long time. They’re pretty pigmented so you barely need to tap into the blush to get really nice pigmentation.
Best Blushes #3: Milani Baked Blush – Luminoso
My final blush recommendation is by the brand Milani and it is part of their baked blushes line. I purchased mine in the shade “Luminoso” and it is so so nice! If you’re looking for a dupe for NARS Orgasm blush, this one is the blush for you! The shade Luminoso is slightly more peachy coral, but it is definitely a close match.
“… it’s so so nice!”
This blush is super shimmery and it is my go-to blush when I have a tan in the summertime or if I’m spending a day outside. It adds the perfect pop of color and adds a warm finish with a beautiful sheen. It’s not too overly glittery at all, it is just the perfect amount of shine and glow. It’s not too overly pigmented so you can build it up with your brush to get a more intense color. Thus, you can use a light hand for a more natural blush or build it up to be bolder. The blush retails for $7.99 and it is available in 4 shades: Dolce Pink, Rose D’Oro, Berry Amore, and Luminoso.
Milani Baked Blush – Luminoso Swatches
As you can tell, this blush has a super fine-milled sparkle to it and it is different than all the other blushes. I highly recommend picking up this blush if you are looking for a dewy finish on your skin!
Blush Application Tip: Now that you’ve seen all of my top ride-or-die blushes, I’m going to leave you with one very important tip. I’m pretty sure we’ve all been there: You try to apply just a touch of blush and end up with a bright pink over-the-top crazy looking spot on your face. What do you do?! You don’t take off your makeup that you worked so hard to make flawless. Well, my tip is just to use a clean blending brush to tap on top of the blush so that it gets rid of all of the excess! It’s THAT easy! Just keep tapping your clean brush on your cheeks until you have the perfect amount of blush left. Ta-da! 🙂
I hope you guys liked my recommendations for the best blushes! Do you wear blush? What are some of your favorites?! Let me know below!
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