Just after mascara rules, blush battles it out with brow product to tie for my favorite makeup item spot. Blush, bronzer, or face color powders in general just lift the face and feel natural to put on.
I've been complimented for wearing blush by guys before. It's one of the things one can put on that they can safely compliment without receiving too many specifics from you after LOL. I guess blush might be one of the few makeup items that's made the minimum amount of sense to dudes for ages, more than any of the other fiddly bits that tend to turn them off like eyeliner, eyeshadow, and lipstick. Read on to have a peek at five of my favorite warming blushes.
Here are a couple of my favorite blushes that I think warm up and lift the face for skin shades varying from very fair to a medium (not very deep) tan.
(From left) Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in "Ginger Pop" Php1395, Shiseido Luminizing Satin Face Color "Starfish" OR 308 Php1600+, Bare Minerals "Warmth" All-Over Face Color Php1000+, NARS Blush in "Madly" Php1650 (orELLANA Peach Passion which you can get online here.), Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder in 2 Antigua Php2250 (looks pink, but isn't too pink when worn)
Apologies if they're all luxury brands but these are the specific shades I love, one of them has near exact local dupes.
I own so many pink hybrid blushes I thought it was about time I owned one that was more in the peach or orange-y side of the spectrum. "Starfish" OR 308 is a beautiful orange-y peach, I've been using it again loads after not thinking about it for a long time. It has a subtle gold sheen that's thanks to shimmer that isn't too glitzy.
Strange that this one by Bobbi Brown isn't categorized as a blush considering how pink it is in the pan. The Illuminating Bronzing Powder in Antigua is a warmer mauve pink with a very mild terracotta undertone. According to Bobbi Brown's local counter staff even if this has a hefty price tag (Php2250...gasp) they still sell a lot of this particular shade in fact the night before my aunt got one for herself and for me someone else bought Antigua also. It's a beautiful warm pink that, if worked in more firmly, could suit medium to deep skin tones, too. It does have luminizing shimmer visible in direct daylight.
This loose face color powder in "Warmth by Bare Minerals delivers sun-kissed luminosity. It's too luminous to be called a bronzer. It's a sort of earthy clay colored blush and highlighter in one, too glowy to use for contour but beautiful across the high points of the face. At first I didn't know how to use it, then I learned you only need a tiny bit with a big fluffy blush to instantly look like you've done 20 jumping jacks. I also love it as an eyeshadow pigment.
For the anti-blush makeup fan comes NARS Madly, which is kind of like MAC Harmony's more luminous sister and a sheeny cousin of the Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Exposed. Both look brown in the pan but are infused with a mauve undertone that just delivers a subtle, glow-y pinched look to cheeks with a slight silver sheen. It's a great blush to combine with bolder lipcolor, too, not just on nude makeup looks, because this neutral blush won't challenge a bold lip yet prevents the rest of the face from looking drained. If you're looking for similar shade that's less pricy try local NARS Madly dupe ELLANA Peach Passion which you can get online here, that's just a bit dustier. Also great as a neutral eyeshadow.
I've blogged about the Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in Ginger Pop before. I was so mixed up on whether it was a cream or powder blush but read up that it's somewhat of a hybrid formula that's more powder than it is cream. Ginger pop is the tamest most "nude" and warm shade from the original release of Cheek Pop blushes, extremely wearable and very pretty. I don't think Cheek Pop blushes were limited edition but I'll have to double check on whether they are still available locally.
I know none of these picks for today are budget level but they have very specific shades and finishes that I just love to use over and over. I've gotten a lot of wear from all of them with the exception of Bobbi Brown Antigua which was just given to me recently. I hope you enjoyed my feature on the most wearable and warming blushes I own, let me know in the comments if you've used or tried any of them.