Okay, so here is the last post in my little mini series thing on contouring and highlighting. I figured I mentioned my favorite bronzers and highlighters, so why not go the whole nine yards or whatnot and talk about ALL THE CHEEK PRODUCTS. So here it is, my favorite blushes. They run all over the place in terms of price. Some of them are harder to get a hold of, sadly, and others might be location-based only, but this isn't necessarily meant as a review, just as a "BAM! here it is" type of list.There are a lot of blushes that are huge favorites of a lot of people that just don't work on my skin coloring and tone. (MAC's "Well Dressed", I'm lookin' at you.) So, this isn't meant as a "THESE COLORS ARE GREAT YOU WILL LOVE THEM I DEMAND YOU BUY THEM NAOOOOOOO," and more of an excuse for an easy blog post, haha. If I have reviews or whatnot on any of these, I will link below, as usual. I changed the format a bit, because I didn't want to say a lot about these blushes, to be honest. So no list, but I will still put names and prices and the like! Unfortunately, I'm lazy and didn't organize these by color theme so it is one GIGANTIC cluster, sorry!
This is picture-heavy and will still be pretty long, so let's get this show on the road!
I didn't talk about blush application in my main post because it's not really a hard concept and I don't want to insult anyone's intelligence by being like, "So kiddos, this here is how you apply this particular product, h'okay?" I will say that I don't usually apply my blush to the "apples" of my cheeks (the raised part when you smile big) because when your face is in its normal position, the blush might be lower than you would want. I apply to my cheekbones and sweep it back towards my temple.
That being said, blush is, for some people, a crucial makeup step. I have a lot of coloring in my face - it's always red, whether I want it to be or not! But once I get my face mask of foundation and powder and concealer on, I can look pretty flat and lifeless, so blush is something I might be a little obsessed w/, haha.
High End Blushes
$28 from NARS. This blush is pretty intense but I love it anyway. Sometimes pink blushes can look red when applied but this definitely does not.
NARS Blush in "Exhibit A"
$28 from NARS. I talked about this blush in my favorite bronzers post, but this is one of my favorite summer blushes as well. If "Desire" is intense, this blush is even crazier. A light hand is needed FOR SURE.
CARGO Blush in "Laguna"
$29 from CARGO. Again, I mentioned this one in the favorite bronzers post, but I love orange blushes for summer and this one is particularly awesome.
bareMinerals READY™ Blush in "The One"
$22 from Bare Escentuals. This blush is surprisingly nice. I've used bareMinerals before and was never super impressed, either by mineral makeup in general or by loose products, but this blush is super pretty.
Stila Custom Color Blush in "Coral"
$20 from stila. LOVE this blush. I love the color and the shimmer doesn't appear on the cheeks much at all. Review here.
I have a couple of LE MAC cheek products that I love, but I'm going to post them at the very end since they're not readily available anymore. :/
Drugstore Blushes
$11.95 from Physicians Formula. This blush is very shimmery, which I normally don't go for, but I really like this blush. It's pretty and it smells good, haha.
pH Matchmaker pH Powered Blush in "Natural"
$12.95 from Physicians Formula. This blush is kind of gimmicky, but I love shit like that. Plus the compact LIGHTS UP OKAY. I have both colors but the "Rose" blush is so glittery that I can't even. But this one is nice and looks great.
Milani Minerals Blushes in "Mai-Tai" (left) and "Sweet Rose" (right)
$6.49 from Cherry Culture. These are increasingly hard to find. They've been discontinued, or at least they no longer show up on Milani's website, but they're really nice. I've found them at some CVS stores too.
Maybelline Dream Bouncy™ Blush in (L-R, clockwise: "Hot Tamale", "Plum Wine", and "Candy Coral"
$6 - $8 by Maybelline. These are readily available in drugstores. I don't have any inclination to purchase more. These were the colors I wanted and the pinks and mauves bore me a bit. However, these are really nice and I use the coral one almost every day.
Hard Candy Fox in a Box in "Smooth Talker"
My googling has informed me that this blush has been discontinued. Go figure. But here is an Amazon link if you're still interested. I like this color, it's probably the only nude blush I like. I did a review on them here.
Wet N Wild ColorIcon™ Blush in "Heather Silk"
$2.99 from Wet N Wild. Super crazy pigmented and not a ton of shimmer. Love this one. Plus, it's pretty cheap and readily available!
e.l.f. Studio Cream Blush in "Flirt"
$6 from e.l.f. Studio. This blush is easy to apply and looks nice as well. I'm really fond of it. The packaging is a big absurd, but whatever. Blends easily too.
e.l.f. Studio Powder Blush in "Mellow Mauve"
$3 from e.l.f. Studio. This blush is fantastic. You can also find this in most Targets and some Meijer stores if you have access to those. It's pigmented and the shimmer isn't crazy. It looks a bit dark but it ends up looking lighter on the cheek.
Studio M Baked Blush in "Berry"
You can only get Studio M products from Meijer grocery stores, so if you don't live in the midwest part of the States... :( That being said, this looks remarkably like the Palladio blush of the same exact name, so you could check that out. I think this blush is $5.99 at Meijer.
Random Asian Blush in "No. 5"
It's some Japanese brand that I can neither spell nor pronounce so, sorry, I'm not going to be much help here. However, it's really nice! And it was only $1.99 in some tiny little convenience store in Chicago's Chinatown! So if you're interested and you live in or near Chicago, check it out?
Discontinued/LE MAC Blushes
"Blush of Youth" Beauty Powder.
"Pretty Baby" Beauty Powder.
"Petticoat" Mineralize Skinfinish.
"Azalea Blossom" Blush Ombre.
