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The Best Blushes, Tried And Tested By Vogue Editors
If there’s one make-up product that can inject life into your skin in seconds, it’s blusher. Finding the best blush for your skin tone and type is easier than you might think, and while it has taken a backseat in many of our make-up bags over the years, it’s actually one of the easiest ways to look radiant and healthy.
In fact, there is science to back that up. We naturally flush when we’re excited or aroused, and it was our friends in the Georgian period who first noticed that applying some faux “rouge” was a rather nifty way to suggest robust health. Studies have since shown that a little flush on the cheeks indeed indicates our wellbeing to others.
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“Blush is like an accessory,” says make-up artist Gucci Westman, whose Baby Stick Blush is an excellent melt-into-skin formula. “My advice is to match it to your mood and the statement you want to make that day – how much colour do you want to see?”
There isn’t one single place to wear it. While many of us buff a cream or powder formula onto the apples of our cheeks, that’s just the classic method. Others prefer to wear higher on the cheeks for a lifting effect, and some even apply on the bridge of the nose to recreate a sun-kissed feel (especially good in the summer months). The modern way is to consider how your skin naturally flushes – whether around the temples or below your apples – and applying to those areas, buffing and blending in for a seamless, natural finish.
Be it a bold coral, soft pink or warm peach, a bit of colour can make you look healthier and brighter with minimal effort. Here, Vogue rounds up some of the very best blush products on the market, from classics like Glossier’s Cloud Paint to new and exciting formulas like the NARS Afterglow Liquid Blush.
From powders to creams, shop the very best blushers below.
Vogue’s best blush shortlist:
- Best blush overall: Merit Flush Balm Cheek Colour, £32
- Best blush for glass skin: Saie Dew Blush, £20
- Best skin-caring blush: NARS Afterglow Liquid Blush, £33
- Best powder blush: Pat McGrath Labs Skin Fetish Divine Blush, £40
- Best affordable blush: E.L.F. Always Rosy Primer Infused Blush, £7
- Best blush for a subtle flush: Makeup By Mario Soft Pop Plumping Blush Veil, £30
- Best pigmented blush: Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, £22
- Best blush for mature skin: Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick Blush, £42
- Best blush for oily skin: IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Blush, £31
- Best cream blush: r.e.m beauty Eclipse Cheek & Lip Stick, £18
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5/28Merit Flush Balm Cheek Colour
- Type: buttery balm with fine powder pigments
- Finish: natural dewy finish
- Size: 9g
Why we love it:
With a clean formula that comes esthetician-approved, Merit’s blush is ideal for all skin types: it’s one of few cream blushes without comedogenic ingredients which is great news for those with acne-prone skin. What’s more, it’s infused with vitamin E to condition and protect your complexion, and it melts in effortlessly for a cake-free, radiant flush.
6/28Best skin-caring blush: NARS Afterglow Liquid Blush
- Type: serum-like liquid
- Finish: moisturised, buildable flush
- Size: 7ml
Why we love it:
Competing with NARS’ iconic Orgasm for the title of most titillating blush, Afterglow mimics the perspired flush the face has after you get physical. Its dewiness comes courtesy of vitamin E and sodium hyaluronate, which enhance the skin-plumping effects of vegan collagen in the formula. Made for the girls who like their cheeks with a healthy sheen, this buildable blush gives a lit-from-within glow that garners many compliments.
7/28Best cream blush: r.e.m beauty Eclipse Blush & Lip Stick
- Type: balm
- Finish: naturally luminous
- Size: 7.5g
Why we love it:
From Ariana Grande’s beauty brand comes one of the dreamiest blushes we’ve tried, in a glide-on stick balm that’s super easy to blend. Packed full of pigment, its jojoba-based formula mimics the natural oils on the skin, so rather than sitting heavily on the complexion, this one melts right in for a seamless, comfortable finish.
8/28Best blush for glass skin: Saie Dew Blush
- Type: water-based gel
- Finish: glossy
- Size: 12ml
Why we love it:
Not only does Saie’s blush turn up the dew factor with a juicy gel formula, but it’s also formulated with hero skincare ingredients to give you glassier skin over time. Evening primose, elderberry and mulberry are the antioxidant extracts powering this blush: they soften, nourish and protect your skin for a complexion with a healthy bounce. We love the doe foot applicator for building up washes of colour, and the transparent, shimmer-free formula which adds a believable flush.
